Eric Factor
WRT205
Critical Summary In the text Boy Culture: An Encyclopedia, there is a specific segment dedicated to the skateboarding movement. Unsurprisingly, this portion of the encyclopedia is located under the “Bad’ Boys” section of the text. This “Bad boy” image of skaters and skating culture is the commonplace outsiders’ perspective on skateboarders. However, as the encyclopedia discusses, skating is a means of self-expression, individuality, and freedom (225). The origins of the skateboarding movement was very much a cry for deviance from restrictive societal norms. This is evidenced heavily by the flashpoint I chose, which states, “For skateboarders, skate culture is a location of difference, an alternative to dominant demands that adolescent boys, as exemplified by “jocks,” should overvalue competition, physical dominance, and emotional repression.” (225). Deviance from societal youth norms has always been an instrumental factor in the skating movement. As for why the authors included this text in their encyclopedia, the answer is clear. Examining and analyzing the history and trends in youth culture would be incomplete without taking into account the effect that the skating movement has had. Similarly, this text holds interest to me first because I feel that the skating movement is a perfect example of social deviance for this class, and the discussions which we hold within it. The way the material is presented allows me to examine the roots of this deviance, and compare them to the sources of other forms of deviance in today’s society. Second, I find this text interesting because I am a freestyle skier, and the freestyle skiing movement deeply mimics the freestyle snowboarding movement which, in turn, is a derivative of the youth skateboarding movement.