There are currently over 2,000 skateparks in the US. Many of these are public facilities. Now, governments which have chastised skateboarders for year are building $250,000 plus skate parks. Skateboarders are known for their hatred for police, and love/hate relationships with skate parks. Government has created amazing public facilities, but on the other hand, you now have them in your pocket book and telling you how to skate, what pads to wear, and letting public parks go mismanaged. If skateboarders voted, for the few that stopped rolling joints, how should they vote?
Several questions arise- What should be the role of government in skateboarding? Is skateboarding a crime? Should I be required to wear pads?
Several municipalities are staffing skateparks 24/7 with pad monitors thereby spending $20-40k per year to make sure kids are safe. The state of California has a state law requiring full pad and helmet protection for anyone within the boundaries of a public skate facility. This is a blanket law. The individual must make the right choice to wear a helmet. After all, God is a better regulator and has consequences more powerful than a monetary fine. The falling would only cause injury which would teach us to wear pads in the future.
Sammy Baptista, a pro skateboarder lists “Political Views” on Facebook as, “Niether side allows skateboarding…haha.”
Technically, if Republicans favor less government, they favor less skateboard laws, perhaps less public skate parks. If Democrats prefer
more government, they might prefer more laws, but perhaps more parks.
Some very conservative cities, like Costa Mesa CA and Plano TX, have strict anti-skateboarding laws but nice skate parks. Conservative states like Oklahoma and South Carolina have mediocre parks, but little regulation in them. So is Sammy is right that there isn’t necessarily a better side? Indeed, we are being told what’s right and what’s wrong by politicians who have never touched a skateboard before.
Milton Friedman, a famous economist, and staunch supporter of freedom said, “Libertarianism supports the highest possible amount of freedom without negatively impacting someone else.” In essence, he is saying that helmet regulations are an attack on our freedom. “If I want to make a bad choice, getting hurt will teach me a lesson.”
Sounds fair. After all, Why not let families(Moms and dads), churches, and the individual decide what is most appropriate in each sport? Liberal states, like California, have made pads and helmets enforcable by $355 fine.
It doesn’t matter if you never fall and are 40 year old skate veteran, the government wants you to feel uncomfortable and the stiffness of full padding. Laws like these have been an assualt on American values of freedom, choice, and the influence of the parents.
It’s probably more about freedom than political party, but skateboarders are sick of legislation. Being told where to skate, what to wear.. We are much better off if the government just leaves us alone. Most skateboarder pick skating the streets outside of the park better than $100,000 plus public skateparks anyways!
This was written by Rob Dunfey, owner of GoSkate.com, a nationwide skate lesson service.