“Culture Needs to Be Blamed”: Surfing Icon Kelly Slater Candidly Spoke About the Stereotypes in the Sport Back in 2014

The big shot in the surfing scene Kelly Slater also has a lot of concerns regarding the scene. It is not about the core sports but the culture behind the sport and the way it originated. Surfing has a lot to offer, and Slater is surely a pro at it.

The pro surfer back in 2014 in an interview talked about the surfing culture. He discussed morality, politics, drugs in surf culture, and his approach to the responsibility of representing surfers to the world at large.

Kelly Slater opens up about the dark side of surfing

The pro surfer also explained another issue related to surfing. It wasn’t related to the core sport but to its culture. It isn’t so much a problem as something that is practiced by most surfers.

“Well it’s funny when I was a kid you know there was the stereotype of a surfer where there was a certain culture the way you talked it’s like smoking weed, partying, not having responsibilities for anything. And you know that’s not necessarily true but there is truth in that you know that is part of our culture. Surfing comes from a sort of an outcast sort of expat kind of you know,” Slater said. According to the surfer, there is a certain kind of stereotype associated with the people who do surfing. Surfing is pretty extraordinary compared to any other sport, and it has its own rules. More likely, it’s not about the rules but the culture around them.

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The fact that being around such an environment never encouraged Slater to get addicted to bad stuff. The surfer has a record of avoiding drugs and even hard liquor, although he occasionally enjoys beer.

Another issue covered by Kelly Slater

Surfing is a sport full of adrenaline. There are also some things that can potentially lead somebody to the dark side of the sport. Kelly Slater addressed some issues regarding the culture where surfing came from.

Slater said, “It’s weird cuz I grew up shooting guns and owning guns but I’m against owning guns now. I’m not necessarily against the fact that people can own guns. You know I don’t think that just the military should have them and people should all be quiet.”

“Those are just humans who make really bad decisions for whatever reason and then that you know you start to really break it down and you know culture needs to be blamed,” Slater mentioned. 

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Guns are pretty common for the pro surfer, as he grew up with them. He is also not against common citizens having guns. He acknowledges that the problem isn’t with the shooter because they were never given a chance to open up their thoughts to the common public. All the things inside their heads led them to take drastic decisions. This ruined not only their lives but also the lives of those who were caught up in it. Slater just wants to convey the message that everyone should be treated on the same basis.