Did the Rusty ad kill the Boardworks SUP?

[StuBro]

My uncle was a beach lifeguard at Huntington Beach in the 60's and said it was pure bliss back then.  He tells me people actually wanted to surf together as it was safer with the huge heavy boards.  He would never surf with me in the '80s because he said it was just a zoo.  I now look on the '80s as if it were my golden age as there was literally NOBODY out then compared to now.

The 150 person lineup at Swami's Saturday was absolutely ridiculous.  All I can say is thank goodness for SUPs so you can paddle to an occasional wave or two without some 14 year old hater on it.  I've been told to, "go back to El Cajon" on at my local break when I WALK to the break.  It boils my blood as there is seemingly no Aloha spirit left in surfing in SoCal.  I generally don't say anything back to the punks just give them a bad glare which usually does the job.  It's really just sad.

I grew up in Oahu and lifeguarded there during college and it's still a decent place to surf compared to here.  They deal with the wave hog haters in the Hawaiian Style, which means if you act like a complete douche bag you actually get your ass kicked on the beach or in the break.  I lifeguarded on a mellow south shore beach, Ala Moana, and I would turn a blind eye to locals kicking the shit out of a Cali guy who brought his hate to the islands (Sorry Greta, old supervisor there).

I think SUPing is absolutely necessary here now as the breaks are just so crowded.  There seems to be a herd mentality with the surfers just going out at the established lineup and not walking an extra 200 yards to a place where nobody is surfing.  Sure those spots are not as good as the established breaks but wouldn't you rather ride all the waves you want with poorer form than dealing with one or two waves in the lineup on a big day?

I guess I'm officially old now as I too am feeling grumpy towards these guys.

[jd]

Isn't it time to put this to rest? The whole speculative theory of this thread is a stretch to put it diplomatically.  It was a single ad. 

Marketing crap like sugar to kids is for more offensive and worse for society or crap made in China so someone can make more Benjamin's at the cost of industry in this country.   Funny how we are selective about what is offensive.

I highly doubt the ad had any influence on the problems that currently exist out in the lineup, unless you think listening to heavy metal makes your kids worship the devil.  SUPhate existed long before the ad.

[PonoBill]

Apparently not.

We have our own little microcosm here. We're not looking so much at the problems of the universe, we're pretty much talking about stand up paddling. It's our tribe, and someone dissed it.

I don't have to go far to see people who used to give me nothing but crap about being on a standup board who are now doing standup and telling me how much more fun they are having. I'll be there this morning and there will be dozens of them. Things change, and I like those folks just fine, but I haven't forgotten when they gave me all that stinkeye. Forgiven, sure--nothing really to forgive eh? Forgotten, not yet.

[SoCalSupper]

Apparently not.

We have our own little microcosm here. We're not looking so much at the problems of the universe, we're pretty much talking about stand up paddling. It's our tribe, and someone dissed it.

I don't have to go far to see people who used to give me nothing but crap about being on a standup board who are now doing standup and telling me how much more fun they are having. I'll be there this morning and there will be dozens of them. Things change, and I like those folks just fine, but I haven't forgotten when they gave me all that stinkeye. Forgiven, sure--nothing really to forgive eh? Forgotten, not yet.

Well said Bill

[JimK]

Hey Bill

How about "Live and let Live" Those old "Stinkeye" just aren't as enlightened as the rest of us (and you)

And I think that goes for this Anti Rusty thing too...We all need to get along

JimK
www.extremewindsurfing.com

[Strand Leper]

Jim K,

I am not sure folks outside of certain microcosms understand the intensity of the anti SUP feelings within these microcosms.  It is (and was) intense... Because people are protecting their access to (or dominance of) a scarce (especially in OC) resource... Namely good waves.  When a very well respected brand makes a homicidal joke out of that intense hatred, it is a big deal. 

Actions have consequences.  If the Rusty clothing licensee was truly sorry, it would have placed ads in TSW, Surfer, Surfing, etc. and apologized without being sarcastic.  It didn't.  Because it was stoked about the reaction it got.  Rusty posted something on some website... And the La Jolla group douche, and the artist for the ad, i think, posted stuff here that basically said, "we are sorry if we offended you, and you didnt get the joke."  Sorry, but apologizing for my reaction is not apologizing for your offensive action.  I would have respected La Jolla Group more if the CEO said, "Go F yourselves you old kooks, and stay out of the lineup!"  But he couldnt do that because they were finishing up their sup product lines that are clearly intended for use in the surf.  (you don't use neoprene on a paddling jacket in so cal for flat water paddling!)

In order for me to forgive someone or something, that person or entity must first show true remorse.  I am still waiting.

Until then, anything that La Joola group is involved in, I don't buy... Especially R dot!

Don't stoke the fuel of hatred against me, apologize for my reaction to your crude ad, and then try and sell sh*t to my tribe... And expect me to forget about it.

Tim

[surf monkey]

I agree with Tim

The last thread for this ad was a year ago Jan 2011, for me it goes past the SUP vs Surf thing. I have two little kids as we all do you want to protect them from the hate in life. I look at the ocean as an out let from the daily grind or the hate that life will throw at you. I tell people you don't have to surf /sup to enjoy it just jump in get wet it will make you feel better. Just my own way of life that's why I live at the beach.

A year ago this time some crazy guy in Arizona in a parking lot killed 6 people, shot 13, the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. (example of the crazy people in this world) So for me during the same time the R add comes out and being discussed.

I feel a company in such a cool sport that has the attention of our youth should be selling Aloha that stubro talks about not taking the hate out in the water. Why not show some sup in a crazy wipe out or a silly situation to get their sup hate out their or stoke out one of their team riders in a add for some crazy big barrel they pulled into. All they could come up with is a cartoon. (WEAK)

Rusty sold out he is laughing to the bank so I don't think he is hurting.

So I use the Rusty products to remember the people that were shot. That's what I think of Rusty's so called joke.

So I get the sup / surf thing i too was a hater when i saw the first one paddle out at my local break i converted, I know their will always be a grumpy guy in the line up I try and spread the aloha and enjoy the time in the water.

Just my take on it

[pdxmike]

jd--it wasn't a single ad, not that that matters.  There was the ad, then the fake "apology" I got from Rusty, then the hate speech blog by the artist, then the next fake apology by Rusty, then another ad after Rusty said it wouldn't be running more ads like that...And while hate did exist long before the ad, the ad fueled it, and some standup paddlers did get hit with that personally as a direct result of the ad. 

And like surf monkey said, the ad came out at exactly the same time as the Arizona shooting.  The timing couldn't have been worse.

And I think a lot of the reason behind the reaction was that so many good companies manage to market without doing that stuff.  I can't imagine Naish or Kialoa or in fact any other SUP company putting out an ad like that, so I'd rather give my business to them and steer other people there, too. 

In regard to people being selective about what they think is offensive--certainly you're right that this isn't too high on the list of world problems.  But nobody thought it was.  People here do spend a lot more energy on bigger issues--Strand Leper going after animal abusers, Stoneaxe and others raising $$$$$ for kids with cancer.  We just don't usually read about those things here because they're not about standup. 

And I don't think anyone has even mentioned Rusty clothing here since the ad discussion months ago, other than an occasional joke.  It only came up again because soulpaddler asked about it in regard to the boards he saw.

[surf monkey]

OK

I just went to the Rusty website clicked on ads.

http://rusty.com/us/ads/index.php?gallery_id=27&photo_id=5380

It's sad out all the ads they have, they keep the hate and violence ones yea they are real sorry.

Rat Bastards.

[PonoBill]

I'm all for "live and let live". But when someone spits in my soup I don't eat it, and I damned sure don't pay for it.

Ad agency guys are whores, and guy in charge is the head whore, but I would have counseled any client of ours against anything in the ballpark of an ad like that, and if they wouldn't listen, I'd find another client. Been there, done that--though the client was a pain in the ass in other ways too.

There are a lot of countries where an ad like that would be illegal, not just civil suit illegal, potential jail time illegal. In fact it's marginal in the USA where free speech is fiercely protected but hate speech and incitement to mayhem are not. We just don't have anyone that would go after something like that anymore. In the old days the ad industry council would have had their knickers on fire over an ad like that.

Funny looking at that link on the Rusty site and seeing the comments devolve into spam.

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

I agree there are a few who will  take the add to heart  and it inflame their hatred even more. maybe there is even unbalanced soul who will try to replicate the add in real life.  I  have two thoughts.  we are older we have money we won't buy  the rusty product at all for our kids us or anyone.  second is  rise above  live aloha.   ok one third weird thought. If any one out there is really really rich  but the company fire allthe add guys lay off all the haters and reinvent it for  a more aloha   style

[Rockbottom]

Here's another outcome.   Nothing.   It was not particularly funny, nor offensive to me; just a not so original marketing technique. 
    I however am torn as my previous favorite boardshorts  (till the superfreak came out) were rustys, I got married In them 7 years ago, they're holding up well to semi regular use.  I will, however given similar price and quality, choose against rusty In future purchases.

[Subber]

hmmmm......Maybe Boardworks killed the Rusty Sup???

[SoCalSupper]

^^^exactly-ive seen two or three in the last several years-just dont think they were selling-because of the ad or not?-tough to say.

[Cardiff Sweeper]

There seems to be a herd mentality with the surfers just going out at the established lineup and not walking an extra 200 yards to a place where nobody is surfing. 

Sort of true.  Boneyards is getting crowded.  I love the small glassy days.  It's like most surfers are snobbish.  What's wrong with the surf when it's only two feet?  Then again, why do 99% of Sup'ers abandon their barges when it's six feet and churning?

Until the majority of paddlers get very proficient at surfing, they (we) will continue to be ridiculed.

I took my board out in that "big" swell last week.  I was one of three SUP's in the water, from Swamis to Cardiff Reef.  300 surfers.