BLOG #2: Surfboards
The cultural object that has had a significant impact on my life are my surfboards. My dad’s side of the family is from Cabo San Lucas and he has been a life guard for almost 17 years at La Jolla. He has been the one who taught me to appreciate and love the ocean at a young age. The reason surfing has had an important impact on my life is because it provides me with trill, peace, fear, and escape all at the same time.
Though surfing is a world-wide sport, media and pop culture depicts surfers as caucasian with blonde hair and thin figures. And I don't fit any of those descriptions. Most of the time when I am surfing, I’m usually the only dark skin one out in the line up. At a young age when I was first introduced to surfing I remember being very scared because I was easily convinced that everyone gets attacked by sharks, which was mainly due to messages in movies like Jaws.
This artifact still has an influence on my life today by pushing me to travel to more places to experience different waves and seek new thrills. As I reflect on my artifact, I notice that it does challenge pop culture stereotypes about my identity. There are many traditions in the hispanic culture but avid surfers are not one of them. Which I experience on my mother’s side of the family. They enjoy the beach but don’t really understand the concept of surfing or why I love it so much. And I have tried to bring along some of my cousins but they are not so intrigued, which it totally fine. But in the end I see it as a great thing because I still hold tight to my hispanic heritage/traditions but I feel like I have added another one to pass down to my own family some day.
Hi Emilio,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! It must be tough having this hobby that you love so much but then you have a society with its stereotypes that somehow it makes it's you wonder if you're cut out to have this hobby. I have a close friend who also loves surfing but he doesn't fit the stereotypical image of a surfer. So whenever he's out in the waters people assume he's an amateur, but what they don't realize is that he grow up with this sport. I feel like you are at such an advantage like you said you have your traditions and heritage, but now you also hold these new traditions for your own family to do
Hey Emilio,
ReplyDeleteIt really makes me happy to see that you are breaking the average "stereotype" for surfers. Like you said, Latinos are not usually known for knowing how to surf. It really displays how Latinos can do anything the dominant group can do. It's great that you know how to surf and want to teach your future kids!
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Emilio! I really enjoyed reading your cultural artifact. I liked how you talked about how there are many traditions in Hispanic culture and how you try to add surfing as a new tradition for Hispanic culture. It is great to see new traditions to be made and added into cultures.
ReplyDelete