Real Talk Son!

I saw a cool clip on SBC today. It's definitely worth a watch. A snowboarding legend saying some real shit without being an asshole. I agree with a lot of things Scotty says here, but I'm sure there are plenty of you out there who think he's full of shit. Whatever the case maybe, if you give a shit about snowboarding, it's important to listen to other people's opinions about it. Especially people who have played such an impactful role in the culture as a whole.



Scotty Wittlake talks about energy drinks from BuoLoco on Vimeo.

I think much of what is said in this clip is pretty poignant and on point. I know in the grand scheme of things it's only snowboarding and whatever but I think as responsible human beings, we really need to step back and look at these kinds of things objectively. The prominence of energy drink logos and the overabundant availability of these beverages to children who should have nothing to do with them is worrying to say the least, straight up crazy to be honest. When I was a young skater, I use to emulate my idols equally as passionately as today's youth, walking down the street with the tongues hanging out of my shoes like Stevie Williams or a backwards Braves hat trying to look like the Boss. The difference was that these fashion choices I pursued, which were directly influenced by the skaters and snowboarders I looked up to so fervently never for a moment's time threatened my health. That's gone completely out of the window as of late however and kids idolizing the Coles or Shecklers and the Rencz or Cravens feel as though the most effective way to follow in their footsteps is to drink the very poisonous beverages that these dudes are sponsored by. My local hill banned energy drink sales from the cafeteria last season due to the amount of kids who were going bonkers, spending all their money on Monsters and getting picked up at the end of the night by their parents completely wired. What else does this sound like? Kids are without a doubt the most susceptible target audience out there for marketing strategies and by setting a precedent at an early age for a culture dependent on stimulating and addictive substances can honestly go nowhere from here but down hill. That's why it's tight that Wittlake took the time to speak his mind about this whole issue, someone has to. The young people most responsible for supporting the livelihood of these energy drink corporations are unfortunately not yet able to recognize the vicious cycle of which they have become a part of. However there are enough of us out there, with solid heads on our shoulders, riding with the Monster or Redbull snapback hat kids on a regular basis who should take it upon themselves to clue the little shredders in. I'm definitely not being preachy or advocate being preachy, I'm down for everyone to make their own decisions in life. I think it's important though, to come to the best decision, information is paramount. So let the kids know what is really going on with these drink companies; they're are targeting young kids with an insanely aggressive marketing campaign, to sell them a product that is insanely unhealthy and at the end of the day the people who motivate these kids to throw their money away on these drinks, probably don't even drink them themselves.