Eastern Snowboarding
The Burton Love Snowboard Issue One Last Time: Jake Burton Replies
If you’re a regular reader of this blog you know we’ve covered the Burton Love snowboard issue ad nauseum. But we had to re-visit it one more time to point out Jake Burton’s retort. I suppose if Jake is writing about the issue himself, it’s gained a fair bit of attention inside Burton.
The reply, published in today’s Burlington Free Press, is titled, “My Turn: Snowboard Protests Do No Credit to Vermont.” In the editorial, Jake points out that the protests and policies emerging from the controversy make the state of Vermont look backwater and ultra-conservative. “It’s interesting to note that in Europe, the only press coverage these graphics have received focuses on the extreme reaction in Vermont to this issue,” Burton writes. “The coverage is not flattering to our state, and includes quotes such as, ‘As the USA tries to make the world believe that they want to turn the page on ultra-conservatism, we’re laughing at the ridiculous attitude in which the country of freedom is still sinking.’”
He also addresses the issue of the boards themselves, stating:
“We also make boards for 18-year-old guys. This age group is the foundation of snowboarding, and we wouldn’t be here today without them. Thirty years ago, they were the ones who were willing to buy our boards out of a box, hike up the mountain and teach themselves how to ride it, and I owe everything to them. A very important factor to this crew is that what they are riding and wearing is something their parents would never be caught dead in. It was like that when I was 18, and it’s like that now. That’s why we turn to our young pro riders and let them drive the product development process at Burton – because they get it.”
The whole column is worth reading. Check it out here. While I personally wouldn’t buy one, I thought Jake’s response was sincere and well-written. Some of the commenters below the piece, though, don’t seem to think so.
Discussion
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Let’s face it, there is a general conservative atmosphere in many parts of the U.S. After all, this was a nation founded by religious people that felt Europe was just too sleazy and liberal for their puritan sensibilities. So it’s no surprise that many people in the U.S. are conservative relative to most other western nations.
I think that a lot of people in Vermont are being very unfair and ungrateful to Burton. This company helped put Vermont on the map. This is the thanks they get?
Why are they so conservative with the human form but so liberal when it comes to gun ownership? Yikes – I bet I get some angry replies to that one!
PS – I did grow up in the U.S., so I don’t think of myself as an outsider that doesn’t know what life in the U.S.A. is like. I mean NO offense to any of you living in the U.S. today – it is indeed a great nation (even better after the latest election!).
Well, to be honest I think it’s just a cheeky but harmless design. I don’t really see what’s wrong with the boards – if people don’t like them they don’t have to buy them, but I think they look quite cool. I don’t think I’d have one personally, but I don’t see anything wrong with them. They’re kind of cool, I think.
One reason this kind of issue gets a lot of attention is the US media’s focus on negative and attention grabbing headlines. They make money by getting the consumer to buy their paper or magazine, watch their channel, or visit their webpage. They will do just about anything to get your attention and out-do their competition. A relatively minor issue like this can get national attention because it is easy for the media to exploit and makes for attention grabbing headlines. There is a lot more competition out there and the headlines are getting more outrageous. Think of how many more cable channels, web pages, and magazines there are today compared to twenty years ago. Somehow the have to get your attention. I laugh when our local Connecticut and New York TV “news” say something like “Missing seatbelts on school busses – is your child at risk? – find out after the break” Throwing out some outrageous statement and making it sound like a huge problem when they learned about one bus that had a few broken seatbelts (that have already been fixed). Of course, you have to watch their advertising before you can watch the rest of the story the story. I think it’s called bait and hook.
An interesting point… media companies like Viacom or Time Warner are there to make money, not inform or enlighten. That is the nature of capitalist media. Sure as individuals they want to be journalists, but in the big picture, it’s all about profits. How can this be fixed? Government run media? Independent media? None of these can work in the long run.
As a consumer, I am just trying to find stories that are important, inerseting and maybe even both.