Mail drop - Letter to the Editor

Thrasher Magazine, May, 2002

State your position on dissin', fishin' and 10-foot transitions at: Mail Drop do THRASHER PO Box 884570 San Fransisco, CA 94188-4570

TUBE RIDE

I saw a commercial--a Nike commercial. "No big deal," you say. "So what?" Well, it had a skateboarder in it. Haven't we been through this before? Bad case of deja vu? (Bad case of me asking too many rhetorical questions?) The point is that Nike belongs nowhere; especially not in skateboarding. They tried to make it with us before, and when no money showed, ba-bye said Nike. I prefer (and I'm sure most of you out there would also) to wear any one of the hundreds of quality skate company-backed shoe models. I mean, Nike ads? Clever, maybe. Necessary? Nope. Go back to the adolescent-enslaving Asian factories where you belong Nike, and leave innocent skateboarders alone. Please Thrasher, at least try to keep them at bay. For the good of all of us.

Noah Goyette Old Skateboarder

2ND GRADE

Been reading the mag since '85. Golden boy Natas Kaupas is a fool for doing that crap Element ad "Protect Freedom." People's freedoms are violated everyday by sweat shops employing children so we can have nice shoes. Where is the freedom in that? The West's attitude is it doesn't matter because they ain't rich and they ain't American. If peace was achieved as a state of mind, then war would not be needed. Thousands died tragically on September 11th, but everyday 35,000 people die from poverty. Our governments shrug their shoulders, pretending nothing can be done. It would take a fraction of the defense budget to cure poverty. Period. The US government shits on its people by allowing weapon factories to pollute rivers while entire communities are contracting cancer. That one Spitfire ad, "These Colors Don't Run," is bullshit too. This is a war, not a football game you jocks. Ian MacKaye from Fugazi once wrote: "People draw lines and stand behind them. That's why flags are such ugly things," Damn right. Treat all as equals and you are likely to be treated equally.

Danny Webb Leeds, UK

Back then the mag was good. T-ed

VALLEY DOG

A' yo Thrasher, I'm here to let out all my hate towards Blink-180-Who, Sum-40-What, and every other radio punk shite that they play every other minute. Let me set my point out to all the skaters who own a subscription or who buy Thrasher magazine: Radio punk sucks! But anyway, on to another subject; I'd like to give my shout-outs to Mike T.--happy birthday bitch--and to Rama Ranson, keep the good comics coming. And once again to you sick-ass editors, you guys rule. Last but not least, Lodi High rules! Tokay sucks!

Orlando Oropeza

Lodi, CA

Once it goes mega, it's never cool. Ask Creedance. T-ed

MY KITTY

My name is Travis Wilson and I am 13 and go to Capital Hill Elementary. I love to skateboard and would love to get sponsored this summer, but until then I am gonna practice and practice. I have written out the survey I found in one of your magazines. I was wondering where you guys first got the name Thrasher from? I read your magazine all the time and I was wondering if you could do me a big favor and send me a Thrasher sweatshirt or t-shirt so I could tell all my friends I got sponsored by Thrasher (wink, wink). How would you hire a future employee? When did Thrasher start? Thank you for reading my letter. I am hoping to hear back from you.

Travis Wilson

Burnaby, British Columbia

Thrasher comes from stickin' yer fingers in a bandsaw. T-ed

THANKS J.

This a reply to the letter in the January 2002 issue by Ethan Balloy in California. The guy who wrote that letter is probably one of two things: Someone with a ton of bad misconceptions about Christianity or someone who is just out to make Christians look bad. He assumes all skaters hate cops. Some may. But most thank God for the ones who are half as good as those involved in helping after the WTC attacks, even though we get pretty ticked when they won't let us go out and do something that we love. Plus, we've got to take into consideration that sometimes they aren't being total jerks, they are just doing what their bosses have told them to do. They are not willing to lose all of their income so that we can skate wherever we please.

Skateboarders don't beat up rollerbladers anymore than football players beat up soccer players, so quit judging us. That is just one of the 10 Commandments; "Judge not lest ye be judged, for you shall be judged with the same measure that you judge others."

If we didn't roll around on same places with no skating signs, where would we go? Some may have nowhere. And you need to watch what you say about Jamie Thomas. He has touched more by God's grace than I bet you ever will. Same with the skater band POD; listen to their lyrics some time. So in the words of Jesus Christ, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." You aren't going to Hell because you skateboard. Jesus died for our sins.

Tim Stockdale Morgantown, WV

IMPRESSION SESSION

I'm writing to let you know how impressed I am with how far Thrasher has come since I first started reading it back in 1984. So many have tried to come close, but fall way short in comparison. I started skatin' back in 1978 when Nash boards were popular. Now I just skate for transportation; just kickin' it around. So when I read articles from posers like Jason "Poser" Ulibarri, it really pisses me off. If anybody was half as good as Tony Hawk, they'd be a pro skater. Tony has helped mold this genre, and anybody who disses Tony disses every real skater. Jason, I hope you don't miss this big FUCK YOU, POSER Give up the board for a set of fruitboots.