Tim Winton says, "It's amazing how cowardly those guys were."
Two days ago, the celebrated Australian writer Tim Winton appeared on a youth network talk show for a few reasons: to pimp a new book and talk about “toxic masculinity” with a brief detour into the film adaption of his surf novel Breath.
Winton, who is fifty seven years old and lives in a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, regards the modern man as something a little diminished.
“As someone who’s surfed all over the world and with the machismo and bravado of Brazilians in particular, I thought it was amazing how cowardly those guys were,” he said
“I wonder what kind of sooks men are… (if they) can’t hear any form of criticism without needing cotton wool or wearing a special helmet,” he said.
Winton grew up surfing around the south-west and says he wasn’t impressed when the Brazilians Gabriel Medina and Italo Ferreira applied a little pressure to the WSL to cancel the Margaret River Pro.
“As someone who’s surfed all over the world and with the machismo and bravado of Brazilians in particular, I thought it was amazing how cowardly those guys were,” he said. “Look, not everybody wants to be in the water the day after two guys have failed the taste test around the corner, but I thought it was a really low act on behalf of those two guys. Because, also, there’s a professional aspect to that. They’ve just given themselves a professional advantage in the competition. At one level it was weak of them. At another level it was conniving.”
Winton suggested a chlorinated future would better suit the pair.
“I just think if you want to go swimming in a dead ocean, go to a pool, go to a wave pool. If you want to be part of something that’s alive, and that’s what surfing is to most of us, then you’ve gotta be prepared, you’re doing that in a living ecosystem. If you want to kill all the sharks you’re just going to kill the oceans. It’s one of the few places in the world where there are actually real waves.”
(Here, the host jumped in. “And it was ripping!”)
“Yeah, so they can go back to surfing dirty onshore beach slop in water somewhere else and that’ll be surfing. Finally we get something to look at and they don’t want to go out.”
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Anyway the sharks will be in Exmouth shortly with the Salmon and whales , so all is well that ends well.
Free the Fishermen!
white tiger is a good read but it won’t last long, hard to put down.
barbarian days is also good but better suited for a trip. you can read a few chapters in between surfs but it won’t start controlling your time.
First false note I can remember hearing out of Tim Winton. Hmm.
Gonna throw my 0.02c in here.
They fucked up big time posting their whining, cry baby concerns on social media.
The women did nothing, the rest of the men did nothing. In other words they acted like professionals and let the WSL decide what was appropriate.
What these two have done is basically, acted unprofessionally and brought the WSL and the sport into disrepute. They have also likely cost WA Tourism the event and some serious money. So for that – Fuck them twice.
For their actions they should be stripped of points and I’d go so far as banning them from the next 3 events. They shouldn’t be able to gain any advantage from their actions, they should be made to pay heavily and learn to keep their whining mouths shut and go through the appropriate channels.
They should have brought their concerns up with the commissioner first.
So cmon Perrow, do your fuckn job or you’re dog shit in my book. This should never have been allowed to occur. Spank these little cry babies where they can fucken well understand – in the wallet.
I can only hope that the agents/lawyers whoever representing the others on tour lobby the wsl for appropriate sanction against these two. Or the JBay organisers if nothing is done by WSL.
“Yep, we’re all go for the comp but those two can fuck off. We don’t want them !”
All they said was they didn’t want to surf with risk of a shark attack. Yeah you might think it’s a bit soft, especially if there are spotter drones and ski assist.
But It’s not like they said anything deliberately inflammatory ala Bobby Martinez on their twitter accounts. You personally might think surfing with sharks is no big deal (especially if you are from WA), and I personally try not to think about it, but these guys might just not be used to it, or maybe they are just soft in the jocks.
Imagine if one of them did get chomped though. Now that would be a disaster for WA tourism – no foreigner would ever step foot in the water.
Yep, I understand that. BUT all of the scenarios however they unfold must be handled through the governing body. No other way to do it in a professional sense.
I don’t know all the details and there were likely to be others who may or may not have expressed concerns. The point being those others did it through official channels.
These 2, for whatever reason, have not and went straight to social media.
They have, quite frankly, made themselves look whiney.
To gain competitive advantage as a result is not something to be encouraged.
So they’ve created a precedent by their actions.
What’s wsl gonna do ?
Congrats. Out of all the comments, yours is the only good one.
upvote for, for …
well just because I can
Official channels?
You didn’t seem like a company man to me.
Upvote for that.
Well spotted.
I’m not now, nor for many years.
But I used to be, round peg square hole doesn’t work.
Had them faked until I pulled the pin.
You want to play the game, you play by the rules.
The big rule over ruling all others is – you respect and never bring into disrepute the governing body that allows you to play and benefit. Do that and you’re gonna get smacked.
These 2 dumb fucks are rewriting the rule book, knowingly or unknowingly. I don’t know. I suspect they’re just dumb n dumber. That would be Italos defence. But that would be his only defence.
Medina ? Well thats a whole other kettle of fish, right there.
Am late to this little party, but Tim fucking Winton jumps on his soapbox and talks about mens health, mental issues, basically a “manimist” supporting guys in general!!!! Well he just undid every bit of good work he has done as a fucking hypocrite – Fuck off idiot
Tons of chest puffing on that shark issue among surfers, journalists and commentators but if any of those brave critics was to be chewed by a great white they would all be crying for mom. Can’t we cut Italo and Gabby some slack on this now?
Tim Winton is a soft cock feminist apologist. Ooh let’s wring our hands some more about guys having testosterone.
His rant about bravery is just because he’s got his parochial hat on and feels slighted because his state has got lots of big sharks and some competitors said fuck to that!
oh , but check out the photo of him on Swillnet todays , he’s a charger !!
I seem to be the only one that didn’t lose my shit over “Barbarian Days”, Finnegan struck me as a bit of a punish. “Breath” is really not a book about surfing so much as not settling for mediocrity/ living life fully. You’ll find it in Airport bookstores at the moment, I expect!
(Shall try The White Tiger).
You’d like it. The lead female character would interest you. Trust me on this.
“Hey Potz, what does eating pussy and talking pussy shark shit in Brazilian have in common?”
“I don’t know joe, what,” said potz.
“One slip of the tongue and you are in deep shit…..”
Average surfer here. 52, don’t consider myself brave.
With all the tech, cams, skis,drones,etc… I would have gone in. Not so sure if I was paddling out by myself.
Can we ask someone in the surfing world that matters for a response to Winton’s comments. May I suggest Pottz straight up followed by Strider.
Ha, Timmy’s still bitter he hasnt bagged a Booker. Here is some of the best writing he never did… http://theworstofperth.com/…
RIGHT ON TIM WINTON!!!!—and all the other dumb twats on the CT bought it hook line and sinker…John John should’ve been protesting…this was his to lose and perhaps his last hope to get back in the title race—they way this is going he might not even requalify…all these CT boys got out-connived by Medina and Ferrera who are ahead on points and have an easy run ahead in shackles wave pools and Rio slop!!!
It seems unpopular but I actually agree with Tim. They ran the ladies event on the last day before cancelling it and we got Gabs and Italo/Poncho crying on instagram. If anyone should have a whinge it should’ve been one of the girls, but we didn’t hear peep ….
The truth is after Mikey Wright and that other Brazilian got into their beef basically every Brazilian in Western Australia was eager to get on the plane and run home.
Cowards? Dunno. But I think Tim should paddle out at maxing 2nd Reef Pipe to show all of us how fucking macho is is. Then he can talk about masculinity and surfing with some credibility.
He struggles in 1ft beachies mate. He’d get lit up wading across the duck pond at pipe
Thought so. Green light to talk about femininity and SUPing Tim.
Cmon, who needs 3 events in Australia??
The Brazzos, they are quite winning over here!
They’re winning everywhere
*whineing
Tim Winton is a fat kook , fuck him and his shitty books.
Old dudes calling the younger generation cowards lol who ever could of predicted that.