Just because a line can’t be perfectly drawn, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t draw one…
The ‘jackboot’ has to come down somewhere.
To combat Coronavirus, Bondi was fenced off on Saturday. Manly followed suit on Sunday.
Many surfers aren’t happy.
Their reasoning? You’re more likely to get sick in the supermarket.
Also, “Fuck the police.”
And clubbies.
Nick Carroll suspects the Police and Emergency Services Minister, David Elliott, “possibly the biggest boofhead in NSW politics” is to blame for the initial over-reaction.
My take?
The government capitulated to clickbait (“World in crisis, Aussies hit the beach!”).
As a small southerly filled in, I found myself mildly annoyed.
Until, deep in a Youtube wormhole, I found a video of Bill Maher and Christopher Hitchens discussing “Vietnam and Communism.”
“The Vietnam war didn’t have to happen in Vietnam, but it had to happen somewhere.”
Maher likened it to a battle in Korea: “Hill 53 had no strategic value… but that was the point. We had to show them we were willing.”
Despite sounding like a local yelling at a VAL on a one-foot day (or an Aussie complaining about Brazzos at an Indo reef pass), he makes an interesting point: just because a line can’t be perfectly drawn, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t draw one.*
You don’t need to tackle that grommet, but over-reaching in the moment could save you five years of hassling.
Surfers intuitively know this, we just don’t like it when Clubbies are the enforcers.
Drawing the line allows for the masses to be kept away (or stop bussing it to Bondi), while the savvy few get their fix.
“I will return under the cover of sunset,” wrote Derek Rielly.
“Some tasty little wedges at Bronte this morning. Upon returning to shore, they were getting ready to shut the place down…..the message is to get out there early!” wrote Skinflute.
“I for one will not be curtailing my coastal activities,” – Longtom.
“Fuck off out of our national park,” – Channel Bottom and Surfads, (paraphrased), who are presumably setting up a Spanish civil war sex camp somewhere in the Blue Mountains.
What are your plans?
*Doesn’t mean they drew it right in Vietnam.