Washington Post: Olympic Surfing is Embedded in American Imperialism JONATHAN TURLEY
Surfing is, of course, most associated with the Hawaiians who like Moore are deeply and legitimately proud of their association. The sport, as Earle notes, immediately awed outsiders like the surgeon on the British Captain James Cook s ship The Resolution who wrote he could not help concluding that this man felt the most supreme pleasure while he was driven on so fast and so smoothly by the sea. . That was in the late 18th century, long after the establishment of this sport on the island. However, surfing is traced back to as early as 200 CE . . . in what is now Peru.
That does not make it easy to reframe the entire sport as another example of oppression or racism. Earle accomplishes this by noting that Calvinist missionaries did not approve of surfing. That is not surprising. Calvinist in the late 18th and early 19th century did not approve of a wide array of practices inside and outside of Europe. Calvinists in Europe moved to limit dancing, gambling, and other pursuits. Thus, it is hardly surprising that they did not take to naked Islanders on wooden surf boards.
Earle faced another dilemma. While missionaries did not approve, surfing was later embraced by Americans and the media. The spin however is easy. They were supporting this traditional Hawaiian sport to bring Westerners to the Island to colonize the island. Done. Surfing is the product of American imperialism and your column is eagerly run in the Washington Post.
While Earle agrees that surfing is thrilling to watch, it is important to do so with a sense of guilt and self-loathing:
The idea evidently is to destroy everything that is beautiful or pleasurable or that brings one joy. So there’s sex, of course. Then family life. After that, surfing, skiing, sports, God. All of which are highly problematic. It’s a tolerably short list when you think about it. But fear not. You’ll still have the internets.