Yes perhaps I am being a bit harsh on the dude, and I agree that there is nothing really unusual about this guy's boasts. I am a product of decades of playing street basketball, so trash talking and chest thumping is part of my native culture. In that world, though, one had better to back up their talk if they want to show their face around the playground again. If someone yells at the defender "you can't guard me", but then gets their crossover dribble stripped, I don't figure most would post a video of that or tell the story of that on their blog. This guy's posts are sort of like somebody saying they hit an off-balance 3-pointer over the fingertips of Kevin Durant and his 7'5" wingspan (ie that would be considered an ill-advised shot to take, but it went in against incredible odds), whereas the real story is that they got their foul-line jump shot swatted back in their face by their 5'0" baby brother. The playground ballers' response to this guy's "shred the gnar" bellow: "Take that weak sh-- home".Hobbes wrote:That being said, I think perhaps some are being too judgmental. Or, there's limited exposure to this kind of character so it's more shocking. Maybe I'm inured since I live by the beach in SoCal and see similar behavior on a daily basis. It's just what the males of the species does; it's not unique, weird or altogether remarkable in any way. That's not to say society shouldn't act to moderate or protect itself - after all, that's what speed limits and prohibitions against exhibition of speed are all about.
On a serious note, though, all false bravado aside, I think what pretty much all of us Topix folk find most objectionable about this fellow and others of a similar ilk are that they promote unsafe practice. Whereas these guys and others of their ilk are welcome to receive (posthumous) Darwin awards when they fail their last stream crossing, they put others at risk, including search and recovery folks trying to retrieve their carcasses, with their behavior and posts.