Steve Caballero and the stupiding of the skateboarder's mind
Antonio Durao plays a sick game of mid-air patty-cake, Cab makes some sickening social media posts, FA goes sicko moto-mode, and more.
The definitive weekly ranking and analysis of all the skateboarding and other things online that I cannot stop consuming and how it makes me feel, personally.
One foot on, one foot off
Rank: 1
Mood: 🦶
Video is skateboarding's dominant medium. Careers are made, extended, and ended by dint of a good or bad video part. Open up any social media app on your phone and you're likely to see footage of some of the best skateboarding ever done within a scroll or two. It's everywhere, happening at all times.
However, the still image is where the magic's kept. If a video is proof, a photo is its essence. For a skateboarder like Antonio Durao, a talent almost unrivalled in his ability to float and soar and turn nothing into something and so much more, video can only do so much.
In Hardbody Interlude, published by Thrasher on Monday, Durao turns a solo part comprised of just nine tricks (not including flatground follow-ups or guest clips) into a two-minute and thirty-second tour de force. This comes on the heels of the incredible all-iPhone clip Immigration Part from October, and, as Snackman noted earlier this week, with the latest video dubbed an "interlude," that likely means there's another on the way.
That's all great for us, the viewer. But to really grasp the scale and sheer ludicrousness of what Durao does, the photograph is where it becomes most clear. By now, most have seen his switch-frontside-kickflip-one-foot down Wallenberg's big four. A string of words so preposterous that even the video evidence needs to be rewound and rewatched several times for it to finally click. The photo, expertly captured by Alex Pires and published in the latest issue of Thrasher (subscribe!), is what really throws the imagination into overdrive.
This is storytelling. We see a classic backfoot catch — and then release as Durao gently lifts that back foot off the board once his front foot has met the griptape. Stare at this photo long enough and it becomes harder to comprehend. The physical act, that is.
To tell one's body to jump down Wallenberg is one thing, to get it to land on a skateboard at the bottom is another, but to have the body and the mind on the same page, where both are to fly down this iconic elongated four-block, get one's feet on the board, and then take one off in some sick game of patty-cake — it beggars belief.
If all we had were this photo — or, more accurately, a sequence of photos edited into a single image — then you might not believe or understand what's happening. That's where the video comes in. The photo is where we marvel. And really, that's all one can do while watching Durao ride a skateboard.
Steve Caballero and the stupiding of the skateboarder's mind
Rank: -61
Mood: 🐉🤕
The primary goals of the constant culture warring waged by the right, which has seeped into all corners of society and culture, are to distract, enrage, gratify, and make money. It's a well-trod path by this point. Outright lies, conspiracy theories, or bad-faith arguments are made as if they are uncorruptable truths told by a Brave Truth Teller that doesn't care who's offended. For those this act works on, they derive a rush of dopamine whenever someone says Something They Shouldn't, especially when it attacks a regular foe of the Brave Truth Teller.
Usually, that foe is the left, immigrants, people of colour, women, trans people, religions other than Christianity, socialism, and so on.
This unrepentant bullshitting muddies the waters of reality for the followers who imbibe, and they begin to establish their own, free of scientific, moral, or general consensus. For those Brave Truth Tellers, these are much easier conditions in which to advance a putrid political project and/or squeeze a few bucks out of some gullible people. This hazy morass of existence, dictated by the loose edict of news broadcasts and social media posts from politicians, activists, and influencers, makes those followers easy to whip into a froth and point them toward a perceived enemy to be upset with, make content about, and take action against. It's simple. Endlessly repeatable. Pavlovian. It has also become noticeably more stupid in recent years.
While visiting Alberta last weekend, I was having a conversation with someone that took an abrupt turn when they excitedly pulled out their phone to show me a photo of thousands of tractors filling the streets of an unidentified urban centre, purportedly taken during the "farmer protests" happening that day. A slight rebrand of Canada's far-right Freedom Convoy movement that raged against the Liberal government and its alleged overreach when implementing vaccine mandates and safety restrictions during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (amongst many other things), this particular action was focused on ostriches, as Press Progress explains.
The planned ostrich convoy, which is set to take place in cities across Canada on November 22, bills itself as a grassroots “farmers’ protest” against the recent cull of 314 ostriches following an avian flu outbreak at a farm in Edgewood, British Columbia.
The outbreak led to a protracted legal battle between the ostrich farm’s owners and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that became a flashpoint for Canadian right-wing alternative media outlets and far-right influencers associated with the Freedom Convoy.
The battle ultimately attracted the attention of people inside Donald Trump’s White House, with former daytime-TV host turned MAGA medicare czar Dr. Oz offering the ostriches sanctuary at his farm in Florida.
The unfortunate necessity of the cull, brought on by the harsh reality of factory farming exacerbating the threat of avian flu, has been twisted into another warped culture war frenzy with serious results. Supporters have threatened government officials and their families and even attacked an elderly neighbour of the farm. One supporter, who had been camping at the farm for months in protest of the CFIA, dropped dead earlier this month. That's all legitimately tragic. And stupid.
Not unspurprisingly, the photo the person showed me was AI-generated and obviously so, but they didn't give it a second thought. It didn't even seem to bother them when I pointed out that it wasn't real, the tractors bleeding into one another. This person was giddy at the unreality because to them, it was reality. It supported their disjointed beliefs and they were proud to show me that bitter nothingness.
The other goal of this culture warring is to mainstream hate and bigotry, which is what this constant, frothing anger naturally metastasizes into. That hate is dangerous, as hate is, but it is also increasingly defined by a stupid self-satisfaction. A presumed righteousness, bestowed from on high.
White Christian Nationalism, which underpins much of the modern right, is about, above all else, creating an other and triumphing over them to prove superiority, no matter how wrong, asinine, or hypocritical they look while attempting to do so. For many, it doesn't matter how they get there; the lodestar they follow is Fourteen Words long.
Not that it really needs to be said, but the prominent figures who push this stuff, like the murdered YouTuber Charlie Kirk, don't actually follow the teachings of Christ; they use Christianity as a guise, a ruse, and a career aid. It's lazy cribbing from the Pat Robertson playbook to advance an extreme conservative agenda. That was obvious to anyone who listened to the bile he spewed. It's why prominent right-wing evangelicals, including Kirk, decry empathy, calling Jesus' whole thing "toxic."
These figures belong to an entire industry and political apparatus designed to overturn their guy's second greatest commandment.
And it's successful. There are millions of people proclaiming to be followers of Jesus Christ — famously a lover of the poor, downtrodden, and disenfranchised — when they're really followers of grievance, petty and malignant. Scripture becomes merely a thing to misquote in the comment section of a stochastic terrorism-inspiring Libs of TikTok video, their faith turned into a tool to launder hatred through. And, moreover, it's stupid as shit.
How else do you explain this "R.I.P. CHARLIE KIRK" rear window truck decal I saw last Friday in Edmonton, Alberta? In bubble font. Idiocy.
What other explanation is there for Steve Caballero, a member of The Fucking Bones Brigade, sharing a deeply bigoted Instagram video last Friday from far-right influencer Danny Alexander with his own caption, "Yes, I admit it... I am Islamaphobic [sic], you should be too 🫣🥺😳"
Caballero deleted the Instagram Story shortly after but followed it up with a vague yet self-congratulatory hardpost with an image featuring black text on a white background that read "Authenticity starts by letting go of fear of how others will perceive you," along with the caption:
I have always tried and wanted to be a man of integrity (meaning I do what I say and I say what I mean ) …what you see is what you get
...losing followers used to mean something to me awhile back because I worried about what people personally thought of me, I was scared and insecure to speak the truth about my faith (spiritual beliefs) and now recently my political views and stance on life that coincides.
But over time, I learned that's being fake, a poseur ( in Punkrock terms) but as i mature I'm learning that quality is more important than quantity... So if someone wants to unfollow me I completely understand and if I block you, I hope you understand that I just switched my page to "Private" just like the one you commented from with a zero post count #dailyrant #betruetoyourself #standupforwhatyoubelievein #staybold #jesusislord
Brave. For additional context, Danny Alexander, like Kirk, Tim Pool, and Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok, is a career bigot. He has built a following online by posting lifestyle influencer pablum mixed with far-right conspiracy theories and fear-mongering about minority groups. He's since parlayed his hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers into paid advertisements for seedy-looking hair-loss prevention products.
The stupid is near blinding. However, it must have caught the eye of someone with sway, because on Tuesday, Caballero deleted that self-congratulatory hardpost and issued an "apology" via Instagram Story, set to a fittingly sombre song, along with a custom animated Cab GIF.
Dear Friends and Fans,
I want to sincerely apologize for my recent social media story I posted that was misunderstood and caused concern against the Muslim faith. My use of the word Islamophobic was unacceptable based on a reposted story that did not reflect my own personal beliefs. My intention was only to express concern about certain groups targeting my personal faith, not to criticize or offend any religion or community. I respect all people and all faiths, and I do not harbor hate toward anyone whose beliefs differ from mine. So I am truly sorry for anyone I have offended in any negative way, I hold myself accountable to watch the words that l use moving forward so they are not misunderstood in the future. Thank you for listening and I appreciate all your love and support
-CAB
There is no possible way anyone could have misunderstood what Caballero meant. His apology makes no sense: "My use of the word Islamophobic was unacceptable based on a reposted story that did not reflect my own personal beliefs." C'mon, man. Caballero not only shared Alexander's incredibly Islamophobic video, he personally co-signed it and asked his 767k Instagram followers to do the same. If that is not a reflection of one's personal beliefs, then what is?
Is it worth parsing through the social media posts of an aged dumbass, one who cravenly claims to not know what they do? Yes, because it's a valuable illustration of the widening gyre we currently exist in, where our social fabric frays as hate spreads and mutates at a rapid clip, bringing fools to the fore, many in hopes of some hollow reward.
Skateboarding is not immune to fear-mongering charlatans or those who hold terrible beliefs; it never has been. Skateboarding, like any community, is full of stupid bastards (me included). However, being an idiot doesn't make you a bigot. Neither does a person's religious faith. Education helps, but hate is a choice.
Caballero is only human, made in God's image, fallible and deserving of grace. At least that's what the bible would tell you. I wonder if he's read it.
Vroom braaap braaap vroom
Rank: 1
Mood: 🏍️💨
I know, I know. If you've made it this far, that means you just read 1,600 words on a bummer topic and probably want to get back to the good stuff: all of the amazing skateboarding being uploaded to our beloved internet. There's been A LOT of it in the last week or so: The great Lil Dre part. Simon Bannerot going Full Bannerot in that Volcom video. Another Fabiana Delfino section. Greyson Fletcher with the best, worst-landed ender, perhaps ever. A Happy Medium. Even Trevor Colden got in on the action. (And, as I was about to hit publish, TJ Rogers dropped what is his third or fourth video part of the year.)
Unfortunately, that — what do you call it, Moto-X? Extreme MX? Dirt Bikin'? — Jason Borosky release from Fucking Awesome last Thursday takes precedence here. I don't think I've ever watched a dirt bike "video part" before, so to see one get the FA treatment was surprising and, admittedly, very entertaining. Just look at this:
It certainly helps speak to a skateboarding audience that Borosky goes full throttle (nice) across and over a number of famous skate spots, including Brooklyn Banks. But spots aside, even to the untrained eye, such as mine, the stunts are genuinely impressive, along with being well shot and put together by Bobby Bils.
It's unclear whether FA is starting a Moto Extreme division or if this is a one-off, but whatever it is, it was worth it for Borosky looping Baldy alone. Sorry, Burnquist.
Something to consider:
Tatiana Schlossberg
Good things: Look at all of this Epicenter content! The book is beautiful, would suggest.
Rae Alexandra
Justin
Natalie on Stefani Åkesson:
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Another good thing:
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A tell 'em thing: 'sletter contributor Zach Harris makes an important appeal to Steph Curry in Sole Retriever.
A good photo blog thing:
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A good thing from earlier this week:
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Good, tangentially related things: "The Claims of Close Reading" by Johanna Winant for the Boston Review.
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A good Naomi Klein thing:
Just one more thing:
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Until next week… there is nothing you cannot do. Except for this play from Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson against the Warriors on Wednesday. Pretty sure they're the only ones who can do that.
Laser Quit Smoking Massage
NEWEST PRESS
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A collection of essays that I think you might like. The Edmonton Journal called it a "local book set to make a mark in 2024," The CBC said it's "quirky yet insightful" (lol), and it won Trade Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the 2025 Alberta Book Publishing Awards.
Book cover by Hiller Goodspeed.
Right, Down + Circle
ECW PRESS
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I wrote a book about the history and cultural impact of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater that you can find at your local bookshop or order online now. I think you might like this one, too.
Photo via The Palomino.
