A few weeks ago, the Thrasher Instagram posted the message above, receiving many #regrams and head nods before scrolling to the next pic of some rich girl on her first of five summer vacations. Skating around headphoned individuals, especially at a skatepark, is annoying, sure, but beyond being able to tell someone they’re in the way, is it really that bad? The “with other human beings” implies that there is some social component lost when you’re sharing the L.E.S Park with fifty tweens in headphones, aggressively rushing past you to try a crook flip out. The truth is, most of their brains have been rotted beyond repair ever since the release of Chief Keef’s first mixtape (see #16.) Headphones or not, they’re still going to be skating around with a thousand-yard stare mumbling “We Dem Boyz” under their breath.
Even so, there are always exceptions. Though the editors of Thrasher may consider themselves the end-all of skate etiquette and culture, it is insulting that they would assume their rule be applied to 100% of the skateboarders on planet earth. In turn, we compiled a comprehensive list of the skaters allowed to skate and film in headphones. (Note that Shorty’s era Muska does not apply. That was a nostalgic moment in history and The Muska has existed in many different, headphone-less incarnations since.)