I was thinking about this some today...

I believe human nature gives us the tendency to define ourselves by what we do. Most frequently this is what we do with our job: "I am a carpenter, I am a banker, I am a small business owner..." Since we heavily invest ourselves (time, money, mental space) in it, it sort of becomes a big part of our identity... Likewise we invest time, money, and mental space in our pastimes and they too become a defining part of our identity. We all know what we invest in kiting... MONEY... TIME... this sound familiar? "When I'm not doing it, im thinking about doing it..."

That said, all of that investment as well as the attention we get from kiting gives us pride in it... After all, it defines us right?... So when we encounter someone whose pastime might equally as cool as ours, that Pride shows up with its ugly face on... "I'm a kite surfer, and I've got cool stuff... But you're a buggy pilot and your stuff is pretty cool and unique too... Not sure I like that?!?!?!" And vice versa with us... In short "the coolness of your identity is a threat to the coolness of my identity"....It's a lesson in humility, right?

Does this make any sense?... Anybody picking up what I'm throwin' down?

Sorry, just sharing thoughts.

I'm sure we are not all this way,... I just know what I'm guilty of in the cognitive framework, that is.

Ok... I'll stop now.

Me and the older kite surfers get along fairly well the have seen me spanked by a kite and some have flown my gear and see the appeal. I haven't met any of the newer crowd. (Added a member to the family and haven't been out much in the last couple years.) from what my surfer buddies tell me they have no respect at all. Including and not limited to the wind, other more experienced riders, boaters, water, and rocks. It has literally come to blows with the newer pilots and the older ones.

Ps
Could someone post the links to the above mentioned videos?

Haven't met anyone yet who disrespects my snow and hard water ways. But these are the prairies and I think just about all the water riders out here get on the skis and boards come winter.

I do find it funny how a lot of the water guys who only own LEI's look at my tiny foils with surprise like "why'd he bother putting his skis on to fly a 3m kite" but I've had a lot of discussions about kite designs and power/lift/speed after.

I am a kiter who boards which is why I fly foils. I love their maneuverability and speed in the air. I also like to build kites for the sake of building rather than just to save money (as many assume)
There are a lot of boarders who kite and they don't care what is in the sky as long as it pulls them along - these guys are a lot less fun to talk to, it's true. No interest in kites and the wind, really, just like a lot of the kids who race cars without knowing anything about what is under the hood.

Can't say that I see any problems with the folks that we share the beach with. We seem to understand that we present kiting to the general public. Most of the kitesurfers ride the hardwater in the season and nobody has ever been condescending that
I've experienced. We have had people who were not being careful in their riding and trying to ride when the beach was too
crowded etc. Usually if tactfully approached they see that it is in their interest to change their behavior. When people act like
jerks, their time and commitment to the sport doesn't last. Unfortunately they can do real damage with our public image in the process as Feyd has experienced.
You get back what you give.