Two White Guys, Caldwell and Jorgeson, Conquer El Capitan
Extreme sports is a context for implicit Whiteness:
Extreme athletes exist in an implicitly White world where they associate only with other White men—“a racially and gender exclusive place” where White men “can un-apologetically perform an ideal masculinity which they cover by taking death-defying risks, enduring the pain of participation and displaying an unwavering confidence and coolness in the face of apparent danger.” …White men jumping off buildings and sky surfing are reenacting a fundamental script of Western culture—the same script that underlies Western energy, inventiveness, exploration and creativity. “Extreme Sports as a Context of Implicit Whiteness“
As Domitius Corbulo notes in his comment on the vast overrepresentation of Europeans as explorers:
Exploration is not only a popular subject, but one filled with fascinating stories of human greatness, heroic will, and stamina against immense odds and hardship—exactly the sorts of traits that, according to cultural Marxists, should not be found to be unusually common among Europeans. …Roughly speaking I counted about 75 great European explorers in the period from about 1800 to the present, men (and a few women) who dedicated themselves to the discovery of the unknown, reconnoitering every place of the planet, climbing the highest mountains, penetrating into the deepest crevices of the oceans and high above in space. This history is rarely taught in our schools and universities; it has been virtually banned, or slandered by charges of imperialism.
Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson exemplify these traits, with a strong dose of perseverance and incredible bravery. They have succeeded in a free climb of El Capitan, in Yosemite National Park. “Free climbing” is climbing from ledge to ledge using only the natural features in the rock, using ropes only for protection in case of a fall, and not relying on gear for upward progress. The photos below give some idea of the challenges involved. ...
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