Definition:
Banana Boat Beach Bum-Any of a small group of individuals native to the Coastal region of the South Pacific that live on the beach in a tent by choice. These individuals avoid responsibility at all cost, but not receive any sort of government help for their basic needs. This group of individuals is such named due to their obsessive use of Banana Boat Sunblock over any other sunblock brand. The individuals claim that it not only gives them a golden tan, but repels mosquitos at the same time. If you encounter one of the elusive Banana Boat Beach Bums, do not worry. They are friendly and mean no harm to anyone. They will accept quarters if you have them for their hygenic use.
Origin:
The Banana Boat Beach Bums are originally lost vacationers that lost not only their passports but any means to return home. Before they ran out of money, it was decided to invest in a tent and fishing equipment in order to ensure their survival. The group consist of 5 original individuals, although as news of the Banana Boat Beach Bum spreads to the United States, many individuals have magically appeared on the beach with tents of their own and no intent of leaving. These individuals all have something in common that is referred to as a free spirit. They were eager to be free from a 9-5 job that require a strict dress code and left little room for the development of a personal self.
Lifestyle:
BBBB's enjoy a warm tropical climate with unlimited access to the ocean. They are able to fish and use left over fish scraps to catch crab. They are also able to eat fresh coconut as their beach is completely surrounded by palms trees that provide this fruit year round. There is also access to a public water fountain, and a public shower (which takes quarters) that the BBBBs use on a frequent basis.
There is no better life than that of a BBBB. Life on the beach, spent surfing, eating grilled fish over a bonfire, and catching every sunset and sunrise.
Typical Day:
The typical day for a BBBB starts at sunrise because after sunrise it is much to hot to remain inside the tent. Once the sun is up BBBB's usually spend 20-30 minutes watching the sets of waves rolling in, and if the surf is good then they go out in a group past the second sand bar. Locals like to watch them in the mornings because BBBB surf old school style. That is they surf using longboards and like to walk to the nose of the board and back. It is after surfing that BBBB eat a breakfast of coconut and whatever the locals or tourists gift upon them. They typically do not rely on anyone for the majority of their food though. They prefer to catch fish fresh from the ocean and sell any extra catch for a little cash for slurpees or snacks from the nearby minimart.
After surfing, breakfast, fishing, BBBBs typically don't smell very good and will usually shower on the beach using a public shower that costs a quarter to operate. The appeal of being a BBBB is that after this stuff is done for the day, they can do whatever they want. This consists of reading books (check out from a public library that is within walking distance), napping, more fishing, and just watching the water. There is minimal stress in this lifestyle and this is the main part of the appeal.
If you'd like more information on becoming a BBBB, please email the owner of this blog.
We'd like to thank you for reading this, but gotta go...Surf's up!
Critical Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Non-members of the culture are said to donate quarters to individuals within the BBBBC culture to support their hygienic practices and help them maintain basic levels of subsistence, but the culture professes to value independence above all other qualities. Could the quarter be viewed as a contradictory symbol when it is donated by outsiders to support the member’s pursuit of independence?
2. Since the quarter is said to symbolize the idea of self-government, in what ways could the reliance on an external unit of currency (issued by a government that exists outside of the BBBBC culture) as a symbol of BBBBC culture demonstrate an institutional lack of full independence from reliance on the civilization they left behind when they decided to form their own community?
3. Given that the quarter is also used as a BBBBC symbol promoting the value of minimalism and anti-consumerism, how could the individual use the quarter as a counter-cultural symbol, subverting cultural values by accruing many quarters and using them for materialistic ends?
Positive Critique:
The use of the quarter as a symbol of government structure in a society with no “real” structure is ingenious – I like the idea of viewing a symbol of minimalism as the representation for what could otherwise be seen as a movement without a government. I would like to see you expand on the idea of how each individual governs themselves while coexisting with the other members of the crew a bit more, because this seems to be one of your strongest themes running through the narrative. In particular, how does the use of the quarter as a symbol stop members of the culture from simply saving up quarters and returning to materialism? Is there some deeper level of meaning that makes the quarter so important?
Your discussion on Banana Boat sunblock as a representation of the culture they left behind, their reliance on outside forces despite claims of independence, and as a form of personal protection was very clever, and your writing style was amusing and made me laugh. I enjoyed reading this section, but I am still unsure as to which institution the sunblock represents. It would be helpful if you spelled it out… ie. “sunblock represents the institution of ________.”
What is missing from narrative?
I can see how the coconut tree could be a unifying symbol for the idea of family/kinship organization, since it produces milk and unites them around a “mother” symbol that defines what it means to be a member of the community, but the narrative does not go into much detail about how the members of the Banana Boat Beach Bum Crew have classified their relationships to one another.
How does the coconut tree serve as a symbol of those relationships to each other?
How is family and kinship defined in this community? How does that definition play out in the organization of the community (or lack thereof, if kinship relationships aren’t strictly defined)? How are newcomers who decide to move to the beach and become part of the community treated?
For example, I know that the members of this community live in tents, but do they share their tents with other members who make up a family unit, or does each individual have their own tent? Are tents grouped together, or do members of the community move them around and camp wherever they see fit? Since the community values individualism so highly, do they even recognize kinship groups, or are they more like one big happy family who all support each other and themselves equally?
And since people arrive from across the world and declare themselves part of the culture, are they automatically included in the family/kinship structure, or are they seen as outsiders/posers? What happens if someone leaves the community – how does it affect the group as a whole?
Overall, I really enjoyed your creativity. You have some really cool ideas. :)