Thrasher Magazine

47.  Thrasher Magazine

Type: Magazine
Title: Thrasher Magazine
Publisher: High Speed Productions
Ages: 14 and up

Summary: This magazine subscription is a monthly subscription that deals with everything skateboarding: the culture, the arts, the clothing, the music, and other information.  The magazine itself is about 75 pages long and has a lot of pictures of skateboarders, along with advertising of different products.  It is geared towards teenagers, mostly males.

Critical Evaluation: The magazine is broken up to 12 monthly issues, with an average subscription price of $17.95, but cheaper for libraries.  Although people may be against the whole idea of skateboarding in general, this magazine content does not promote the act of 'tagging' but uses skateboarding as a form of expression, and a type of physical art.  

This particular skateboarding magazine is very popular in the United States and the sport itself is popular among teenagers around the world.  Other public libraries have subscribed to this magazine, in an attempt to buy materials that teenagers would check-out.  This magazine has various articles about the sport, famous skateboarders, and events where people can skateboard across the country. What's popular in this magazine is the advertisement of skateboard videos, which are becoming more and more popular. These videos showcase different skaters and their tricks.  

Challenge Issues:

• Skateboarding promotes illegal activities.
• Fantasizes the act of trespassing and damaging public property.
• Libraries should not promote this type of lifestyle for teens.

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• The library should subscribe to magazine content that is popular among teenagers.
• Be familiar with the themes in the material and how they relate to young adults today.
• Stay calm and remember to not be personally offended by their comments or concerns.
• Libraries provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues.  Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.
• Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation.
• LISTEN to what they have to say and reiterate our freedom to read and be without censorship.
• All material for young adults are under the review of the branch manager and even further up, the Library Director and even City Council members.