Jack Lopez the Surfer

Jake Lopez is a surfer even though many other Mexican Americans did not look kindly at him. Jake dressed like a surfer, he wore his Bermuda shorts, large Penney's Towncraft T-shirts. He wanted people to view him as a surfer. Being a surfer was Jake's social identity. Jake's dream as a child was to get a surfboard. He constantly did chores and babysat his brother and sister in order to save up for his surfboard. Even though Jake didn't have a surfboard at the time, he was a surfer because he always carried around his copy or Surfer Quarterly. Jake and his friends always talked about the magazine. Surfer Quarterly was Jake's cultural artifact. That is what made Jake a surfer and made others view Jake as a surfer. Jake's dad thought that the whole surfer thing was just an adolescence phase, but Jake thought otherwise and all he wanted to do is get a surfboard. Jake didn't race was a big issue, in his mind being a surfer was more important. The problem is that his social identity was a Mexican American who is a surfer. Cholo gangsters didn't like that Jake was a surfer and at one time he was even confronted about it. Jake told the cholo gangster that he was Mexican and he backed off, but the gangster was confused that someone who is Mexican is a surfer. Jake was different than many other Mexican Americans because the stereotype was that Mexican Americans were gangsters and Jake broke out of that stereotype. Surfer Quarterly shaped Jake into a surfer. He wanted to be the surfer they were showing in the magazine. This is good because it helped him achieve his dream of surfing the waves. It helped Jake stand out and he was proud of that. Jake liked the magazine so much that when he got a new issue he skipped watching 77 Sunset Strip and eating popcorn. Jake was really interested in magazine and it was his life. Jake's cultural artifact, Surfer Quarterly, was really unique to him and it was his inspiration to do something else than get involved in the gang life in his neighborhood. Jake realized that he could be anything he wished and not have to worry about what other people think; he could be a surfer and not even the cholos would object.

(source: http://looky.wordpress.com/2008/05/30/vintage-knits-1960s-surfer-tops/)