Peter Francis Wilkinson proved academically that no one needs money when you can go windsurfing.
His thesis for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Visual and Material Culture at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand, used windsurfing as a case study to prove athletes or wind enthusiasts may avoid shopping more than the average citizen.
"The study shows that windsurfers are resistant to consumerism in a number of ways," explains Wilkinson in his abstract.
"The rejection of traditional sporting values, the use of time in opposition to dominant practices, the rejection of wealth as the primary measure of success, and resisting cultural expectations are all manifestations of this resistance."
Windsurfers are willing to sacrifice other areas of their lives in order to be part of a very specific lifestyle, dream world, and subculture based on freedom and nature.
That's why a windsurf board, a mast, a boom, and a sail might put aside your impetus to buy a new car, a new mobile phone, or any other traditional consumer good.
Peter Francis Wilkinson dedicates this philosophical approach to Jude Green, from Southern Lakes, who died while windsurfing while the author was working on the thesis.