Minorities and going barefoot

Apparently this topic has been discussed before, but I must have missed it! Does it look stranger or more wrong to see a minority barefoot in a store?

Secondly, please answer this next question as if you were a 'shoddie' store owner/manager. Do you think they would react more harshly to a minority going barefoot in their store?

By the way, I am a minority. I have been kicked out only a few times. And I have been going barefoot in public for 5 years or more. Obviously this means that the vast majority of the time no one says anything.

Finally, have you ever seen a minority barefoot in public?

 

I have a feeling few members of minority groups really get the appeal in getting "back to nature," or to put it more crudely, in slumming. Many come from disadvantaged backgrounds where hard-won signs of prosperity including expensive shoes are for flaunting, not for renouncing.

Most people may never have taken the time to think this out point for point, but they probably know it intuitively. Upon seeing a white barefooter, they at least allow for the possibility that he's a hippie, a romantic or some other kind of free spirit. Upon seeing a barefoot minority, they think automatically, "Wow. That guy's in really bad shape."

 

It probably wasn't on here. I visit and post on several barefooter forums and mailing lists, and I don't keep track of what's discussed where.

What I meant wasn't that it looked worse to see a minority barefoot, or that the reactions would be worse... but that the *same* reactions non-minorities get, *added* to the discrimination minorities unfortunately still get for their skin color would make the *total* too much for many folks. Sorry if I was unclear about that!

Of course I could see it work the opposite way too; sort of like "people are going to talk anyways, so you may's well give them something to talk about". That's a little like it was for me; while I'm not a part of any minority, I was always the one getting picked on in school. While I did go through a period of trying to fit in, for some reason that only kids really understand it didn't work even though I did try to look and act 'conformist', and some time in my teenage years I learned not to care what other people said about me. That served me very well when I started to go barefoot at 28 years old; after a couple of weeks of adjustment at most, I have only been in doubt about going barefoot on a handful of very special occasions (like funerals, weddings, the ICU in a hospital), and never feel awkward in stores, restaurants, malls, etc, etc. But since the number of minorities on barefoot forums/lists seems to be very low, my guess is that the first reaction -'already getting enough nasty looks, let's not add any'- is the most common.

As for seeing anyone else barefoot, well the total number of barefooters I've seen in person is about 10 or so, not even one a year on average. There were no minorities among them, but 10 total isn't enough to base statistics on. The discussion and theory was based on sightings (or lack thereof) of other people, and the apparent lack of minorities on some forums -but there could be other things in play as well, for example different online posting habits in various other cultures.

 

Hey. Thanks for your response. Just so you know, I didn't take offense to what you said. It just reawakened this curiosity about how I am perceived when I go barefoot. I know that in Iowa it's not common, but not unheard of to shop barefoot. I want HONEST input.... no sugar coating, because like you said, people are going to talk anyways and they certainly won't be sugar coating things that they say behind a person's back.

So everyone has my permission to say what they honestly think.

Discuss.

 

I'm Hispanic, but I pretty much blend in with the white folks. I don't have an accent, and I have been mistaken for a very tan white guy once. I've never had any reaction different from the sort of reactions you get from people who are shocked at barefooters. However, I have had people ask me if I had shoes, and when I told them I left them at home, they could not understand - perhaps a typical barefooter reaction. I'm not sure if people are more apt to ask me if I own shoes because I'm Hispanic or because I'm just some barefoot guy.

I could imagine it to be a different situation for those who don't blend in with the white folks, though.

 

different how? please elaborate. bad different? good different? indifferent different?

 

It was in the Fall several years ago. I was in Greenwich Village (NYC) near Second Avenue & St. Marks Place. I saw a group of young black women, one was barefoot. Her soles weren't filthy, but she had been barefoot for a while. I said to her "I see we like the same style shoes!". Her soles were very tough and calloused. Her friend said "She never wears shoes."

They were visiting from Atlanta. The barefooter just smiled but didn't say much. I had the impression that her "friend" was more than that. I've seen very few minority barefooters, including Caribbean Islands I've visited on cruises.

 

i am an africian american and i have been a barefooter the majority of my life. i am 47 and i grew up in the rural southern united states. in my youth it was not uncommon to see all children barefoot. growing up in a rural area and poor you wore shoes to school and church but, they were saved for those occasions. if you were playing in summer, there was no need for shoes. as i grew old i loved going barefoot and hated shoes. when i entered college in the late 1970's going barefoot was not that uncommon. attending a southern university allowed my to go barefoot the majority of the time. it was uncommon but, i would see another minority barefoot on campus from time to time.

however, the united states has become an increasingly anti-barefoot society, in the last 30 years since i entered college. as i entered my 20's (early 1980's) it became uncommon to see even minority children barefoot. i believe it is associated with the perception of poverty, associated with minorities in the usa. therefore, minorities sport the latest fasion, shoe, etc. to escaped this.

i have never really cared about fitting in the majority of my life, except for a period of about 8 years after graduating college. i tried the corporate world and failed horribly., for which i am pleased.

since i began living a barefoot lifestyle, i have rarely seen other "black" barefooters other than myself. the 2 or 3 others that i have encountered over the years were young "alternative lifestyle, street kids sorts".

i have experienced greater bias than that encountered by the non-minority barefooter. i have been kicked out of establishments for my barefeet. i have been stopped by police officers forced to show id while than ran my record. all of this because i choose to live a hippy, barefoot lifestyle. i am viewed as a homeless person. however, since i have id, a home and gainful employment my barefeet are not a threat and i am allowed to go my way.

i have built up an armor over the years, i ignore the comments, remarks, and all of the bull shit by the shoddies. i am constantly amazed by those that view bare feet as such a threat. those $1.99 flips are so much more efficent than one's feet doing what nature intended them to do.

take care and keep em' dirty and bare

 

How many times have you been stopped by the police?!?! Maybe it's because I'm from up north, but I have never been stopped by the police. From what I have heard it isn't too too uncommon to see barefoot shoppers in the south. Do you agree with this? Are white barefoot people "looked down upon" too? I'd assume so based on the stories of other white people on the board. I'm asking because I thought it was somewhat acceptable and common to barefoot in the south. Thanks for the input

 

i have been stopped 6 times in the last 5 years because of my hippy, barefoot look. in the summer, one might see another barefoot shopper but, it is quite rare. i personally believe it is a combination of 2 things the "nsnsns" signs and the popularity of flips. unless you are in a barefoot area (near a beach, rural areas) being barefoot is frowned upon. in rural areas and the gulf coast are very barefoot friendly areas in the south. galveston, texas is an extremely barefoot friendly city, very representative of the gulf coast barefoot friendly attitude.

 

I was thinking more negativity would be exhibited toward darker people and people with more distinctly minority facial features. From what bkcmar said, that seems to have been an accurate perception on my part.

 

I can remember a newspaper photo which appeared soon after they abolished racial segregation in South Africa. It showed several children at the entrance to a school, some black and some white. The white children were barefoot and the black children had shoes on! It seemed as though the parents had all said "Now that you're going to the same school as black/white children, you should do the same as they do."

 

Back in the day of my teenager years when I would walk around EVERYWHERE in my city barefoot one summer, I once had these complete strangers ask if they could buy me a pair of shoes- I guess they had a hard time understanding the "logic" behind this personal choice- But i still think it was nice of them to ask if I needed help instead of judging, I wonder if it was because I was a young girl?
I had some barefootin' friends who would cut the bottoms of their converse sneakers out so they could have the im wearing sneakers look- but i'm really barefoot feel =)

 

I live in a very Hispanic area, which to me is funny, cuz it used to be very Polish! So now I'll go down to Kmart and see a few barefoot people once in awhile. Never seen a white barefooter in public.

 

The thing about flip flops is that in warm weather it seems like every kid wears flips to school and I keep asking myself why do they bother. To me you are essentially bareoot (for all intents and purposes) so why even bend down to put them on?

 

People think I'm poor. I do think that people would say a white person is a hippie or natural if barefoot, but for me, at least, they just think I'm poor or just plain dirty.
But the barefooters I know of, we share the hate equally

 

Let me reverse the question a little here. I am white and normally go around barefoot. Why does it seem that minorities, mainly Hispanic and African Americans generally give me the most grief or get into my face about my lack of shoes. I have especially noticed this in Hispanic communities like Miami, etc.

 

One possibility may be that you might perceive you as someone who goes barefoot because of white guilt. Sounds stupid? It is, but there is a large amount of white middle class folk who do "poor" things (like go without shoes to show that there are people who don't have shoes) to make up for being born white... or something like that.

Either that or they just think you're a dirty hippie. But I like dirty hippies

Personally, when I see a white person who is barefeet in this day and age, I go up to them and tell them how cool I think they are.

 

Hey Feral, I think you are pretty damn cool. I remember you now from the "Barefoot in Public" days. I just facebooked you. Glad you're still around and that you're still a dirty barefoot hippie...lol

I think alot of minority opinions has to do with the old notion (bare feet = poverty). People who are used to a culture that embraces showing off wealth can't comprehend that some hippies go barefoot because of the feeling of freedom or to protest materialism. I'm glad you follow the beat of the hippie drum, Feral Lunar.