School & College

I'm a member of another message board and was directed to this online article about a philosophy professor in Florida (originally from New Zealand) who teaches barefoot:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/education/orl-unews-barefoot-103108,0,5201704.story

I think that's pretty cool! :hurray:

 

Excellent article and website (Barefooters.org). You're right. It's pretty cool. Too bad it's seen as an unusual thing rather than the norm. More power to people willing to step off the beaten path... barefoot! :cheers2:

 

1) How often did you do it?
For two years I tried to go barefoot everwhere I went.*
2) What kind of places did you do it?
Every where.
3) Did you take footwear of any kind?
Flip Flops
4) What did people think about it?
Ether there was no attection paid or access denied. Supermarket said nothing, move theaters would not let me in barefoot.
5) How clean were the floors and hence how dirty were your feet?
Most places the floors were very dirty.
6) Did anyone else ever barefoot?
At supermarkets, all the time, sometime at the mall.
7) How about places like outside or in the toilets (restrooms)?
Ick! Tried to avoid those places
8) How about making your way to and from school?
When I went to High School, bare feet were not tolerated. At Jr. Collage, no one cared.
*I went for long walks around the Van Nuys golf course, a distance of about 2 miles every day for two years. What stopped me was glass. not large piece of glass, but very small shards. Smaller then 1/8". Very hard to see on concrete. After one day when I spent 20 minutes getting one of these peice out of my heel, I decided flip flops was a good altenative. Easy to take off. So I drive barefoot, go where I can barefoot, but wear flip flops to the store, mall, theater, eateries, etc.
<(^o^)>

 

Since I'm going to a new college, I decided to fill this out again as my experiences here are different.

1) How often did you do it?
I do it everyday all day. Warm weather, cold weather, dry or rainy days.
2) What kind of places did you do it?
In my room, outside the dorms, around town, in stores...
3) Did you take footwear of any kind?
Boots, a pair of sneakers and flip flops.
4) What did people think about it?
Some laugh, some think it's crazy. Others think it's cool, and free.
5) How clean were the floors and hence how dirty were your feet?
Depends. Outside is like a regular street, so my feet get nice and dirty. Inside my room it's considerably clean, so they stay okay. Usually, at any given time, my feet have a "dusting" of dirt.
6) Did anyone else ever barefoot?
Yeah, one guy I hang out with went barefoot in the warm weather, not in the cold. He doesn't go into town barefoot though, he gets athlete's foot. But it's still cool to know someone in my school does it.
7) How about places like outside or in the toilets (restrooms)?
Yeah I go pretty much everywhere barefoot, including bathrooms.
8) How about making your way to and from school?
I'll walk to the building where my classes are barefoot but I put flip flops or shoes on before I enter. I don't think it's allowed to go barefoot in the classrooms.

All in all, going barefoot here is great. The temperatures are below 40 degrees at night and I'm still going barefoot.

 

Sorry, undergrad finished about 30 years ago and grad school's been 20+ years ago. At the time I was pretty self-conscious about my feet. It's only been in the past four years or so that I had corrective surgery and became more of a full-time barefooter. I work from home, but travel on business as needed. So if you don't mind my answering the questions from my current situation,...

1) How often did you do it?
In warm weather (April-October) I'm barefoot anytime I don't absolutely have to wear shoes (e.g., business meeting, nice restaurant). If I do have to wear shoes, I usually wear flip-flops, but work situations dictate otherwise. It's not unusual not to wear closed-toe shoes for 3-5 weeks. It's not unusual for me to be completely barefoot for 3-5 days or longer. In the winter (Colorado), I'm a conformist in public. No need to freeze my feet. Depending on how warm the floor is indoors during the winter, I can be barefoot, wear socks, or wear soft-soled mocassins.
2) What kind of places did you do it?
Everywhere. Public buildings, a couple of malls, coffee shops, auto repair, medical lab, credit union, food establishments, stores, etc.
3) Did you take footwear of any kind?
NO!
4) What did people think about it?
For the most part, people don't seem to care. If they do notice, for the most part it's a positive thing. I think I've gotten a level of politeness and courtesy on many occasions I wouldn't get otherwise (see thread "Share Your Positive Experiences"). I kept track of my visits to over 100 different public locations over a couple of month period this summer. I was only denied service/asked to leave on one occasion (see "Bummer at Target").
5) How clean were the floors and hence how dirty were your feet?
Even when the floors appear to be clean my feet get dirty
6) Did anyone else ever barefoot?
My wife loves being barefoot, but not as much in public - only occasionally. In public she wears minimal flip-flops (thin soles and straps).
7) How about places like outside or in the toilets (restrooms)?
Outside? No problem in warm weather. Bathrooms -I always look before going in. Sorry, but I don't want to wade through some guy's piss. Sometimes I need to stand with my legs spread a bit wider, but if the floor's clean otherwise,...
8) How about making your way to and from school?
Doesn't really apply. I drive barefoot all the time. Does that count?