People are funny

And I would welcome you...lol

 

I think some do it for shock value...to get evil societies attention in an ever bare way. I mean you have got to be kiddin me if you think that mainstream people should not be shocked by a dirty footed-green haired-flower power hippie in the middle of civilization. Put it this way, imagine a yuppie in suit and tie walking into your commune in rual country...yeah, don't like , you would stare and probably think that his appearance is odd at least.

Please, be understanding about all aspects of human behavior and not that of yourself. I can prefectly understand why people stare/laugh/giggle whatever. They are simply not used to it...is this a reason to get angry and or emotional? Thisis not intended for anyone in particular.

 

was I crying?

LOL no.

 

i totally know how you feel.....for some reason when my shoes come off, I'm just happier.
sadily, my family has this thing where you have to wear shoes in the house cuz having barefeet runins the carpet......I dont' even want to start listing the reasons why I think that's really dumb. So, since my dh and I are renting out the basement at my mom's for the time being, i have to get in all the barefooting I can during the day when she's not here cuz it's on with the slippers and shoes by night time.

even whenI was little, I never associated myself with being a hippie (hell, I didn't even know what a hippie was) (and hippies are usually associated with barefooting....) and I was always barefoot. I could never wait for summer so I could go run through all the trees and grass with no shoes on! I felt so happy and free!
I did the same thing in jr high....i was constantly told to put my shoes back on at school, but most of the time it didn't stop me.
in high school, no one really cared......most of my friends were not "normal" looking people anyway, so having a barefoot hippy part of the group really didn't stand out all that much.
At work I have to stand on my feet for hours at a time (I'm a cashier), and I have to wear black, polishable shoes.....but I bought some easy slip-off kind so that I can just put them on when the supervisor comes around. Loardly, I can;t wait to start college in the fall where i can just wear no shoes all the time.
I get some odd looks....but I really don't care. I would rather feel good myself than worry if I'm pleasing all the conforming shoe-wearers around me......

 

Like the thread title says...People ARE funny. That is pretty sad...I don't think I've ever heard of bare feet being linked to ruining a carpet. Unless your feet are really dirty all the time, and even then, it can't be any worse than wearing shoes! Sheesh!

I just moved into a new house with nice hardwood floors, and my feet are loving it for the most part. They're not used to the hardness so I've been a bit footsore, but I love the smooth, cool wood on my soles. Having a house presents so many more good barefooting opportunities over an apartment!

 

Yeah, they say that it's something about the oils in your feet or something....
If people were meant to wear shoes in the house, or anywhere for that matter, we'd have been born with them.....

 

People are funny. I've had the stares and comments like everyone else who's gone barefoot. But I've seen some of those same people running around wedding receptions barefoot because their shoes are uncomfortable. I've seem people kick off their shoes under their desks at work because of aching arches. Once I went to an amusement park on a rainy day. I took off my sandals because the pavement was too slick. At first, lots of stares and a few comments. But after a while, I began seeing more barefeet splashing in the puddles. It was fun going barefoot as a kid... so why can't it be fun now? :cheers2:

 

even whenI was little, I never associated myself with being a hippie (hell, I didn't even know what a hippie was) (and hippies are usually associated with barefooting....) and I was always barefoot. I could never wait for summer so I could go run through all the trees and grass with no shoes on! I felt so happy and free.

I sure wish I could meet more people like you! I don't consider myself a hippie at all. I'm rather conservative. But I love going barefoot. Just need help doing it at home in front of others. Read my posts elsewhere.

 

Want conservative?

My hero is Barry Goldwater. Yeah, I know. I'm good at breaking stereotypes.

 

Believe it or not, this wasn't allowed in the home I grew up in. Also, I couldn't own a pair of flip-flops, because my dad had a strong opinion that a guy's feet should never be seen. As you might guess, I made up for lost time as soon as I moved out on my own.

 

Amazing how this barefooting habit of ours can stir up feelings and comments from bystanders.
How come some few people get such a strong urge to 'enlighten' us on imagined dangers and why we should stop barefooting...

 

a group of young people in a car came to the point of calling me loud from far away, in the city , and asked me why i was around bf when i came near to them. they appeared utterly amused and not afraid of showing. people usually does not behave like this with "ordinary" people so i assume that barefooters are seen by some as weirdos and legitimate targets of mockery.

 

I got a tiny bit of revenge on a pair of self-deputized fashion cops last Sunday morning. As I was walking out of Circle K, some kid asked, "You know when you're cool? When you walk around barefoot all the time." I looked and saw that he had a friend waiting in the car for him. Both of them were in their late teens -- too young to own handguns -- and neither looked like much of a fighter.

Really, I should have said something like, "You know when you're a fuckin' little pussy? When you talk shit and don't back it up." Or I should have pointed to his friend and asked, "How's his cock taste, bitch? It's okay -- you can tell me." Or best of all, I should simply have laid him out. (His friend would have panicked; I was fairly sure of that.) But, flustered as I was, I missed my chance. They started their car and pulled out of the parking lot.

At that point, with the full force of the indignation finally sinking in, I got an idea. Firing up my own car, I pulled into the left-hand turn lane right behind them. For the next mile or so, I followed the little punks -- rode their asses, in fact. I left them with no room to mistake my intentions; when they switched lanes, I switched lanes.

It was Sunday morning, traffic was very light. If they'd had a single ball between the two of them, they'd have shouted a challenge out of the window, and we'd have settled it in the nearest parking lot. The douchebag* brothers did no such thing; instead, they began zig-zagging all over the road, apparently trying to throw me.

Figuring honor had been satisfied, I broke off pursuit.






*It ocurred to me that you might not be familiar with this American idiom. It usually refers to someone who is both conceited and a coward. The Italian term mezzofinnochio might not be an exact translation, but it captures the spirit handily.

 

I don't understand why you would want to pick a fight with these two? Did you have a bad morning perhaps?

 

They were talking smack; they deserved to be taught a lesson. As it turned out, I was able to teach them one in a gentler manner than I had initially thought possible. When you think about it, everyone gained.

 

Where is dancer annie?

 

Thank you for reminding me why I dislike visiting the US.

 

Uh, why? Because of sarcastic jerks like the two guys, or because of thin-skinned hooligans like me?

Honestly, I thought I was standing up for the whole side.

 

An air force doctor who was the victim of a random drive-by shooting at this year's New Orleans Mardi Gras Parade remarked that he would be glad to return to Afghanistan where he could feel safe.

While his remark was somewhat rhetorical, it nonetheless pointed out the pervasively violent nature of US society. Your post likewise exhibited a predilection for solving problems through violent or confrontational means rather than using diplomacy or discourse.

Honor is gained when mutual understanding is reached and bridges between individuals are created. Honor is lost when fear and intimidation is used for purposes of establishing dominance, regardless of the outcome.

 

I have to live in the world I live in, and deal with people based on my own understanding of human nature. Most people, I've found, are polite enough not to make sarcastic comments to strangers who are minding their own business. (I happen to be one of those people myself.) A very few, though, will be as rude as it amuses them to be. It's obvious how deeply their remarks upset their intended targets. Between a quarter and a third of the posts on this forum boil down to: "Why does seeing a barefooter turn so many people into such assholes?" I think it's perfectly reasonable that one of us should, finally, do something besides cringe and walk away to complain over the 'net to our fellow barefooters.

I'm not going to waste my breath lecturing anyone on good manners. If they didn't learn that from their parents, or from Emily Post, they certainly won't accept it from me. What I will happily do is demonstrate that openly scorning the wrong person can bring forth very unpleasant consequences. Fear may be the worst teacher, but I figure, fuck it; these people are the worst students.

Speaking of rhetorical flourishes, here's a question to meditate on: If some guy made a lewd comment about your girlfriend, instead of a snide one about your barefootedness, would you simper at him, trusting that he'd learn a lesson from your gold-star behavior? I'm guessing no -- you'd ask him politely to take it back, and if he didn't, well, you'd go all American on his ass. Not that there's anything wrong with it.