Ok, so being from Manchester in England, this morning I heard a shocking report! Ok, so we all know that a lot of the world have like some kind of foot-phobia, but what I heard on Key 103 (radio station) was absolutely outrageous. They were talking about some guy in Manchester who hadn't worn shoes for 18 years, and I myself was sitting thinking about what a role-model that guy is for me, but seconds later the guy on the radio said "If I saw that man on the streets I wouldn't let my kids look at him. Imagine if my kids saw someone doing that!". Then he ranted about him having manky cut-up feet. He also said how people like that man make him laugh when he says "The only thing I wouldn't walk in was glass and dog poo". I mean for God's sake, if a man wants to be barefoot on the streets, then why the hell not? And then the thing which outraged me was his final comment on the subject: "People like that ought to be shot. They're setting a bad example.". Now, I'm normally one to respect that other people have opinions and such, but what right does he have to say whether or not a man should be allowed to go barefoot in the streets? Absolutely none. Perhaps Shoe Nazis like him are the ones who ought to be shot for not letting people like us have our freedom to be barefoot without passing comment. I mean, I don't complain when people don't wear gloves on their hands and pick up germs, so why should he be allowed to say what people can and can't wear on their feet? I had a good mind to phone in and tell him to keep him and his Com-shoe-nist views to himself.
I'm not very knowledgeable regarding the laws in Britain, but in many countries, suggesting that someone "ought to be shot" is constituted as a crime under various statutes dealing with hate crime/terrorism/threats of bodily harm. At the least, I would recommend that you report this incident to ofCom and your District Attorney (or equivalent thereof). It also seems to me that this warrants an official complaint, perhaps of a threat against your life. This announcer is guilty of no less than a hate crime and must be prosecuted as such. We would appreciate any detailed information you could provide, such as the announcers name, the date and time of the show and the name of the program. Folks in Britain and barefooters worldwide should band together to get this irresponsible and thoughtless announcer taken off the air as soon as possible. Furthermore, unless the radio station issues an immedate apology, we should begin a diligent internet campaign exposing this station as a bastion of intolerance and hate.
I've drafted a letter to the station regarding this issue, but it really needs to come from someone of the age of consent in the UK, preferably in the Manchester area. If any UK barefooters would like to come forward, we can deal with this directly.
Well,this guy will get an email message from me. The whole idea of living in Britain is our freedom and that goes for walking barefoot. He may have an opinion but not make a verdict about it.
