with everything im seeing today ont he news and on Facebook is great and all dont get me wrong but it has me thinking about when will we see Barefoot Equality...Are right to go BF in public is coming soon! that is all
I assume (please correct me if I'm wrong) that we already have that right? I'm not a US resident but I spent time in California with no issues and other parts of the world such as the UK, Australia and New Zealand have no restrictions other than common sense or legal health & safety limitations. This is interesting, I watch and wait with anticipation Shayla x
No, "we" don't. Barefooting is more or less tolerated---if it were a "right," such a forum as this wouldn't exist. There is no law or statute that permits bare feet everywhere---individual stores do indeed have such policy, but that is part of a general pattern of tolerance (which leaves wide room for deep pockets of intolerance). Because there is no law saying "NO" is not tantamount to a law that says "YES." I'd rather go barefoot And not give a hoot.
here in downtown Seattle no one gives a shit about going barefoot i have walked barefoot in downtown, for years police have never stopped me
I get your point and see your point of view. However in the western world a barefooter is such a minority do we really need to make such a big 'song & dance'? As one who does not receive barefoot intolerance I'm sure I'm not as passionate as others. Maybe having NO choice but to put on footwear in a builders yard to protect my feet is an infringement of my rights, but I'd rather keep the happy status quo rather than single myself out as a special case. blessings Shayla x
Precisely BECAUSE barefooters are such a minority does the majority think "Yo, people, get with the program." And BECAUSE barefooters are so few do they, therefore, get the chance to "get away with it." It WOULD be an infringement of civic rights to demand footwear; therefore, social tolerance (ha ha) has been called upon to "police" the situation. BTW, I totally agree with you---all this whining and fuming over BARE FEET? Jeez.....(but another law of physics states: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.")
Well, the next time someone comes up to YOU and says, "Sir, you can't be in here without shoes," just tell 'em to "fuhgeddaboudit."
As a Kiwi, this social intolerance crap is completely foreign to me. In the USA is the issue not one of potential liability should something happen to your feet in a store, or is it an issue of social conformity? Certainly down here in NZ I feel the 'social conformity' issue is far more prevalent....the expectation that everyone should dress the same and behave in the same way, is a constant threat to individual liberty and personal choice. Given the US is built on these very attributes I continue to find it strange that people can't mind their own fucking business if someone wants to live a barefoot lifestyle!
Its not the police who would stop you, its intolerant store owners and managers who won't let you spend your money at their businesses due to misconceptions about bare feet along with unfounded fears of litigation. There is a lot of ignorance blocking the barefooter's path in many places.
The usual so-called "issues" are potential injury and subsequent legal issues, or the incorrect thinking that we're breaking non-existent health department "rules". Even if I were to try to explain to someone that my feet on the floor are no worse health-wise than other people's shoes on the floor (and in fact could be better), they will usually then go off rambling about possibly injury and how I could sue blah blah blah. Having said that, in 2 years of barefooting I've had maybe 4 or 5 places total ever say that I had to put on shoes or leave the store - a fast food place and 2 other sit-down restaurants, a hardware store, and a book store. Oddly enough none of those places had any sort of signage saying shoes are required. I've been in several places that do have signs and NEVER had a problem.
Well, the other founding tenet of the US was Puritanical. Which morphed from leaving England for freedom to making sure everyone follows a set of behavior. Funny how that worked.
Yeah, I guess the dilemma is always going to be who defines 'the set of behaviour' as you correctly put it? It is those same people who define the behaviour, also create nonexistent health code laws and store policy to reinforce and empower themselves. The whole 'its illegal to drive barefoot' debate is built around this in the US - a totally nonsensical piece of puritanical bullshit! Come and live in New Zealand!
I think that the argument is: i.e. common and 'normal' accepted behaviour is based on the shared norms of the founding or ruling class. For example what is normal in France may not be considered normal in India. This is because each country has had different influences throughout history. Shayla x
Thanks for this. I guess what I'm trying to say is the prevalence of urban myths exists (such as 'its illegal to drive barefoot', or being barefoot is dangerous, or being barefoot equals poverty), and they seem to be more widespread in USA. None of these urban myths have laws that actually exist around them to make them legitimate, however while it remains the accepted cultural norm (again the media in all its forms has role here) many Western societies (especially USA) will never achieve barefoot equaility. At the end of the day, I guess just go barefoot, enjoy the freedom, pick your stores to go into, and do your best to counter the urban myths and to hell with all the negative vibe and comment! (or come downunder to NZ! hehe)
