Sometimes there *are* laws

quote: "But some people are sue happy regardless of their own culpability in the situation, therefore signs and policies need to be in place to protect against the sue happy assholes."


Is there any info anywhere regarding a successful lawsuit brought by a barefoot person who injured themselves in a place of business? My guess is that there isn't (but I have no idea). It appears that just a fear of a lawsuit is the main reason barefooting is regularly denied - and not actual liability.

 

No, being barefoot in fact greatly increase the ability of your feet to transmit bacteria and disease compared to someone wearing shoes. This is why if there's any place that's 100% guaranteed to not allow barefoot people into it it's going to be anywhere that has food. There actually are practical concerns. It's actually even worse than hands since people generally wash their hands numerous times a day, and hands don't have to stay in constant contact with a surface.

 

Well, if you live in a state, (which you do) and you are (apparently also) anal retentive then there's no surprise about your viewpoint. Pucker up!

 

Guys, guys, don't you see, it's anal retentive to want to keep a food establishment serving thousands of people a day as hygienic as possible.

 

[citation needed]

 

The reason I backed off my position concerning insurance companies and health regulations and stuck to the argument concerning private property, is because I was wrong...

If you do a little bit of searching (I took my own advice), you will quickly discover that there are no insurance issues with bare feet (besides in construction zones where safety footwear is needed and such), and there are no health regulations regarding them... At least none that I could find that concerned either Canada or the US... they may be local ordinances that I didn't come across of course, but I did try very hard to prove myself right before giving up and admitting to be wrong.

As for any argument that is based on someone tracking anything in on their barefeet that they wouldn't on foorwear is just totally illogical. As is constantly pointed out, barefooters wash their feet a lot more often then people wash their shoes...

The thing about some guy sitting with his barefeet up in the air at a restaurant... It would bother me just as much as someone doing it wearing shoes or boots...

 

The main issue though is bacteria thrives much more on human skin from the heat among other things than it does on shoes. Simple dirt too generally doesn't stick to shoes as long as it's dry, and the treads built into most footwear makes it cake off pretty easily. The problem is there's not foot police, most people whether they wear shoes, wear socks, go barefoot, live in the middle of the woods, whatever they do, have clean feat, hell even people with terrible smelling feet normally have clean feet, they just smell bad. But there are people who have terrible smelling feet, foot fungus, infected nails/toes, and open wounds(and if you have dry, cracked skin, especially in your big toe you might have tiny open wounds from the cracking that you don't even know about)

 

I fail to see how barefeet kept on the ground at a restaurant makes the place less hygienic than shod feet. If the food ever falls on the floor, you would think that its going into the trash regardless of shod or unshod feet having trodden on it prior...

As for foot odor, its actually bacteria on the shod feet that gives it off, so they are bacterially speaking dirtier. Actual visible specs of dirt is relatively harmless and things like fungus are far more prevalent in shod populations. Fungus needs dark, warm and damp conditions to grow, ie insides of shoes. Barefeet are usually dry, not sweaty as they are very well ventilated

 

Just as there are people who have shoes or boots that smell that way. A town I used to live in, at the coffeeshop I used to go to, there were local farmers that came in and you could smell cow shit from across the room... Nobody jumped up and said they should be banned... You want to talk about bacteria?

What about the guy who steps on a piece of dog shit that someone missed and was sitting there in the sun for a few hours?

As long as we're on the subject of smells, what about people who eat a lot of curry... or those women who wear lots of perfume... how about the stoner who smells like pot?

 

They need to develop full body chewing gum..

 

I always see this. And know what.... fucking SO?

The entire world doesn't want to go barefoot all the time, I know I sure as hell don't. I do like going barefoot sometimes, as do many. Just because they're not wearing shoes doesn't mean that they're hardcore barefooters, and that we can just assume their godly bare feet are clean enough to eat off.

 

OK, so every time a person coughs or sneezes into his/her hand (s)he immediately washes or disinfects it before touching door handles, railings next to stairs or escalators, shopping cart handles or even shaking someone else's hand? If you claim that "feet are worse", please show me someone putting a foot in front of the face when sneezing or coughing... and since when did we start to shake feet for greeting?

Germs and fungi grow perfectly in warm and moist conditions, which are those inside closed shoes, thus also being repsonsible for the cheesy smell.
Just try this out: keep your hands in thick gloves a whole day, sweating as the average shoddist feet do, and smell them after taking the gloves off.

Feet aren't worse - they're just feet.

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Ganesha*~

 

Actually no feet are the dirtiest part of the body, especially if you're barefoot, this isn't about foot odor even if that in itself is a concern, deal with it. Both hands and feet are generally filthy, the difference is you don't tread your hands along every surface you're on every waking moment, and most people wash their hands numerous times a day.

 

I find it odd... I am against the whole religious fervor that goes along with some people being barefoot... It especially gets me going because you have people saying "It's my right to be barefoot if I want" and then proceed to try to explain to people why they should be too...

It's a choice thing... it isn't a religious movement... it isn't going to grant you magical powers... some like it, some don't... some like it in certain circumstances, some don't... But what it comes down to, is it is a choice, and regardless of it that choice is for or against footwear, it shouldn't lead to either parties being attacked for their choices as it doesn't effect anyone else.

However... something I find even worse then that, is those that have an almost unholy regard for those who choose to be barefoot... It is like someone choosing to be barefoot is the worst crime ever imaginable....

At least the barefooters are arguing FOR something that makes them happy...

 

And yet even if we granted you this premise (which I'm not saying that we should, but for the sake of this argument, we can), even you have to acknowledge that people spread and acquire the vast majority of common germs by picking up micrboes with their hands, and then using their hands to eat, groom themselves, etc. Most people live shod lives and still spread and acquire germs every day - the thing of it is, I don't get sick MORE because I go barefoot. If all you're talking about is the "ick factor", well what's worse: invisible germs on one's hands (which make you and others sick), or visible dirt and germs on one's feet (which don't contribute one way or another). It sounds like what you're really saying is that dirty feet "look" like they are carrying more germs. A lot of cultures go barefoot in large numbers - they are not all getting sick or dropping dead because of that fact.

I agree completely with this. I honestly hope that someday people won't feel like they have to talk about barefooting as though it were some fringe activity and give it this kind of special attention. I think it's necessary now, because that's one of the ways we have to affect change. We're not demanding anyone ACCEPT us, even if that's how it somehow comes across. We are asking for TOLERANCE, and we will not be silent until we get that.

 

This part, I so disagree with... go look at the other threads... There are many here that not only demand that they be accepted anywhere they want to go, but there are many who attack (insult) others for not choosing to be barefoot...

As for "I think it's necessary now"... that is the excuse that every extremist group in the world uses... It's as false for this issue as it is for any issue...

You don't create tolerance for your own choices by being intolerant of other's choices...

 

Physician...heal THYSELF

 

Thinking that an owner should have the right to choose who goes on their property is not intolerance towards people's choices.

 

Well, reading the exchange so far, the only way I can summarize this is:



I walk barefoot for my own benefit and if you don't like it, mankind has been given something called "free will" - you can always look away and don't bother.

Wiggling bare toes,

~*Ganesha*~

 

True, owners do have a choice to not allow barefeet in their store for whatever reason. And some people choose to go barefoot and if they know the store doesn't want it they can either not bother the store or can put on flip flops for a minute. Its not a big deal. When people list stores and places they went barefoot to its saying I had a fun day and at the same time found some tolerant places. It's not to say hey I conquered another business owner and forced my beliefs on them. At least thats my understanding.