Comments on: The Barefoot Revolution Part 4 http://www.growstronger.com/blog/the-barefoot-revolution-part-4/ Grow Smarter, Grow Faster, GrowStronger.com! Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:28:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Blake http://www.growstronger.com/blog/the-barefoot-revolution-part-4/comment-page-1/#comment-898 Blake Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:14:46 +0000 http://www.growstronger.com/blog/?p=241#comment-898 Shoes- this is all sad, and true. Though I did not live in that generation, having grown up in the late 80's and 90's, it is a shame that such stigmas have stuck around since then. From people whom I talk to about being barefoot, many of them where I live, which is in Indiana, are fond of the idea of going barefoot like they did when they were children. Here about half of the people are from Rural areas, and half are very much urban college student types. The one thing that I have been successful with is getting people motivated to run barefoot at the local cross-country field here. Purdue University is one of only 2 schools in the Big Ten to have a dedicated grass CX field, and the CX team itself trains barefoot on it. However, outside of worries about sharp objects, the hippie comment comes up more often than anything. Perhaps in a few more decades when the remembrance of that movement is not part of the recent memory of those who lived through it, this harmful connection of hippies to naked dirty idiots will die out, and their more noble ideas will be remembered instead. I suppose only time will be able to tell. Great comments, keep them coming. We have been a little slack on our article posting during this Holiday season, but there are a few more in the works. Your ideas and concepts on this issue are spot on with our own, so thank you for sharing them! Blake Shoes-
this is all sad, and true. Though I did not live in that generation, having grown up in the late 80′s and 90′s, it is a shame that such stigmas have stuck around since then. From people whom I talk to about being barefoot, many of them where I live, which is in Indiana, are fond of the idea of going barefoot like they did when they were children. Here about half of the people are from Rural areas, and half are very much urban college student types. The one thing that I have been successful with is getting people motivated to run barefoot at the local cross-country field here. Purdue University is one of only 2 schools in the Big Ten to have a dedicated grass CX field, and the CX team itself trains barefoot on it.
However, outside of worries about sharp objects, the hippie comment comes up more often than anything. Perhaps in a few more decades when the remembrance of that movement is not part of the recent memory of those who lived through it, this harmful connection of hippies to naked dirty idiots will die out, and their more noble ideas will be remembered instead. I suppose only time will be able to tell.
Great comments, keep them coming. We have been a little slack on our article posting during this Holiday season, but there are a few more in the works. Your ideas and concepts on this issue are spot on with our own, so thank you for sharing them!
Blake

]]> By: ShoesAreBoring http://www.growstronger.com/blog/the-barefoot-revolution-part-4/comment-page-1/#comment-897 ShoesAreBoring Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:17:34 +0000 http://www.growstronger.com/blog/?p=241#comment-897 Yes, Blake, that is part of the problem, that many people use the term 'hippie' as derogatory. Rebranding is a must. The main reason we have all those signs saying "shirts and shoes required", "no shirts, no shoes, no service", and originally back then simply "no bare feet" was to keep hippies out without actually admitting that directly. Those signs first appeared during the late 1960s, and as a further deterrent, some people began adding the false "by order of the health department" to the bottoms of these signs. This way they could claim its a "law", when it never was and still is not, so they could not be accused of direct discrimination. And it stuck. And today most people believe it's illegal to go barefoot into certain places. But the truth is, that during the early 1970s, all the hippie fashions and anti-fashions hit the mainstream, so 'regular' young people looked just like what a hippie looked like 3 or 4 years earlier. There were well off barefoot young women in new york city shopping in expensive stores, they had nothing to do with being hippies. But all this really confused the older generation of store owners, and once the distinctions became that blurred among young people of the day, enforcement of such anti-barefoot rules often stopped, as store and mall owners got tired of spending all day kicking people out. And Chris, yes, you are right, it would be just a revolution. I just made up the word 're-revolution' as a semi-sarcastic comment sort of referring to the concept of 'those who do not remember their history are condemned to repeat it'. If today's young people do not know that going barefoot was once common, they also don't know it can be done. They just assume it's impossible. And if they are taught that there was a wide range of types of people going barefoot during various parts of the 20th century, not just "hicks" or later "hippies", maybe they will be more likely to give it a try. Though what I remember as a teenager during the 1970s, it was really a girl thing. Teenage girls and women in their 20s were the most commonly seen barefoot person out in public. For a few years there, it was so common that something like half the girls out there in any town in the US were going barefoot mostly everywhere on nice summer days. And man, could they walk on anything without getting hurt. And before you can learn to RUN barefoot you have to gradually learn to WALK barefoot. It just takes a little time to get used to it. Yes, Blake, that is part of the problem, that many people use the term ‘hippie’ as derogatory. Rebranding is a must. The main reason we have all those signs saying “shirts and shoes required”, “no shirts, no shoes, no service”, and originally back then simply “no bare feet” was to keep hippies out without actually admitting that directly. Those signs first appeared during the late 1960s, and as a further deterrent, some people began adding the false “by order of the health department” to the bottoms of these signs. This way they could claim its a “law”, when it never was and still is not, so they could not be accused of direct discrimination. And it stuck. And today most people believe it’s illegal to go barefoot into certain places. But the truth is, that during the early 1970s, all the hippie fashions and anti-fashions hit the mainstream, so ‘regular’ young people looked just like what a hippie looked like 3 or 4 years earlier. There were well off barefoot young women in new york city shopping in expensive stores, they had nothing to do with being hippies. But all this really confused the older generation of store owners, and once the distinctions became that blurred among young people of the day, enforcement of such anti-barefoot rules often stopped, as store and mall owners got tired of spending all day kicking people out.
And Chris, yes, you are right, it would be just a revolution. I just made up the word ‘re-revolution’ as a semi-sarcastic comment sort of referring to the concept of ‘those who do not remember their history are condemned to repeat it’. If today’s young people do not know that going barefoot was once common, they also don’t know it can be done. They just assume it’s impossible. And if they are taught that there was a wide range of types of people going barefoot during various parts of the 20th century, not just “hicks” or later “hippies”, maybe they will be more likely to give it a try. Though what I remember as a teenager during the 1970s, it was really a girl thing. Teenage girls and women in their 20s were the most commonly seen barefoot person out in public. For a few years there, it was so common that something like half the girls out there in any town in the US were going barefoot mostly everywhere on nice summer days. And man, could they walk on anything without getting hurt. And before you can learn to RUN barefoot you have to gradually learn to WALK barefoot. It just takes a little time to get used to it.

]]> By: Chris http://www.growstronger.com/blog/the-barefoot-revolution-part-4/comment-page-1/#comment-876 Chris Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:30:41 +0000 http://www.growstronger.com/blog/?p=241#comment-876 Shoes Are Boring, Is a re-revolution even possible? Thank you for your interesting and thought-provoking comment, but I have to disagree with you. If people decided to do away with cars, you could call it a Walking Revolution. Of course people used to not have the option to use a car, but relatively speaking, this would be a new trend worth calling a revoluton. In the 70s, running barefoot was a re-revolution as well, as our ancestors ran barefoot many, many years before. Shoes Are Boring,

Is a re-revolution even possible?

Thank you for your interesting and thought-provoking comment, but I have to disagree with you.

If people decided to do away with cars, you could call it a Walking Revolution. Of course people used to not have the option to use a car, but relatively speaking, this would be a new trend worth calling a revoluton.

In the 70s, running barefoot was a re-revolution as well, as our ancestors ran barefoot many, many years before.

]]> By: Blake http://www.growstronger.com/blog/the-barefoot-revolution-part-4/comment-page-1/#comment-873 Blake Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:33:26 +0000 http://www.growstronger.com/blog/?p=241#comment-873 Hello Shoes are boring, Yes, it is true that back during the all of the social upheaval in the 60s and 70s there were people walking and running without shoes. Many of todays young people forget this or just chose to not care because so many people use the term "hippie" as derogatory. To many of today's youth anyone from that time that had anything to say about getting and becoming more natural was just some crazy hippie. We realize we are not saying anything new, but we are trying to rebrand the movement so that some of these prejudices are done away with and that hopefully more people will benefit from being barefoot. Also, the modern running shoe didnt become popular until the 70's. So even though being barefoot back then might have been popular with fringe athletes, many people associate running shoes with the 70's. You make a good point though that running barefoot is not some new fad, people have been bucking the idea of shoes for decades, and most likely even before then there were the notorious barefooters running about amongst all of the shod population! Thanks for your comments! Blake Hello Shoes are boring,

Yes, it is true that back during the all of the social upheaval in the 60s and 70s there were people walking and running without shoes. Many of todays young people forget this or just chose to not care because so many people use the term “hippie” as derogatory. To many of today’s youth anyone from that time that had anything to say about getting and becoming more natural was just some crazy hippie. We realize we are not saying anything new, but we are trying to rebrand the movement so that some of these prejudices are done away with and that hopefully more people will benefit from being barefoot. Also, the modern running shoe didnt become popular until the 70′s. So even though being barefoot back then might have been popular with fringe athletes, many people associate running shoes with the 70′s.
You make a good point though that running barefoot is not some new fad, people have been bucking the idea of shoes for decades, and most likely even before then there were the notorious barefooters running about amongst all of the shod population!

Thanks for your comments!
Blake

]]> By: ShoesAreBoring http://www.growstronger.com/blog/the-barefoot-revolution-part-4/comment-page-1/#comment-872 ShoesAreBoring Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:57:31 +0000 http://www.growstronger.com/blog/?p=241#comment-872 You mean the barefoot re-revolution? It's all been done already, we knew that, those of us who were around in the 1960s and 1970s. Many young people were going barefoot everywhere then, it was a fad, and today's young people don't even seem to know this ever took place. It's as is our whole culture and society collectively chose to forget that it ever happened. And now a small number of today's young people have to re-discover, re-learn everything about going barefoot. You mean the barefoot re-revolution? It’s all been done already, we knew that, those of us who were around in the 1960s and 1970s. Many young people were going barefoot everywhere then, it was a fad, and today’s young people don’t even seem to know this ever took place. It’s as is our whole culture and society collectively chose to forget that it ever happened. And now a small number of today’s young people have to re-discover, re-learn everything about going barefoot.

]]> By: Blake http://www.growstronger.com/blog/the-barefoot-revolution-part-4/comment-page-1/#comment-837 Blake Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:29:32 +0000 http://www.growstronger.com/blog/?p=241#comment-837 Hey thanks Debbie, Way to go barefoot when you can! Winter has also arrived at this part of the country too, so it seems. I have had to move to sandals for my runs and it looks like being able to go barefoot will have to wait for warmer weather:( Thanks as always for your comments! Take your running one day at a time and you will soon be running further than you ever thought you could! Blake Hey thanks Debbie,
Way to go barefoot when you can! Winter has also arrived at this part of the country too, so it seems. I have had to move to sandals for my runs and it looks like being able to go barefoot will have to wait for warmer weather:(
Thanks as always for your comments! Take your running one day at a time and you will soon be running further than you ever thought you could!
Blake

]]> By: Debbie http://www.growstronger.com/blog/the-barefoot-revolution-part-4/comment-page-1/#comment-834 Debbie Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:49:24 +0000 http://www.growstronger.com/blog/?p=241#comment-834 Hi, another great read. I am running with my shoes on and yet I can imagine doing this type of running eventually. I walk all over my home and outside barefoot so my feet are tough. I am taking your advice and shooting for a certain distance each day. In this part of the country--- winter is here. At night it can be 38 degrees. You are so motivating and an interesting writer. Hi, another great read. I am running with my shoes on and yet I can imagine doing this type of running eventually. I walk all over my home and outside barefoot so my feet are tough. I am taking your advice and shooting for a certain distance each day. In this part of the country— winter is here. At night it can be 38 degrees.
You are so motivating and an interesting writer.

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