Folks may remember my losing battle against the new footwear rule instituted at the Ohio Statehouse (its Capitol Building).
A photograph in yesterday’s Columbus Dispatch thus just added insult to injury.
As you may recall, the Statehouse approved a new rule requiring shoes that went into effect last March. You can read my entries about it here.
I’ve also told you about how the Dispatch regularly prints photos of people out and about in town, and I’ll often show you those photos when the people are barefoot.
So you can imagine the deep sigh I emitted when I saw the following picture in yesterday’s Dispatch.
Happy Feet | Dominic Moore-Dunson dances the solo Soon I Will Be Done during a performance in the Statehouse atrium. He is a dancer for the Inlet Dance Theatre in Cleveland, which put on the free show last week for the National Arts and Humanities Month.
[Photo credit: Eamon Queeney of the Dispatch]
Now, the reason the Statehouse gave for their rule was given by their spokesperson, Gregg Dodd, in a January 19, 2012 story:
The rule change resulted from public-safety concerns, spokesman Gregg Dodd said.
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Statehouse officials have said some of the floors of the Statehouse are cracked or uneven and could harm bare feet.
I guess they weren’t concerned enough to make sure that this dancer didn’t hurt his feet on those cracked or uneven floors. And of course, he didn’t, because we all know that the safety rationalization is just an excuse. The real reason for the ban is that they think bare feet are improper in the Statehouse. Unless you are dancing. Maybe dancing is just more “civilized” than mere walking.
It sure seems hypocritical.
If anybody would like to write a letter to the Dispatch reminding everybody of the barefoot ban, you can send a letter to the editor from this page.
Why not hold their feet to the fire?
