if you don’t go barefoot.
Or at least that’s the message from this 1899 cartoon.
“Hi, fellers, come quick if youse wanter see wat says it never went barefooted”
That’s how having kids go barefoot was viewed back then. It was extraordinary for a kid not to.
And compare that with today, where parents can get investigated by Children Services for letting their kids go out barefooted.
The thing is, it’s so much safer today to do so. There really is no danger from tetanus (aside from misguided anti-vaxers) like there was then. Parks and streets really are cleaned up a lot better these days than ever before. We try not to leave trash lying around. There are organized (and clean) parks kids can play in. And medical care is really comparatively advanced.
We are so civilized that we really don’t need layer upon layer of protection (and for most things, we don’t do it). Yet, when it comes to bare feet, we bury ourselves with fears.
For some reason, only bare feet have escaped this civilizing.
It’s not civilization, it’s sissification.
It may be only one of the many manifestations of the culture of fear.
Or at least if you “never went barefooted.” It’s how we thought of “city kids” half a century ago.
I was a city kid 3/4 century ago, and I went barefooted all summer (schools, and later a professional life stopped that), but I still do around the house and yard, although the imposed ban has forced me to use hiking boots when camping. Looking back, I regret not holding out like Neinast.
Reblogged this on JonSSon's Blog and commented:
Barefoot rules!
> I regret not holding out like Neinast.
Very true, now at 42 I regret very few things I did, and many things I did not do. There are also some things I did do but too late in life, and I regret that too.
Also, I have never regretted going somewhere barefoot, but sometimes regretted going somewhere shod instead of going barefoot.
Parents get investigated by children services, really? I’m surprised and worried; is there anything more normal than children going barefoot when they choose to, when the weather and conditions are nice? When a child says “I want to go barefoot outside” what else could a parent reply than “Sure, no problem, watch your step and wipe your feet before coming back in”? It’s not as if these parents were forcing their children to go barefoot against their will!
It’s good and important to have organizations for the welfare of children but they should concentrate on the important things: parents who neglect their children, who abuse them emotionally and physically, who don’t give them the loving home every child deserves.
incu,
You must live in some ideal land. In our reality, most parents would not suffer their children to go barefoot other than at the beach or at home. The rationalization would be that they can hurt themselves or catch a cold, but the real reason is they are afraid someone thinks the children are neglected by being allowed to go barefoot.
I’m trying to live in the rational world. There is some risk but we are all born to go barefoot in a variety of circumstances (perhaps excluding the winter in colder regions) and learn to cope with the risks and challenges as we learn to walk. Learning to walk barefoot is best done at the same time we learn to walk; learning to walk in shoes can wait a bit …
I don’t have children myself so I cannot give a first hand account; I sometimes see barefoot children with or without their parents without anyone taking offense. Usually on the hottest days of summer, in rural areas more than in cities. If anyone called police, child protection or such because of well-meaning but misguided concern, I hope those organizations are open to the facts when they see those children are happy and healthy and have everything that they need.
This is Europe. Certainly far from ideal but there’s hope some are open to rational arguments.