Today’s comic is really, as far as I’m concerned, an anti-comic. It appeared a week ago (August 26) in the strip Six Chix. This particular one was drawn by Stephanie Piro. It really annoys me.
Six Chix, August 26, 2017
The thing is, if she was unaware of all those things as a kid, maybe it’s because they (mostly) aren’t there. And when they occasionally were, her feet were more than able to cope with them. (And since when are rocks and sticks “icky”?)
And maybe she thinks flip-flops are without the ick and the ouch, but she’s just traded for a more hidden ick and ouch. Isn’t it icky to realize she is treading on all the dead skin that’s come off her feet and embedded itself on the top of the flip-flop? And the ouch comes from the diminished proprioception of her soles that means that she’s OK walking with an odd gait that can affect her core all the way up through her back? (Flip-flops also aren’t all that much “protection” from sharp objects that can penetrate the rubbery sole; and by the time you feel it, you’ve already put all your weight on it—unlike when you are barefoot and feel the hazard immediately.)
The only thing that’s good about people wearing flip-flops is that it provides a bit of cover for those of us who really go barefoot. I’ve heard the pelmatophobes say to barefooters: “Nobody wants to see your feet.” Yet, they are perfectly OK with flip-flops and don’t complaint about seeing feet with them, illustrating perfectly their irrationality. Also, the flip-flop look helps barefoot sandals do their thing. So in some ways flip-flops help make going completely barefoot more acceptable.
A short documentary of brainwashing, that’s what it is. I wonder maybe it is even the author’s intension?
Don’t have ads for flip-flops have to be marked with the word ADVERTISEMENT somewhere? =:)
Honestly, the problem I have with this is the implication of footwear as the only rational option, instead of as a personal choice by the wearer. Almost if barefooters like the “ick” and play down on the dangers. I do not, it’s a compromise between dirt and personal well-being, and I wash my feet clean at least once a day. And for the danger: watch your step. One has to when wearing flip-flops, too, because these “shoes” are a hazard in themselves, getting easily caught in obstacles.
So NOT barefoot. That’s like people saying they are barefoot “in” shoes when they are wearing no socks. No, they are sockless in shoes. sigh