Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Sorry for the absence

I have had a rough few months and been suffering from a depression I am slowly pulling out of.


That said, I have a few things I would like to share


First, two nights ago I went to the gym with my roommate and a friend of his to the gym. I am exercising so why the hell would I even consider wearing shoes?


I checked in, read the signs on the door and desk that had a very detailed list of requirements. Not among them was a requirement for shoes. No posted sign? No JWU policy? No law? No Problem!


A few minutes into my workout one of the students working the desk came over and asked me where my shoes were. I told him I don't wear shoes and he told me that I need shoes. I told him I know that is not posted on the door or in the dress code, I looked. I also told him JWU policy is silent on the issue. He then looked puzzled, but respectful, and left. I continued with my workout, treadmills, leg workouts, arm "stuff" I am not a huge gym guy so I really don't know much about the machines.  Ran a few miles on the treadmill at speed 8. Less than what I did back in high school when I ran every day but whatever.


I left with my friends, and thanked them with a really happy feeling that this was a simple in and out issue.


I forgot my ID in my hometown so I couldn't take the JWU bus. Instead I ran to class which felt glorious. I was in math class doing the work and the teacher was making his rounds to check our progress with the problems. As he passed me I told him I need to wear shoes next time. I replied with a simple "Why?" He told me it was a health hazard and I told him that was not true at all. I told him I had been doing it for two years here and I have had no problems (not entirely accurate but it sounds better). He said that I could have something on my feet and rub it on the rug. I told him most people wear shoes so it doesn't matter. He walked away and I thought I heard him mutter "You will have to too."


So I wrote up the following email. I haven't sent it yet but plan to today or tomorrow morning.
"I am sorry you take issue with my lack of footwear, but I must inform you the university does not share your concern. The JWU handbook mentions no requirement for students to wear shoes in class, it was the first thing I checked my freshman year. You may also be interested to know that no state in the union has laws or regulations requiring citizens to wear shoes, partially because they don't care enough to set a rule like that, but mostly because it is unconstitutional.
I am sure you know that JWU also has a nondiscrimination policy. Something that trying to enforce a non existent rule would violate. You called it a "health hazard." in actuality, statistical data suggests that you are more likely to suffer an injury when wearing shoes. Which sounds like the hazard? I do not wear shoes because doing so has permanently fixed my chronic back pain and boosted my immune system to the point I have not been sick in two years. I have been exercising my right to clothe myself as I please for two years at JWU and no teacher thus far has shown anything but hospitality and a cautious interest.
Since there are no laws, school policies, or valid reasons to wear shoes , I will not. It is regrettable you would prefer me to wear shoes, but police officers do not get to make laws, they only enforce them. So long story short, it is my right to not wear shoes if I wish. My rights will not be infringed upon. I am paying my own money out of pocket to be here and learn. I deserve the same treatment as any other student.
I hope this has cleared up any confusion and I look forward to learning whatever material you teach us in class.
Regards,
Hayward"

Fairly civil and appropriate I think. Thoughts?


Now I checked my email this morning to find this:




"Hayward,
 My name is Carlo Acquisto and I am the Fitness Director here at the HFC.   I received a written notice that you where in the fitness Center with no shoes on.   I was also informed that the Student Assistant's on duty informed you of our policy on footwear and you refused follow the policy and continued working out with no footwear. 
The rules and policies of our Fitness Centers are for your safety, as well as all other participants.   They are for cleanliness and hygiene.   They are also for liability reasons.    These rules were written by our legal department at Johnson and Wales University.    If you would like to speak about this further I will be happy to explain them to you personally.  
 However I want to make this clear--YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO WORKOUT IN EITHER FITNESS CENTER WITHOUT PROPER FOOTWEAR.    THAT IS FINAL.
Carlo M. Acquisto
Johnson and Wales University
Fitness Director
Office:   401 598-1618
Fax:       401 598-1601
cacquisto@jwu.edu"
Needless to say this letter was infuriating to me. This was especially irritating because I had felt so good about this confrontation before only to learn the guy reported me.


So I typed this up and plan to send it after dinner:
"It is really unfortunate this is still an issue. My second year here I had really hoped that JWU had become a little more mature and less hypocritical on this issue. Sadly, that does not seem to be the case.
I was in the fitness center with no shoes on. This is because for medical reasons I DO NOT wear shoes. I have not now for two years and that will NOT change. The Student Assistant told me that I needed shoes, I informed him that the policy WAS NOT listed on the door. There were several printouts on the door and desks. They mentioned in detail your dress code. It also mentioned what shoes we were not allowed to wear. It did not contain any policy stating I needed to wear shoes. Once I informed him of this I also let him know that I have read the student handbook and the only people required to wear shoes that I saw were hospitality and culinary employees as part of their uniform. I am a technology student. Once I informed him of this he politely left me to my exercise with my roommate. I had really hoped that this was a very simple non confrontational conversation. It seems I was wrong. I did not refuse to leave, I told him why I was not obligated to leave due to the policies published. If a policy is not publicly displayed for all to see, it carries NO legal weight and is thus unenforcible. If he then told me to leave again, and I stood up for my RIGHTS and refused, that would constitute refusal to leave.
This next thing you cite, "The rules of our fitness center are for your safety." I will not sugarcoat this. This is absolutely INSULTING. HOW DARE YOU think that you even begin to be qualified to tell me my lifestyle is not safe? I walk around the city all day, attend class, run in the woods, and even explore abandoned buildings strewn with broken glass and other so called "hazards" completely and unapologetically barefoot. I think I am a hell of a lot more qualified than you to say your treadmills and bike machines pose absolutely zero threat and any thoughts otherwise are simply outdated and unfounded assumptions. In fact, the treadmill's rollers felt quite wonderful underfoot, like a massage. Do you know Mr. Fitness Director why many physical activities are done with very thin shoes or no shoes at all? It is because balance is greatly increased when not wearing shoes. The feet are also more flexible than shoes can ever be and the feet have over 200,000 nerve endings per foot that create BY FAR the most stable and SAFE exercise platform in existence.
Cleanliness and hygiene, yet another unfounded and weak defense to an indefensible argument. It is most common in this era to exercise in shoes (even though a few years ago that was not the case.) This means unless you have a group of students that run on their hands on the treadmills, there is no issue. This is of course irrelevant because people are expected to wipe down their machines... and of course the fact that sweat from feet is the same as sweat from anywhere else makes it a non issue. Fact of the matter is shoes are among our least hygienic clothing items. They form the ideal incubator for bacteria and fungi. Whereas bare feet provide little place for such pests to hide. It is this fact that illustrates why people do not get athletes hand or arm. The shoe seals in the foot not allowing it to function properly and it marinates in perspiration. Hows that for hygienic? Do you like marinating in up to 1pt of sweat per day? I hold myself to a higher hygienic standard than that... It is the reason that I and all people who choose to live barefoot NEVER get athletes foot or any form of fungus. The bare foot is simply too inhospitable of a place for bacteria to flourish. So now you've learned shoes are unhygienic and are the proven cause of a myriad of bacterial/fungal problems its time to go to the next lesson.
Liability. If this were not so laughable it would be just pathetic. Studies show that injury rates are dramatically lower when barefoot. This has to do with previously mentioned reasons of balance and nerve feedback. It also has to do with the biomechanically inefficient and destructive gait caused by shoes. The collision forces caused by the unnatural shod running form cause both long term and short term damage. Runners in the western world are plagued by injures that sadly have been deemed part of the sport. This is preposterous. Many western barefoot runners that were plagued by injury when they wore shoes enjoyed injury free running for years when they removed their shoes. The Tarahumara are an indigenous tribe in Mexico run for intervals over 24 hours at a time more often than not completely barefoot. They became the subject of one of the first books that brought barefoot life into the mainstream "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougal. 

Let me give you a little lesson in legality...you have less liability if I get injured barefoot (an event I have already demonstrated is hardly likely) than if you trample my rights and force me to wear shoes to use a gym I PAY to access, and I get injured. If I got injured forced to obey a foolish misguided shoe policy (which is fairly likely because I am used to running properly) I can personally guarantee my attorney and I will sue you for it. 




On a related note, why does this "legal department" have many very specific dress code requirements listed but no mention at all of a requirement for shoes? I have dealt with people like you before and more often than not, they assume there is a policy when none exists. I had a similar issue at Walmart and even when I proved corporate made no policy against it, there was no sign on the door, and no law requiring me to wear shoes, they still insisted I leave. This is a little thing the law calls DISCRIMINATION. Something JWU has a policy against. Discrimination is a very serious charge and avoiding actions that could be considered discrimination would be prudent. 
I really had hoped that JWU would stick to their nondiscrimination policy especially after last year's long dispute with campus dining. Thus far it really looked like JWU had grown up a little. I was able to stride confidently into campus dining restaurants without feeling like a freak or an outcast. It looked like foolish fictitious policies based on ignorance and prejudice were a thing of the past. 
I PAY out of my own pocket, up front to be here. I work hard every trimester and have made deans list every time to get the extra scholarship. I take my education here very seriously but I will not have my rights infringed upon. I am entitled to use the gym the same way as anyone else. Asking me to wear shoes is irrational, indefensible, unfair, and discriminatory. If I want to use the gym I will. If this remains a problem this may need to become a legal issue.
          I WILL NOT be discriminated against, and THAT is final.

Hayward H Gatch IV

Barefooter for Health
Haywardsiphone@gmail.com"

I am not sure if it is allowed...but...wait until after I send the email and get a reply, I have something to ask of you all.

But for now,



Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
GO BAREFOOT


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Tuesday, September 20, 2011

School is in session!

So started my second year at JWU, lived in my dorm for approximately 28 hours, got an apartment, immensely larger, nicer, and cheaper, quite happy with that.

Anyway, I have been busy lately with the hustle of the startup of the academic year. As usual I spend my time always barefoot. I was on the first day confronted by a janitor who told me I forgot my shoes, playfully of course, when I told him I didn't wear shoes he seemed a little shocked. I wonder why. When going into one of the buildings a kid walking behind me said dude you forgot your shoes, to which I responded, "No, I don't wear shoes."

The only really unpleasant encounter was with some short elderly professor entering the same building. Well, I was entering, she was exiting. She looked down at me and said "Do you know you don't have shoes on?" I responded with a somewhat annoyed "Yes, I don't wear shoes" She said "You cant go into a building without shoes." I of course told her "Yes I can, JWU makes no policy against it, look in the book." guess what comes next? "It's a Health Code!" I have such a hard time holding my cool when people say this to me. "THATS NOT TRUE! LOOK IT UP!" I shouted. She in disbelief shouted back "Yes it is." I at this point had been walking in and she out, so I replied with a "YOURE WRONG, LOOK IT UP!" and walked away.

People like this really get to me. It is not her fault for being clueless. It really isn't. Most people think it is a Health Code. But every day I inform at least one person that it isn't, and that one at a time spread will hopefully achieve the slogan that adorns some of my cards: "BRING DOWN THE MYTH!"

Yesterday when spending time with my disabled Vietnam veteran friend, he asked me to get him an iced coffee at Duncan Donuts, I of course obliged. When I walked into the very narrow establishment, I passed several people staring in disgust/astonishment. I got to the counter, ordered what I needed to order as a very loud woman comes out of the back out of uniform (Off for the day I assume) and stands behind me for a few seconds, and yells "No shirt, No shoes, NO SERVICE!" I told her you have no sign on the door, she replied with a "NO!" which really didn't make much sense...? The woman behind the counter said "Oh you have no shoes on?" "To which I responded "Yeah, I never wear shoes, for my back." At that point another woman from behind the counter turned around and said "Are you that boy from last year with the skateboard?" I knew that I was the person she was referring to, I informed her that it was me last year, and she said to the louder woman "Yeah he never wears shoes even in the winter." the loud woman asked me the typical am I afraid of foot fungus, or athletes foot, I asked her if she knew how fungus worked. I explained how shoes form an incubator, and she cut me off halfway through saying she only made it to 11th grade. I didn't understand what she said the first time, I started explaining some simple physics, and she said "I DONT KNOW, I only made it to the 11th grade!" The woman behind the counter asked how I didn't get cold. I told her we are designed to walk barefoot, at that point one of the people behind the counter said "Well I'm designed to walk in these *click click click* high heels." I responded "No you're not, do you have any idea how much damage those cause your feet? She said "Yeah yeah I know." I paid for the coffee, walked out, and that has been my year so far in the barefoot related category.

Oh! one more thing, I found very interesting. My roommate, both are Chinese, one them asked me "Why don't you use shoes." and from then on said "You don't use shoes" or "He doesn't use shoes." I found this very interesting that she always said "use shoes" not "wear shoes." Almost as if the shoes were something like a drug. What do you shoe users out there think? Drug? Shoes do share a lot of the characteristics as well as tendencies to cause addiction/dependence.
Food for thought.

Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
GO BAREFOOT

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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Close minded people.

Why is it, that people, no matter the field, background, or occupation will cling to whatever they were told, wear it like armor, and wrap themselves up in what they perceive as facts, insulating themselves from any other points of view, locking them in an a state where that very arrogance leads to ignorance?

Why is it that someone who went to medical school for years, and learned about scientific method and thinking, upon leaving said institution, think that he can learn nothing new?

Why would someone, a scholar, act as if the world and our understanding of it is static and does not evolve continuously?

Do these questions seem like they don't at all describe the actions of a scholar, a doctor?

To me these are just the arrogant insecure defense mechanisms of the normal man, as well educated as he may be, is exhibiting the same silly tendencies as just another person on the street.

What makes my information any less valid than his opinions? There was once a time, as cliche as this reference is, we thought the world was flat. People who believed that was not so were ridiculed. Those people blinded by their deeply engrained beliefs were not helping anyone by trying to uphold old, and unsubstantiated beliefs.

Back to the point I am sure you all know I am trying to make by this series of rhetorical questions.What, and before I ask this, separate yourself from your preconceptions and everything you have been told. Use your own mind.

What sense does it make that something that alters a natural function, causes measurable, quantifiable, damage to the body, be so widely accepted and be so popular among the entire population, and even endorsed by healthcare "experts?"

Why are those who have never even tried this lifestyle those who are often deemed as the most credible?
Why is it that people that have lived this lifestyle often report having never been so happy and healthy.
Why is it that people who live free of footwear report a shockingly lower amount of injuries and health problems?
Why is it that the only people who say we need shoes are those who enslave themselves to those very shoes?
Why is it that people who move in and use their feet in a natural way, have personally experienced the benefits both short term and long term,  are seen as the radicals in society?
Why is it that we are the ones that need to go out of our way to explain ourselves?

I believe that it is the ones who want us to stomp around in clunky foot bricks that should have to prove themselves to us. I believe it is they who are the radicals, who want to change something that is so natural and intuitively right.

I can give you reasons all day long why not to wear shoes.
If you want me to wear shoes you better be able to come up with some reasons for it, because it is me, it is us, barefooters, who are using our feet as they were designed to be used. If you want someone to divert from what is natural you better be able to support your point of view. You also need to understand that what you feel is not what we feel when we walk barefoot.

Ever broke an arm, leg, or other bone? Ever notice how after the cast is removed the muscles on the limb have atrophied and you must rebuild its strength? What is the shoe but a silly flashy foot cast. It will, and does weaken the foot, creating a dependency on shoes.

Perhaps, and this is something I dearly hope is not true, perhaps, those people who do all they can to counter this revolution in health and general wellbeing do so because they stand to lose money on a healthy populace. Who needs a podiatrist if everyone has healthy feet?

I will leave you with that.
Food for thought.
Use your own mind, and explore your thoughts on this matter.
I encourage you to leave any thoughts you have below.
I look forward to your feedback.

Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS TO ME?


While watching one of the NB minimus commercials which I am not too big of a fan of, I saw a few startling comments:


Take a look at the first comment...


Wait wtf? 


I couldn't manage to get a screen capture showing "us" only "u" I saw a little blur of another letter but  I couldn't make it out. Why did they go though the effort to do this? Also...why in improper English? It seems so strange to me. Either way, "Your feet are belong to us." is really creepy and a very sinister thing for a company to say and "Your feet are belong to u." defeats the purpose of having shoes. Its a little creepy either way in my opinion. 




Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
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Monday, August 22, 2011

Providence Place Mall

Drove up from my hometown today because I missed the city. Being barefoot in the city felt absolutely awesome. I missed the feeling and the diverse landscapes. Sadly, I went to the mall, who's code of conduct mind you has no reference to a requirement for footwear. Sadly though the security officers feel the need to exercise their power and force me to wear shoes in what I can only categorize as ignorance and intolerance. The mall owners don't feel a need to post a requirement for shoes one the door but these petty little security people still insist there is a rule.

As we know there are no laws or regulations put out by the federal or state governments requiring footwear in any establishment or even while driving. This old misconception is getting rather infuriating.

Anyway I am at my favorite store, the Apple store. One of a few places I can talk to out of the box people in this mall. Having a lot of fun here typing away and feeling the awesome energy of this place.

Anyway, I am sporting my shirt with a plain block of text stating:

"Its LEGAL to be
BAREFOOT in a
Restaurant!
Just saying..."

One of my favorite shirts!

Tell me what you think!







Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
GO BAREFOOT

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Friday, August 12, 2011

Awesome! Thanks again to Vistaprint!

Got a whole new round of barefoot ads, or as my friend calls them, "Propaganda."

I couldn't have gotten all of this without Vistaprint, barefooters if you want to make flyers and ads I highly recommend them. They frequently run free giveaways, perfect for a college student on a tight budget.  














Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
GO BAREFOOT

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Saturday, August 6, 2011

New Balance Commercials

Some of you may have noticed a few New Balance commercials that came out in the last few weeks. There are a few more online aswell. Personally I found them really offensive. Just like a commercial that came out from foot locker a few months ago that claimed you needed shoes to have game. From the beginning of time it claimed we needed shoes to have game. Ridiculous!

This latest commercial campaign has a motto to it. The motto is "Like barefoot, only better."

In response to this, I will put out a couple of T-shirts and maybe a spoof video or two to this campaign. For now here is an idea for a T-shirt.

Tell me what you think!


The t shirt shape is sort of thrown together so...yeah...


Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
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My summer so far (Sorry long time no post)

Both my and my brother's summers have been dominated by work and climbing, Barefoot of course. 

Sometimes though we just relax

Though most of the climbing I do is with one of my best friends late at night. 

I am holding his camera here which as you can see...

Is of better quality than my iPhone camera...






A rare treat the other day was a trip to Fort Tyler, known locally as The Ruin.

You can see here that it is in terrible condition

It was used for target practice, the island is littered in bombs and blullets, several bullets were still embedded halfway into the metal. 

It was an absolutely lovely spot

The bombs blew the concrete to pieces so there were plenty of jagged climbing surfaces to take advantage of.

Here you can see my brother scaling the side of one of the tallest parts of the fort.

Here about 15 feet off of the ground, he sat and watched the clouds go by

The whole fort was beautiful to explore and a lot of fun to climb.

This is one of the elevator shafts used for ammunition transport. Which of course I had to climb up.

Here I am climbing up another face of the fort, I climbed just about every side of the structure. You can see my feet hard at work grasping every surface I could touch. Good luck grasping the wall in shoes!

When I got to the top the wind was blowing quite hard and caught my hair yielding this odd looking picture.

Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
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Saturday, June 11, 2011

My Day Without Shoes

This is all for now until I get my hands on my fathers camera.


My day without shoes was at my father's 40th Reunion.


All formal but barefoot ofcourse 


If only in an effort to save her Italian Croc/Alligator shoes from the rain, mom walked across campus barefoot. 


She then did the 2.5 hour drive and pumped gas barefoot. 


Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
GO BAREFOOT

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Monday, May 30, 2011

Climbing Again












Barefooting is easy
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Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
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Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Walmart

My brother and I entered Walmart today on a trip to get some fishing line. Sensing we might have some trouble I brought in my health code letter. We got by the greeter who happily greeted us then looked at us a little confused but didn't comment.

We got over to the fishing section with no issues. We were then confronted by some raspy voiced man who said we need shoes, we spent five or so minutes in a fairly civil debate over it. He didn't seem like he was about to kick us out but he was very reluctant about us not having shoes.

Eventually a guy came over and stuck up for us. He said you really should have a sign on the door if you want these people coming in with shoes on. The employee said that he had had incidents like this before many times and the customer shrewdly pointed out then if this has been an issue why have signs not been put up? He was countering this employee at every turn with arguments sticking up for us. I was really touched to see someone I didn't even know sticking up for me.

An apparently higher up lady passed by and the employee asked for her opinion on that. She quickly responded with the obvious we cant do it. I countered saying there is no sign on the door. She ofcourse brought up the old Department of Health Law. I said thats actually not true and pulled out the letter. She asked me if I just carry that around to prove it to people. I told her that I need to be prepared for any discrimination I might face.

She brought up the liability thing. I said if corporate thought it was an issue they would have a policy and have a sign.

Now here is going to be a little break in my post. I recorded this entire conversation so I will have a more detailed account of this as soon as I can.

She called over a manager who reaffirmed what she said. My brother and I both stated our cases. She said she transferred over from another Walmart and she worked at a beach store and it wouldn't be a problem if I was over there. I asked her whats the difference. She kept saying it was a State of Rhode Island law which is not true. Eventually we wore her down to the point where she said finish your shopping then I will ask you to leave. She also said she would make sure there are signs put up.

We weren't about to cause any more trouble than we already had.

We were wandering out way out and eventually got to the cashiers line.

Sadly I had just turned off my recorder when a very large man came up to us and greeted us and told us in fairly harsh language saying how we would be lead out of the store if we ever came in here again barefoot. He said he saw the law and that Walmart isn't a public building and he can ask us to leave. I told him that we will be taking our future business to a place that doesn't discriminate against any of their customers. He said it was my right as an American to do that and if he ever saw us in here barefoot he would immediately lead us out.

Frankly, his language tempts me to more action. If I were to be "asked to leave" or "lead out" what is stopping me from just ignoring them and going back to my shopping? If they touch me I can sue them right? Also if they call the Police hopefully I could persuade them to the fact I am in violation of no law, and there is no policy on the door and therefore they have no right to remove me without committing discrimination.

What do you think my friends?

Also to  anyone who is in possession of a letter or documentation of Walmart's policies please forward them to me I would very much appreciate it.




Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
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Monday, May 9, 2011

Glass

Some people out there still think that glass is a hazard to strong, healthy, tough bare feet.

Perhaps these two videos will finally put those concerns to rest.





Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Ok Folks, Need an Opinion Here!

Now with every post I average a few comments...that's fine but this particular post I need your opinions so I urge everyone and anyone to comment with thoughts, suggestions, and criticisms. This is a flyer I am planning to make in response to a TOMS documentary shown at my school (which I was unable to attend) So, if TOMS thinks they can spread their propaganda without anyone challenging them...They're wrong.

So yes. Please comment with your thoughts on the general design and suggestions for improvement. I am still a first year student so I am by no means a professional. So if anyone has any thoughts on making this more effective, or any sort of criticism on it I would appreciate it. 

I am sure that there are some people reading this that are very supportive of TOMS and this may seem offensive and ridiculous. Facts are facts and TOMS does much more harm than good. If you are outraged by this...no one is going to stop you from commenting, your comments will not be deleted. I just urge you to actually consider facts and reason before you blindly spew what TOMS tells you. Thanks!

Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
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SERIOUSLY GUYS NEED SOME THOUGHTS

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Surgeon General's Warning

There was once a time that smoking was considered no hazard to one's health. After a while people started to realize that there may be some negative effects to smoking. In recent decades laws have been passed that made it mandatory to print a warning on cigarette boxes so people would be made aware of the dangers of smoking. This simple measure made users aware of the risks before making a purchase. If they still chose to purchase the cigarettes they were at least made aware of negative effects it may have. 


This warning and ones like it can now be found on most tobacco products to prevent occurrances like in the picture below. Today, I think we can all agree, we do not want this to happen. 


Because smoking can lead to lungs like those on the lower right. 


To the barefooters reading this, you all know where this tired old comparison is going. Today, for the most part, shoes are considered helpful, positive things without negative effects on health. 

Today we see kids like this. Most people see nothing at all wrong with this picture. I however see developing children being set up for a life of  problems.


Years of wearing shoes can give you feet like the ones pictured below...Yet there are no warnings on the boxes. I am sure I am not the only person out there that feels strongly that shoes should have warning labels on the boxes. Then at least consumers can be informed of the risks they take by buying shoes. 


Maybe if we made this a law we would see less of  this


and more of


This.
Dirt is not a bad thing folks. It is also a great indicator of your arch. 

Barefooting is easy
Barefooting is good for you
Barefooting is NOT illegal
Join the revolution
GO BAREFOOT

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