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
GO BAREFOOT

Please comment!

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SERIOUSLY GUYS NEED SOME THOUGHTS

13 comments:

  1. You bring up a good point, I dont have a pair of toms but I didn't recently buy a pair of shoes similar to them, who also did donate a pair of shoes to children.

    I would understand why it would cause them trouble, their feet are not accustomed to be put in 'casts'.

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  2. Right but heres the thing, shoes impair proper foot function and it leads to trouble later in life. People over there cock their heads when they hear things like "knee arthritis" "fallen arches" "hammer toes" "foot odor" These are all shoes caused ailments that barefooters don't really have to worry about.

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  3. The design is nice. Simple, but effective. Way to go!

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  4. PS. I thought I'd post a picture from the newspaper here in Oklahoma with mine and my husbands picture in it from the arts festival.
    http://www.newsok.com/article/3563997

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  5. I think it's Great!

    I would just worry about TOMS trying to get you for using their own Logo.

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  6. Yeah I was concerned about that. If you look closely it's not a solid toms logo. It's actually a mosaic of several colors and stretched out of proportion. Idk if that is enough to exonerate me though. So instead I may just write TOMS in a similar font.

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  7. i am all for the flyer it looks good.

    but can you tell me whether anyone can catch a foot disease like athletes foot from being exposed to the same surface that was walked on by infected feet?

    this is what i was told when i asked about it where i live in a group home.

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  8. Well, athletes foot needs a moist surface to actually catch. You are not at risk if you never put on shoes. Let me explain, if you walk on a surface where infected feet have walked, then put your feet into an incubator (shoes) then you are likely to get whatever they had. If you just keep on going and walk and let your feet get ventilated and dry, your risks are very minimal. If everyone lived barefoot athletes foot very well might not even exist.

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  9. thanks :) now i know what to say next

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  10. The problem in the tropical countries is not that it's "hard" to walk barefoot, they have tough feet and have no physical problems doing it. What they do have there are tropical diseases that do not exist in the US. And in the US we have plumbing and sewers, sidewalks and paved roads, and clean running water. You can walk anywhere in the US or Europe barefoot all the time and nothing will happen, even in our cities. No big deal here. We did that during the 1970s all the time. But in those countries without infrastructure, they can catch all sorts of soil borne diseases when going barefoot, and I am not talking about athletes foot at all. Those who live on volcanic ash can get podoconiosis - by far the worst of it. Look it up. If these people lived a totally natural life in the rainforest, sparsely populated and living self sufficiently off the forest like tribal people do, they would not need shoes. But our half way attempts to "westernize" and "civilize" people who once knew how to live in nature, created generations of poor overcrowded conditions with no infrastructure, no clean water, and little access to medicine. So the shoes they are giving them are just a band aid; solving the other problems would negate their need for shoes.

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  11. Now that is one of the most fantastic and insightful comments I've ever had. I very much agree! TOMS should invest in the local areas it wants to help, give them sanitation, give them infrastructure, give them a real solution.

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  12. Yeah, countries without indoor plumbing, diseases are more problematic when you don't have shoes.

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  13. The thing is, it's not just infrastructure that is needed to solve problems that arise from not wearing shoes in developing countries. Podoconiosis is a caused by silicate particles from volcanic soil, such as what is found in Ethiopia, entering the body through the skin causing large nodules on in the legs. This isn't a problem that can be solved through better sewage. The earth will still be under their feet. There are also many other parasites and bacterial diseases such as hookworm that can only be prevented through proper sanitation and foot protection.
    I understand your point, that shoes are no longer necessary for us in the United States. But for those in developing countries, shoes are a much easier solution than trying to completely revolutionize their economy and social structures.

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