Barefoot in supermarkets, speaking own language in public?

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Sheriam

I'm not Australian but as a full-time barefooter in Europe I have to comment on some of the anti-barefoot comments here. I always go barefoot at the mall, as well as everywhere else. It isn't gross or dangerous to anyone.

Injury is very unlikely; I've been barefoot for over twelve years, I get a tiny splinter maybe once a year, and I've NEVER had a cut. In the unlikely case it will happen, tetanus has had a vaccination since the 1920's which really everyone who's even remotely active outdoors, gardening or around animals (including pets) should keep up to date; there are other ways of catching it apart from stepping on something barefoot, but there's never been a case of the disease in a vaccinated person in my country. More serious injuries can happen but are very rare and thus no real reason to avoid going barefoot. I've injured my hands pretty bad at times, yet no one suggests I wear gloves all the time. I've fallen from shoe laces when I still wore shoes, yet no one suggests never wearing laced shoes again. Sports injury? "When can you play again?" is the usual reaction. Also heard of places which require shoes for 'safety reasons' but are fine with (very) high heels... sure!

Our skin is made to keep pathogens out, and unless you lick your toes or put your feet on the dinner table, we're at far greater risk of catching something through our hands than through our feet. The dirt on door knobs, shopping carts, railings etc may not be as visible, but there are just as many or more germs on them. And with our hands we are more likely to transfer germs to our food and face where the germs can enter our body. There's also much evidence that exposure to a limited number of germs is even a good thing; children from households that are too clean are much more likely to suffer from allergies and asthma, and may catch sick more easily than people who keep their immune system active at a low level. I used to fight colds all winter, coughing and sniffling from early fall until late spring, but in the years I've been barefoot I've called in sick only once, for all of two days.

(This goes even for hospitals and medical centers. I unfortunately have had to visit them many times in the past years accompanying my mother, met dozens of doctors, and NEVER had a negative comment from ANY of them. Even in the US, where anti-barefoot bias is very common & online barefoot friends sometimes get told off for being barefoot by store employees, the comments from their doctors are usually either neutral or positive!)

As to bare feet being disrespectful or just unpleasant to look at, a lot of people think anything that goes against the social norm is disrespectful. Wearing a hat/not wearing a hat, piercings, tattoos, almost any alternative dress can be called disrespectful. I think this is very unfortunate; alternative appearance makes life more interesting and colorful. Imagine we were all the same! I happen to *hate* the sight of wetlook gel; I think it doesn't look wet, it looks greasy. But I wouldn't dream of banning it or even ask someone who sat across from me at a restaurant to sit some place else. I see it as *my* problem and I know it's not going to jump off someone's head and get me (and gel is at head/eye level, rather than on the floor where you don't look most of the time anyhow). Besides, in flipflops/thongs you also see the entire foot, while the most important thing to me is feeling the ground underfoot.
Bare feet have the additional downside that many people associate them with pool, beach, such informal situations, as well as with foot odor. Personally, I think bare feet are far *more* respectful than the most expensive dress shoe can ever be. Barefoot, you touch Mother Earth gently, you're aware of where you tread, you are more conscious of your surroundings.

Macpark Melting, it is NOT against the law to go barefoot in ANY store, restaurant etc in the US. This is a very common myth, but it's still not true, please see the second link in my sources. Any store can set their own dresscode but those that claim it's 'by order of the Health Department' are either misinformed or just plain lying. Nor do insurance companies have any rules against it, barefooters have checked out many policies and not found even a single one that as much as advised people to make customers wear footwear. All urban legend.

Aussie Baby, please see the start of my first paragraph, broken glass isn't as big a hazard as people think it is. And *occupational* safety laws do, as the name implies, apply to employees only, not customers.

As for speaking another language in public, it doesn't bother me. I've always learned it is rude to listen in on other people's conversations, so I'm not really supposed to listen to what they're saying anyhow, now am I? :-)

addison1977@rocketmail.com

Yeah, thats pretty normal. Though I was with my brother once when he got evicted from a shopping center for having no shoes on, lol. It it's hot, then it's OK. If not, then sorta strange.
It does get on some peoples nerves, but then I lived in Japan for 7 months, without getting to know the language that well, then I was one of these people!, lol. But yeah, as has been said, if your just having a convo, and not obviously bagging anybody, then it's fine

Elizabeth

Yes, some people prefer not to wear shoes.
I don't understand why but it's reasonably common in some areas of Australia.

I don't mind people speaking in their native tongue.
What I do object to is when they are obviously talking about other people around them.
That's just plain rude. I don't think they would be doing it if they were speaking English.

stronglattenosugar

It's not abnormal to be barefoot: it does depend on the area though. I used to live in a studenty type area of melbourne, and people did it all the time. Where I live now, however, it would be considered very strange (different suburb in melbourne).

As for speaking your own language, of course it's not rude. It does depend on the context though, I guess: if someone was pointing at me and laughing while talking in a language other than those that I speak, I would consider it rude. If they're chatting amongst themselves, dont' see how it can possibly be rude....

Hatchet

Australia is a fairly barefoot friendly place, due to its warm climate and culture. There is nothing wrong with being barefoot, anytime, it is healthy, much more hygienic and safer than wearing shoes. To associate bare feet with homelessness is actually inaccurate, most homeless people indeed wear shoes, due to their very low price, and others willingness to donate old shoes to a homeless person they see. It is very rare to see a homeless person walking barefoot, unless it is by their own choice.

speaking a different language in a public place tends to make others uncomfortable, because they could be talking about anything from murder to how ugly someone near them is, while this typically is not the case, people tend to fear the unknown, and people also tend to fear people different than themselves. These are just common tendencies, and while not all people automatically make such assumptions, it does indeed happen much of the time. I hope you found my answer helpful.

Macpark Melting

It's appalling to think of people actually walking around barefoot in the grocery store. Here in the United States that is against the law. Only a hillbilly would THINK to walk around a store in bare feet.

truthfulanswer

Here in QLD, it is a daily observation. Not only supermarkets but petrol stations, footpaths, in the streets and the most disturbing of all in medical centers and surgeries. I once saw a mum and dad with their infant who had come in to get the baby's shots and BOTH of them had no shoes! In a medical center!, obviously, they had no concept of germs or hygiene. And this is in SE QLD, not far north QLD.
So in my daily life, not only do I see males and females both groups young and old but kids and even toddlers running around inside shops with dirty, dirty barefeet. The worst is old men with crusty, dirty feet walking around a shop barefoot! Ugh.
Note to Ozmaniac below: I do not live in some Bogan area of SEQLD, I live in Aspley. Obviously, you must never leave the CBD of Brisbane if you don't see people without shoes on. It is a common everyday occurrance in the suburbs of SE OLD.

Dan

That is just disgusting. It is a supermarket, not the beach. Can't wear shoes? Wear thongs! I have no problems with people speaking in other languages. As long as they are not using it to talk about other people thinking they can't understand and aren't too loud.

People can question us like that too if we went to another country and spoke English. It works the same both ways.

Brad B

probably a dirty bogan! they cant afford shoes, all their money goes towards drugs

and as for speaking non english in public i couldnt care less, as long as its not about me

Aussie Babe

I reckon it depends on where you are.

Barefoot=bogan. Aussie land is too hot to walk around without shoes on. Also, two words - broken glass! I worked in a supermarket for five years and I'm pretty sure you could ask people to leave if they had didn't have shoes on. It's call occupational health and safety!! I'm not talking about workers (obviously they wear shoes), but customers can run more risks if they don't wear soes. It's as simple as that.

Re people speaking in their own language - we live in an english speaking country. If you're in public speak in English. It's just not that hard!!!

I quit my last job because I was working in an Aussie owned/managed store but I got sick of Indians workmates not speaking in english in front of me (when they were perfectly fluent in it too). Speaking the english language = respect for others around you.

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