Comments on Barefoot and Grounded .com: Who Holds the Burden of Proof About Bare Feet?

WINCO has a sign outside their stores that says &q...

2011-03-31T17:25:37.343-05:00

WINCO has a sign outside their stores that says "Shoes and shirts required by law to be worn inside store". This is a total lie. After they demanded I leave, I tried to get them to identify the law that this refers to, and they said it is "their" law. This from a "manager" fresh out of high school... I haven't been back since (this was in Menifee CA) Stater Bros has never complained about me being there barefoot.

:) This made me happy - last year I was put on two...

2011-03-20T03:21:31.017-05:00

:) This made me happy - last year I was put on two month academic probation at my college for going barefoot. I chose to leave, after all, it was my freedom, and I was paying for that school.
Keep on writing, I'm loving it!

A day after reading this post I was in a grocery s...

2011-03-17T13:15:59.128-05:00

A day after reading this post I was in a grocery store that I've been frequenting barefoot for almost a year now. At least 20 visits without shoes. But this time an employee informs me that I can't be in there barefoot.
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Me: Can you show me where it says I can't be barefoot.
Employee: No, but it's a health code.
Me: I'm sorry, but that's a myth. There is no such law. [exit SL]
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2 minutes later the "Manager's apprentice" (that's actually what it said on his name badge) with two more large male employees flanking him arrives to tell me I had to leave. Like I'm brandishing a weapon or threatening another customer, or something.
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I've seen a dozen ways to handle this politely, by people far more clueless than him. He didn't ask, he didn't politely inform, he didn't suggest that I wear shoes next time. He cut straight to
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Apprentice: Sir, you have to leave--I can't allow you to be barefoot in here.
Me: Can you show me where it says I have to wear shoes.
Apprentice: Sir, I've asked you to leave, and you haven't. Now you're trespassing.
Me: I just want to see it in writing, because there are a lot of myths about bare feet. Can you show me that your company supports your opinion?
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Note: So far, I have kept it at a conversational polite level the whole time, but now he starts raising his voice.
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Apprentice: Sir you are trespassing. My next step is to call the police.
Me: Are you seriously saying that you would call the police and say "This is Jeremiah at W***o, come quick, we’ve got a barefoot guy down here?"
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But at this point I knew I needed to back down and leave before I got my dander up and started contributing to the scene he was already making. So I left while I could still pretend to be calm.
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I do believe you're right. We shouldn't have to bear the burden of proof. But I like to go barefoot because it's relaxing and makes me feel connected to the world. Dealing with the adrenaline levels of being confronted by an over-zealous apprentice manager and his intimidating wing-men is the opposite of what I'm after. I may have to hang up my protester hat, and just put on those vile flip-flops I keep under the seat of my truck.

People act in the way they are taught. If we want ...

2011-03-06T07:29:40.748-06:00

People act in the way they are taught. If we want to make a change we have to start when people are young.
We have to support our own and other children to go barefoot more.

I've been saying this all along. If you tell ...

2011-03-03T17:49:54.193-06:00

I've been saying this all along. If you tell them that they are the ones with the burden of proof and not us, they have nothing left.