Why do people see going barefoot as disrespectful?

My girlfriend and I went to a meeting with her parole officer last week (she was recently released from prison) and we both turned up barefoot.


The parole officer gave us both a lecture about showing respect and wearing shoes, especially since we have both spent time in prison and need to conform.


We couldn%26#039;t see what the problem was as we are free people having served our time and should be able to dress as we choose.


We didn%26#039;t go barefoot to be disrespectful and wonder why people see it that way.

Why do people see going barefoot as disrespectful?
Let me ask you this question:





Would you go barefoot to an interview? How about church? A wedding?





It%26#039;s very difficult to explain respect, but you%26#039;re expected to dress nicely whenever you attend something dealing with The Court, Church, Weddings, or Formal Events, such as a Dinner Pary or Graduation Ceremony.





Would your boss think highly of you for showing up for work without shoes on?





I hope I was able to help, and good luck with the parole!
Reply:Exo 3:5 God said, %26quot;Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, because you are standing on holy ground.%26quot;





I don%26#039;t think wearing shoes is a %26quot;sign of respect%26quot;! In most Asian countries you%26#039;re required to REMOVE your shoes whenever you%26#039;re entering a house. Same applies to Buddhist and Hindu-temples, mosques... And people who think it%26#039;s disrespectful to attend church barefoot should remember what the Lord says to Moses in Exo 3:5!





I%26#039;m ALWAYS barefoot myself, which isn%26#039;t a big deal anyway as I%26#039;m living in India. Don%26#039;t let people fool you: Walking barefoot is respectful and gentle, environment-friendly and good for your health!
Reply:It looks like you don%26#039;t know how to dress. And if you go out in public barefoot you really don%26#039;t. Flip flops are cheep and are in fashion now adays. The officer was right to explain this to you both. It%26#039;s also a hazard to go out in public barefoot. You don%26#039;t know what diseases are on the ground or what you can step on and really hurt yourself. I hope you didn%26#039;t drive. It most areas its illegal to drive barefoot.
Reply:what he should have told you is he does not want to be liable if you get injured without your shoes. i like being barefoot at home but not out in the street getting injured because of lack of shoes is not a myth in fact its very common i can%26#039;t tell you how many times I%26#039;ve gotten glass up my foot for not wearing shoes. you could get tapeworm, hookworm and a number of other parasites. those things don%26#039;t only happen to kids in South America. the streets are not clean nor laced with gold. but its your feet your life do you man.
Reply:I really hateit when poeple take there shoes off in pubic and they have socks, also I really hate it when they wear sandals with socks, but barefoot is ok because they wear the shower shoes in prison to!!!!!
Reply:I guess they are worried about breaking society%26#039;s code
Reply:You must wear clothes in public places-this includes shoes.
Reply:Tell them to f*** off you are free and can dress as you choose. If you decide to go barefoot what the hell business is it of theirs unless you are at church, etc. Unless you have wicked rotten foot odor or some other issue not mentioned, I don%26#039;t see the problem. People go barefoot or in sandals all the time.
Reply:Actually I do go barefoot to church, to weddings and funerals, and I%26#039;ve gone barefoot to two job interviews and got the job both times.





The problem is that too many people confuse anything outside the social norm with a lack of respect. That%26#039;s unfortunate; differences in appearance and dress make life more interesting. Imagine we%26#039;d all be wearing the same thing, that%26#039;d be terribly boring! And bare feet in particular can also be a sign of *respect*; it%26#039;s a gentle, quiet, natural way of walking, doesn%26#039;t make noise like clicking heels, slapping flipflops or stomping boots, does less harm to plants when walking outdoors... The concerns of injury, disease, etc are based on myths and exaggerated fears rather than fact, and I find the gentle barefoot step far more respectful than the careless, unfeeling step of a thick-soled boot.





Injury is extremely unlikely; I%26#039;ve gone barefoot for over ten years, never divert my step no matter how much glass I see, frequent train stations full of litter at a run (I%26#039;m not a morning person so I%26#039;m often just barely in time to catch my train) and I have NEVER had a cut, get a tiny splinter maybe once a year but never had even the slightest splinter indoors. On the other hand I have tripped over loose shoe laces and slipped in leather-soled pumps, back when I still wore footwear... Maybe people are concerned about injury but they base their fears on myths and not on facts, going barefoot is not dangerous and I%26#039;d even argue it was *less* dangerous than footwear like slick-soled dress shoes, high heels and platform shoes.





And you WON%26#039;T get tapeworm or hookworm; tapeworm can only spread by ingestion, so unless you lick your feet or put your feet up on the dinner table there%26#039;s absolutely zero risk. Hookworm can spread through the skin but has been pretty much eradicated from the South since modern plumbing has replaced the outhouses and never was much of a problem in cooler climates. Some worms can still be a problem in third-world countries but in the US, Europe and many other places the risk is negligible (and well treatable in the *rare* case you get it; the horrible pictures of huge worm infections are from those who have no access to modern medicine) to, depending on location and climate, zero too.
Reply:Is this a trick question or are you for real?





If for real, then you must be very young or really not in tune with real life.





As the responder above said, there are places where you can go barefoot and some you can%26#039;t or shouldn%26#039;t. To not know the difference is pretty bad, but I guess you%26#039;re actually open to realizing this since you posted.





I%26#039;m sure that what the parole officer told you in his/her lecture are the same things which I would ennumerate. Mostly though it is just about using common sense.



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