I had a relatively substantial amount of respect for my Religion TA. That was before he walked into class today wearing a pair of Crocs. My initial reaction was, of course, disdain, as it always is when I see someone above the age of eight wearing those ridiculous-looking "shoes." There's no question regarding the validity of Crocs themselves. The verdict is in: They're stupid. I know, I know: "But they're so comfortable!" Yeah, so are Snuggies, but you don't see people wearing them to the grocery store. And why is that? Shame. Shame is a crucial element of our society, because it keeps people from doing things that are stupid (usually). However, for that very reason, I have to wonder if these Croc-wearers deserve more respect than the none that I've been giving them. Maybe I should be commending these pioneers of footwear rather than mocking them endlessly. It takes guts to go against what society has deemed acceptable and choose your shoes based solely on comfort, without consideration of how many people will scoff at you on the bus.
So what can we deduce from this? Are Croc-wearers bold and admirable non-conformists, wearing what they want without caring what people think? Or are they just idiots who think it's okay to wear ugly plastic Swiss cheese shoes in public? In parting, I'd like to leave you with a quote from the classic American film, Fired Up! (If you haven't seen it, look it up): "That was for the Crocs. You're not an old lady gardening or a baby on the beach."