I saw this thread and couldn't resist.
Growing up my mother banned flip-flops in my house because she loathed the "clickitty-clack" sound they made. I was 30 & married by the time my wife conned me into a pair. I wear running shoes for running, and wear Harley boots the rest of the time. Being a big city kid I'm not used to going barefoot.
My wife swears by Tiva flip flops & owns a gazillion pairs. On our last WDW trip she tried talking me into a pair of Crocs & I told her there is no way, they're just not for me. (No offense to those who like them.) Then I found on the Crocs website, they made flip flops. Well, needless to say I tried a pair for WDW and was surprised. It felt like I was walking on marshmallows!
I was glad I didn't bring running/walking shoes in retrospect. Hot shoes + moisture = blisters. Wet shoes/socks from water rides = blisters. Straps & buckles + sweaty feet = blisters. If people think feet are gross, then blistered feet are uber nasty.:hurl:
Plus after walking how many miles after being in the park for 8+ hours, my feet get 'heavy' and I want the lightest thing possible.
So 2 years later, I own 4 pairs of them and wouldn't consider wearing anything but to the parks. But, there are rules that people should observe when wearing flip-flops, ha ha. #1: Keep your feet as manicured as possible. #2: Trim your dang nails. I agree, feet are not the choice body part for admiring, but with some effort they can be a bit less repugnant. I can easily see why feet & flip-flops get the reputation they do, and a lot of people aren't helping in that area.
Meh, to each their own, but I think flip flops + effort in the feet department is the way to go for me.
And to touch back to the language thing briefly, I think it's socially irresponsible to just blurt out whatever & use the umbrella of free speach as a defense. I admit I have a pretty bad mouth at home around my wife or adult family. I worked in a tattoo shop where the language could get pretty raw at times. However, when I am out in public now, I find I am the one watching my language & trying to get my wife to NOT tell me what she thinks of the lady who just cut her off, etc. I agree, everyone slips, but little kids didn't ask to hear your colorful expletives. If an adult doesn't like your chosen vocabulary, fine, tell them to not listen, whatever. But as for me personally, if I know there is a child under the age of 15 or so, I try my hardest to watch my mouth. And it doesn't matter if you're a man who's 7 feet tall, 300 lbs & bullet proof, or a 4 foot 11 petite grandma, good manners is just good manners and we all had them once.
