From N.L.

Subject: Re: Denied

Date: Apr. 2016

[In response to a post from a student who’s instructor denied his proposed persuasive speech topic, N.L. offers reasons to reconsider…]

 

Instructor quote: “With all of the most socially important issues in America and the world – you chose going barefoot?“

Tell the instructor “YES!”.

Just from a medical and thus socio-economic standpoint, wearing shoes is costing us as a society. Maybe not nearly as much as our terrible, unnatural agrarian diet, but enough that it *should* be a topic at the forefront of discussions.

Present them with the associated medical problems–not just feet but knee, hip, and back, followed by mobility and elderly care. Hit them with the resulting medical and social cost increases.

Show them the evidence of what happens to barefoot societies immediately upon introducing shoes. Show them the ludicrousness of calling “shoe giving” a “charity” when compared to the result incurred of medical problems and lower standard of health. Compare that to the cost savings that would be achieved by giving instead to improve their infrastructure wrt sanitation.

Fashion is not function.

Show them how the old means of appearing more royal and well-to-do is literally still causing chronic health issues on a massive scale–unbeknownst to the majority of the population! The solution costs $0 dollars–just a mere attitude adjustment.

You can turn the argument on its head and show that the issue of going barefoot is actually quite demonstrable of one of the most socially important issues in America and the World throughout history: peer pressure, conformity, ignorance, myth, rumor, education, “common sense”, “conventional wisdom”, mass programming, and the widespread sentiment that appearance and decorum are more important than health, independence, and freedom.

Put the instructor in his place and demonstrate that by discounting your topic so off-handedly he is demonstrating his own massive ignorance.