Mean People Suck: RIGHT BACK AT CHA

I’ve been blogging for about 1.5 years now and one of my most viewed posts is Mean People Suck (which is also one of my personal favorites). In the original post I kept my responses to a minimum, but in this updated post I reply to every comment. I hope readers of this blog recognize the lack of critical thinking exhibited by the commenters and the logical fallacies they employ.  The comments are also rather mean-spirited. Clearly, these are frustrated people who can only talk this way under cover of anonymity. If you read the original post, enjoy the comments again, and my replies this time. :-)

My comments are [in brackets].

1. Another idiot academic heard from. Go walk on broken glass, MORON. Does this jerk have a Piled higher and Deeper degree? [I do have a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Va. Tech. I then conducted biomedical research at Duke University Medical Center for 4 years and McGill University for 2 years prior to joining the faculty at Liberty University in 2003. I have a box of broken glass in my office; sometimes I demonstrate barefoot walking on glass for students and visitors.]

2. Maybe he should just return to the planet of the apes, where shoes are not a necessity. [That is a TV show; there is no such planet. I prefer to live in reality, not TV world.]

3. The professor should get himself checked for hook worms. They may be affecting his mind. [Hook worms were a serious concern throughout the southeastern United States in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. The parasite has been basically eliminated by the use of indoor plumbing – and yes, shoes. Shoes are no longer necessary, however, because everyone uses indoor plumbing and the contamination cycle has been broken. In order to acquire hookworm, a person must step on fresh feces (less than 5 days old) dropped in damp soil from an already-infected person. The likelihood of acquiring hookworm in the United States today is extremely low – like winning a lottery.]

4. He'd like to put tens of thousands, who make shoes, out of work. Mainly very poor people in India. Never mind the sock makers. What a loser! [And just think of all the poor tobacco farmers and sellers we put “out of work” in the past decade. Perhaps they could build windmills are something useful instead of body-harming products. It’s okay… everyone wins in the end.]

5. if he gets his way, it will put all the women who are making a better living for their families in Africa out of luck. Let's just tell 'em: "Go back to being barefoot and pregnant!" [See comment #4]

6. This is why the Educational system in America is so much a failure. Calling wearing shoes an "addiction" is just silly and unworthy of academic inquiry. It is not even worthy of a 3rd grade mentality. I suggest that the "professor" stop smoking pot, get a real job and try to contribute something useful to society--if he actually has the ability. The so-called 'university" is a sham to even allow this embarrassing nonsense to go public. CERTAINLY A LEFT WING NUTCASE TOO. [I typically vote Republican, though I’m fed up with both major parties. I don’t smoke pot, I do have a real job that often requires 60 hours per week or more of my time and I’m trying my best to contribute something useful to society. Shoes are unhealthy; at least 90% of our foot problems in this country can be traced back to our shoes, including athlete’s foot, toenail fungus, hammer toe, bunions, hallux valgus, flat feet, corns and blisters. Shoes are an addiction in the sense that people feel they cannot live without them. If *you* think *you* can live without them, try it for seven consecutive days. The addiction is not just personal, it’s primarily cultural. If you choose to go seven days barefoot, please tell me about the experience.]

7. This IS a health issue - a mental health issue for this wingnut. Parents beware of where you send your children. "University" is the new pseudonym for "indoctrination camp" that exposes young, dare I say it, inadequately prepared, minds to this sort of idiotic "new-age" blather. Don't know much about Liberty (People's Revolutionary Right-Mind Camp), but if they have instructors like this with tenure, well ...  [Liberty University does not offer tenure. I agree that most schools today are “indoctrination camps,” especially public schools. Children are indoctrinated, for example, to believe that wearing shoes is a modern necessity; that going barefoot is harmful and often illegal. My goal is to end the shoe-indoctrination. BTW, private schools – like Liberty University – are generally less ‘politically correct’ and have less government intrusion, making them more open to the free exchange of ideas.]

8. I invite this nut job to retrieve my mail in July and August from my mailbox next to the asphalt road fronting my house. Next, I invite him to discuss his penchant for barefootedness with his automobile insurance company. Next, he's welcome to talk to a podiatrist or two about the obviously complete fallacy of arch support for some individuals. How about a Metro ride at rush hour? I could go on, but...why are these people invariably found in universities? (Other than easy life, little or no pressure, taxpayer funded/supported jobs, etc.). [I can easily walk on hot pavement in summer while barefoot ; I have done so even in Houston in July. No insurance carriers require drivers to wear shoes while operating a vehicle – do the research yourself if you wish. I have ridden a metro barefoot. The biomechanics of the foot arch is explained in my book and many podiatrists around the world are realizing that immobilizing the arches in shoes is harmful. Of all the commenters I list here; you mouth off the most about things you know nothing about.]

9. Have you ever stepped into a fire ant hill in bare feet, professor? Have you ever walked on pine needles? I could go on and on. Shoes protect our feet from all kinds of hazards as well as keeping any cuts or scratches from being exposed to dirt and germs. Just another loony liberal. [I have not stepped onto a fire ant hill barefoot, or in shoes. I very much enjoy walking on pine needles and even pine *cones* if that’s what you meant. Shoes are incubators for growing germs which is why is much less “germy” to go barefoot. Cuts and scratches do happen rarely, both on my feet and my hands. I am not a liberal; I’m a conservative.]

10. Maybe the post should have a regular feature where they profile a "professor" from Liberty "university". It would be more entertaining then the funny papers. (except when you consider all the morons who pay money to go there) [One definition of moron is ‘stupid people.’ Stupid people speak of things they know not. You do not know Liberty University.* Therefore, you are a moron. *(You’ve never been on the campus, talked with students or professors, read the assigned textbooks, etc. You probably don’t know that LU is a fully-accredited institution with a law school, engineering school, aviation school, award-winning debate team, etc., and is the 8^th largest university in America.) You also don’t know the difference between “then” and “than.”]

11. Sounds like one of the loonies from woodstock.the good old days no bathe,no shave,mary jane,drugs and rock n roll.now a professor,this is an american success story [I was born in 1969 so I’m a little too young for Woodstock. I’ve never endorsed the “hippie” behaviors you describe]

12. I know there's gotta be a connection to the earth only being 6,000 years old and the "professor's" bare feet.... [I don’t think there is.]

13. Shoes are required in places of business not for health reasons, but for liability. Should he step on something and injure his unprotected foot, the business is liable. This guy is an idiot. [I have not found a single insurance policy that requires footwear of patrons in a business open to the public. Find one and prove me wrong.]

14. Professor Howell's undergraduate education in biology should have included a course in parasitology. Hookworns, roundworms, whipworms, etc. - all can be acquired by walking barefoot in contgaminated soil. [Perhaps *your* undergraduate education should have included such a course. Sheesh.]

15. And this nutty professor has tenure. [Why do these people think I have tenure? I have never stated that I do because Liberty University does not offer tenure. Well, you know what they say about “ass-u-me.”]

16. HELLO! Read the last sentence. He's selling a book! This is not "news," it is self promotion. [Self-promotion is promoting yourself. I did not write the article you commented on; the Washington Post did. Sheesh.]

17. As a Liberty University graduate, I can assure you that there is no requirement to sign or state that one believes in Creationism. Also, I can tell you that most people at Liberty likely think this guy is as much of a nut about the barefoot thing as those who do not go there. [Yep, I am hated on both sides of the aisle.]

18. I had a real professor at a real college whom didn't wear shoes. But comparing RIT to Liberty is like comparing an educated Harvard law scholar to a dingbat from Alaska. [Liberty has a law school (founded in 2004) that is already one of the best in the nation. In 2010 Liberty was the only school to achieve 100 percent bar passage rate in the state of Virginia: Washington & Lee was at 90 percent; George Mason, 84.8 percent; University of Virginia, 75 percent; and the College of William & Mary, 73.3 percent. On the whole, LU is not comparable to Harvard, but neither is RIT. Finally, I’m not sure what you have against Alaska; I’m from Virginia.]

19. I hope the professor gets plantar fasciitis and then see how he does with out shoes. [Going barefoot is the best way to strengthen your feet and *cure* plantar fasciitis. However, PF may occur during the rehabilitation stage when you first start barefooting.]

20. Nuts! What's this clown going to do during winter time? What is he accomplishing other than to show what an eccentric he is? He's a narcassist! What a waste! [Winters in Virginia are pretty mild, so I can usually stay barefoot. When we have deep snow I wear shoes, just as I wear gloves, coats, hats, etc., to keep warm. As I say in The Barefoot Book, a shoe is a tool; use it when you need it. But shoes should not be worn all day every day.]

21. Acadmia has truly become a safe house for the crazy, couched in the guise of intellectualism. As bad as it was fifteen years ago, acadamia seems completely awash in, make that saturated, with those not fit for the mainstream workforce. Besides math and science, it is now important to prepare our children for college by instilling in them skeptisism for every word uttered by the "learned." This is particularly so for humanities and fine arts professors. [I am a science professor, though I do have a love for the humanities and the fine arts. Students (indeed everyone) should have a healthy dose of “skeptisism" especially toward “acadmia", but smart people have minds open to new ideas.]

22. As a physician, I think undergraduate university professors in general are unsightly pieces of waste material whether we are talking Liberty U or Harvard. [Honestly, I have similar feelings for MD’s, but not DO’s.]

23. C'mon hippie, put on your shoes already for Christ sake. You look like a frikin idiot!. [As a Christian, I sincerely hope that everything I do is for Christ’s sake, but he told Moses to take off his shoes (Ex.3:5) and sent out his disciples barefoot (Matt. 10:10), so I don’t think Christ is opposed to my barefoot-is-best mentality.]

24. This "Barefoot Porfessor" is the perfect example of the professorial personality: No Commonsense! [If by commonsense you mean “conventional wisdom” then I confess to be a skeptic. The wisdom of the masses is often nonsense. ]

25. If this is not proof that these professors are just useless. Hey have this idiot walk on some glass or on a Phoenix sidewalk when the temps are 115. To think it costs thousands and thousands of dollars to send a child to college to be taught by fools like this. Not sure it is worth the money. [As I’ve stated in previous responses above, I can walk pretty comfortably on both broken glass and hot pavement. College is very expensive and (for some majors) may not be worth the investment, but then colleges do not exist to be job-prep houses, they exist to insure an educated populace; a crucial component for any democracy.]

26. What a worthwhile endeavor. This will surely enrich our society. I will now crusade against the evils of sunglasses and all will be well. [I’m not aware of any “evils” or harm caused by the use of sunglasses, but shoes are responsible for the majority of our foot problems in the USA. Good luck on your crusade.]

27. As A Biology professor, does he realize he takes a very large risk of contracting hepatitis C from going barefoot??? [Blood transfusion and intravenous drug use are the leading causes of HCV infection. Going barefoot is never listed as even a minor cause of HCV from every source I’ve checked, so… NO, I don’t realize that I’m taking a “very large risk” of getting HCV by going barefoot because, well, I’m NOT. I hope *you* are not a biology professor.]

28. Just what America needs, another leftwing loon. [You obviously know nothing about Liberty University, founded in 1971 by the Reverend Jerry Falwell. I am a rightwing loon.]

29. And these crazy nut job "professors" are teaching our next batch of Democrats. No wonder we are in such bad shape. [As stated above, I teach at Liberty University, a conservative Christian university. The majority of our students are pro-life, pro-gun, pro-family rightwing Republicans.]

30. Hey Danny Boy, Amen and Amen, but first we need to ban the use of neck ties. First things first. What do you do in winter? [I hate neckties almost as much as I hate shoes. On mild winter days I go barefoot. On very cold days or in deep snow I wear shoes.]

31. If you want to walk around with your feet sticking out, go to the jungle or the desert where this makes some sense. Otherwise, in modern paved society, civilized humans who have fully evolved wear shoes and socks. Forcing other people to see and smell your feet is not civilized behavior. [Only about 200 milliseconds of thought are needed to see that the paved streets, sidewalks and polished or carpeted floors in America are much more conducive to barefooting than a jungle or a desert, but you may not be capable of that much sustained thinking.  Our civilized society has an unhealthy obsession with shoes and socks and that’s precisely what I’m trying to point out. Feet do not smell; shoes smell because they are incubators for bacteria and fungi (okay, *your* feet smell because you stuff them in shoes all day). Are people who wear flip-flops “forcing other people to see” their feet?]

32. The reaon for shoes is to keep the feet warm and protect them from injury. For a professor, he appears to be ideological and not realistic or "smart". [Yes, the “reaon” for shoes is to keep the feet warm and protect them from injury. Gloves are used for the exact same purpose for the hands. Do you wear gloves all day, every day?]

33. The term 'whack job' comes to mind. [I guess I have no response to this.]

34. The professors opinion on going barefoot will abruptly change one he gets planters warts on the bottom of his feet. [The virus that causes plantar warts may be picked up by walking barefoot, but those who *stay habitually barefoot* are at very low risk of contracting infection. Those who put on shoes are at an increased risk of infection because the shoe is a warm, stale, dark, moist environment that inhibits the anti-microbial nature of the skin (and the desiccating effects of wind and sunshine).]

35. Quite silly. One hopes that he is not paid on the tax payer's dime. He should come up here to Canada and walk through the snow barefoot. That should clear his head. [I work at a private university and do not receive taxpayer money. I lived in Montreal for 2 years.]

36. I am not surprised! I have a suspicion that being infected with hook worms affects the brain. I thought it only effected southern evangelist preachers. Now it seems it has spread to collage professors to. [Hook worm has been essentially eradicated from the USA, and hookworm infection does not affect the brain.]

37. Even the Dharma Initiative wore shoes. And they were on an island with a nice beach. They were a lot more sensible than that Daniel Howell fruitcake. BTW, could he be related to Thurston Howell III? If I recall correctly, even Thurston wore shoes while on Gilligan's Island. [The Dharma Initiative? Gilligan’s Island? Dude, you live TV-land. Turn it off and come back to the real world.]

38. Walk barefoot if you want and leave us alone! Yet another self-appointed people-annoyer... [Oh, the irony. I have often been kicked out of malls, restaurants, etc. for being barefoot. I would LOVE to walk barefoot and BE LEFT ALONE.]

39. Who do you think that this wacked-out person voted for in the last presidential election? Now you know why this country is screwed. [It’s really none of your business who I voted for, but it was *NOT* Barrack Obama.]

40. I wonder if he's ever flown on a commercial flight and had to use the restroom? Moonbat. [I have flown on commercial flights barefoot. I have also been kicked off of commercial flights barefoot. I guess you missed my discussion of this on the TODAY Show. I usually can avoid public restrooms and I won’t use one barefoot if it’s so dirty I wouldn’t use it shod. Many public restrooms are actually clean; they don’t pose any hazard.]

41. Seems all the nutjobs aren't in politics after all.[That is correct, there are nutjobs everywhere. I think there may even be one where you work.]

42. Why even give this clown faux legitimacy with an article about him? It boggles the mind. My cat is more newsworthy for the fact that it cleans its netherregions each day. Professor Stoogotz, as my grandmother would have called him, comes from the same class of folks who hailed Obama as the new Messiah. We see how well that one turned out. [One more time, I’m a conservative Republican; I did *NOT* vote for Obama. I do wish that going barefoot was a non-issue and un-newsworthy.]

43. Yeah, I want to see his filthy feet in a restaurant or classroom... yet another hippy moron teaching our kids.... Dogs also don't wear shoes. Maybe this guy was raised in a small village in Kenya... [A small village in Kenya? I have some excellent students from Kenya; your remark would probably strike them as racist. I guess you also hate to see feet in flip-flops in a restaurant or classroom?]

44. It's the public health, stupid. One small step for bare footers, and a giant leap for diseases. Shoes are like foot condoms in the public health field. If you walk among strangers and defecating animals, then friends don't let friends do it bearback. Not that there is anything wrong with diseases and worms. [There is a very low incidence of bacterial and fungal infections in people who habitually go barefoot. By contrast, athlete’s foot and toenail fungus are rampant in the shoe-wearing population (just browse the foot care products at your local pharmacy).  Bare hands *are* a public health hazard; I think you should wear gloves all day to protect me from your nasty hands that you used to pick your nose with.]

45. What a poser. Until he gets out in the wilderness, including desert and snow and ice, like that barefoot hippie minimalist survival guy Cody Lundin, this guy's done nothing. [I’ve been living barefoot for years and hiked/traveled on many different terrains barefoot, so I do have something on Cody.]

46. It is telling of the smug personality type of those taking up seemingly Innocuous Lifestyle Choices to eventually become hectoring proselytizers. Same with about 90% of vegetarians. It's not about them "doing their own thing," but trying to convince the rest of their moral one-upmanship. Give it a rest. [Again, oh the irony. I would love it if *you* and everyone else would let me walk barefoot and *leave me alone.*]

47. I guess the idiot never heard of hookworm. [I have heard of hookworm, and –unlike you – I actually understand its epidemiology.]

48. Howell tells us how to solve the problems of the world, problems he avoided by becoming a professor. I seriously doubt that he would go barefoot in a New York taxi cab. [I have been barefoot in a New York taxi cab, on my way to my interview on the TODAY show].

49. A kooky suggestion today, a serious one tomorrow, a demand the next, and after that, Obama takes over the shoe industry and shuts it down. That's how the liberal mind works.I've said it before and now is a good time to repeat it: The bastards want us all to walk to work everyday on dirt paths in our bare feet. [I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m a liberal, but from the way these apparent conservatives behave, maybe I’ll become one.]

50. [And finally…] The article doesn't allude to the prof's politics, but I suspect that he's just another kooky hippie leftist. He's not content with just doing something different and going about his business. He has to preach at people that EVERYBODY should be doing it! They're not content to simply mind their own business, drive their Priuses, forego deodorant, avoid eating meat, live in their eco-huts, etc. etc. etc. Seriously, why do the hippies think they have to compel everyone else to do things their way?  [OH THE IRONY. All I’ve ever wanted was to go barefoot and be left alone].