Toms Shoes

[Barefoot Gentile]

I recently just got a pair of Toms Shoes. I got the classic black canvas style. A very nice minimal shoe, and very comfy. I have only worn them for a day, but very happy so far. I wore them to work without socks. They were a bit tight at first but from reading reviews they do stretch. I already feel a more comfortable fit happening. They have so many brands to chose from now.



http://www.toms.com/mens/classics/black-canvas-classics-shoes#reviews

 

[Longboard]

Do they offer an option of

Do they offer an option of giving the second pair to another minimalist that can put them to good use instead of to a barefooter without running water, plumbing, or any access to education?

If so I would consider a pair for winter, but not if they are going to use my purchase to glorify themselves while they screw up the values of a 3'rd world kid.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

Really confused by your

Really confused by your post. They do give the second pair to 3rd world countries, and to kids in need of shoes.

 

[Longboard]

Giving shoes to third world

Giving shoes to third world kids does harm in many ways. There have been several good essays on the topic of misguided shoe charities and Tom's in particular, I'll post a link or two when I find them.

In short, the kids end up wearing shoes in hot damp climates and to the communal latrine in an effort to prevent hookworm when really abbandoning the communal latrine is answer. They get terrible fungal infections as a result, and the shoes become a status symbol. They continue to wear them when they are much too small for there growing feet, unless another kid steals them first. Shoe relief efforts (except in rare cases where podoconiosis is prevelent) in the third world sound nice, but cause too many new problems. Education, sanitary systems, medicines, and books are what they need. Tom is not helping them, but instead creating new problems for them. It is a classic case of a westerner thinking they are helping by promoting their own beliefs which are not neccesarily appropriate for the third world village.

 

[Barefoot Gentile]

Interesting.  I never knew

Interesting. I never knew this was the case, but it makes complete sense.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

It reminds me of one of those

It reminds me of one of those investigative shows I saw on TV long ago that showed Americans protesting some company for using "third-world" labor (isn't that a terrible term?) to make their clothing. The investigative reporter went under cover and got a lot of video of the conditions where women and children were "slaving" in terrible conditions, i.e., poor lighting, hot miserable rooms with no air circulation, working extreme hours with no breaks for just pennies a day, and on and on. Then the footage shows worker after worker pleading with the reporter to not make a stink about it, since it would close them down. They said that the little bit they earn working in these dumps is paying to keep a roof over their heads and food in their bellies. They pleaded that if the children weren't allowed to work there then they would be out on the streets prostituting, being beaten, and raped. It is truly sad.

 

[Longboard]

This is a good blog post on

This is a good blog post on the subject of Tom's and shoe charities written by a BFRunner:

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/5569751-one-day-without-shoes-leads-to-soulsearching-about-soles