July 30, 2007
Crocs Must Be Stopped
If you missed this story in Saturday's Washington Post, do make sure you check it out, for your own personal safety if nothing else. It seems the enormous popularity of the ugliest shoes on the planet, Crocs, has led to an alarming increase in the number of escalator mishaps on Metro this summer, as the shoes' soft resin soles can easily be grabbed by the metal teeth of the moving steps. Once trapped, the Crocs, along with soft rubber flip flops and sandals, end up mangled in the works, leaving the shoes destroyed, the escalators out of service, and in the worst cases, toes and feet seriously injured. Twenty-five objects were stuck in Metro escalators last month, most of them "shoe entrapments," according to officials quoted in the story.
Apart from making Mallrats required viewing for anyone who is issued a Metro fare card, we can think of a number of solutions to this problem. One of them, of course, would have to be the popular DCist commenteriat hobby horse of doing away with the escalators all together, but even if that were to happen (and we're not putting it past Metro General Manger John Catoe to try it, given that he's all about abolishing unnecessary luxuries on the transit system, like carpeting), it would take some serious time to accomplish. In the meantime, the growing Croc-wearing army continues to fan out across the city, wreaking havoc on safety and style for the rest of us. Sadly, Catoe lacks a certain amount of vision on this important issue:
Just the same, with millions of visitors coming to Washington and more escalators than any transit system except Tokyo's, Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. said he is considering issuing a warning to customers. "We can't prohibit what people wear," he said. "But I'm going to recommend that we put out some kind of safety notice."But why can't we prohibit what people wear? We already prohibit behavior on Metro, like eating and drinking, solely for the sake of cleanliness — requiring riders to abandon their Crocs for the sake of
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I'm all for banning Crocs. I think another basis for the ban would be something like visual assault - they hurt my eyes!
Crocs are unspeakably awful. No self-respecting human being should wear them - under any circumstances.
Wear Wallabies instead - all the comfort and they actually look good.
So you are telling me that Metro escalators are eating Crocs? Awesome.
"ugliest shoes on the planet": Uggs
Ugly? You want ugly? This is ugly, yet otherwise intelligent women are prepared to pay mortgage-payment-size-prices for the privelege of looking like an idiot.
This thread sounds dangerously troll-ey, because eventually someone will crack wise about how fug it looks for women in business suits to be shuffling around Metro in their white New Balance track shoes, and then someone else will retort that highheels are too painful to wear all day and you're not a woman so ess the eff up you misogynist, and then I'll have to invoke Godwin's law and say all those shoes are worse than Hitler.
Don't like Crocs? Don't look. Don't like abortions? Don't have one. Don't care for glory holes? Keep your junk out of them.
Shoes for people who don't like washing their own feet.
there is a god!
Ah Crocs.. the latest "gotta hate em" obsession for people who have an innate need to hate popular things.
Ban flip flops.
DCist hates them more than Crocs, Virginians, fanny-pack'd Midwesterners, automobiles, national chains, Shilohites, and right-leaning politicos.
Thank you, DCist, for getting to the heart of this issue. I was in Amsterdam a few weeks ago, and they have a whole Croc store. The epidemic is spreading! It's such a shame.
I smell Reichstag fire. I'd wager more people are hurt on escalators while wearing flipflops, untied laces, and raggedy-ass ankle-crotch poopy pants.
And the black Crocs aren't bad at all. Hardly notice them if you got black socks on underneat unless your feets stank.
This was a FRONT PAGE story.
A front page story about Crocs on the metro!
In a contest between metro escalators and crocs, I would definitely cheer on the former. And as for the growing crowd of Washingtonians that seems to think that neon plastic is appropriate "business casual attire," a little escalator anxiety probably falls under the category of just desserts.
I realize this is meant to be a jokey thread, but on a more serious note, I think leaving the escalators off would be a mistake. I think it would send a bad message that Metro was broken and that DC was too broke to fix it. Call it the Broken Escalators theory.
As for Crocs, for some reason they don't bother me as much as flip-flops. Perhaps it's because they're so ugly that people must be wearing them strictly for comfort, whereas I believe people claim to wear flip-flops for comfort, when in reality they're not that comfortable versus other options (like racing flats) and the primary reason they're worn is to achieve the big-dark-glasses-wearing pudgy-faced sorority girl look that has taken over.
oh mall rats... what a horrible movie
I have 2 pairs of Crocs, and yes I admit that they're ugly. But, since I broke my foot a couple of years ago, it hasn't been the same since and the comfort of the Crocs has been a MAJOR relief. I mostly wear them in the house as a substitute for old-man slippers, but occasionally venture outside in them to take out the garbage, get the mail, or to get a quick cup of coffee at Mayorga. Why do people hate on them so much? There's a war on, idiots are running the country, and I'd think that the Croc-hating is a misallocation of time and energy that could be better spent elsewhere.
-Mr T in DC
Reid - It's not the sight of flip-flops that's so bothersome, it's the sound of the things. Flip-flops are the the sound of indifference, in the same way that the "smell" at Subway is the smell of mediocrity. Both are much more horrifying than any sort of visual pollution could hope to be.
Hate to disagree with you Reid, but flip-flops are far more comfortable than most other forms of footwear.
But hey, if you think they're awful, who am I to judge. What do I care if you want to shove your foot into a ill-fitting, constricting device?
What say the chattering classes about slides or sport sandals?
Flip-flops are the the sound of indifference . . .
Indeed they are, that sound says, "F&%k it, I'm gonna be comfortable." I wish I was wearing flip-flops right now instead of an overpriced pair of leather shoes.
Politburo, ya gotta hate 'em for their ugliness, not for their popularity. If you want to be a neon slob, then bless your trendy and comfortable heart.
Then again, if advertisers can convince millions of people to look like shit in public, then God Bless America.
I agree that flip-flops are more comfortable than, say, high-heels, and I agree that they are comfortable to sit in, but I think they are not very comfortable to actually walk in. You're constantly having to scrunch your toes to keep them from flip-flopping right off your feet, especially once they get sweaty.
To see what I mean, wear flip-flops all day long, then put on comfortable shoes and you'll immediately notice the difference.
I'm suprised it took 15 comments to see "there's a war going on so why you hatin on (insert topic from DC'ist thread) so much?" Every thread should have one.
I've worn flip-flops while walking the street of San Francisco and found them plenty comfortable. As far as sweaty feet.......ummmm, never really had that problem. Maybe you should try something other than cheap plastic sandals.
And for your suggestion, I would go the other way. Wear shoes all day and then see how wonderful it is to slip into a pair of flip-flops.
Thank you DCist, I now have a new method of mocking my croc-wearing friends. Taking a line from the Christian fundies, all croc-wearers (especially those insistent on wearing loud florescent colors) will be referred to as "Metro-killers."
You know you live in an uptight place--reminiscent of 17th Century Massachusetts--when the sneering classes get their pantaloons all twisted over the degradation of "business casual." I can hear your teeth grinding from here, and it gratifies me deeply. Next stop: trendy wife-beaters. I can only hope that they're made out of plastic.
Flip flops and Crocs say I don't take myself so damn seriously. They are blue jeans to stuck up suits and skirts. Let's start by banning anything that costs more than $50.
All y'all need to do is invest in a quality pair of Birks and everything will be just fine. Really.
Crocs and flip flops of any stripe are banned in our office and that makes me happy. They were listed with tube tops and bathing suits on this years business casual for summer memo. I am all about foot comfort but even I cannot sport those ugly and annoying things.
Am I the only one who thinks this almost looks Darwinian??
Wow. I didn't know that people hated flip flops so much. Personally, I don't wear them because I don't give a shit and I'm a slob. I wear them because, if I could I'd go completely shoe and sockless, and flip flops are the closest I can get. And I'm not some hippie...I'm actually a stuffy suit!
I'm not a lawyer, but my honest reaction to the Crocs article on Sunday was "hmmm...I wonder who the croc/flip-flop wearers sue when the lose their toes to the escalator teeth".
In an ideal world, they'd sue Crocs Inc, just because those shoes are so fugly and they lead to injury when worn. However, I'm sure it's Metro that gets sued because they're easier to blame and have deeper pockets.
Guest 30 - Couldn't have put it better myself. If not for rocks and broken glass, even the flip-flops would go.
Flip flops aren't comfortable!?
I guess you people have never owned a pair of Rainbows.
Yes, if you wear them you are eventually required to hang out at Smith Point and join LNS, but it's worth it. Sooooo comfy.
And as far as sound, leather shoes are often squeeeeeeeaky, which is even more annoying than the flip-flop noise.
It would be nice if we could, as a society, discuss the virtues of dressing UP when touring our nation's tourist attractions. Yes, it's really hot in DC in the summertime. But there are people in suits all around you. Maybe try lightweight but dressy clothing? It has the peculiar effect of making your whole family look nice.
The best advice I got when I went to Paris in the summer was: dress like the Parisians do. I wore a collared shirt and long pants, no sneakers or shorts at any time. I was rewarded with politeness from the French and good tables at restaurants.
No escalator worries with my new Steel-Toed Crocs, but they do bounce a bit with each step.
Guest 34 - Now, I'll admit. I'm among the first to poke fun at the fashion sense of the tourist families that populate our city during the summer, but I completely reject your implication that because one may be wearing sandals or shorts, that they don't look nice. That is your own world view and I would ask you to not impose your prejudices on the rest of us. Certain instances call for business casual, business formal, etc. Being outside in 90+ Degree heat w/90+ percent humidity is not one of them.
Also, I can only speak for myself, but Parisians seemed plenty happy to wear short sleeves and shorts when the weather called for it. Of course, having an average temperature during the summer 13-14 degrees F lower than DC could help as well. http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/businesstraveler/wxclimatology/compare/10034?sfld1=Paris,%20France&sfld2=20006&clocid1=FRXX0076&clocid2=
Wow. People in DC can bitch about ANYTHING.
Yes sir, we can, and we will. 'Tis a beautiful thing.
i think the flip flop/crocs thing is a sign of a nation all too willing to "go along with the program", even if that means wearing something which might not be so flattering to the individual.... and yeah-im gonna say it-i think its slovenly to wear beach shoes to the friggin office....! its not like this is some political statement. its part of the friggin' uniform of today-along with incessant cell phone use, blackberrys, and, like, talking like this.... (add upspeak and stir) grrrrrr.
I can't believe you guys hate flip flops. I really can't get behind that one.
We as a nation need to unite and free our feet! Flip flops for everyone! (except people who have gross toes- ew)
But burn all crocs- their the ugliest shoes ever.
Whatever happened to open-weave leather shoes? They're a little tropical, sure, but so are DC's dog-days.
Crocs on young kids - ok (but mind your step on elevators)
Crocs on adults - What are you, a camp counselor?
Crocs are the Lance Armstrong bracelet of feet.
But how can this be the ugliest shoe when the website tells me that they have "Ultra-hip Italian styling"? How could an ad lie? ;) Anyway, I guess it's god bless Italy, guest 20.
My thought? Take those mangled shoes out of Lacosse's office (have to read the article) and use them as a cautionary tale, like the heads of criminals piked on the castle gates. That way, you've been warned. It's what Brodie would do.
WWBD... ah.
You could create it as a peice of art and display it prominently at busy escalators. It's as sensible as large fibreglass animals, no?
Can we please start calling flip-flops thongs again?
And can we please make a law stipulating that it's OK to punch Crocs-wearers in the face if we see them on the metro? It's for their own good. A black eye will heal. A toe will not grow back.
They're probably good when in the garden, and as weekend hot-weather rainy-day wear when at the park or the market.