Some of you may have seen a posting about a fellow who forfeited his job because of his participation in our community (I'm guessing the post was removed to protect his privacy). He left amid accusations that his foot-fetish somehow compromised his ability to work in a sensitive position. You'd hope that his being "exposed" would be positive for the community... another example of a competent and highly regarded professional that can leave his hobbies at home. I'm weary of these shoddy reductio ad absurdum arguments correlating personal "perversion" and moral turpitude. I'm sure many of us on Wu's would serve as perfect counterexamples to this thinking; Eagle scouts, fine fathers and friends, professionals of all stripes, civil servants and volunteers, good neighbors and community members... with a common fondness for female feet (displayed by consenting adults). I can empathize with (the person) for resigning rather than fighting the subsequent shit-storm... but I hope some of us would be willing to take a stand in the same situation. I offer my condolences... I'm sorry a snitch put him in this position.
Posted by Lou Gojira (Member # 983) on :
quote: I'm weary of these shoddy reductio ad absurdum arguments correlating personal "perversion" and moral turpitude. I'm sure many of us on Wu's would serve as perfect counterexamples to this thinking; Eagle scouts, fine fathers and friends, professionals of all stripes, civil servants and volunteers, good neighbors and community members... with a common fondness for female feet (displayed by consenting adults). I can empathize with (the person) for resigning rather than fighting the subsequent shit-storm... but I hope some of us would be willing to take a stand in the same situation.
I would hope so too...but the problem isn't necessarily so much in people not standing up for what they believe in, but rather the judgmental and biased mentality of our society in its current form. A person can fight the madness 24/7 of these stone-throwers, but before the fight commences, you have to consider the goal beforehand...this goes with any and all mind-sets...
For example's sake, if you're a Jewish person, would you feel okay knowing your white co-worker is a member of The Aryan Nations or your black co-worker is a member of The Nation of Islam? He may be as cool as the day is long, watching his language and treating everybody fair, and you may even consider him a nice guy to hang out with...but regardless of what he does or doesn't do, the reality is he'd be involved in something you're diametrically opposed to when he's away from the job, so how would you ultimately view this person?
It may sound like apples and oranges, but consider this: There are people in this society, for better or for worse, that will consider a foot-guy just as much a pervert as a child-molester. No matter how much of a stand a person takes to prove otherwise, the prejudice is already in place...so how can taking a stand change anything for the better?
What we need, and I think it's already in motion, is an overall change in societal views before taking a stand, so to speak, could ever be effective. In other words, Rosa Parks not giving up her seat on the bus wouldn't have boiled down to much if the civil rights movement wasn't already underway to a good extent...what about the black people before her who didn't want to move to the back? You don't hear about them, but you know there were some...there had to be or there wouldn't have been a segregating law in place.
So then, would you be willing to lose your job and get black-balled by your community just so you could be a nameless martyr? Sure, enough martyr's and people will have to wake up and notice...but is this so important that you'd be willing to do it? As much as I'm proud of my desires in being a foot-guy myself, I can't say that taking a stand for this would be as important as, say, fighting a class discrimination where people are already getting hurt or killed.
Our desires are just that...our desires...and they're not something to go parading around in front of others in the first place. Yes, you have a right to feel and think what you want...but what about the other person's right in not wanting to get exposed to something that makes them uncomfortable? It's a double-edged sword, so then the question becomes one of priority...is it so important to be "open" about liking female feet? Maybe. Is it so important that you're willing to get harrassed over it? Possibly. Is it so neccessary that you're willing to lose your job over it? Maybe so...maybe no.
Make no mistake, I hate like hell that some people are hurt with these kinds of "outtings"...but at the same time it's not like we're being persecuted or lynched in the first place, so how important is it to take stands over this? I can understand the person withdrawing from their position rather than facing all the crap they could've got if they had stayed. It's sad, yes, and I'm ashamed that this society is doing it to people, but what we need, like I say, is an overall change to get underway first...and I believe we're getting it.
A good example: I work with an 18 year old girl who knows I like barefoot girls...and not one time has she ever wrinkled her nose up at me or called me a pervert. I can't say the same would've happened when I was 18 myself.
Sorry for rambling. Posted by Craigy boy (Member # 3340) on :
It's a hard life.
Posted by Stryder_007 (Member # 13405) on :
I don't think there is anything to take a stand on. Was he being discriminated against or something? If he was, that's totally different. My co-workers don't know (well a few of them do) that I have a foot fetish. What he/she does is there business and not anyone elses in the workplace. The workplace should be kept professional and that's it. How manay public officers and people in the media have gone and looked at porn-a lot of them cause it's natural. There is no reason for having to quit your job or having to take a stand.
America is a place with people who have different views, anbd creeds, and backgrounds. And somehow we have to manage to get along. The person having a foot fetish is by no means something too sensitive for his job. It's there business.
Posted by dougiezerts (Member # 6829) on :
Was the guy looking at the forum on his computer at work? If so, that's a definate no-no, and I can understand why he got fired. If, on the other hand, he didn't do that, but he got reported for looking at this site on his off hours, that's a totally different issue.
Posted by tootsylover (Member # 4584) on :
quote: Was the guy looking at the forum on his computer at work? If so, that's a definate no-no, and I can understand why he got fired.
Agree...I wouldn't think of looking at this site on my work computer...because as the old saying goes "There's a time and a place for everything."
Posted by guitardrew (Member # 6635) on :
Good points on all sides. The so called rights and wrongs of this matter not one iota. If a guy is really fired for the fact that his employers/employees found out he had a foot fetish without him doing anything inappropriate at work, then this could possibly raise some attention and eyebrows through the courts, just like racial discrimination, and people just a decade ago or less indirectly getting fired because they were gay, because of their 'sexuality', hmmm. The option is there. Would it win? Who knows. Would it make some kind of difference or cause some breakthrough for foot fetishists? Who knows. Foot fetishism is already like halfway through the cycles of change in society just like Lou said, and life, as slowly as it may appear to be moving. It'd be interesting to see if this would be any sort of issue 40 years from now. If not, there'd be some other issue.
Posted by feetluvr (Member # 1570) on :
There's no question that "we are, as a society, where we are" in terms of morality. Can it and will it change- yes. But that's why it's important for us to be prudent in our actions. We certainly want to do things to move the understanding of foot love in the right direction, but don't want to do things that can be seen as perverted and cause "knee-jerk" reactions.
As mentioned, depending on the specific conditions this guy could potentially sue the company, but then he has to weather the shit-storm. Eventually though if enough people come to his defense (or others in the future) public and private opinion will change.
Posted by Stryder_007 (Member # 13405) on :
Hell yeah it would win. If they fired him cause he likes feet, then it's discrimination. Like the above mentioned, if he was caught starring at work, then yeah. The workplace should treat that as wrongful use of their property, and it could possibly make otherr co-workers feel uncomfortable. Doesn't matter if it's feet, tits, or ass-You don't use your work computerr for that stuff-common sense. I knew a guy at my job who was gay, and he was fired for looking at gay porn. He tried to say it was harrasement, but most companies have a policy on proper conduct when using their computers.
Posted by Lyrical (Member # 6603) on :
What type of outing could there have been unless he was sharing his thing with a co worker. I am not aware of to many companies that regulate what a person looks at on his own time in the privacy of his own home but if he was acessing at work then I can see the upset co worker. had a buddy once who kinda got in trouble for looking at modeling sites on his work computer before his work aday started but still it was on company hardware. A female co worker of his became offended and reported him, he was terminated. his computer was confiscated and scrubbed thoroughly to look for any porn sites and none were found. After 2 years of fighting, he did get his job back and I believe was backpaid but what a stressful situation to have to go through.
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