By the way, please tell me that that collection of crocs were part of a public safety croc buy-back program and are scheduled for destruction. Sort of like a gun buy-back program, but with greater impact on the public aesthetic...
Anon - Crocs fall in the category defined as BAD, as described in Paul Fussel's book, BAD or, the Dumbing of America. While items may be merely "bad" - cheap, fraudulent, or unworthy of comment, "BAD" items are distinguished in that they retain all the miserable features of "bad" yet have somehow become desirable, admired, and so forth. Paris Hilton is a classic example of BAD in human form, the Hummer in automobiles. Crocs are hideous, cheap, an affront to both the foot and the eye, yet somehow have acheived a critical-mass cultural appeal (not meant to be ironic) that defies any explanation other than the "manipulation of fools by knaves." I don't know if Ms. Bellum has read the book, but she has a rather trenchant eye for BAD.
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11 comments:
sing it, sista....
How did Crocs ever become so popular? I don't know the history you have with them...but damn they're ugly.
If only the croc inventor were stabbed in the chest by a stingray...
By the way, please tell me that that collection of crocs were part of a public safety croc buy-back program and are scheduled for destruction. Sort of like a gun buy-back program, but with greater impact on the public aesthetic...
I couldn't agree more. Bleck.
what is better is that there are so many companies that have produced knock-offs that even us poor folk can get us a pair! ;)
Can you please stop taking pictures of my closet? Thanks.
ugly plastic shoes
Take them away! Take them away!
Can someone please explain why these are such a hated commodity? They are ugly but so are lots of things. What's the scoop?
Anon - Crocs fall in the category defined as BAD, as described in Paul Fussel's book, BAD or, the Dumbing of America. While items may be merely "bad" - cheap, fraudulent, or unworthy of comment, "BAD" items are distinguished in that they retain all the miserable features of "bad" yet have somehow become desirable, admired, and so forth. Paris Hilton is a classic example of BAD in human form, the Hummer in automobiles. Crocs are hideous, cheap, an affront to both the foot and the eye, yet somehow have acheived a critical-mass cultural appeal (not meant to be ironic) that defies any explanation other than the "manipulation of fools by knaves." I don't know if Ms. Bellum has read the book, but she has a rather trenchant eye for BAD.
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