Henny - Question on Muslim Culture

[BT]

Was the shoe throwing an insult not only to Bush but to his host as well?

[Henny]

Was the shoe throwing an insult not only to Bush but to his host as well?

It was an enormous insult to Bush, for certain - about the worst that could be made.

But by "host" do you mean Al-Maliki? If so, I would assume that the insult was to both of them as it is likely that many Iraqis see him as a simple figurehead for the Americans. But even if the shoes weren't intended for Al-Maliki, the fact that they came flying in his direction is an insult whether intentional or not.

By the way, most Arabs and Muslims won't wear their shoes in the house; they are kept by the front door, and there are special shoe cabinets for neatly storing them out of sight. When you walk into the entry of the house the first thing you do is take off your shoes and put on a pair of "house shoes" (or slippers). Even guests do this out of courtesy and special pairs of house shoes are kept for guests. The point behind this is that shoes that you wear outside of the house step in all kinds of... whatever. This way, outside grime isn't brought into a clean house (a definite plus).

[BT]

I was under the impression that when a Muslim invited you into their home, or in Maliki's case the peoples house the guest was extended the hosts protection. That to insult the guest was to insult the host.

Is that not the correct interpretation?

[Henny]

I was under the impression that when a Muslim invited you into their home, or in Maliki's case the peoples house the guest was extended the hosts protection. That to insult the guest was to insult the host.

Is that not the correct interpretation?

Ok, I see what you mean - and yes, entirely correct. Hospitality is taken to extremes here, and guests are treated like royalty. And yes, the guest IS extended the host's protection; this started in the Bedouin tradition and holds true for all, at least in spirit.

[BSB]

It's an international tradition, realy. It may not be formally expressed the way it is in muslim countries, but it's a sign of poor judgement to disrespect someones house guest even in this country.

[Cynthia]

It's an international tradition, realy. It may not be formally expressed the way it is in muslim countries, but it's a sign of poor judgement to disrespect someones house guest even in this country.

Right....like picking one's nose at dinner. ha!

I think we pay far too much attention to those who throw shoes. Heck, I think my shoes should be treated like Jewels. Those high heels are delicious....and they don't track in the mud that muscle Mudds do.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Those high heels are delicious....and they don't track in the mud that muscle Mudds do. Wink

They are really hard on linoleum, cork and vinyl floors.

A 125 lb woman wearing heels that are 1/4 an inch square heels (.0625 square in. area)  can exert a force of 2000 lbs. and easily punch a hole right through the flooring.

Mud can usually be cleaned up in a jiffy.
 

[Amianthus]

A 125 lb woman wearing heels that are 1/4 an inch square heels (.0625 square in. area)  can exert a force of 2000 lbs. and easily punch a hole right through the flooring.

Yeah, if she's only walking on the heels.

Most women, however, also use the front part of the shoe.

[Cynthia]

Those high heels are delicious....and they don't track in the mud that muscle Mudds do. Wink

They are really hard on linoleum, cork and vinyl floors.

A 125 lb woman wearing heels that are 1/4 an inch square heels (.0625 square in. area)  can exert a force of 2000 lbs. and easily punch a hole right through the flooring.

Mud can usually be cleaned up in a jiffy.
 

[Xavier_Onassis]

Most women, however, also use the front part of the shoe.

==========================
Some do, sometimes. But stiletto heels are a threat to soft flooring.
You don't look down much, do you? Any public place, you will see dimples and actual holes in the linoleum and vinyl.
I don't think women think much of the damage they might be doing doing to flooring.

If Juniorbush was hit by the heel of a stiletto heel, he would not be in any condition to jest about it.

If it had been a Manuel Blahnik or a Jimmy Choo Shoe, he could have been on the covers of Newsweek, Time Der Spiegel and Vogue all at once.

Possible photo caption:  'President George W. Bush's frontal lobe impaled by a Jimmy Choo Classic Stiletto (Model Z-33 shown, available at Saks Fifth Avenue, $899, also in leopard print, $949).'

[Amianthus]

Some do, sometimes.

I have never seen a woman walk on her heels. It would look kind of funny, with her toes pointing up.

[Xavier_Onassis]

I have never seen a woman walk on her heels. It would look kind of funny, with her toes pointing up.
======================
I did not mean that women walk exclusively on their heels. Nor do they walk exclusively on the balls of their feet, unless they have broken a heel. When they have broken a heel, they walk in a truly strange manner, usually until they remove their shoes and walk along in their stockings or bare feet.

Surely you do not maintain that when women walk they never put any weight on the heels of their shoes.

When anyone walks, they first put weight on the heel, then the toe. It is when the put weight on the stiletto heel that they punch holes in flooring. Again, the evidence is there, in the linoleum. If you look at car floormats, you will find evidence of pointy heelmarks as well.

This is why public places use ceramic tile and other harder substances more these days, to avoid having holes and dimples punched into them.

[Amianthus]

When anyone walks, they first put weight on the heel, then the toe. It is when the put weight on the stiletto heel that they punch holes in flooring. Again, the evidence is there, in the linoleum. If you look at car floormats, you will find evidence of pointy heelmarks as well.

When people walk, they put partial weight on the heels. Full weight is never applied until the front part of the foot is in contact with the ground (that's when they lift the other foot off the ground). And, since we tend to lean forward when walking or even when standing still, most of the weight is still applied through the front portion of the shoe.

Holes in soft flooring are usually from umbrella tips and canes rather than high heels on women.

[sirs]

If Xo needs a lessen in a normalized Gait Pattern, he need only ask

[Lanya]

In DC, in the 60s, I can't remember the various places we went (the White House, Capitol, museums, etc. as tourists) that the guards gave out little rubber heel protectors for women to put on their stiletto heels.  The rugs would get punctured otherwise, or so I recall.