11/23: Afghani shoe dealer
 

http://cellar.org/pictures/afghanshoes.jpg

This guy's name is Raheem Gul and as you can see, he's a shoe dealer.

And he's been in the shoe business for 40 years.

Used shoes, that is. And once again we are struck by the differences. Here, you can't try on a pair of shoes without having socks on. Ew, someone else had these shoes on! Gross! There, your pair of shoes was lived in for years by other people, and maybe even removed from their dead feet.

But this guy has been doing this for so long - this is the Afghani system of doing things. It just goes to show you, where there is no established way of getting things done, people adapt - people develop some system.

What occurs to me now is how the US ghettos probably have similar systems set up, and middle class America's attempts to further civilize everyone, through taxation, regulation, welfare, licensing, etc. MAY NOT WORK with such systems. The guy who gets you your shoes at the mall has to play by different rules than the guy who gets you your shoes in the ghetto.

So is it better to "civilize" the ghettos - or to wait for systems that we cannot possibly understand to "catch up" to the systems put in place by the politics of the middle class?

Or am I just babbling? You make the call.

Cool pic UT. I like this pic because he is doing something that does not fit in with the "american way". He is actually an eco-conscious Al Bundy. The idea of recycling consumer goods does not appeal to the upper middle class of america which would rather go to the mall and buy new pair of cheap injection molded nikes than buy a quality used shoe at the thrift store. I have found that a sturdy leather boot can last a lot longer for cheaper, and they can be repaired by a skilled tradesman.

Just like that protester in one of the older IOTD's that was wearing some adidas product, the third world often gets our used clothing. I'll agree that it is no fashion statement but you can dress your whole family for the price of one pair of Diesel slacks.

People in the US do wear and sell used shoes, but they are usually in more organized stores. Just think about bowling shoes! (ewww) Although I have never bought used shoes I know people who have.What does that mean "civilize"? Put in a Starbucks, maybe a Baby Gap? Who would be able to afford it on $20 a month or whatever? No leave it the way it is for now. What is wrong with Raheem Gul? And why can't I possibly understand his systems UT? Do I "have to be there" to understand? Bullshit, I get it. Throw me a real curve ball.

No, what I'm saying is that if anyone wanted to set up a used shoe shop in the US, they'd probably have to pay at least $1000 just before starting, on things like licensing, inspection, incorporation, fees, not to mention the basic accounting needed to file much more complicated taxes. That's the definition of "civilized" I'm talking about.

That's not civilized. That's just a result of the cancer of bureaucracy and government. Every little step can be justified by reference to one example or another, but by the time you're halfway to where we are now, your options are reduced to doing what has already been done, at high cost.

If that's what it means to "civilize", I choose the South Bronx.

Cypher-ly,

~Mike

Must be hell when he has to do an inventory?