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Sneakers with wheels annoying, dangerous, disruptive to people |
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Tuesday, 05 June 2007 |
Every once in a while, I like to sit down in the food court of the mall in my hometown, order a Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frappachino, and just relax from a busy shopping day.
Up until about a year ago, I could do this in peace and without hassle from anyone else. Then the ‘shoes with wheels’ decided to parade through the mall – rolling right over my pink-wedge heels and my toes.
Better known by the kids nearly 10 years younger than me as heely’s, shoes with wheels are a popular accessory for any kid who decides they just are too good to walk.
According
to www.skates.com, Heely’s run exactly one size smaller than regular
children’s size shoes and are available in an assortment of colors,
styles and designs.
Most styles are priced $50 or more.
I’ll admit that when I was a kid, I followed all the latest trends as
well – Disney Princess shirts, Jellies and Soffe shorts as a teenager.
But did any of my fashionable accessories as a teenager pose a threat
to my safety or the safety of others? And did my pink, sparkly shoes
make me too good to walk?
The National Center for Health Statistics estimates that 16 percent of
children and adolescents between 6 and 19 are overweight.
Although that percentage may not be too alarming, it is reasonable to
question why shoes are being designed that encourage children not to
walk … and rather roll through their lives.
Heely’s are also causing problems in almost every public area – shopping centers, theme parks and attractions.
The N.C. Zoo in Asheboro bans Heely’s on its premises.
Other states, like Pennsylvania, are outlawing Heely’s in entire
districts and any business located in that district, according to the
Sewickley (Sewickley, Pa.) Herald.
Not only do they disturb public access places, but they pose a safety
hazard to the individual wearing them and to those that ‘skate-walk’
by.
Rob Brouhard, a paramedic and freelance writer for About.com, said
injuries from Heely’s include broken wrists, spinal injuries,
nosebleeds (from crashing into the ground), broken ankles and closed
head injuries.
Heely’s also can influence a societal issue.
At $50 a pop, not every family can afford these state-of-the-art ‘rollerblade and walk’ simultaneously gadgets.
Are the kids who simply can’t afford to be lazy along with their peers being discriminated against?
Bottom line: Heely’s are dangerous, they cause disruption to public
areas, they are expensive, they are pro-active for childhood obesity,
they enforce the division of classes based on wealth, and they are just
incredibly annoying.
I don’t support tripping the little skaters as they go by in order to
stop this epidemic, but a banana peel never hurt anyone too badly.
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