Long post and perhaps a bit
Long post and perhaps a bit off topic and/or theme since this is a funny video....
For its brevity, this pretty much encapsulates the view from both sides of the issue, the BF runners who wear minimalist shoes and those who just don't get it and think those on the other side are insane, stupid, or taking too much risk by wearing minimal shoes or going barefoot.
Funny how many of these questions and comments made by the girl in the video come out of the mouths of people you meet everyday. I have heard the monkey/gorilla shoe comment from co-workers this last week. In spite of that, most people seem to have a positive reaction to minimalist footwear.
I think the trend and development of minimal shoes/barefoot lifestyle is still too much in its infancy to get past most peoples ingrained notions of what is acceptable or proper. Combined with the viral growth in exposure via the Internet, it threatens to becomed labeled as a fad and may collapse under the weight of its own hype, much like the boom and bust of carb-controlled diets over several years. Sure, there is a more widespread acceptance of said diets in a small segment of the population, but the negative stereotypes and bad information become even more ingrained for the majority who rise in opposition.
There are definitely groups who have made it their mission to make fun of and ridicule those in this community for their love and happiness at running barefoot or in minimalist footwear. Studies in favor of running minimal or barefoot to the contrary of these detractors will most likely not persuade anyone to move off of their stand on the issue once they have formed one.
There is hope that once health insurance companies do the studies, for that is likely who would want to spend the money to do them (certainly not the shoe manufacturers), and verify the benefits in dollars for running the way we do, then there will be a massive turn around in thinking.
The stress injuries and tendonitis injuries common to BF running are largely acute and cost minimal money to treat, whereas joint injuries often require expensive surgeries, tend toward the chronic, and in many cases are without treatment, and ultimately cost a small fortune to insurance companies. Once they deem it cheaper to encourage BF running, the podiatrists and orthopedists will conform to policy and recommend patients switch for health reasons which will legitimize everything we have said.
We'll still be kooky, but thats not necessarily a bad thing, LOL.