Feet Shuffling: Is it class or culture?

[Thighlander]

And a lot of farang due this, too, especially the 20s crowd. Do the wealthy Thais shuffle their feet when they walk? They used to call it the Thorozine shuffle in America, because that's how people would walk, on the anti-psychotic drug Thorozine. What are your thoughts?

[Phronesis]

How one earth does one hope to walk any other way when wearing rubber flip flops...?

[David48]

when my ex-gf used to run (she was Thai) ... she definitely shuffled.

Walked normal though ... knuckles never dragged.

[Thighlander]

the shoes could certainly play into it. I wonder how many cases RAM sees of people, who were wearing flip-flops falling and busting a limb or nose. I see people going through puddles in rainstorms with flip-flops and I'm thinking nice day for a staph infection.

[NancyL]

I especially love hearing the clop-clop of the 4 yr old future Thai princesses as they walk in the malls with their pink, semi-high heeled mules. (That's what those type of shoes are called). The more feathers and glitter the better. I'm jealous. I wish my parents had let me indulge my inner princess at that age!

[kennedy]

the shoes could certainly play into it. I wonder how many cases RAM sees of people, who were wearing flip-flops falling and busting a limb or nose. I see people going through puddles in rainstorms with flip-flops and I'm thinking nice day for a staph infection.

Flat Feet

[Phronesis]

I especially love hearing the clop-clop of the 4 yr old future Thai princesses as they walk in the malls with their pink, semi-high heeled mules. (That's what those type of shoes are called). The more feathers and glitter the better. I'm jealous. I wish my parents had let me indulge my inner princess at that age!

I disagree NancyL. My personal favourite is the 1.5 yr old toddler wearing the squeak squeak squeak shoes. Brings a huge smile to my face every time.

[DaamNaam]

Laziness, pure and simple.

[SoloFlyer]

Clogs

[Hippidy He Ho]

Is it class or culture?

A culture of low class.

Stop and listen and there'll be Jing jing lorrrr echoing around the vicinity.

Edited August 12, 2013 by Hippidy He Ho

[Bpuumike]

I think it is Chinese origin.

Watch how they walk/shuffle when carrying any sort of load (which of course Hi-So would never do).

[Thighlander]

I think it is Chinese origin.

Watch how they walk/shuffle when carrying any sort of load (which of course Hi-So would never do).

But, would Hi-So let their kids shuffle, like they let them scream at the tp of their lungs in public?

[DaamNaam]

I especially love hearing the clop-clop of the 4 yr old future Thai princesses as they walk in the malls with their pink, semi-high heeled mules. (That's what those type of shoes are called). The more feathers and glitter the better. I'm jealous. I wish my parents had let me indulge my inner princess at that age!

I disagree NancyL. My personal favourite is the 1.5 yr old toddler wearing the squeak squeak squeak shoes. Brings a huge smile to my face every time.

Have to disagree on both counts---drives me crazy and seem to have no concern for others..."hey everybody look at my baby!!!"""

Perhaps a few shots of chill the "bleep' out could be in order. No harm done, it's for the kids mostly, not the parents...

[Bill97]

Maybe the ladies do it because they stand on one foot so much, most of the time when doing kitchen work. Why do they stand on one foot?

[CMKiwi]

I remember as a kid getting told off by my parents for shuffling (Or dragging my feet). Always told to walk properly and look the world in the eye. Shuffling WAS for lazy people or those with poor self discipline....so I was told.

Never got in trouble in the Army as a result, but several other recruits got a good bollocking

[Buckaroo]

This is why Thai assassins are so poor at their job, you can hear them approaching from behind.

Type of footwear, laziness and of being of no importance to Thai culture I think are main reasons.

[masuk]

Is it class or culture?

A culture of low class.

Stop and listen and there'll be Jing jing lorrrr echoing around the vicinity.

It is considered low class to shuffle when you walk in Indonesia. Mothers are often heard telling their daughters to walk properly.

[tingtongteesood]

I HATE those damn squeaky shoes ! Whether they wear flip flops or shoes, most Thai people seem to usually scuff their feet as they walk, it sometimes annoys me a bit. I hate to say it's due to laziness in lifting their feet, but the number of times I get stuck behind people waiting for other people to come through the open door instead of simply opening the perfectly functioning closed one next to it....walking seems to be such an issue for Thai people and most of them do as much as possible to avoid doing it such as standing stock still on escalators regardless of how much they get in the way and taking the motorcycle taxi 50 meters, even when they do walk they are so damn slow and it can take minutes instead of seconds when there are many of them in the way...

[bitcoinbob]

there have been studies done that the faster you walk the longer you will live and they found a close correlation between intelligence and cognitive functioning and ability to walk well, you can draw your own conclusions about the feet shuffle here. fastest walkers are singapore number 2 is new york city.

[klauskunkel]

From ask,com:

There are about fourteen types of shuffle dances. They include the electric slide, which is the most commonly-learned line dances due to its easy steps. Others are the cha cha slide, the boot scootin' boogie and the cotton-eyed Joe. The less common are chicken dance, hokey pokey, tush push, the stroll, the hora, cupid shuffle, catwalk shuffle and the hustle.

Now in the 21st century, I know the Hardstyle Shuffle, The Spongebob, and the Melbourne Shuffle

So, definitely cultural: The Thai Shuffle, yeah baby!

[Globeman]

How one earth does one hope to walk any other way when wearing rubber flip flops...?

Heel to toe, like a normal walk, and the back of the flip flop snaps up to the heel... I think that action may well be the reason for their name.

[Globeman]

there have been studies done that the faster you walk the longer you will live and they found a close correlation between intelligence and cognitive functioning and ability to walk well, you can draw your own conclusions about the feet shuffle here. fastest walkers are singapore number 2 is new york city.

I've always questioned that study result. New Yorkers move fast all the time, while Singaporeans only walk fast at rush hours - in between they dawdle away same as in any Thai wet market.

[cooked]

I especially love hearing the clop-clop of the 4 yr old future Thai princesses as they walk in the malls with their pink, semi-high heeled mules. (That's what those type of shoes are called). The more feathers and glitter the better. I'm jealous. I wish my parents had let me indulge my inner princess at that age!

I disagree NancyL. My personal favourite is the 1.5 yr old toddler wearing the squeak squeak squeak shoes. Brings a huge smile to my face every time.

Have to disagree on both counts---drives me crazy and seem to have no concern for others..."hey everybody look at my baby!!!"""

I never found any in my size...

[CIHUAHUA]

there have been studies done that the faster you walk the longer you will live and they found a close correlation between intelligence and cognitive functioning and ability to walk well, you can draw your own conclusions about the feet shuffle here. fastest walkers are singapore number 2 is new york city.

I don't know of that study but I know another study that indicates slower tolerant people live longer and are happier. Singapore and New York are not good examples of the norm. Intelligence and cognitive functioning have nothing to do with culture. Walking well is subjective biased by the observers culture and education ie. learning (usually by parents and peers) I think motivation and perception are more in the area we are talking about.

It is cultural.

Edited August 14, 2013 by CIHUAHUA

[Globeman]

I especially love hearing the clop-clop of the 4 yr old future Thai princesses as they walk in the malls with their pink, semi-high heeled mules. (That's what those type of shoes are called). The more feathers and glitter the better. I'm jealous. I wish my parents had let me indulge my inner princess at that age!

I disagree NancyL. My personal favourite is the 1.5 yr old toddler wearing the squeak squeak squeak shoes. Brings a huge smile to my face every time.

Have to disagree on both counts---drives me crazy and seem to have no concern for others..."hey everybody look at my baby!!!"""

Perhaps a few shots of chill the "bleep' out could be in order. No harm done, it's for the kids mostly, not the parents...

The squeaky shoes are so the parents can hear where their kids are - handy in a place so crowded. Of course, to the parents, it sounds like music, because it indicates that their child is safe, but to the bystander - especially those with no kids, and therefore no sympathy, it can be irritating.

[cooked]

How one earth does one hope to walk any other way when wearing rubber flip flops...?

Heel to toe, like a normal walk, and the back of the flip flop snaps up to the heel... I think that action may well be the reason for their name.

heel to toe is only normal for people that wear shoes. A study or two show that athletes that run without shoes walk differently from most of is after a month or two. They haven't discovered the spade yet, you need adequate shoes for that.

[bangkokstick]

In laos they don't even walk, they crawl !

[marell]

Wow, you're either hyper-observant or have too much time on your hands.

[Rorri]

How one earth does one hope to walk any other way when wearing rubber flip flops...?

Quite easily, thousands of Aussie do it everyday, so I don't know what's wrong with the way you walk.

[Bagwan]

I remember as a kid getting told off by my parents for shuffling (Or dragging my feet). Always told to walk properly and look the world in the eye. Shuffling WAS for lazy people or those with poor self discipline....so I was told.

Never got in trouble in the Army as a result, but several other recruits got a good bollocking

Head up. shoulders back, stick your chest out, pull your stomach in - and dig those heels in. And swing your bloody arms man. Memories of long, long ago.