My Turn: ‘... by the color of his shoelaces’

At one point in history, who can say how long ago, an individual walked into town wearing purple shoelaces. No one really understood how someone could wear any other shoelace color besides whatever the established normative was at the time, but as the reader can imagine, it was met with an anticipated mixture of fear and curiosity. Soon, the staring eyes evolved to moving lips that ultimately uttered comments like, “Why are you choosing to be different?” What confused the local populace the most was that this individual had always tied purple shoelaces on their shoes, and furthermore the home region whence they came only knew various shades of this color as being the standard for keeping one’s feet from being shoeless.

Then, aggression began to take root. Words became actions, and within time the town became divided on being either on the side of “pro purple shoelace” or “anti purple shoelace.” Those in support argued that this individual was not hurting anyone, and that overall they were a welcomed, positive member of the community.



On the other side of the fence, “anti-purplees” (as they soon began calling themselves) connected this difference in personal choice with a threat to the town’s history and tradition. Furthermore, arguments were made that if these purple-shoelace-wearing weirdos were allowed to feel accepted, eventually more would settle, and the town would become overrun by a people who were different and (somehow) dangerous to those most vulnerable. Since civilization had already been established within the town, in time a law was written in the books outlawing the wearing of purple shoelaces.

“Shoelace Zero” (as the out-of-towner was labeled) was placed within peacekeeper custody, and anyone caught wearing purple shoelaces in support were met with fines, arrest, loss of property, and general scorn from those on the opposing side who (apparently) were infected by the plague of human fear. As hard times beget strong people, so too did the persecution of purple shoelace wearers cultivate a sense of hope and resilience among not only those in their chosen camp, but also among community members who had no strong feeling either way on what color a person chose to tie their shoes up with. Youths, often seeking to rebel, began wearing purple shoelaces as a means to demonstrate their independence and maturity.

Time rolled on, and as ever the case children became adults. Legal codes experienced a 180-degree turn, and what do you know, the fervor of equality mutated into not only a decriminalization of purple shoelaces, but incentives were created for whoever chose to don this color upon their footwear. Whether they be financial or legal, soon the popularity of this once-despised shade actually aided people in their pursuits of securing automobile or home loans.

Local celebrities donned purple throughout their ensembles, and no one was really “cool” unless they went along with the newly established norm behavior. Article continues after..

. Cross|Word Flipart Typeshift SpellTower Really Bad Chess Eventually, the reader can imagine what happened. Every society has a certain number of selfish individuals, and this one was no different.

The bandwagon began to take shape, and the “true believers” of purple shoelace-wearing eventually became replaced by the posers who could connect the incentives of a certain behavior with the lining of their own wallets. Local governance began to step in, and legally permitted purple shoelaces were now issued to all citizens. No longer was this a cultural phenomenon, as punishments were soon developed for individuals who chose not to to thread the state-issued purple.

Luckily, the infrastructure that had been built for the punishment of pro-purple (prisons, courts, etc) was strategically in place for the “anti-Purplees” who were generally thought of as subhuman and a menace to the stable functioning of the community. Fear of stepping outside the purple line kept many people quiet, and bullies (who often pose as opportunists) secured the lion’s share of influence and control. The detail of such brutality need not be repeated, as the psychological and physical torture of anti-Purplees has long been removed from the history books.

Those at the top of the social ladder would comment that the punishment of these anti-Purplees was necessary for the security of the collective. Slowly, the guilt felt by those who harmed the seemingly innocent led to their isolation from the rest of the community. Peacekeepers began to question the moral basis of arresting people for something so frivolous, and local leaders whispered in mockery of anything connected with the purple mandate.

Some things, as we see today, never change. Amhad Esfahani lives in Greenfield..