NJ’s shoes-off households need to get a grip and grow up (Opinion)

It’s as divisive as pork roll vs Taylor ham. As divisive as whether Central Jersey is a myth. The shoes-off household vs. the shoes-on household. Surely these Capulets and Montagues can never commingle.

A funny hour broke out on our show Tuesday (Deminski & Doyle, NJ 101.5 weekdays 2 to 7 p.m., if you don’t know) over this very subject. Which household are you and why?

Now I posited there’s actually a third group. Those households that are shoes off for themselves and their kids but won’t necessarily make it a rule for guests.

Turns out I was right.

A third of families who always take their own shoes off when indoors never ask a guest to. So how many Americans are at least shoes off for themselves?

87%.

Wow.

Look, it’s your home. Your castle your rules. And if you want to send your boy to the dungeon for keeping his sneakers on after school so be it. (Ooh. Can he at least keep his shoes on there? It’s probably damp.) But I honestly think you’re getting carried away with worrying about germs.

Now studies will show that yes, your shoes might be filthy. From ABC News:

“In a recent study, researchers at the University of Arizona found nine different species of bacteria on people's shoes. These types of bacteria can cause infections in our stomachs, eyes and lungs.

The study also found bacteria live longer on our shoes than in other places. As we walk, we constantly pick up new debris that feeds the growth of more bacteria.

The researchers tested to see if bacteria on shoes would transfer to the tile floors in a house. More than 90 percent of the time it did. Carpeting harbors bacteria even more.”

OK, OK. So there’s bacteria on your shoes. There’s bacteria everywhere. Your cellphone is crawling with it but you never put it down do you?

Unless you’re going to live your life from inside a hazmat suit or grow up like the old John Travolta movie “The Boy In The Plastic Bubble” I think there’s no avoiding these things. It’s called planet earth. And sorry, you’re a native species.

You can come inside my home with shoes on or if you want to kick them off fine, knock yourself out. But I’ll never put a basket out by the door with an obnoxious sign proclaiming THIS IS A SHOES OFF HOUSEHOLD. Hey, what if I leave a big basket with a sign reading THIS IS A PANTS OFF HOUSEHOLD and throw in some starter pants to sell it? Hmm, now that’s a party that could get interesting.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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