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The original was posted on /r/AmItheAsshole by /u/fartistdad on 2023-06-27 05:16:15+00:00.
I (24 M) have a friend (27 F) who is really into grounding. I don’t know exactly what that is, but it involves being barefoot everywhere you go to feel connected to the world or something like that. I do think this is strange, but I try not to pass judgement or make any comments. The issue is that she’s been complaining about foot pain and recently went to the E.R. I had to practically force her to the hospital because she refuses modern medicine because shes sort of a hippie. At the hospital, she got diagnosed with trench foot. If you don’t know what this is, its where your foot becomes spongey due to unsanitary conditions. Its incredibly painful and you should not be getting this if you bathe regularly. When I found this out, I honestly got really grossed out because its actually insane to have gotten that. I told her it was really gross and she needs to start wearing shoes to avoid this. She got incredibly angry at me and said I was disrespecting her lifestyle and her supposed “culture.” Am i the asshole for saying that about her feet? I feel like I could’ve said it in a nicer way I just think the whole situation is absurd.
Soft asshole. You could have taken the opportunity to be supportive with more tact, such as suggesting the various 'barefoot' shoe brands: Feelgrounds Splay Lems Wildling Koel Softstar Groundies Joe Nimble Altra It sounds like you instead, essentially said "this is your fault for being gross" which is pretty reasonable to be angry at. Being barefoot can strengthen foot muscles and help with balance among other things. Humans wear shoes for a reason though, because of trench foot, warts, sharp debris, etc. You may be able to remedy the situation by apologizing, supporting then while they are healing, and mentioning you found some shoes that should feel similar to barefoot and help prevent future health issues.