branching out - i hate fashion

This is the new 'oversized ringer see thru t-shirt' by American Apparel. It unfortunately doesn't come with the moustache; you must supply your own. I do believe this shirt requires a moustache for the proper accessorizing. Observe how the brown of the moustache and the brown of the shirt complement each other. I find this image emotionally moving.

The cost is $26.00. The shirt is backordered. It is an incredibly popular item. If only the Snuggy/Slanket people thought to make their products 'see thru.'

A perfect companion to your yellow or brown Crocs.

This post has been brought to you by a kindly sponsor

Today's post is brought to you by the good people at BuyItRightHere.co.uk -- where comfort meets fashion, apparently. But we'll get back to that in a bit!

In the meantime, we have everyone's favourite thing: HATEMAIL! Now with personal attacks!

This is from our good friend Jason Patrick:

Sorry, I just can't comprehend your blog or your personal fetish regarding Crocs. I'm happy to see their economic recovery and expansion succeed, since the global economy needs all the help it can get....but do you even have any clue at all regarding your complaints? Are you even remotely aware of the fact that the company has hundreds of different styles of shoes, and all but the basic model don't look anything like the particular model you appear to detest? The company makes very good-looking shoes for many people, including some more stylish women's shoes in particular; and employs a few thousand people globally - don't you think there are better things in this world to hate? I'm just curious what particular mental defect causes someone to spend this much energy attacking what other people choose to wear - exactly why is this SO offensive and upsetting for you? I'm sure you have plenty of mommy issues (or daddy issues) or whatever else, are you really going to spend your free time getting upset about other people's footwear? Good luck with the journalism career though, I certainly hope future employers don't chance upon your poorly written and even-more-poorly researched 'blog' during your job search.

Dear Jason:

1. I find it odd that you are unable to comprehend this blog. It's a fairly simple concept. It is called 'I Hate Crocs' and it is for people who hate Crocs. Simple!

2. Oh, I see. You don't understand what we mean by 'Crocs.' That's fair enough. You're correct, that company does have many types of shoes. To specify, this website is against their ugly model. The luridly coloured Swiss cheese clog-footwear.

3. Further, I am unsure which part of this website you find 'poorly researched.' Near as I can tell, there's no real research involved. Jason, if you are interested in my journalistic work, which involves research and interviews, you can go to Vincenzo Ravina Dot Com.

4. Finally, just a nitpicky thing: you put the word 'blog' in quotes, as though questioning the legitimacy of this website's claim to be a blog. I find this odd. That's all.

We thank Jason truly, for taking the time to write.

Next, we have an email from Fergus Travers:

I seriously think you have a problem. I too think crocs are ugly as shit but I wear them indoors and around my land but I don't go as far as making a fucking website and selling shirts saying "they are to your eyes like second hand smoke is to your lungs". At least think of something better than that shit. You want to retire early... the group of people who created crocs can retire or probably have retired and are living in amazing houses and driving sweet cars, you are a very sad person and I do feel sorry for you and your friend who made this lump of shit of a site, you're obviously both rejected and turn towards hating crocs and selling fucked up t-shirts for money... I'm sorry but there is something wrong with you.

Dear Fergus Travers,

Awesome name!

Love,

Vincenzo


In any case, as a special treat, each of our hatemailers today (Both Fergus and Jason) will be getting $30 credits at BuyItRightHere.co.uk. Yes, they will get $30 off whatever they purchase on the website of our kindly sponsors.

BUT I know what you're saying. You're saying, 'Vincenzo, why do the hatemailers get rewarded with $30 credits at the awesome website that is sponsoring this post? We actually like your site and don't send you terrible hatemail. How dare you, Vincenzo? How dare you?'

Well, we've anticipated this reaction. We've got a $30 credit for everyone. Up to 100 of you, anyway. Just type in the following code when you order: 515IHATE

See? Easy. Also, you're probably wondering what that site sells. They sell Ugg Boots. And as far as I know, they are the only site on the internet that sells Ugg Boots.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, 'Vincenzo, are you ENDORSING Ugg Boots?'

And to that, I would respond, 'No.'

But this is what Naomi at BuyItRightHere.co.uk had to say: "Fashion in my mind brings so much more to life if it can be therapeutic and healthy. Often comfort and fashion clash and we sacrifice our sanity to fit into the size 6 dress and live with the blisters from new heels."

And here is a list of things that Ugg Boots can probably do for you:

• Keep your feet dry
• Keep your feet wet (if you fill the boots with water before putting them on)
• Kill a Cornish game hen (if you throw the boot at the Cornish game hen)
• MUCH much more.
  

Now, I know that some of you have been having trouble with your Cornish game hens. We here at IHATECROCS are here to help. That coupon code again is 515IHATE.

Act now. You have two weeks. And yes, that is a threat.

Click here.

The preceding has been our first attempt at paid advertising. How'd we do?

Let us know at ihatecrocs@gmail.com

IHATECROCS: in the Globe and Mail

Hi guys.

Just a quick update to let you know IHATECROCS is in the Globe today. Read it if you want.

Here's the part of the article that mentions us:

While most people seem content to create low-maintenance Facebook groups and pages for the objects of their revulsion, that wasn’t enough for Halifax student Vincenzo Ravina.

When he first noticed Crocs on a classmate’s feet, he didn’t like them, but didn’t think much beyond that. As the shoes became more popular, however, his passing distaste blossomed into something stronger.

He registered the domain ihatecrocs.com as a test, he says. “I was just kind of looking for validation in me thinking that I’m the sane one.”

It didn’t take long before traffic to the site exploded. He had created a popular forum for trashing the shoes, and sold more than 1,000 “I Hate Crocs” T-shirts.

Crocs have since declined in popularity and so, in turn, has Mr. Ravina’s passionate opposition to them. But he still remembers what fuelled the site at the peak of its popularity.

“With disliking things, people get more worked up than when they do like things,” he says. “It’s more antagonistic. People feel more encouraged to kind of fight for their opinion.”

I am not a quote-machine. I am more used to being on the question-asking side of interviews rather than the question answering side. SEE: Vincenzo Ravina Dot Com.

I Hate Other Things, Too

I'm in my fourth year of my Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) program. I've been very busy working on my Honours Project. Come May 2010, I will graduate. I have big plans for after graduation.

1. I will be part of an expedition to capture penguins and make them my friends. I believe that this will help me with my job search, as I will be able to provide niche coverage of penguin affairs.

2. Find a job.

It's going to be pretty exciting. I had toyed briefly with the idea of retiring straight out of university, but I've since taken a look at my finances and noted that I have massive debt. Four years of university worth of debt. But once I pay THAT off, I'm definitely retiring.

OK, I'm going to dip my hand into the old mail sack and try to pull out some amusing hatemail, because that is what passes for content on this site.

Hey, I found one. It's from "PR."

Look, you seriously need to get a life if your idea of living is to create an entire site to spread hatred about a pair of shoes you don't like, but I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you didn't already know. Fact is, Crocs aren't stupid. You are. They're an extremely clever design, and functionally, nothing even comes close to how good they are. Your only problem with them appears to be you don't like the way they look, and you're a fashion lemming. All that says is how shallow and immature you are. It says nothing about what's wrong with Crocs, but everything about what's wrong with you and others who hate Crocs just because of the way they look. You probably hate your mother just because she's fat. But you're certainly not smart enough to have created such a shoe 'cos if you were, you'd have been doing something more worthwhile in life.

Have a nice day. Asswipe!

The only comment I have in response to this email is that lemmings don't actually jump off cliffs en masse. That's a myth! But, did you know: in 1958, Disney was making a nature documentary and the team wanted footage of lemming suicide, so they just started herding them off the cliff themselves? True facts.

Moving on, we have another email. It's from Jeff Dunn. What a champion. Here's his email:

Whoever is is burning the Crocs I would assume is either in charge of this ridiculous website or a major supporter. Did you run to the mall and purchase the crocs that you hate so much and support the one company that is making the product that you despise. That would be hilarious. It would also make you hypocrites. I truly hate the pants that are so baggy that it looks like most of our youth did a big shit in their pants. It also looks very retarded and then to go with the pants these skinny little punks where shirts for a man who is 350-400 pounds. I am not about to set up a website claiming I want them off the face of the earth. There is probably one already. I will admit however that Crocs are not very pleasing to the eye, I thought they where stupid too until I tried on my brother's. I found them to be very comfortable. Now I use them as slippers at home. I wouldn't throw on a pair of jeans and head out the door with my Crocs on it looks lame. From want I see on this website is just another money racket. If you hate Crocs check out the store and buy my merch. If you really are serious about how much you hate this product, lets see more walk and less talk. Get yourself some explosives head to china (which is most likely where they are made) and blow that fucker up!! (the factory of course) That would really impress me. You can post the pics of that explosion on your website. Then you can shut this bad boy down. I guess everyone needs a hobby, mine is sitting in my living room with my Crocs on reading the comic books I collect.

Laters

Jeff Dunn

Jeff, you could not be more wrong about me. Anyway, if you're reading this and you hate Crocs, check out the IHATECROCS store. You can buy some sweet t-shirts. And the shoes destroyed in the videos are knockoffs that we purchased for about five dollars.

Oh, my. I just came across a series of three emails from someone named Kirkham Stewart. The first email is nearly 2000 words. I haven't actually read the whole thing, obviously. But, I've skimmed it and I will attempt to give you the gist of it. It starts out talking about religion and then turns into what might be anti-semitic hate speech (I can't really tell) and then bizarrely turns into an email addressed to "roger Cohen in the new york times" and then it is addressed to Jewish people and then he addresses whoever crashed his website.

The second email from this Kirkham reads:

i just sent you an email about your issue with crocs. i challenge you to publish it immediately. for all your little world to see. and did you know about croc's philanthropy before you began to bugger them? what on earth have you got against them? do you Really care so much about what other people are wearing? do you own a shoe company? are you just anti-capitalist? do you hate philanthropists? or is it just a certain kind of philanthropist? when's the last time you gave seventy-thousand poor people something to wear, asshole? why don't you put your money where your BIG FAT MOUTH IS?

And then the third email reads:

Kate Leth i just visited her link too. and what a great contribution SHE's making to society! i suggest she learn to speak english if she insists upon sharing her little world of making up faces with the rest of the world. i wonder if anyone really cares. i pity them. maybe SHE TOO can find something better to do than to bring down great philanthropy and apply warpaint to these people's faces. and would you please explain what this madness is all about? and who fuckin' cares?

Kate Leth is, of course, the person who started this website with me. I don't really understand his criticisms. Anyhow, clearly our friend Kirkham has a few issues and we wish him the very best with all of that.

Finally, I have gotten two bizarre emails requesting link exchanges. One from a website that sells tungsten wedding rings, and another from a site that has something to do with ceiling fans. The reason why I found this bizarre was because... well... why would we link to tungsten wedding rings or ceiling fans? Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess. And this time, it PAID OFF, guys. Here are your dang links: Tungsten wedding rings. Ceiling fans.

I hope that means I get a free tungsten ring.


Here are some other things I hate:

- The covers for YA novels.
- Kids today.
- People who talk during, or in any way distract from, a movie.
- Dan Brown.
- The following words and phrases: Silly, keener, guilty pleasure, alrighty, joshing, "fustrated", naughty, funky, snow bunny, wimpy, shared a chuckle.


Oh, ALSO, you can follow me on Twitter. @SavourTheSea. And if you're interested in content produced by me that has even less to do with Crocs than the content on this site does, check out Vincenzo Ravina Dot Com.



You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.

Neat

IHATECROCS on Fox News.

Mission accomplished?

Thanks to everyone who send us a link to article pertaining to the terrible news re: Crocs. If you haven't read it, HERE is a link.

Apparently we were also mentioned on Fox News, which is neat. If anyone has a link to that, I'd appreciate it.

In any case, this won't be a long post because I'm currently in Italy and the only internet access I have is at the library.

Thanks for your emails and good work, everyone. This victory is a bit bittersweet, though. The whole US economy had to tank to bring it about. Poor, poor US economy. And the job loss, of course. It is a shame.

optimism

OK, OK. You're right. It has been too long. I've been doing schoolwork and junk. You know how that is. I'm in my third year of my journalism degree and my 20th year of life. It is a busy time.

Anyway, here is a selection of wonderful mail we've been receiving.

The following is from Coby Klar:

fuck u u fuckin blowjob. i from Korea and i wear crocs. crocs cool!

Klar makes some excellent points. I'll admit that I was almost persuaded by his or her argument.

The following is a supportive email from Holly:

So here is my whole thing. The thing I seem to be reading the most on your website from people who love Crocs is how you have no life to be making this website. Well what kind of life do people who love Crocs have if they have time to

1. Search or find this site in the first place
2. Read what you have to say about hating crocs and last but not least
3. Send you an email complaining about you and the website...

Hmmmmm. Good questions right. Now just as a personal note. I used to be a hard core Croc hater, till one day my mother in law bought me a pair for work. I work in retail and I am constantly on my feet, these actually turned out to be very soothing to them. But I am certainly not going to bash you for having an opinion!

Mary had the following to report:

I'm seeing an increasing number of blog entries from Crocs lovers which describe horrific foot rashes gotten from them, identical to the ones I've been getting: My Crocs are kept clean and I have always worn them exclusively with socks, yet each time I wear any of my many pair of Crocs, my feet break out in clusters of extremely itchy sub-derma blisters which erupt within 2-3 days. These blisters tend to cluster at points where the shoe rubber is in direct contact with each stockinged foot. I also get nearly the same allergic reaction, only somewhat more extreme, precisely where the metal Crocs logo rivet rests against my instep, inside the shoe. If I don't wear the Crocs, I don't get this reaction; in fact, I get no foot problems whatsoever. If I wear the Crocs for so much as a couple hours, the blister rash comes back, always in identical form, and takes a week to get rid of.

Have you heard any other similar reports?

We haven't heard anything other than what you've brought to the table. How about the rest of you guys?

The following is an email from Jaime:

I think you are crazy for posting this website I love Crocs. I understand that you have a great hate for Crocs but you don't need to share that with the world. PS I am 10 years old and seem to be more mature than you, but who's to judge how intelligent a 10 year old is compared to a 30-40 year old like you.


Sincerely,
A Very Smart Ten Year Old

To which we responded as follows:

Neither of us is 30-40. And I fail to see how you can glom how mature we are from the website. Especially considering how incorrect you are about our ages.

But, thank you, Jaime, for writing. We receive little feedback from ten-year-olds. Who do you like for the next American president?

-Vincenzo A. Ravina

That email was sent BEFORE the American election. We now know that Obama won. And on behalf of the Canada-based IHATECROCS, I thank you, voting Americans, for voting in someone who seems intelligent. We'll have to wait and see if he actually does good things for your country, but I am optimistic. Good luck.

And yes, before you ask, it did make me feel like a big man to write a sarcastic email to a ten-year-old. We pick up self-esteem where we can, people.

Anyhow, we're getting down to brass tacks on the whole Spreadshirt sale thing. Tomorrow's the last day. Here be coupon codes:

USD$: NEW29
CAD$: CADNEW29

Keep up the good fight.

You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.

2009

Hello everyone and happy new year.

This is just a quick message to let you all know that Spreadshirt (the company that makes our IHATECROCS t-shirts) is putting on a 20.09% sale between now and January 16th. So, if you were planning on buying a t-shirt, don't forget to use the below coupon codes to get some money off your order! The codes only work on orders over twenty dollars, however.

Coupon codes:
USD$: NEW29
CAD$: CADNEW29

Keep up the good fight.

You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.

Hatemail from Newsweek readers

The best part of getting mail is getting hatemail. It is fun! I will tell you, I am most commonly accused of not having a life, which is always funny to me. I appreciate hatemail, because I am not a very angry person and I imagine that it must take a lot of work to get all worked up and angry at someone you have never met and probably never will meet. It's all very curious. I appreciate the effort of these hatemailers.

Here is a strange one from Michelle. She's civil and appears to agree with us.

Wow,

I can’t believe there are people that have the time to “talk about shoes” –
But, since I happened across your site – thought I would speak my mind.

Crocs are just another example of society’s acceptance of the ridiculous.
With the public at large revering cartoon characters, bad behavior, and just
plain lowering the bar for expectations, is it a wonder that Crocs would be the
epitome of fashion?

Please – don’t waste the internet on anymore stupidity.

Alex, on the other hand, is not coy about it:

how can you be so stupid? i don't like them either , but waste your fucking time doing that.
you must be very miserable, go find a pussy and do something for yourself.
don't be ridiculous, who are you to judge people , if you are the one in the video ,you need to look at yourself in the mirror and do something about you own look, ASS HOLE!

That is just harsh. But it gets harsher! Here is one from "T Gackt":

Nice blog you FUCKIN STUPID ASS DIPSHIT!!!
GET A FUCKIN LIFE!!!
My entire family wheres Crocs. They fuckin rock!
YOU FUCKIN SUCK SHIT!!! WHO GIVES A SHIT ASS FUCK ABOUT FASHION YOU FUCK!!!
FUCK YOUR FUCKIN BLOG!!! FUCK FUCKIN YOU!!!

The poor guy seems to be having problems with his shift key. Maybe it sticks. Here is a perplexing one from Jason:

You are a bunch of idiots to come up with such a stupid website. Jealousy is an ugly emotion. I love the fact that the company is smart enough to advertise on your website , You are nothing more than advertising for Crocs. This is more than a fad and if you would be smart enough to try a pair on you would also understand why smart people were Crocs. Were do people like you have time for creating such stupid websites.

1. I can't imagine what we are meant to be jealous of. Croc-wearers? No. Crocs, the company? Not particularly. I mean, if offered the chance to make millions just by encouraging people to wear stupid shoes, I'd probably go for it, actually. You heard it here first, people. If offered millions, I am willing to sell out.

2. Crocs doesn't advertise here. There's some kind of algorithm that picks up words on the site and picks stuff to advertise. Naturally, it picks Crocs.

3. I have tried on a pair. I found them to be strange and cumbersome. You're right, though. I've never tried to actually become a pair of Crocs. I really never knew that smart people were Crocs. I'm glad they got a chance to regain their human forms, anyway.

4. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, LEARN THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WHERE, WERE AND WEAR. I hate errors like that more than I hate Crocs.

Moving on... An email from Travis!

What is wrong with you people? Have you ever been out of the country? Clogs have been around for some time now, so, how do you deem it necessary to think that we need to abolish something that other people like? I don’t like them either, but its not my business to dictate who wears clogs, nor is it yours. That is why we live in a free country and get to decide on what ugly thing we wear next.

A lot of people who write in to our site don't believe in freedom of speech, just the freedom of being able to wear ugly shoes. Also, he asks whether I have been out of the country. My answer is 'Yes, a great many times.' To Italy, to Austria, to Switzerland, to London, England, to New York City, to Tunisia, to Peru, to Boston... And I've been to many of the provinces in my own country (Canada). I fail to see the relevance of the question.

Sarah really tears into us:

Hey. You guys should just shut up!! Just because you don't like crocs, doesn't mean that everyone else should go along with you!!. And it is definately not important enough to make a stupid website about it or have a FACEBOOK group!!! I like Crocs. They are comfortable and you can pass them off as tennis shoes in gym class because of the strap!! You are just idiots!! You don't have to like crocs. You are entitled to your own opinions, but you don't have to be so public and pushy about it. I have to go buy some more Crocs for school. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

See you never!!

I'm sorry that I was so pushy as to force you to visit my website, click on the email link and have you email us. My bad, as the kids say.

Michael has this to say:

U stupid noobs r so stuped! Crocs are the best shoes ever!U suck for making this website.

And if you thought that was the tersest hatemail, check out this one from Coby:

go fuck yourself,, fuck you..

Anyway, thanks to all of you who sent hatemail! It was all very amusing.



You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.

Email from Newsweek reader Stacie, former Crocs employee

In the second installment of our recurring feature called 'Emails from Newsweek readers', I bring you an email from Stacie:

Call me slow, but I just stumbled onto your website today as a link from the Newsweek article. Anyhoo, I love it! Long story short, I worked at Crocs 2+ years ago and it was hands down the worst job I have ever had.

My two previous jobs I had been at for 5 and 5 1/2 years, I lasted a mere 7 weeks at Crocs. I started there as the Art Director which was a new position in the company. Needless to say, it was a cluster from day one. The environment was complete chaos. Everyone running around trying to capitalize on opportunities and doing things half-assed. My supervisor would dump a ton of work on me, then leave early to go running. My average day lasted anywhere from 14 - 17 hours including working over the weekends to meet impossible deadlines.

The ethics of the company were questionable as well. The saying in the office was "you worked at Crocs because you were either related to someone or sleeping with someone" and that was true. The CEO's wife and daughter worked there and the daughter was the completely clueless footwear product manager. The web guy's wife was related to one of the owners. One of the vice-presidents was dating a girl in the Rx division...so on and so forth. It was literally enough to make you sick.

I was there about 3 weeks when I realized I had made a terrible error in judgement and desparately needed to get out. Luckily, another company that I had interviewed with offered me a position which was my saving grace. Just showing up to work at Crocs made me physically ill. I'm am glad that I got out and yes, for more reasons than the fact they are ugly-ass shoes, I too HATE Crocs!!!


-Stacie

Good times! Thanks for writing!

You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.

Emails from Newsweek readers

I'm announcing a new regular feature we're going to have here on IHATECROCSDOTCOM. It is called, 'Emails from Newsweek readers'. We got a lot of emails from them, and some of them are interesting and fit for our site. As long time readers know, I had my Gmail account hooked up to a ticker tape machine in the drawing room in the east wing of the manor ages ago. In the past few days, I have seen the drawing room fill with ticker tape from floor to ceiling. I've had to install a new ticker tape machine, though I installed it outside, near the croquet field.

Anyway, I thinking I'll be posting one new great email every few days until we run out of amusing emails.

To start us off, here's a great one from Daniel:

Greetings,

I'm an English teacher in South Korea. Generally speaking, I have a pleasant disposition with my students. Some of them I even like.

One day, I found myself filled with an odd, irrational disgust directed at a particular student, a kind and well-meaning girl named Suhjin. I'd always enjoyed her, she tries hard and participates, but I couldn't shake the feeling that, for some reason, I now despised her.

The feeling persisted. It wasn't an odor. Nor was it dehydration or a few nights of bad sleep. No matter how I felt, seeing her suddenly filled me with an intense revulsion.

A week or so of this, and suddenly I began to feel the same way about another student. And then one of our other teachers on staff. At this point, I saw the connection.

I'm not what you would call fashion conscious, and Korea is usually behind the times with everything Western, so I'd never heard of Crocs. All I knew was that I suddenly realized what was going on. It was the teacher, a short fellow named Henry. "What. The hell. Are those?" I asked, pointing to his feet.

He was wearing what I would later discover were called "Designer Crocs," dark-toned, slimmer at the heel, and padded with a faux-suede fur-lining. The rest of his outfit? Business slacks, dress shirt, and tie. "What are you wearing?" I asked. My disgust with him reached profound levels.

"They're Crocs!" he said proudly.

I physically recoiled. "My God," I thought. "He's lost his mind." When Suhjin came to class, I realized that she was sporting a neon orange pair. I suddenly saw them everywhere.

Let me be clear: I INSTINCTIVELY, and SUBCONSCIOUSLY hated these things before I was even aware they existed. I perceived them the way you might perceive, say, the sound of a humming refrigerator. Or the feel of your own tongue in your mouth. Something you know is there without realizing you know. I perceived them, and my body reacted with innate horror and hatred. I thought, for the longest time, that maybe something was wrong with me. Maybe I was just wired wrong. You know, how some people, for some reason, simply can't stand the taste of pizza or think prune juice is tastier than Pepsi.

And then, saints be praised, I found your website. Thank you for letting me know that there are others like me out there. The only thing that bums me out now is the knowledge that, since Seoul is usually a year or two behind the states with things like fashion and movies, long after you all enjoy the demise of the Crocs, I'll still have to put up with them.

Fight the good fight.

--Daniel

Thanks, Daniel!

You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.

i got a lot of email today

I think we're getting new readers because we've been mentioned in Newsweek! LINK. That is what I have been told by means of email, anyway. Thank you all for coming down to the site. We hate Crocs here. Why? Because they are to your eyes what secondhand smoke is to your lungs.

Anyway, I will copy and paste stuff from old entries. This kills two birds, because 1. I don't have the time to write a whole new entry because I am killing myself trying to finish an article by deadline for the local weekly newspaper, and 2. This will be helpful to our new readers. Welcome, all of you. Those who agree with us and also those who disagree.

I am Vincenzo Ravina. I run the website. My personal website is located at VincenzoRavina.com. Kate Leth started the website with me. Her personal site is located here: KateLeth.com.

Oh, we also sell t-shirts and pins and things. I'll get that out of the way right here.

You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.



And we have burned Crocs as well as cut them with scissors. Video footage is here:





Kate and I wrote an article for Emirates Today ages ago on the subject of Crocs. Click on the image to make it readable.

crocs story from zach and wisdom teeth

Hi everyone.

I got my wisdom teeth out this morning. It was interesting! I spent most of my morning pretty drugged up. Want to see the text messages I sent Kate right after the surgery? Yes you do!

"Done. I was axxajjk tge whole tgme."

"Iwedfeel weaqp. Gt 's so"

"My mouth is edul ofblood. I feddl good. I takej to everybeey."

I have absolutely no idea what the second text message means. Not a single clue. Anyway, I'm no longer drugged out of my mind, because they didn't give me a prescription for the good stuff, just ibuprofen. Lame. Although it does make the spaces where teeth used to be less painful. For this, I am thankful.

Zach sent in a crocs story for us! Check it out:

So, I am heading south on New Ballas Road, trying to make a left onto Ladue. I am first in a left-turning red light. It is 2:30pm on a Tuesday, and I am waiting for this light to turn green, so I can get to the office. I hate waiting. All Israelis...Boom...do. What the heck was that? I hear a noise, a bang, and am quite shaken. Could someone just hit me from behind? Shit... I go out of the car, and a guy walks out of his car. He is in his mid-forties, greyish hair, sloppy dress, total mess in his 2-door silver Mercedes. Several large cups of Lion's Den (or whatever that fast food chain is called) are sitting in the passenger seat on a pile of lots and lots of paper. I wonder what is in these cups...

The guy apologizes for hitting me. Apparently, this is a new car, and he says that he is not used to the breaks. The Green crocs he is so proudly wearing, i think to myself, do not press the pedal well. I truly feel bad for him. I ask him to pull aside into a driveway on Ladue so we can talk this out. We get there and I look down to check my bumper. Despite the flashes from his lime-green crocs I see that my bumper is cracked. He, again, apologizes. He tells me his name and asks me that we settle it without involving the insurance company.

"You have kids?" he asks.
"No, I do not.".
"My four-year-old took my wallet. You know, they do these things when they are that age."

I recall all the wallets I took from my parents when I was four. Those were some days. My brother used to do that when he was a kid, too.

"Anyway, I do not have my license or my insurance information. I am willing to pay you $100 for the damages right now."
"$100 is not going to cover this damage." I immediately reply.

This is definitely one of those what-to-do moments. My students are familiar with those, in a different context of course.

"You know, the dealer is just up the street. Let's go there and get an estimate for the damage." I reply.
"Well, I have a meeting at 3pm. I'd hate to miss it." he says.
"You will have to miss it, man, I have some meetings myself, and it does not look i will make them either."

So, he agrees, shakes my hand, telling me how great I am. How the heck did he figure it out, I ponder.

Off we go. I take a quick glance at his license plate, get into my car, and write it down. Two minutes later, we are approaching the dealership. He is behind me, and I am watching so that he will not bump into me again. I signal to make a left into the dealership. And....off he goes, turning to the right lane, and getting away!!!! Wow, now i gotta think fast. I immediately think that you do not mess with the Zohan.

So, I switch to the right lane, carefully, making sure I do not hit the other cars. It is quite heavy traffic and I see him turning right onto Olive. I am after him, dialing 911 on my cell phone. Luckily, I have a blue-tooth enabled phone. Gosh, I love gadgets. My Garmin GPS is not yet working. It is sitting in its box in the trunk, unopened, as I have just received it the day before, but did not have time to activate yet.

The runaway man presses his lime-green-croced foot onto the pedal and drives away. "I am in a chase, yay!", I think. But immediately have to calm myself and think what to do next.

"Creve Coeur Poilce Department. If you are in a car chase after a green- croced-man, do not press anything, just speak"
"Hi, I am on Olive, driving east, and I am chasing a car that hit me earlier and is now running away. His license plate is YYY-111" (Unfortunately, I cannot reveal this information)"
"Ok, stay calm, I am on the case. What is the cross-street?"
"Craig Road"
"OK, stay behind..."
"He is turning right on Graeser. I am behind him"
"Ok. it looks like he is going home. Park your car and wait for the officers to get there"

I do as I am told. In the meantime, I lose him. Two minutes later, the officers get there. 3 cars. One of them stays with me. The other two, I assume, go to look for the green-croced man. I tell my officer the entire story, and about 10 minutes later he says:
"They have the guy. They want you to join me in my car and do a drive-by so that you could identify the person."

Wow, me in a police car. That is a first.

"Sure, I will join you."

I have to sit in the back, because a police volunteer is sitting in the front. "Buckle up."
"Oh, right.."
So, I am in a police car now, heading south.

"So, what were some distinctive features of the person?" The officer asks.
"He was white, mid-forties, grey hair, little belly, and he had neon-green crocs on."

The car is turning right. It is a well-to-do subdivision, full of trees. And there is an aurora in the horizon. A green shade lights up the sky. Two police cars are parked in the distance. It seems that the green shade is emanating from the ground, the driveway. Oh, right. It is the green crocs, and there is that man in them!!! He is trying to walk straight to the orders of the officer who is standing next to him. He is very shaking, poor guy. I did not know that the material from this gross plastic can quickly impact one's mental demeanor.

"That's him" I tell the officer.
"How do you know?"
"Well, can't you see? the green Aurora...the little smiling alligator, that annoying two-position buckle that you can place either to the front of your foot or pressed against the back of it? That's him!!!"

"We have a positive ID." The officer says in the walkie-talkie to the other officer.
"The green crocs?" The other officer replies.
"Oh, yeah, they did another one in".

There you have it.

back from new york

OK, so I've been back from New York for AWHILE. I just haven't updated. So, New York was awesome and my visit to the Mad Magazine offices were a dream come true, since I've been wanting to visit those offices since I was a kid. I've been reading Mad Magazine since my mother would let me. And to be shown around by Dick DeBartolo, a living legend, was just amazing. But you probably don't care about that! If you do, there are pictures of my trip at my personal journal, HERE.

Anyway, what is new in the world of Crocs? Well, we've got this story that Coral emailed us. Check it out.

(Email removed by request)

Thanks for writing, Coral.

The European Championship is going on! GO ITALY.

out of office autoreply

I'm off to New York, everybody. Heading off to the airport in a couple hours. Hold down the fort, OK? Don't burn the carpet.

people who enjoy crocs are perplexing

Hey guys,

I'm heading to New York in five days, which should be fun. In addition to the usual touristy things, I'm going to visit the Mad Magazine offices. I'm pretty pleased about that. Anyway, I recently received a strange email. The perplexing email is from a man named Michael Peacock, which is a pretty sweet name.

I absolutely love what you are doing for Crocs wearers everywhere. I hate following trends and, although I don't go out of my way to be "counterculture", when I like something it is disappointing to find that everyone else is doing it. I must, therefore, extend my deepest gratitude to you for discouraging the masses who cannot think for themselves from wearing my favorite shoes. I happen to love them; the uglier the better. They're more comfortable than Birkenstocks and a third the price. What do they look good with? Absolutely nothing, so I never have to worry about whether my shoes go with my outfit. The charms thing? It's just so lame I love it. And now I don't have to worry about anyone thinking I'm gay, because if I was I would never be seen wearing something so atrocious.

So keep up the good work! And if you have lots of extra time on your hands (and clearly you do) maybe you should start a website about how lame mutton-chop sideburns are. That used to be my thing, and now everyone else is doing it.

You're welcome, Michael Peacock. Keep up the good work. Very perplexing.

Anyway, that's all for now.

See you in New York.

***

You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.

drip drip drop little april showers

From The Financial Post:

Crocs aren't hip anymore - news that may make you ecstatic or depressed, depending on your fashion sense - and workers at a Quebec City factory are paying the price.

The namesake shoe of Colorado-based Crocs Inc. isn't bringing in the same rush of people as in their peak in 2004, forcing the company to ship its Canadian manufacturing south to Mexico after less than six years in operation, putting more than 600 employees out of work.

It only took two years for the company to go from the largest footwear IPO in history to back-of-the-closet obscurity.

"Crocs bites the dust," Robert Samuels, an analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., said in a note.

Crocs CEO Ron Snyder blames the slowdown in demand on poor Croc-wearing weather and a dismal retail climate, but the more obvious answer, as with any of-the-moment trend, is that people are shunning the shoes many feel are just plain ugly.

"The brand's popularity is in sharp decline, and it is tough to argue otherwise," Mr. Samuels wrote.

It begins. It took a bit longer than we'd expected, but it is happening, inevitably. The full story is HERE.

The seasons are changing here in good ole Halifax. It has been quite warm the past few days, which I rather enjoy. I went to the mall today and saw an old lady wearing one sneaker and one yellow Croc. It struck me as strange. Very unusual. Typically, people wear shoes that match. Perhaps it is this summer's new trend?

In any case, the company that produces our t-shirts, Spreadshirt is running a promotion for springtime! For this weekend only, if you live in the States and you're ordering something from our store, you can get free shipping by entering the coupon code 'SPRINGFREE' when you're checking out. If you're Canadian (like me), you can enter the coupon code 'CADSPRINGFREE' and get five dollars off your shipping. Not a bad deal, especially if you were planning on ordering something anyway. You can get to the shop by clicking HERE.

april brings the crocs out

I forgot to mention in the last post, but we were mentioned on Norwegian TV during some kind of Crocs debate. Thanks to everyone that wrote in to let us know!

I realize I haven't been posting that much lately, but I have a couple reasons for this! Firstly, here in Canada, it has just stopped being winter. Thankfully, Crocs tend to hibernate during the winter. Except for the especially stupid Crocs, but what can you do, right? My second reason for posting only about once a month is that second year journalism is insane. The amount of work in Radio Broadcasting and Reporting Techniques is quite huge, let me tell you. And of course, I have a great many other classes.

Anyway, look! This is the second post I've written for April! And they're so close to each other! Incredible! This is because I am very close to being done school. I've just got two more days of classes and then a couple exams. And then I'm done! Joyous.

And it is my birthday on the 9th! Hooray.

Here's an email we got:

I thought you guys might appreciate this video.

http://www.ourstage.com/video/channel/66-cmf/RZSAPPULOVNR-crocs-pit-of-despair

If you guys enjoy it, I would appreciate it if you could post the link on your site!

Thanks,

Kevin Franklin

The video is pretty funny. Alright, have a good one guys.

vincenzo's shoes

Hi everyone!

As promised, I bring to you pictures of my shoes. Now, the first couple are old shoes and, naturally, they are a bit beat up. I don't wear them that much anymore because... well, they're beat up. The last two, I wear more often. They're newer and less beat up. There you have it.









Alright. There you go. My shoes. What do you think? Am I the person who ought to be ashamed? How dare I make fun of people in Crocs when I'm wearing these monstrosities? Is that the consensus? I don't know! This is the first time I've given you ammo. Well, there you go. Have fun.

Also, if you've ever wondered what's inside my wallet, BOY HAVE I GOT A WEBSITE FOR YOU. Yes, www.WalletMuseum.com is the home of the Wallet Museum, which is usually located in my back pocket and contains an abundance of flat or mostly flat objects. When my wallet gets too thick, the objects get moved to a box in my closet. As such, I've been collecting flat or mostly flat objects for several years now. I decided to begin the rather daunting task of converting the various pieces in the museum over to a digital format. CLICK HERE to check it out.

a thoughtful letter

We received the following very thoughtful email from Sarah L:

Hi Crocs haters,

Although we have theological differences regarding footwear, I have to say that I enjoyed watching your videos on Facebook today. I really would love it if you tried microwaving a pair of Crocs - their website strongly urges you not to unless you want to miniaturize your shoes.
Your site and its logo are pretty clever. Keep up the good work.

Can I share my own love/hate crocs story with you? In the fast few years of college, I have gone from hating to adoring to tolerating these bizarre shoes. First, I thought they were fugly. Then, my friend Maura bought 3 pairs and I caved in to buy some for my closed-toe-shoe requiring summer job. $55 dollars and a year later, I have narrowed the times and places where these shoes are acceptable.

Pro Crocs points

• First and foremost, the circulation-stimulating nubby things on the sole helped me though my recovery from a circulatory disorder. Thanks to the bumpy footbed, my legs didn't get nearly as tired and cramped and I could actually walk or stand for long periods of time.
  
• The waterproof/quick drying nature of the shoes is great during the warm spring deluges that attack my area of Tidewater Virginia. More stable than flip-flops, less soggy than sneakers.
  
• On little kids, these are easy to slip on and off. Also you can remove sandbox debris easily. I worked at a preschool this summer, and boy was I glad half my kids didn't need shoelaces tied every 2 seconds.
  
• The Crocs company is gradually seeing the light about the hideousness of their shoe, and offering more conventional looking options.
  
• In a neutral color worn with long pants, Crocs are less garish. (Mine are a tasteful beige. I also own the silver ballet flats)
  

Anti Crocs points

• Scrapbooking housewives embrace the most hideous hot pink variation of the shoe. Do I want to be associated with that demographic? Will my shoes make me give bad first impressions?
  
• You do walk funny in them.
  
• The sizing is odd - they run large because the shoes stretch out as you break them in.
  
• You get pebbles, mulch, and dirt inside your shoes constantly.
  
• The Crocs site advises you to "treat your feet to a new pair" once the tread is worn out. This a nice way of saying that once you have worn them to death, you will lose any traction once the shoes get wet. Some friends and I have almost wiped out on tile floors thanks to wet, treadless crocs.
  
• And now for the weirdest Crocs story ever - they may be "anti-microbial" but they also absorb odors. After filling up my parent's car with gas like the good daughter I am, I discovered that some gasoline residue on the pavement had seeped into the bottom of my shoes. The Crocs reeked of Exxon-Mobil so badly my mom banished them from the house. Several hosings, scrubbings, and nights on the front porch didn't help. Finally, after a day or so of running around campus, the smell was gone. But now I have to watch where I step at the gas station.
  

As time passes and I get ready to head out into the "real world", I think my Crocs will have to be relegated to a role as house slippers and rain shoes. Although those new sandals look kindof cute..... If Crocs want to keep my business I suggest they sell nubby innersoles I can put in my normal-looking shoes.

Keep on hatin'
Sarah L

Interesting stuff! Anyway, what's happening in your life, everyone? Me, I'm fine. Journalism school is getting tougher, you know how it is. I recently read a Sue Grafton novel and it only sucked slightly less than I thought it would. Anyway, I think what I'll update with next is a series of photos of the shoes that I wear. Then you can insult my taste and it will be grand.

How about that TV show Lost? I love that show.