RAWR!

why the fuck would you spend hundreds on boots if ur running low on money?
My GF is nagging me to buy new shoes (and had same one for like 2 years) and i don't really care lol

Some chicks are there for the money, for don't give a crap, just go for the second type. I actually think there is a lot of the second type.

I just noticed that browser was left open and wanted to just do a rundown on hiking boots. I am not going to buy any hiking boots anytime soon but I appreciate the design.

It will become clear pretty quickly that I don't have a lot of money so trying to spend to show status or to win women's approval is going to be a losing strategy. I am in a place where I am not spending much thought trying to win women's approval or get validation through fucking women anyway. Surprise surprise I am getting more attention from higher quality women. I would rather extend my current vacation over anything I can think of at the moment. So, I don't even really care if I go on dates or have sex. I don't see this as permanent. Nothing is. Ideally I find something that I would rather be doing or more likely I will get a bit sick of the sameness or also likely I will run out of money. I think I can actually cope with the sameness but I will eventually run out of money. So, maybe I have to work part time at a grocery store or a coffee shop or a tattoo shop or an art shop. That's likely what is going to happen and maybe I would rather just work 20 hours and never eat out and eat soups and not date and not have sex or maybe I will think of something that is tolerable for 40 hours. The problem is it is difficult to find something tolerable and more in line with a living wage unless I get more education or go back to corporate America. I don't like university or corporate America so it seems like I am just kind of stuck.... for the rest of my life.....

I don't know why I opened this blog with hiking books. I just had that browser open and buried and saw it and asked a question, "why do I covet these?"

Why do I covet ass? Big breasts? Symmetry? Model looks?

This one girl on Tinder had the most beautiful ass. Why does a picture affect me? Another had perfect facial symmetry. I got a bit lost in it for a second.

Another thing. I was talking to a friend of mine today. Real cool guy. He was retired from the Army and spent most of his time painting and renovating this amazing space he was able to purchase with the military money. It's almost a bit sad. He went back to school and got 2 Master's degrees and now he is in the grips of corporate America. At least he could take my call for a bit but all he was talking about was growth potential, return on investments, and all sorts of real estate buzz words. I hope he's doing well.

Calf leather, really? You created a blog to show us that? What about if it was made from 5% puppy leather, coming straight from a puppy slaughter factory, and you could even choose which puppy gets slaughtered for your boots at no extra price! Wouldn't that be the bee's knees?

Kudu leather is really "hip" antelope leather...... In all honestly they probably do it in an extremely brutal way and since it is "rare" margins start going through the roof. I think I saw it costs Nike 87c to make an Air Jordan shoe. I don't think that included the marketing but still. Retail is like $300.

Leather jackets, leather boots, leather belts are "cool," "timeless," "classic." There is going to have to be a shift in the matrix. If a designer can put... see they even brand it "cool." "Kudu leather." They could just call it "hide of an antelope we brutally beat to death and skinned" and then they would be fucked. Anyway, the point I want to make is that ...

Well, first of all. These are my "hiking boots"

https://www.zappos.com/p/merrell-vapo...lack-silver/product/8895544/color/147

Not horrible design wise. VEGAN. I despise the large Merrel on the side of the shoe but anyways these were for hiking. I wore them with out socks and after 6 months of heavy hiking they got completely beat up and smell like feet.

I don't even know if that is relevant. Anyways, I've looked through a host of vegan hiking boots and I am not thrilled. Maybe design should not be as important to me as it is but it is. Unless the designers start making vegan shit and the "cool bad boys/girls" stop wearing leather shit isn't going to change. Now, you have rekindled my concern in regards to vegan clothing but I am too broke to be an offender! The only leather I own are some boots I bought 5 years ago and yes I do still wear them because they are dope and I am attached to them and do not want to give them away. I gave some rare air jordans to goodwill in the last year. I really wanted to burn them but maybe a high school kid can avoid bullying because he has a fresh pair of jordans. Who the fuck knows? It is also really hard to keep track of everything we shouldn't be buying especially when considering animal testing. I am not supposed to have tattoos because some people practice on pigs?! I remember one time I actually looked through a lot of the stuff I use and was like shit I have to throw this all out and buy some bullshit at Whole Foods. I am actually willing to make sacrifices but that doesn't mean I am not going to bitch about it for a little bit.

So, I stand by my claim that those are the boots of the future if they were artificial leather. Or, fuck artificial leather just find a better material anyways. No one wants to wear "artificial leather." The whole situation needs to get re-branded. But, we shouldn't be murdering animals to look "dope." I still can't let go of "dope" although I pretty much have been only wearing black t-shirts and flowery linen shorts and sandals. That's my 80 F+ uniform.

I think you covet those boots for the same reason you find it necessary to make an essay long post because someone called you out for wanting boots that have calf leather in them. I think you lack confidence and are seeking acceptance. You don't need $700 boots to fit in and you don't need to justify yourself to every vegan that calls you out, and you definitely don't need to throw your shit away so that you can buy new shit from Whole Foods.

hmmmmmm, lacking confidence? Maybe. Seeking acceptance? The boots aren't really a good example. A dope designer made some dope boots that I like. I have better taste and the designer has better taste than most (a discussion on taste could be interesting). I don't know if I am really seeking acceptance. It is more so a status play. Now, if we replace the leather with some other materials I still think it's a dope boot. That is the future. I mean like there is a reason pima cotton is more expensive than polyester. I don't know if vegans can even wear cashmere? Everything just needs to be completely re-branded but all you need to do is rub your face against a cashmere scarf and you go wow. Most human beings that aren't monks are to some degree a hedonist. If I wanted to fit in I would just wear nikes and polo like in high school or fucking vineyard vines or hugo boss or whatever the fuck is chic middle America these days but I don't give a fuck about fitting in with middle America. I just want a handful of quality friends. I wear black t-shirts, flowery linen shorts, and sandals with 0 branding because it's hot as fuck outside and I don't want to fuss with what I am wearing. I am mostly friends with punks and artists these days. I fit in because of my humor and beliefs.

Loco and myself just like to have discussions. He should call me out. It's not even really justifying on my part more bitching and moaning on this topic. I know he is right. I know that being a vegan is the right thing to do but I don't want to do it. Too many attachments. I can't let go of the matrix but really if I think about it and if I go with my gut the leather jackets that Brad Pitt wears in Fight Club or Marlon Brando, or the Rolling Stones, the chelsea boots Kanye, Harry Styles, Lenny Kravitz wear, the Matthew Williams hiking boot, my expensive body wash that I bought because Christian Grey uses expensive body wash, this filet mignon, this burger, this bbq, it's all bullshit. Well, it's not all bullshit. The feelings I have surrounding an asado or going to a nice restaurant with friends is not bullshit. This idea that I need to order a steak to be a man is bullshit or even ordering a lot of food or finishing my food it's bullshit.

I don't need to throw my shit away but I should be using less products anyway and like on the expensive body wash I can just use it up and replenish with a vegan option. I keep my hair buzzed at a number 2 and just let my beard grow until I get a haircut and then I get it trimmed along with my hair. I really only need some sort of body wash and deodorant and I only occasionally shampoo my hair. Yes, there is a beard comb and beard oil as well but it is liberating compared to the days I thought I needed a great haircut and a daily clean shave. There is something to be said for the minimalist movement as well.

How do the boots show status? Hiking boots are only worn when hiking and people won't notice they are worth that much, they just look like ordinary boots to me; but i am not very observant of that kind of stuff.

It's tough finding the right t-shirt. Ya know, I have bought some band t-shirts and they go cheapo. It really is a bit of a shame. They shrink like crazy and the collars start getting raggedy and they just don't fit right.

I go with $30 t-shirts. The sticker shock may get some people but they last a long time and have a bit better of a fit and the cotton is nicer. I wear them everyday so i may wear 1 6x in a month. 72x a year. That's less than 50c a wear over the course of the year so not really a big deal. I have had some for years.

You know to get the exact texture and fit I want I might have to spend $200/t-shirt. I remember I was looking into making my own t-shirts. That was fun. I made some designs and then I also designed some art for them. It was a lot of fun. I never did go through with it. It's easier to just buy $30 t-shirts.

On May 17 2018 02:43 Stroggoz wrote: How do the boots show status? Hiking boots are only worn when hiking and people won't notice they are worth that much, they just look like ordinary boots to me; but i am not very observant of that kind of stuff.

I didn't say they showed status I said it was a status play and maybe I misspoke. My key point was that I wouldn't get them for acceptance. But, I have been in this position before when buying a dope product that no one really knows about. Sooner or later someone will comment on the shoes acknowledging that they are dope and in turn in the matrix that means I am dope. You kind of see what I am saying? Sometimes they will ask where did you get them? What are they? etc. It is kind of further acknowledging in the matrix that I am a cool person with taste. If they actually look up the boots in this case they are $700+ from an up and coming designer that is a lot of status in the matrix.

I am attempting to exit the matrix though but certain trinkets and goblets still attract my attention. The thing is we have to wear shoes. It would actually be my dream to start designing vegan (barefoot) shoes that are actually dope. I know a lot of current vegans probably don't care about that but both vegan and barefoot shoes should be the future.

These aren't bad

I would never wear those though.

I like these

I would buy these but I am not buying "stuff" at the moment.

This is ok... actually I don't really like it

Close but not really.

Shoemaking seems really in depth though. I would just like to do the drawings. Figure out ways to use cheaper materials. We need to get over this stigma of "cheap." The factories would be expensive as hell though. All these fuckers already own the land and production. It's always a negotiation. No factory. No shoe. I would be content to just design them.

On May 16 2018 20:23 RiKD wrote: Kudu leather is really "hip" antelope leather...... In all honestly they probably do it in an extremely brutal way and since it is "rare" margins start going through the roof. I think I saw it costs Nike 87c to make an Air Jordan shoe. I don't think that included the marketing but still. Retail is like $300. Leather jackets, leather boots, leather belts are "cool," "timeless," "classic." There is going to have to be a shift in the matrix. If a designer can put... see they even brand it "cool." "Kudu leather." They could just call it "hide of an antelope we brutally beat to death and skinned" and then they would be fucked. Anyway, the point I want to make is that ... Well, first of all. These are my "hiking boots" https://www.zappos.com/p/merrell-vapo...lack-silver/product/8895544/color/147 Not horrible design wise. VEGAN. I despise the large Merrel on the side of the shoe but anyways these were for hiking. I wore them with out socks and after 6 months of heavy hiking they got completely beat up and smell like feet. I don't even know if that is relevant. Anyways, I've looked through a host of vegan hiking boots and I am not thrilled. Maybe design should not be as important to me as it is but it is. Unless the designers start making vegan shit and the "cool bad boys/girls" stop wearing leather shit isn't going to change. Now, you have rekindled my concern in regards to vegan clothing but I am too broke to be an offender! The only leather I own are some boots I bought 5 years ago and yes I do still wear them because they are dope and I am attached to them and do not want to give them away. I gave some rare air jordans to goodwill in the last year. I really wanted to burn them but maybe a high school kid can avoid bullying because he has a fresh pair of jordans. Who the fuck knows? It is also really hard to keep track of everything we shouldn't be buying especially when considering animal testing. I am not supposed to have tattoos because some people practice on pigs?! I remember one time I actually looked through a lot of the stuff I use and was like shit I have to throw this all out and buy some bullshit at Whole Foods. I am actually willing to make sacrifices but that doesn't mean I am not going to bitch about it for a little bit. So, I stand by my claim that those are the boots of the future if they were artificial leather. Or, fuck artificial leather just find a better material anyways. No one wants to wear "artificial leather." The whole situation needs to get re-branded. But, we shouldn't be murdering animals to look "dope." I still can't let go of "dope" although I pretty much have been only wearing black t-shirts and flowery linen shorts and sandals. That's my 80 F+ uniform.

So even when I point it out your brain doesn't register it? It's written right next to "kudu leather". It also has calf leather, man. They are forcibly impregnating cows and then slaughtering their babies to make your dream boots. I know how disconnected people are from animal suffering, but shit, man, at least a decent amount of people feel a little odd about things like foie gras and funding an industry that's slaughtering babies in the name of fashion.

This has nothing to do with me being a vegan. I'm sure if you ask Baal he'd say he had the same internal reaction as me.

On May 17 2018 02:43 Stroggoz wrote: How do the boots show status? Hiking boots are only worn when hiking and people won't notice they are worth that much, they just look like ordinary boots to me; but i am not very observant of that kind of stuff.

Women notice shoes a lot more than us.... (i don't notice shoes at all unless its high heels).

On May 17 2018 03:41 Loco wrote: Show nested quote + On May 16 2018 20:23 RiKD wrote: Kudu leather is really "hip" antelope leather...... In all honestly they probably do it in an extremely brutal way and since it is "rare" margins start going through the roof. I think I saw it costs Nike 87c to make an Air Jordan shoe. I don't think that included the marketing but still. Retail is like $300. Leather jackets, leather boots, leather belts are "cool," "timeless," "classic." There is going to have to be a shift in the matrix. If a designer can put... see they even brand it "cool." "Kudu leather." They could just call it "hide of an antelope we brutally beat to death and skinned" and then they would be fucked. Anyway, the point I want to make is that ... Well, first of all. These are my "hiking boots" https://www.zappos.com/p/merrell-vapo...lack-silver/product/8895544/color/147 Not horrible design wise. VEGAN. I despise the large Merrel on the side of the shoe but anyways these were for hiking. I wore them with out socks and after 6 months of heavy hiking they got completely beat up and smell like feet. I don't even know if that is relevant. Anyways, I've looked through a host of vegan hiking boots and I am not thrilled. Maybe design should not be as important to me as it is but it is. Unless the designers start making vegan shit and the "cool bad boys/girls" stop wearing leather shit isn't going to change. Now, you have rekindled my concern in regards to vegan clothing but I am too broke to be an offender! The only leather I own are some boots I bought 5 years ago and yes I do still wear them because they are dope and I am attached to them and do not want to give them away. I gave some rare air jordans to goodwill in the last year. I really wanted to burn them but maybe a high school kid can avoid bullying because he has a fresh pair of jordans. Who the fuck knows? It is also really hard to keep track of everything we shouldn't be buying especially when considering animal testing. I am not supposed to have tattoos because some people practice on pigs?! I remember one time I actually looked through a lot of the stuff I use and was like shit I have to throw this all out and buy some bullshit at Whole Foods. I am actually willing to make sacrifices but that doesn't mean I am not going to bitch about it for a little bit. So, I stand by my claim that those are the boots of the future if they were artificial leather. Or, fuck artificial leather just find a better material anyways. No one wants to wear "artificial leather." The whole situation needs to get re-branded. But, we shouldn't be murdering animals to look "dope." I still can't let go of "dope" although I pretty much have been only wearing black t-shirts and flowery linen shorts and sandals. That's my 80 F+ uniform. So even when I point it out your brain doesn't register it? It's written right next to "kudu leather". It also has calf leather, man. They are forcibly impregnating cows and then slaughtering their babies to make your dream boots. I know how disconnected people are from animal suffering, but shit, man, at least a decent amount of people feel a little odd about things like foie gras and funding an industry that's slaughtering babies in the name of fashion.

I saw. My brain just went to kudu leather because it's 60%. They are bashing in the heads of more antelope than baby cows to make the boots. It's obviously bad. That's what I've been spending most of this thread talking about. Well, maybe not now that I think about it but it is why it is so important to re-brand leather and to re-brand substitute materials. When I think of a leather jacket the first thing I think of is Tyler Durden in Fight Club. When I think of chelsea boots the first thing I think of is Kate Moss's boyfriend. When I looked at those hiking boots the first thing I thought was beauty. So, I am guessing most of the free world has similar matrix-y associations. I am not thinking about the suffering of the cows I am thinking of the self-centered pleasures that the marketers sold me on. It's an uphill battle my friend. Not an easy road ahead. We need a shift in the matrix, a change of consciousness, a change in culture.

Even though the system needs to change, we still have to take personal responsibility for what we consume. But it looks like you can't escape your self-referential narcissistic loop and you don't have a care in the world for the harm that goes into the things you consume. What shocked me is that you see $700 baby-murder boots while you're unemployed and you think it's worth thinking about and sharing here as something that's appealing and interesting. It's just next level disconnectedness. This is the opposite of appealing and interesting to anyone that's not living in your disconnected world. It's not the matrix. Most people aren't experiencing that reality. It's your own.

Non-existent or unenforced animal protection laws A large portion of the leather comes from countries with non-existent or unenforced animal protection laws, such as India and China. In India the cows are marched to the slaughterhouse for days without food or water. The workers break the cows’ tails and rub chili peppers and tobbacco into their eyes forcing them to get up and walk after they collapse from exhaustion. Most animals are injured or sick when they reach the slaughterhouse. Once inside, their feet are bound together and their throats are cut, often with dirty, blunt knives in full view of one another. The floors are covered with feces, urine, blood and guts. Some animals are even skinned and dismembered alive. False or misleading product labelling The world’s leading leather exporter is China, where there are no penalties for abusing animals on farms. Apart from cattle, sheep and other animals killed for leather, approximately 2 million cats and dogs are killed for their skins each year. Dog and cat skins are used for leather gloves, belts, jacket collar trim, accessories, trinkets and cat toys. The dogs and cats spend their lives in tiny wire cages and they feel the ground beneath their feet for the first time on the day of their slaughter. At the slaughterhouse, the workers grab the dogs with metal pinchers and bash them over the head with a pole. Many dogs don’t fall unconscious, and they cry out and writhe in agony. The cats and dogs are often skinned and hacked to peaces while they’re still alive and struggling to breathe. Dog leather is also produced in Thailand, where the animals are subject to the same abuse as in China. False or misleading product labeling Products made from dog and cat leather are exported throughout the world, and they are usually not labelled, which goes for other leather products as well. Even if you buy shoes ”Made in Italy” the raw materials are probably from China or India. The products can also be intentionally mislabeled. For instance leather products made from dog leather in China can be labelled as sheep leather. Every time you buy leather there’s a very big chance that it came from a horribly abused animal.

Why isn't that beautiful? Why isn't it the future?

$700 is my entire monthly expenses if I do a shoestring budget lol

On May 17 2018 06:43 Loco wrote: Even though the system needs to change, we still have to take personal responsibility for what we consume. But it looks like you can't escape your self-referential narcissistic loop and you don't have a care in the world for the harm that goes into the things you consume. What shocked me is that you see $700 baby-murder boots while you're unemployed and you think it's worth thinking about and sharing here as something that's appealing and interesting. It's just next level disconnectedness. This is the opposite of appealing and interesting to anyone that's not living in your disconnected world. It's not the matrix. Most people aren't experiencing that reality. It's your own.

I do care if it is pointed out to me. I didn't immediately look at boots and check to see what they are made of. As I have said culture has instilled many of these self-centered cravings. B in Kill Bill, Tylder Durden in Fight Club, what GQ tells me to wear on a date is all leathered the fuck up. That can still be my first inclination. I don't have to act on it. I haven't acted on it. The conversation starter was "why do I covet these?" Different products and different price points may be a weird fascination of mine I'll admit but "why do I covet these?" was a serious question. Same with "Why do I covet nice ass? Nice breasts? Symmetry? Model looks?" Why do I think I need a leather jacket, cool belt, chelsea boots, and tattoos to attract a woman I am attracted to? The answer is I don't but I've been told that and shown that most of my life. Specifically with the boots and the tattoos I have been hit on many times by women about these items. You can say most people aren't experiencing that reality but I experience that reality and my friends have experienced that reality.

When I was writing about those boots and status I didn't really like what I wrote because I don't actually think a pair of shoes can make someone "cool" but in certain worlds it can.

This culture exists

Part of this thread for me is saying hey I am a guy that cares about this stuff but I have inclinations. Most people just have the inclinations and never even think about this stuff or haven't thought about this stuff or never will think about this stuff. Most people aren't going to read about it. Instead of Nike ads on tv we need anti-leather ads on tv. We need the Kardashians to speak up about it. Beyonce. Vegan has to become the new cool. Now, it's crazy to think that ethics need branding and advertising but they do. There is a Justice course at Harvard taught by Michael Sandel that is free. People should know about it. There should be access to quality free education. Pigs need rebranding. I mean it is simply the truth that they are clean animals and smarter than dogs. Cows need rebranding. Everything needs rebranding. Giving up leather is pretty easy. That's not a big deal at all. I hem and hawed a lot in this thread about leather jackets and chelsea boots but I obviously don't need those things. No one does. Same with furs. The animal testing is hard to keep track of. The eating vegan is annoying. That is the worst facet. I am mostly vegan now but I still have a piece of fish or some grilled chicken here and there. Actually, I've been eating shrimp because I figure they experience less suffering than chickens or fish and of course I eat clams, mussells, scallops when I can.