The curious incident of the flying shoe

What you need to know about Middle-Eastern culture and heritage is that foot level carries alot of gravitas.

Years of conditioning prompt the auto removal of footwear at the door before even clocking the ethnicity of the homeowner. Upside down shoes with their soles to the heavens will be turned over. Sitting with feet up will likely be accompanied with begging the pardon of the person sat squarely infront. Holy and important books will never be placed on the floor. The ultimate physical act of prayer is to prostate yourself to the ground. Sometimes you'll even see elderly people being greeted by a kiss to the knee or lower in an act of respect. Tyrant's statues will be stamped on. The flip-flop is the choice method of running with after unruly brats, though I can't say I ever actually saw anyone struck, it was more the symbolism of it.

And that's exactly it. Symbolism. The shoe essentially carries the dirt of the earth outside. It envelopes the lowest part of the body. The ground, the most humble level. The Americans flip a finger/give the bird, we Britains stick two fingers up, the Arabs show their disdain by sticking their shoe/foot in your direction. Actually throwing the shoe? Well, that's a really pissed off Arab.

I'm not going to lie to you, the news of the "shoe-ing" did the rounds pretty quick, accompanied with tremendous hilarity and much joviality. "Barad galbuh!", literally, "He's cooled his heart", meaning "Poor man, he's comforted himself/ Got it off his chest", they repeated. What amused me was how eloquently and perfectly quintessentially Arab an insult it was. I see my nemesis Facebook already has a number of fan groups dedicated to the incident, one of which already has over 27 thousand members, and someone's actually gone and made a game you can play at home..not that I would ever condone such behaviour..obviously..