Wearing socks *is* a social construct

Socks keep your shoes from absorbing sweat and help prevent blisters. They’re useful beyond the social construct.

Not wearing stinky shoes is a social construct.
- I got me some of them washable insoles
Arguments like these don’t work with kids. Let them experience themselves what is best for them. And have spare socks ready in case they change their mind afterwards
- Sure, if that's a reasonable option, but letting the kid hurt themselves isn't always practical. Letting the kids find out 'messing with the pot of boiling water is bad' the hard way, as an example, is not what I would consider good parenting.
- Even if the argument doesn't persuade them at the time it still makes sense to point it out to them so that they are (hopefully) aware of it later.
Ok but wearing shoes is a social construct. People didn't wear shoes for thousands of years before shoes came along and they were just fine and full of blisters.
- Wearing shoes is definitely not just a social construct. They protect your feet.
- To some degree that's true. But these days the ground contains more dangerous objects than it used to. Specifically hazardous man-made stuff
  If it was just nature and we still mostly had like forest floor and such, then probably for the most part it'd be safe yeah. Well, with the exception of plants or animals that could damage your feet or bite you
- When Moses was walking through the desert for 40 years, he wasn’t just trying to fit in.
I don't know what the social aspect is apart from how the socks appear, but this isn't why they exist.
Edit: Damn. Some of you are threatened by not knowing what a social construct is but really want to argue about socks instead of asking DDG so you can understand wtf is going on before leaving a comment.
I'd be proud of this shit show, OP 🤣
- I love when people say "ackchyually you're wrong" without offering an alternative.
- Then why do they exist?
Functional construct

Next time the kid asks for an allowance, say that money is a social construct

parents feeding children is a social construct.
- See, I dunno about that one. I have a very strange and almost primal urge to feed kids. I think it's generic programming.

"You've made a correct observation, now please provide an argument why the social construct of x should not be adhered to. X is dumb and I don't wanna is not sufficient."

Those sound like good enough reasons to me
I think something being dumb is a perfectly valid reason to not do the thing.
- "it's just dumb" is as valid of an argument as "it just makes sense". You need a thesis along the lines of "X happens because Y".
"No, you justify your position."

They get that from their stuffed tiger.

Something being a social construct doesn't mean it's not real, or ignoring it won't negatively affect you.

Laws, money, etc. are all social constructs.

And, while it's good to challenge dumb social constructs, you should pick your battles. Nobody can fight all dumb social constructs at the same time. Is wearing socks really where you want to focus your energy?

This would be a great time to remind him that we live in a society...

Nah, kinda the worst time really. Take a good look at society right now and one could argue we utterly failed and should reject it.
- Reference. I was just suggesting that he encourage his son to become a gamer memelord is all.
- How to spot Americans on topics not related to America.
And the thing stopping the kid from being forced into child labor is a social construct.
- "You can either be a social construction-worker, or a real-ass child construction-worker."
Bottom text
- Is best text.
Wait till he finds out that time is a flat circle
Gamers rise up?

Your mom is a social construct.

Fuckin’ gottem.
Haha, I'm just picturing a dad saying, "so is your mom and I fucked the shit out of her. Now go put on your socks."
Edit: stupid autocorrect. stupid me for not noticing.

Some social constructs serve a purpose.

I like Max Stirner's perspective. Like you said, they can be useful - but we can also give them too much authority over us. It's important to be aware of that.
- Yeah, fuck socks! They don't own me!
- Exactly. Money is a useful construct, but if you look at everything associated with it it's insane. A tool for tracking the value of goods and services has resulted in wall street, crypto currency, and people burying gold in their yards. It's become a status symbol to hold this placeholder for labor without doing labor.
  I'm not necessarily on board with a moneyless society anytime soon, but I am definitely currency critical.
- Yeah!
  Mammals are a social construct. They still serve a purpose.
  What matters is what purpose they serve. Not many people are opressed by the concept of mammals.

Socks serve a practical purpose when combined with shoes. They prevent rubbing (blisters) and they keep the skin cells and oils from your feet from the insides of your shoes.

Shoes serve a practical purpose in that they protect your feet from rocks, glass, and hot pavement. Did our ancestors need shoes? No. But humans have made our environments less friendly to bare feet

Our ancestors DID need shoes. Footprints in South Africa dated to be between 75K and 136K years old show footwear in use. We invented shoes possibly 100,000 years before we invented written language.
- Do they show shoes or do they show sandals?
  Normally not a big difference, footwear is footwear. But, if we're talking about socks, then the difference becomes relevant again.
What are you talking about? The oldest shoe we've found is roughly 10000 years old.
Our ancestors absolutely needed shoes. That's why they made them.
It's really social norms, not anything else. There are probably more sharp and pointy things in the wilderness, then where we walk day to day.
My dream would be able to walk around the office barefoot and have it not even be considered weird.
- Hookworm infections are definately in decline due to wearing shoes. Ill take shoes over hookworms.
- I don't think anyone's feet would enjoy walking on asphalt at noon at 35°+
  Plus people who lived in the wilderness famously had long lives
- Not really. Socks used to be the layer of what you wore first if needed, and then wrapped your feet in animal skins as the extra outer layer we would now consider "shoes." Shoes and socks were just sort of a combined foot bag/bundle for thousands of years, and many cultures developed socks and/or shoes independently, meaning they are not a social construct if numerous cultures are inventing them for practical purposes.
I would encourage you to take a hike through Greenland barefoot and come back to me with the "humans have made our environment less friendly to bare feet" line. It is, for the most part, the exact opposite that is the case. Nature is not friendly to bare feet in the slightest hence why humans have been wearing shoes long before recorded history.
The natural world is pretty unfriendly to bare feet, too.
- Feet will naturally build up thick, tough, resilient calluses in natural environments. There have been some interesting studies done on this topic with indigenous groups.

Good point, kid, and here’s another one: those toys you want me to buy you are a social construct. Playtime? Yep. Social construct. Shall I keep going? Video games are next.

"Sure socks are a social construct, but so are the things that let you eat ice cream, watch your favorite streaming service, or play your favorite video game. In fact the only non-social construct actions you involve yourself in are eating, sleeping, and expelling bio waste. Even those you seem to have no problem follow the social rules around. If you'd like to abandon society and escape into nature free of the bounds of social constructs, you're welcome to do that when you're 18 and can afford enough to buy a plane ticket to Fairbanks, Alaska. Until then, you have to put on your socks."

If you'd like to abandon society and escape into nature
Where, exactly, can you do that? There's really no unclaimed nature out there anymore, at least none that can let a person survive on their own. And if you're not surviving on your own, you're part of a society.
- Dying by exposure to the nature or elements is very natural. Living a long and healthy life is a social construct.

Having a shit is a natural process, however doing it privately in toilets is nowadays somewhat of a social construct.
So, should I stop using the toilet and use your bed instead?

(Edit: I didn't think I needed to add an /s but...)

Not accepting every social construct isn't the same as rejecting every social construct.
- You could've just said, "please shit in my bed."
- This is a counter, specifically, to " because it is a social construct, therefore I won't do it."
Don't tell that to your kid unless you want them to start pooping in your bed.
- Ha, I've had that happen when our kids were little yet didn't think of that at all. Thanks for making me laugh and bringing back the nightmare of the midnight pooper 🤣
With the added /s it still reads like you're using an example to explain why things shouldn't be rejected based on them being social constructs. The edit just reads like you're smug about it. If that's not what you're saying, can you explain what you mean?
- can you explain what you mean?
  Yes.
Nah, use the designated shitting street just like everyone else

"Yes, but that doesn't automatically mean it's wrong or a bad thing.

'Your allowance is a social construct, so I guess we won't be doing that anymore..."

The next time they say “Socks are a social construct.” Tell them that blisters are punishment for man’s hubris.

Teenagers sometimes have to get blisters a few times before learning that it's wiser to do the smart thing even if it wasn't your idea.
Then again, I know a few adults like that too.

It is a social construct, and we live in a society… so put your damn socks on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHhbdXCzt_A

Reminds me of the time I saw people arguing on Reddit about the phrase "time is a social construct" where some people were completely incapable of understanding what that means and conflating the concept of time with the fundamental physics thingymcgee (idk how to call it and entity feels wrong).

People were trying so hard to explain that minutes, months, seasons, etc. are all arbitrary things made up only for them to retort with "but a year is a full rotation of the sun" or "seasons exist because that's how the planet changes its climate".

the fundamental physics thingymcgee (idk how to call it and entity feels wrong)
Your not wrong, "thingymcgee" is the technical term but it's still a social construct just like gravity.
- One can argue everything we know is a social construct
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructivism_(philosophy_of_science)

Just because something is a social construct doesn't mean it's a bad thing to be ignored.

Being alive is a social construct. Humans decided that some things counted as alive, and other things did not. Nature doesn't care if a bunch of chemical reactions are happening inside a cell, or in a glass tube. It has no objective definition of "alive".

Why is everyone is this comment section saying the same thing? Did I miss the part where they argue it's a bad thing?
- Did I miss the part where they argue it's a bad thing?
  The context is a kid using it to get out of doing shit, so I'd say it's a bad thing based on the reason for using the argument.
- They said the child was using to "get out of anything and everything", including wearing socks, which implicitly argues it to be a bad thing.
  The child is more or less saying that because something is a social construct, that means that they do not have to follow it.

with this heat wave, wearing any clothes is also a social construct.

More like: not wearing bedouin robes: https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-08-16/the-bedouin-lesson-a-scientific-study-proves-robes-are-the-best-garment-to-wear-in-the-desert-heat.html
- In desert heat. Humidity is a thing.

Parents feeding their kids is also a social construct. The Ancients tossed their kids in the salt mines quite early.

The children yearn for the mines
- You see, in this world there's two kinds of children, my friend: Those with Playstation 5s and those who dig.
I mean, if you have daughters send em to the work the corner. Probably a much better ROI if you can overlook being your daugher's pimp.
Sadly, the younger the daughter, probably the better ROI both over time and initially. Now I feel gross for recognizing that evil exists in this world as more than just a concept, some people embody it.

Many things are social constructs, but we also live in social groups

Yup, if you can manage to live off the grid and not have to worry about social constructs again, go for it, though I certainly wouldn't recommend it.
- lonely
- You would still be carrying the social constructs you have internalized throughout your life. You probably have the ability to think logically, and refer to things by their names, but logical thinking and language are also social constructs.

I let my kid go all flower child about the socks. he got athletes foot. Socks SPECIFICALLY are not a social construct. they prevent athletes foot.

Hygiene IS a social construct, but that doesn't mean it isn't there for a good reason.
- Exactly. Not all social constructs are bad.
- That's only if you include pointless hygiene like shaving legs and armpits. You'll legit get skin issues, infections, and possibly attract pests if you don't wash your ass.

A society is a social construct and there is a social contract to live in one.

You know, we’re living in a society! We’re supposed to act in a civilized way!
- I use that line all the time lol

Very, good. That’s correct. However social constructs have consequences for non-adherence. As much as I agree with and wold like to support your stance, this is not something for which I’m willing to invest my energy or time to resolve.

Your compliance and the requirement from me, the adult, to you the child; yep, this sucks. When I’m no longer charged with your care and have completed my duty to prepare you to operate with the constructs of society, you may make this decision for yourself.

Until that time, you can put your socks on, or I will. Your choice. Love you.

In the other vein of this, I hate sock and shoes, so I’m pretty much good with skipping all of this. There are consequences that come with that decision too.

Having a parent who clothes and feeds you is a social construct too. Funny how people think that "social construct" means that something is bad or should be dismissed when none of us would be here without social constructs.

At least this time the argument is being made by the only age group where I would give them a pass for being stupid. Unless that kid is past the age of 12, that is.

I think the point is the fact it's a social construct on its own is neither pro or against the thing itself, rather that it can/should be able to be questioned.
Yes wearing socks is a social construct, but it provides inherent benefits such as reducing the smell produced by your feet and lingering in the shoes. It also helps protect your feet further in some ways then just a shoe alone would.
- Yeah often "x is a social construct" as an argument means "you're treating it as if its immutable and a given"
- Sure, things should be questioned, but 9 out of 10 times where I have seen someone bring up social construct as an argument it has always been negative, always used to dismiss the so-called social construct. I can't really recall a single time where it has been used by people who weren't going through a rebellious phase where it's all about being a contrarian and rarely about being genuinely curious about the validity of this and that social construct. Sometimes I have also seen things that are objectively not social constructs being labeled social constructs so I have a hard time taking it seriously when it's brought up.

Nick sounds like a dipshit if he can't figure out how to argue against socks being a social construct.

Alright kid, do you know what isn't a social construct? Foot fungus. You know what prevents foot fungus, and fungus that literally eats your skin and enlarges your toenails 3 times their normal height from the bed of your nail and is incredibly hard to treat and cure? The social construct of dry socks.
At this point you Google pictures of athlete's feet, toenail fungus, and open the yeast you bought yesterday and make them smell it.

everyone replying that socks have a practical use, as if social constructs arent practical???

my issue is that even though "clothing" is a social construct, the stuff that socks are made out of is not. calling that stuff a sock is a social construct, but choosing to put the fabric on your body is not. becoming "clothed" is a social construct, but the unspecified uncategorized state of having that fabric on your body is just a physical state, not a construct. the meaning we apply to it is the thing that wouldn't exist without socially constructed systems of meaning.

It's kinda sad, i guess. I'm usually the first one to champion XYZ is a social construct, and have to deal with morons not understanding it, but here? no one is willing to say it?

Socks are not a social construct.

Social constructs are Social constructs
- true
Social constructs aren't practical.
- Not hitting dumdums on the head with a hammer whenever they say something silly is a social construct.
  Hitting dumdums on the head with a hammer when they do could also be a social construct.
  The usefulness of either method might be disputed by some but that there is practical social and individual value in not being murdered for a bad take should be obvious.
  The criticism of "that's just a social construct" is not that it is one and is therefore meaningless, but that being a construct means it could be flawed.

Not that I advocate violence, but not beating your kids, selling them on the street, or making them work in a factory is also a social contract.

Contract yes, as it pertains to laws, but I would argue construct no- since protecting one's offspring is a natural/biological impulse. It's non negotiable from a survival viewpoint, and some people have better survival instincts than others.
- You cannot invoke biology to generalize here. There are many mammals who use their offsprings as projectile decoys when they are in danger.
- We as creatures behave certain ways because of a result of biology and circumstances. How can you say anything we do isn't a natural/biological impulse. When did we stop being a part of nature? And stop being controlled by biology?

Some social constructs exist for a good reason. Part of growing is learning to tell which are good and which are bad.

Socks have a practical use, they wick sweat away from your feet - this is practical in low temps where you will wear a cotton sock with a wool sock on top of it

In cold temps I just wear a wool sock. Cotton is cold.
- The cotton will dry as the wool absorbs the sweat from it
  Could save you a toe

"Attitudes against smacking children are also a social construct..."

The proper retort would be, "so?"

"I'll socially construct the back of my hand upside your head you little shit."
- lol this is amazing

And this is why right-wingers want teaching this shit banned in schools.

As someone that grew up hating socks (parents only bought the ones with a thick seam at the toe), yes, the requirement to wear socks is a social construct. There are other ways to avoid smelly feet.

Currently, I wear shoes with washable insoles and I have multiple sets of these insoles. I also rotate between shoes, and these shoes can also go in the wash.

I do wear (nice, seamless) socks when I go hiking, but for day-to-day at the office they're unnecessary.

I was going to reply with "wait until their feet are in pain after a day without socks", but then your post happened. Looks like not everyone is built the same.
huh, i did not know there are more reasons for wearing socks than your feet being cold.
after a certain temperature i physically cannot wear socks as my feet get too hot. i either get to put on sandals, or i'll take those full shoes and socks off in the middle of whatever bullshit forces them on me
If my socks have seams at the toes, I wear them inside out. I believe I learned that from Sean Connery in Finding Forrester.
- You're the man now, dawg!
- I do that with my knit compression gloves. It's an awesome trick!
- If the sock seams bother you ,you either wear your socks or shoes, or both too tight
"You'll stop smelling after the first month of using my all natural body wash" vibes

Society is a social construct.

I get that it's a joke, but wearing socks is not a social construct-- it's a social convention, but its utility is driven primarily by non-social factors. A social construct is an idea created and maintained by society specifically for its social function, which neither socks nor the act or wearing them nor the idea that wearing socks is good, are.

Wrong, wearing socks is required to not get blisters. And shoes keep featsies safe.

This comment was written by Big Socks
- Funny, but wear your god damn socks when wearing hiking footwear etc. Even in the summer. You will suffer horribly, otherwise
- We should call lemmy “reddit’s bottom of the barrel”.

Vegetables are a social construct too.

Afaik, botanically, there is no such thing as a "vegetable". Only fruits. What we perceive as "vegetable" differs between cultures worldwide.

The botanical definition is just "edible parts of a plant". The culinary definition however does differs per culture.
Wait till you find out that some places around the world think fish meat does not count as meat and is vegetarian
- Yeah I had a friend from Grenada that told me this one day and I had trouble understanding the reasoning.
- those people are morons
- Fish is not meat, but it's also not vegetarian
- I have no problem believing that every society has ludicrous cultural vestiges that can undoubtedly be traced back to a religious practice. For example, some Pope might declare that fish isn't meat based on an example of linguistic sophistry to protect the fishing industry.

Dad: Boning your mom is a social construct.

Mom: The fuck you just say about me?

Dad: Uh...

"Sure, but your feet would still get cold."

My feet are uncomfortable without socks. Yes, even when it's hot.

Technically clothes are a social construct.

Religion as well.

Clothes as a concept started with utilitarian purposes like staying warm or cool. There are a lot of social constructs around clothes including when and what is worn in what contexts, but not the reason they exist in the first place.

Serious question:

I moved to an area that should be 5 degrees cooler on average than home, but this summer is killing me and I have a lot of stuff outside to work on, plus I recently got back on my meds, which all have heat sensitivity advisories so, yeah... probably not helping, but bipolar meds are generally fairly necessarily, unfortunately.

So, the question: Where could I purchase a legit Bedouin robe for the cooling effects; preferably online as I don't think they have too many robe shops in central AR?

I'm not afraid to look like a weirdo in my own back yard.

Hell the neighbors on one side a retired potheads with strong hippy vibes, the other side is a young family of musicians.... the dude rocks a waxed handle bar mustache regularly so I really don't care for his opinions on style. To each their own.

Thawb or dishdasha is the thing you're looking for, and easily available online. My friend brings me back some from Kuwait: the current batch is from https://aljazzerakw.com/ Truly the world's comfiest clothing

Just tell them: Socks to sock..

Some additional social constructs they may be more sentimental about: gifts, allowance, summer vacation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, doors, privacy, the internet.

Tell that to the soldiers in the US Civil War that got gangrene.

Borders are a social construct. Yet there are people killing each other about it.

Your company is a social construct. Yet it provides you with work and money.

Money is a social construct. Yet your kids still want their allowances.

we all live in our own prisons

Your mum is a social construct.

"That's exactly right... now DO it you little shit."

Social constructs are real.things, so here you go

"Very good. That's exactly right. That also includes early bedtimes, no electronics, and double servings of vegetables. All social constructs that I can establish any time you want."

😊 🫴🏀

With clothing specifically, it generally has a purpose. Socks can make you more comfortable, warm up your feet, pull sweat away from your skin and generally reduce odors... Not all of those in all cases, mind you, but depending on the circumstances and the type of sock, any/all of these could be the case.

Undergarments in general have similar stories.

All undergarments also play a role in keeping your over garments cleaner. Changing out your underpants and throwing on yesterday's jeans can get you through a day with nearly no compromises... Depending on how dirty your jeans get on an average day.

Over clothes protect you from getting dirty to a limited extent, they'll block/absorb spills that reduces the amount you have to wash/bathe/shower... It's easier to just throw on a new shirt than get into the shower and clean yourself up. Same with pants and other over garments.

Outerwear usually provides a protective element, eg jackets can help prevent things like thorns from scratching you, or keep you warm in cold weather, or dry in wet weather...

Clothes, to me, are a useful thing to be wearing, each piece serving it's own small function, all of it coming together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

There's plenty of social constructs, this is true, but clothing definitely has a practical purpose, along with so many other things.

Your feet are nasty. I don't need to see them.

Also. The world is nasty. Go raw dog the world and see how long you make it

Your feet are nasty. I don't need to see them.
Then don't look.
- My dicks out. It needs to breath.
Aren't hands much more nasty?
- Only if you don't wash them and don't clip your nails, or if you paint your nails that's also nasty

Tell that kid that yes, everything is a social construct. But without social constructs he'd be dead. Wearing socks might be all that's keeping him alive.

If people don't like social constructs, go build a shack in wilderness and don't ever make contact with other human beings again. That isn't to say there are things we do for tradition, or societal norms that constrain us in silly ways but "social construct" is not some get out of jail free excuse.

"Not accepting every social construct isn't the same as rejecting every social construct."
Also saying to go live in the wilderness alone to a child doesn't sound like the greatest idea

Health care is a social construct too.

A sandwich is a social construct. But a social construct isn't always a sandwich.

Guess we're all social constructs (tf that mean)

Love is a social construct, guess you aren't getting that either you little shit.