Shoes on a wire
What do shoes hanging on a wire mean? Why would someone intentionally take a perfectly good pair of shoes, tie the laces together then fling them up and over a wire?
Surely the phone company (Telstra, Optus) or energy supplier (Energex) isn’t impressed to find shoes hanging on the wire?
In South Africa I’d never see this, so out of curiosity and the need for an explanation, I asked some of my mates as to why they thought people throw perfectly good shoes over the lines.
Well, there appears to be a number of reasons.
Firstly, gangsters use the shoes to mark their territory. This originated and is still happens in the USA! I figure every gang member should know his hood! If he doesn’t, he should invest in the Nokia N95 cellphone with the integrated GPS!
Together with this, the type of shoe may also indicate the gang affiliation. I’ve seen Reeboks in New Farm and some cheap Chinese imports hanging in Annerley. So does this mean the Reeboks hanging in New Farm must belong to a more successful or dominant gang?
Gang members may hang the shoes to mark the spot where a gang member or friend lost their life.
This memorial is similar to the flowers left at the road side – the scene of a fatal car crash. Back in South Africa, these flowers have also been used to mark the spot where a beloved pet got run down or squashed.
Secondly, the shoes are used to identify a possible “drugs sold here location“. Why would a drug supplier mark his spot? That’s plain stupid because all the police have to do is hide a camera and they’re busted! Some old ladies have been known to rip the shoes down in fear of their neighborhood being marked a drug supplier location.
Thirdly, the shoes mark the area where a boy lost his virginity or passed another sexual milesone. But then again, it also means there’s action nearby. This has to be an urban myth.
Finally, it’s a tradition.
On the last day of school, the kids throw their shoes over the wire – marking a transition in their lives. This explanation I can understand. By the time I finished school, my shoes were totalled wrecked, so chucking them over the wire would’ve been perfectly acceptable. Would’ve been really great if this action alone irritated some of the stupid, obnoxious teachers I hated so much!
Maybe this is just what bullies do to other kids?
