Know "the truth" behind the myth of flying sneakers
Playing tennis on the wire is a common practice around the world. Different theories try to explain the origin
If you thought that that game of tying your sneakers and throwing them on the pole wire was something that only happened in your neighborhood when you were a child, you are very wrong. Residents of cities around the world have had the experience of looking up and seeing a pair of sneakers hanging from power lines. This very peculiar activity has international status and bears names such as "shoe tossing", "shoes hangers", "scarpe volanti" and others.
As relevant as the question "who killed J. F. Kennedy?" is to know who started this business of throwing sneakers on pole wires. And look, there is no lack of theories to explain this true social fact. And it was driven by this urge to seek the never-revealed truth that US director Mattew Bate shot the 14-minute short film The Mystery of Flying Kicks (The Mystery of Flying Shoes, in free translation).
To arrive at such an answer, the director provided a telephone number that people around the world could call and explain their own meaning, highlighting the different urban myths surrounding the practice of tennis pitching. The list of meanings people attributed to the act included: a sign that someone had lost their virginity; a scare tactic; a sign from the mafia to the police; the code of where to buy drugs; a mark of a gang's territory; a tribute to gang members; a graffiti practice to mark your street; a sign that, in a given neighborhood, "people can do whatever they want and there is no recognition of law or decency."
Although director Matthew Bate probably does not have the same sociological skills as Durkheim (the French sociologist who formulated the theory of social facts), it is undeniable that he is doing his part. And let's face it, we cannot rule out the hypothesis that, at some point in modern history, throwing shoes at the wires may have indicated an act of revolt or symbolically represented something deeper.
But the great thing about this subject is that everyone has a theory about it. And who knows, maybe this simple act of throwing sneakers on the string doesn't really involve a little of each of the hypotheses described above, or maybe it was just an accident? Who knows if, at the time Benjamin Franklin was flying his kite and it ended up getting caught on a pole, the old father of electricity had no choice but to launch his boots to rescue the "parrot".
Do you already have your theory about the tennis pitch? See the short film and its various theories.
Unsustainable custom
Although this practice is present everywhere and surrounded by mythology, we cannot say that it is a very sustainable attitude, especially if we take into account that a pair of shoes is composed of several elements that take a long time to decompose.
The same happens with the rubber used in shoes, which could be recycled, but which, if abandoned, can cause damage to the environment. Another element present in sneakers and shoes is plastic, which takes up to 100 years to decompose.
So, when you decide to be part of this custom so common around the world, think twice and use your creativity to invent a new, more sustainable fashion. Maybe 200 years from now, someone will make a documentary about you.
