Eat my Clog Luke Knight!

Well, I have finally decided to write an entry with some substance and it has been motivated by my good friend and arch rival, Luke Knight. As you read this entry, do not forget that this guy and his tiny brain are English. On my last entry Luke is quoted saying this:

The Dutch are resposible... for clogs... the stupidest idea ever to be thought up. In fact, the dutch wouldn't know a good idea if it painted itself purple and danced naked on the top of a harpsicord singing "Good ideas are hear again."

Alright Mr. Knight, let's see just how good of an idea the "Klompen" (as us Dutch people call them) were:

Defenition: A clog is a type of shoe or sandal made predominantly out of wood. -->

Fact A: Clogs were, and in some regions still are, widely worn by workers as protective clothing in factories, mines and farms.

Fact B: They have been officially labelled as safety shoes, passing European standards for the CE mark with flying colours. Wearing clogs is considered to be healthy for the feet.

Fact C: In England, clogs were traditionally made of alder and were commonly worn by all classes throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. The Lancashire cotton mill workers habitually wore clogs because of the wet floors maintained in the cotton mills.

Fact D: Clogging or clog dancing arose in these mills as a result of the mill workers entertaining themselves by syncopating foot taps with the rythmic sounds made by the loom shuttles. Clog dancing became a widespread pastime during this period in England. During the nineteenth century, competitions were held and there were professional clog dancers who performed in the music halls.

Fact E: Troops of male clog dancers could be found all over the North of England up until the turn of the century. One of the most famous was J.W. Jackson's Eight Lancashire lads. A young Charlie Chaplain joined the troupe in 1896 and was paid one pound sterling per week plus his keep.

Fact F: Clog dancing was introduced to US, towards the nineteenth century, where upon it quickly transformed into tap dancing.

Conclusion: Clogs we not just a great idea, but those Englishman across the sea thought it was such a great idea that they decided to put down their fish and chips and use them for work. AND, it didn't stop there. They seemed to like them so much that they started to dance, an event that lead to some very important things. This includes the start of Charlie Chaplain's career and the VERY popular and widespead genre of dancing, tap.

So, my friends, as you can see, this so-called "stupidest idea ever" was actually something that Luke's forefathers LOVED and something that ultimately shaped our world.

I rest my case. Any comments?

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clogs and http://podiatry.curtin.edu.au/clog.html#eve