A Reddit discussion has brought to light various reasons you might encounter shoes hanging from a power line, and some of them are quite concerning.
In today’s world, many of us are guilty of spending too much time engrossed in our phones, with our heads down rather than observing the surroundings or looking up.
However, if you do look up and around, you might notice a pair of shoes dangling from a power line, suspended in mid-air, which might make you tilt your head in curiosity and wonder about the backstory.
What caused them to be there? What purpose do they serve? How did they end up so high? There are several possible reasons for this phenomenon.
A Redditor posted on the r/NoStupidQuestions thread, asking: “Why do people throw shoes on power lines?”
Responses came quickly from the community.
One participant explained: “This is a cultural practice in impoverished neighborhoods and is done for various reasons, some no longer practiced today, but the shoes still hang from some power lines.”
They then outlined four reasons for this practice, starting with shoes being ‘used as a memorial for someone who died on that street’.
“Their shoes are hung up so their neighborhood may pay respect when they pass,” they explained.
Another reason suggested is that from the 70s through to the 90s, shoes were used to ‘mark gang territory where high drug activity was being run’.
The user asserted: “It was a message to rival gangs that a particular area was already claimed by another gang.”
The final reasons involve mischievous children, with one theory being particularly disheartening.
The post elaborated: “Uninformed kids might sometimes mimic the first two reasons just for fun, without knowing the real meaning behind it. They would tie old shoes together and see who could get them to stay up there.”
Another reason is ‘teenagers who were bullied also got their shoes taken and thrown onto wires as proof of losing a fight’.
As for the first case, another user agreed: “Whenever I wore out a pair of sneakers as a kid, I did this just to mark the occasion on my block. I think it’s mostly just bored kids doing mischievous things.”
Indeed, you learn something new every day, don’t you?