It's been an HE cliche for several years that I will never accept, much less forgive, older dudes shuffling around in mandals or even, God forbid, barefoot. In the old days men wore lace-up tennis shoes or slip-ons. There are very few things in the public arena that are more odious than man toes, and yet millions of older American males are staunchly defiant in this regard, sometimes to the extent of wearing mandals in hotel breakfast rooms.