Why would anyone wear red socks?

Pete Hall, is currently the principal of Sheridan Elementary School in Spokane, Washington says: I wear red socks for the same reason Johnny Cash always wore black. To paraphrase the late, great singer, I wear the socks “for the poor and the beaten-down -- living in the hopeless, hungry side of town.”
As a school principal, I work with hundreds of children every day. The life situations in which many of those children find themselves are rough -- poverty, lack of parental engagement, single-parent homes, poor nutrition, rough neighbourhoods, loud dogs, bad music, and countless other factors. I work in a high-poverty neighbourhood, but the troubles children bring with them to school are not exclusive to high-poverty neighbourhoods by any means.
School also comes at them hard -- deadlines, demands, schedules, assignments, expectations, and lockers that jam just for the sake of jamming during passing times. Imagine how a child feels while trying to navigate this harsh labyrinth some days. So, my thought is this: flash ‘em some sock.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve encountered a sad child on the playground, upset at the way her mother screamed at her that morning, and through the course of our subsequent conversation I’ve said something like, “Well, at least you’re not wearing red socks…” That usually draws at least a wry grin -- which I can capitalize on and begin working with this child on some positive thoughts and strategies for handling life.