Let There Be Hats

LostInTyme said:

Hats are for heads.
Baseball caps
are not hats
They are caps.
Would you wear a Fedora
while playing baseball?
Or a Homburg, or a Darby?
Certainly not.

Cowboy hats are hats.
They are not caps,
and cowboys do not
wear them backwards,.
Nor, God forbid,
do they wear them
sideways.

I loved John Kennedy.
He was a great man.
But he stopped wearing hats,
and that ruined mankind.

If you are a hat wearer,
it is a good bet,
that your hat will be removed
whilst indoors.

Baseball cap wearers
do not see the need.

Hence the difference.​

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deadlyhandsome said:

There have been lots of discussions here about JFK killing the hat. It’s well-documented that hat wearing was in steep decline before Kennedy was elected president. Kennedy did occasionally wear hats (fedora, top hat for inauguration, Panama hats), but he didn’t wear them as often as those from prior generations. He was a product of his times rather than the cause.

Additionally, the supposition that hats should be removed when indoors is a product of more recent misunderstandings of etiquette or conflating military and civilian “rules.” In the golden era of hat wearing, hats were worn indoors at times and were removed at other times. When men’s hats were de rigueur men were taught hat etiquette as boys, but it wasn’t so cut and dry and was always a bit contrived. Times change and social norms change; they always have and will continue to. Gentlemen no longer wear swords and high button boots are scarce. The trick is to follow the intent (good manners, politeness, civility, deference to elders, etc.) and not get caught up in the rules for rules sake. At least that’s me. It’s also good to remember that a lot of etiquette was intended to keep the social classes distinct and help us to not forget our place.

I enjoy discussing things, and I have opinions, but I hope you never take offense. I don’t mean to come off as lecturing anyone either. I just enjoy the polite give and take.

Brent

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belfastboy said:

Yes, Kennedy can rightfully be blamed for a lot of stuff but killing the hat is not on him.

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deadlyhandsome said:

And have you ever tried to wear a cowboy hat sideways! Worst migraine of my life.

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deadlyhandsome said:

Additionally, the supposition that hats should be removed when indoors is a product of more recent misunderstandings of etiquette or conflating military and civilian “rules.” In the golden era of hat wearing, hats were worn indoors at times and were removed at other times. When men’s hats were de rigueur men were taught hat etiquette as boys, but it wasn’t so cut and dry and was always a bit contrived.

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T Jones said:

What killed hat wearing? In the 1950s wearing hats became problematic while back braces gained in popularity, as seen in this historic video footage...

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