So KG kindly responded to the previous post with a kind of revival of his New Gentlemen's Guide. Some interesting points follow, to which I shall respond in like kind, because that's just the kind of New Gentlemen we are.
Before he lays out the rules, he notes:
The first question, of course, is what kind of hat you're wearing. If you're actually wearing an old school fedora, then you should probably follow the old school rules of removing it when you enter a building.Indeed. However, I do tend to worry just a bit about those who wear them.
Golf hats, particularly if worn backwards, get a little more flexibility. Baseball hats, which are basically the standard listed below, get the most leeway.Not sure why this should be so. With rare exceptions (largely religious or medical, as previously noted) hats is hats. I cut no slack for them.
Oh, and unless you actually own either a horse or a cow - or both - you should not be wearing a cowboy hat. Ever.Welllll... mostly I agree with this, but those of us from ranching families have a powerful hankerin' for 'em at times, especially when we're out at the ranch or at a rodeo.
But yes. As a rule, city slickers should avoid them, if only to avoid looking foolish.
And now on to KG's rules for wearing hats:
1. In your home, it doesn't count, do whatever you wantYes, a man's home is his castle (assuming he's not married).
But, as with other things one may do in the privacy of one's own home, would you tell your grandmother about it?
2. Hats are allowed at indoor arenas and stadiums, particularly if at a concert or sporting eventTrue. Sports are "outdoor" events, including those normally played indoors.
But concert... okay, for popular music at a stadium-type venue, yes. For a concert hall or auditorium normally dedicated to music, no, even for pop music.
3. A corollary of the sporting event rule is that hats are also allowed at sports barsAt first I was going to disagree with this. A bar is, after all, indoors. However, given the beer and other fluids that often fly in sports bars, a hat can be seen as a defensive measure so I will agree that this can be considered a valid exception to the general rule.
4. Casinos, particularly poker rooms, hats are definitely allowed, and should be encouragedHmm. Must be Vegas rules. I don't play high-stakes poker, so perhaps I am out of my element here, but it's indoors so I would say no. Did James Bond wear his hat inside the casino at Monte Carlo? I think not.
Were I running the World Series of Poker, I would have a dress code for the players. First rule: no hats. Second rule: For Annie Duke only, no shirt.
5. As a general rule, yes, Ken is right, a hat should be removed when you enter a building. However, wearing a hat in common areas (hallways, lobbies, etc) is acceptable.Mostly agree, though only for short visits or traveling through. If loitering, doff the hat.
6. Always, I repeat, ALWAYS, remove your hat for the playing of the national anthem. Failure to do so should result in your pummeling following "…and the land of the freeeeeee".Really, it should have been slapped off your head by the end of "can you see". Pummeling optional, but highly encouraged.
7. Tip your hat when you say hello or good-bye. This can be done subtly with nothing more than a finger on the bill, or, if it's a beautiful lady, the full blown removal.Indeed. It's a sad commentary on modern society that this should need to be said.
8. If wearing a baseball hat, please, for the love of all that is holy, bend the bill a bit. The flat bill just looks dumb.And for God's sake, don't wear it sideways. Backwards is bad enough.
9. And take the friggin' stickers and tags off the damn things"Minnie Pearl, I'm looking at YOU."
10. In the classroom, it's a toss up. I'll admit to wearing a hat in the classroom in high school, college, and even law school. I think it depends on the professor, the topic, and generally where you are.Radically disagree here, especially for high schoolers. It's not the school's job to teach them the manners that should have been taught by the parents, but nor should such behavior be accepted.
Of course, once they get to college, they are supposed to be adults. Not that the professor shouldn't enforce certain rules of decorum in the classroom, but hey, if they want to live with the consequences of rude behavior (like this twit, in a somewhat different context), let 'em.
11. If you are meeting someone who's job is listed in either the US or State Constitution, take the hat off.Why should I doff my hat to an employee?
Just kidding. Agreed.
Just remember, if in doubt, take it off.The hat only, of course. Unless you're Annie Duke.
Your turn, KG.
Posted by Ken S at May 16, 2007 08:04 AM | TrackBack (0) |Especially against Zombies (sorry, recent obsession).
Maybe it's a generational thing, but I have no problem wearing a hat indoors. I don't understand why it's a rule, and I don't feel obliged to obey trivial rules which I see no good reason for.
Posted by: Tainted Bill at May 16, 2007 10:44 AMI would hardly call the downfall of western civilization "trivial". And we are, of course, referring to "gentlemen".
Not that it means much, perhaps, but I understand that Josef Stalin wore a hat indoors.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 11:52 AMMichael Moore wears his hat indoors.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 12:10 PMSo does Bruce Willis.
Posted by: Cullen at May 16, 2007 12:18 PMI still follow the military rule - hats on when passing through the doorway on the way out, removed when passing through the doorway on the way in. There is ONE exception to removing a hat indoors - when packing. Tipping a hat to the ladies should be a rule, not an option. As for those who don't remove their hats during the national anthem - we'll discuss them Friday.
Posted by: Curious Feller at May 16, 2007 12:33 PMBruce Willis? IS NOTHING SACRED ANYMORE????
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 12:36 PMI blame Demi Moore.
Hmmm... Moore...
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 12:37 PMI just keep thinking about the cartoon that was either a Far Side or done in the style of Far Side where they said that studies showed putting the baseball cap backwards lowered someone's I.Q. It was a split panel:
Left side--
Guy in lab coat: "Complete this sequence: 1, 2, 3. . . "
Guy in chair with cap facing forward: "4!"
Right side--
Guy in lab coat: "Complete this sequence: 1, 2, 3. . ."
Guy in chair with backwards cap: "Duh. . . the Beatles!"
I realize baseball caps are meant to be fundamentally utilitarian - to keep the sun out of your eyes - but I wear them backwards sometimes just to hold my hair out of my face. Does that mean I'm dumb?
Posted by: Emily at May 16, 2007 01:36 PMI'm just saying you might wanna check and see if you feel dumber than your usual brilliant self. :)
Posted by: Kate P at May 16, 2007 01:42 PMNo, just a slavish follower of fashion
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 01:42 PMActually, it's just my lucky hat I wear while I'm writing, so it would be kind of stupid to do so as some sort of fashion statement, since I'm invariably alone when I do.
Posted by: Emily at May 16, 2007 01:48 PMLucky hats for writing are a whole other story, Emily!
Posted by: Kate P at May 16, 2007 01:53 PMOMG, unintential pun. I am so flagged. Sorry.
Posted by: Kate P at May 16, 2007 01:55 PMUNINTENTIONAL. Send me home.
Posted by: Kate P at May 16, 2007 01:55 PMHmm. There's gotta be an O. Henry story about this.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 02:03 PMOr maybe James Thurber.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 02:03 PMok, i have like 30 seconds to comment...
I'm with Emily on the backwards hats, I often wear them not because it's bright (I have 30 pairs of sunglasses for that) but mainly when my hair is out of control... yes, it's long, especially by lawyerly standards.
In defense of Bruce Willis... how long did it take you to notice he was in the picture, let alone wearing a hat?
On the poker question, it's a matter of taste. Lot of players wear them (myself included, though not regularly) because they can hide one's eyes (same as sunglasses) a bit.
Posted by: KG at May 16, 2007 02:09 PMBut you agree with my comments about Annie Duke, right?
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 02:14 PMThe rule should be expanded to include Jennifer Tilly and Shanna Hyatt, but that's just me...
Posted by: KG at May 16, 2007 03:46 PMNo, not just you.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 03:55 PMPfff, Tilly already seems to adhere to the rule. I wonder how many times she's heard the "she had a big pair" joke when she folds. One hundred thousand?
Posted by: Nightfly at May 16, 2007 04:31 PMProbably two hundred thousand.
Three, if you're Picasso.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 16, 2007 04:38 PM"Lot of players wear them (myself included, though not regularly) because they can hide one's eyes (same as sunglasses) a bit."
This is exactly why the no hats indoor rule came to be, and why Bill is wrong, and it's not a trivial rule. Human males, teenaged ones especially, do not need their menace factor enhanced in civil society. I tend to agree with Megan McArdle - if you don’t know the reason for a rule you should not be allowed to break it.
I see ricki hasn’t commented yet, but I bet she’ll back me up. Speaking as a former college instructor, there is nothing worse than watching a room full of slouching, baseball-hatted frat boys chew gum and listen to you at the same time. It’s a pain in the ass because you can’t see if the lights are coming on or not, and it’s a bit menacing (because you can’t see the eyes).
When I was 18 ,I would have agreed with Bill. When I was 21, I became a TA, and a whole ‘nother set of attitudes quickly set in. Speaking from personal experience, the asshole to baseball cap indoors correlation coefficient is about 0.8. The asshole to sideways or backwards baseball cap indoors correlation coefficient is about 0.95. The asshole to knit cap or hoodie up indoors in spring or summer (with accompanying baggy pants) correlation coefficient goes up to about 0.99. So for all those of you who wear your hats indoors: every time you come up to a TA, professor, or other similarly experienced authority figure asking for something – take off the damn hat. Otherwise, we assume you are an asshole, and our willingness to help dips accordingly. Is that fair? No. It isn't. The correlation coefficient isn’t a perfect 1.0. But it’s high enough, and enough of our life is drained by other time wasting morons, that we can play the odds on this one. If you wear the uniform, be ready to take your lumps with the rest of the unit.
Posted by: John at May 17, 2007 06:45 PMif you don’t know the reason for a rule you should not be allowed to break it
YES! Thanks, John! That encapsulates well an idea I've been trying to put together for a post on teenagers and rights. There is more to it than just that, but it helps.
Posted by: Ken S, Fifth String on the Banjo of Life at May 17, 2007 07:14 PMThat came from this post:
http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:2jvknQBxsrgJ:www.janegalt.net/blog/archives/005244.html+jane+galt+gay+marriage&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
Her blog is down, that's the Google cache of the post.
Posted by: John at May 17, 2007 07:37 PMOh, and I meant to say: "take off the damn hat and lose the fucking gum. Asshole."
I didn't study Chemistry for 11 years to take that kind of shit in the classroom. Show some respect for the discipline and the office of professor, if not for me.
Posted by: John at May 17, 2007 07:44 PM
