Hat Etiquette for Men

[elbert]

Ha! Apparently I'm not the only one noticing hats today. I also observed a much older gentleman wearing a ball cap at the restaurant--wore it the entire time he ate. There's another one that comes around whose hat says "WWII Vet", with a big Trump pin on the side. Should I tell him to take it off next time he comes in?! :nana:
If you observe the rules, that's classy. If you don't, well, that's 2015.

 

[phred]

I grew up post-Kennedy, so hat etiquette was not something I was particularly raised with. At various times during my school days (including college), I wore a flat cap, a wide-brimmed "Godfather" style fedora, and assorted ball caps. Once I started doing Steampunk costuming, I rapidly acquired a top hat, a bowler, a flat-crowned "Gambler" style cowboy hat, a pith helmet, and assorted fezzed, tarbooshes, and glengarry-style hats. It's been interesting watching my own reactions change over time - as part of a costume, it's not uncommon for hats to remain on heads when inside at a convention, but at dinner (for example, on the Steampunk Cruise), hats were removed about half the time (and usually by the same people). I'm finding myself wearing hats more often now (a Panama in the summer, a new Fedora now that it's cold out), and I almost instinctively take my hat off when entering a building, though if I'm headed for an office where I know there's a hat rack and I'm wearing a heavy coat, I may leave them both on until I can remove both and hang them up.
Things change over time - and as more people return to wearing hats, I'm sure that more rules will reappear as society demands.

 

[warren]

Manners are no respecter of age. You can be old or young and still manifest bad manners. The obverse is also true.

 

[fordm60]

My dad was old fashioned, no covers indoors ever. Then the Airborne Infantry gave me plenty of cover rules. Always take a cover off indoors, unless under arms. When you take it off is also very important, it is as you open the door you reach up and remove the beret or patrol cap, basically all covers. Black watchcap, allowed to wear indoors if the temperature was cold, otherwise it came off as you enter. Outdoors always have a cover on. Physical trying, usually not covered, but the uniform is usually known, inclement weather usually black watch cap, in Alaska it is a black balicava worn to artic conditions. Outdoors you never take off your cover unless ordered to do so. So no tipping of the cover to anyone, but always salute officers.
Today all Vets (except maybe dishonorable discharged not sure on that) are allowed to salute the flag outdoors and indoors, I salute with cover on outside and cover off inside.
I still lock up and salute for revillie or retreat and to the colors if on post when they happen. Old habits that I want to keep, as they keep me in touch with the greatest thing I was ever associated with!! So these drilled in regs/rules are what I follow today, right or wrong to some personnel, they have been pounded into my head. Airborne devils in baggy pants!
My cover does indicate who and what I am.

Honoring the flag regs:U.S. honoring the Flag regs.

 

[pappymac]

In the military of yore, you only saluted when "covered," and you were only covered outdoors.
I served on active duty in the Coast Guard from 1972 - 1993. During that time I attended many joint-service schools and learned the differences between the services when it came to being covered. 1. You are covered when outdoors - all services. 2. You take your cover off when in-doors with a few notable exceptions like when participating in a ceremony requiring you to be covered, participating in a color guard or during an dress inspection. 3. The Army and Air Force salutes indoors and uncovered. 4. The sea going branches (Coast Guard, Marines & Navy) do not salute indoors when uncovered. 5. This only applies to the Coast Guard because I don't know what the Navy's rules are, but we didn't do much saluting during the working day aboard large cutters (that's vessels over 50-foot long).

 

[okiescout]

"I also observed a much older gentleman wearing a ball cap at the restaurant--wore it the entire time he ate. There's another one that comes around whose hat says "WWII Vet", with a big Trump pin on the side."

If you observe the rules, that's classy. If you don't, well, that's 2015.
Not really. Old guys can be as bad mannered as anyone else, it is not a product of age, but one of education. I meet young men who have excellent manners, and old men who do not. It's just that in general many people are not exhibiting the good manners they once did. I have opened doors for women and been thanked, and opened doors for women and been dressed down for it.
I took a photo years ago of a car with no handicap plaque double parked covering two handicap spaces at Wallyworld. It had a Clinton/Gore sticker on the bumper. Takes all kinds :lol: I do not account politics to a person having manners or not. Brains maybe :mrgreen:

 

[elbert]

Call me new-fashioned, but I don't see how "bad manners" enters into it. Is it bad manners for a woman not to wear a burqa? Does anyone have a reasonable grievance against the man who doesn't doff his hat? Is anyone legitimately inconvenienced by it, as they are in the wal-mart parking lot? I like this from Jefferson; "It neither breaks my leg nor picks my pocket." (From the guy who couldn't be bothered to saunter down to Congress and deliver his own State of the Union Address!)

 

[instymp]

J Reb. Yes,that was it.

 

[tinsel]

I don't personally get upset when someone chooses to leave their hat on in a restaurant or doctor's office, it's their hat after all.
I choose to take mine off because that's what I was taught. Even if you don't take it off when entering a restaurant, you most certainly NEVER wear it at the table.
I also don't get upset if a man doesn't remove his hat when he is introduced to me, or tip it to a lady. I choose to do these things, because I feel that it's good manners.
The ONE and only thing that bothers me is when someone does not remove their hat when entering my, or someone else's home. I feel that it is a sign of respect to do so, and not doing so is disrespectful. I don't get militant about it, I just note in my mind the display of bad manners and move along.
They are old traditions, and there is no point in being hateful to someone who doesn't observe them. To do so would probably be even worse manners than ... oh I don't know ... keeping your hat on at the dinner table

 

[warren]

elbert: It's not about grievances or inconvenience. Not sure where you got that idea. It's about simple respect shown by one person to another and what that effort to be respectful says to others about them. How one treats others is one of the criteria I use when judging people. And, we all judge (evaluate) other people by their actions or lack thereof.
Members of this forum can easily judge that I do not spend sufficient time proofing my messages. Ergo, they can draw certain conclusions about me which may or may not be correct. He's lazy. Poorly educated. Ignorant. English is his second language. He was pressed for time when he wrote. Each conclusion is reasonable, right or wrong.
I fail to see how Jefferson's feelings about gods and religions relate to a discussion about hats and the etiquette of such.
Jefferson did not like the resemblance to the English requirement of the Head of State personally delivering the message in person and reading it. Many presidents, when they deigned to make such a report, sent it to the Congress via a clerk who read it out. The message is only required "time to time" according to the Constitution and does not require the President to personally deliver to the Congress, then reading it out to them. No "address" is required. I believe Wilson was the first to make a speech out of the Constitutionally required report or message.
Jefferson's actions were no big deal. It was simply a manifestation of his distaste for the parliamentarian way of doing business with the crown.

 

[davet]

Shirt tails untucked drives me crazy. I know some people are annoyed by the drooping pants thing but I figure that you can't get mad at someone mentally challenged but the shirt tails, that's just laziness, rant over.

 

[mcitinner1]

but the shirt tails, that's just laziness, rant over.

Laughing...I wish it was just laziness on my part. My oversized belly makes me not want to emphasize it, by tucking in my shirt. (unless the occasion requires a dress shirt)
Edit: I've lost 25 pounds and still working on it.

 

[davet]

My oversized belly makes me not want to emphasize it, by tucking in my shirt.

That's not laziness, it's more like a necessity. I can claim the same affliction but wouldn't dream of going to town untucked.

 

[elbert]

It's not about grievances or inconvenience.

I know...I'm saying that it should be!
Funny to hear a discussion about "Bad Manners!!!" at a forum dedicated to enjoying our age's greatest faux pas, isn't it? Perhaps when I stop wreathing myself in smoke I'll worry about the donning and doffing of strangers' hats. O tempora, o mores!

 

[okiescout]

"Edit: I've lost 25 pounds and still working on it."
Congrats on the weight loss, Mcitinner1. Its a tough fight for most of us and 25 lbs. is a great loss. As I have aged the struggle has become much more difficult. At 25 I could dump weight by just passing up soft drinks and bread. Today it requires a full court press.

Hang in there Mcitinner1, and again congratulations.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

My oversized belly makes me not want to emphasize it, by tucking in my shirt

+1 congrats on loosing the 25. I have that struggle as well. I used to be able to take a big dump and gain an extra notch on my buckle, but these days...
Funny though, I think of the shirttails differently. If I don;t tuck my shirt in, I look like a beached whale in a muumuu. A walking tent. It exaggerates me an extra 25. Yeh, I don't have the same girlish figure I once did, but tucking in my shirt makes my clothes more form fitting, and I look less weighty than if I did not tuck it in.

I've always wondered why fat women wore such big billowy dresses (muumuus) . I wonder if they think that they are hiding that fat under a tent? Sure, we still look fat in form fitting clothes, but we don't look exaggeratedly fat.

Ugg, back to eating my celery and jogging, blech. :?

 

[pappymac]

" Is anyone legitimately inconvenienced by it, as they are in the wal-mart parking lot?"
Elbert - if you are legally handicapped and some idiot without a handicap decal or placard takes up two handicap parking places, then yes, someone can be legitimately inconvenienced by it.

 

[robwoodall]

I don't think it's about inconvenience or morality so much as (as has been mentioned by others) that first impression.
I am a psychologist and sociologist and I will be the first to admit that most social norms are completely made up crap, but they are the made up crap that we, as a society, have (mostly) agreed on. The person who does not follow those rules may be a wonderful person, but still risks a negative judgement.
Some people will CHOOSE to ignore social norms. That's perfectly fine, so long as one is aware of and willing to accept any possible consequences.
I choose to follow most standards of politeness because I like to think of myself as a polite person. I also like other people to think me polite.
That snap judgement Warren mentions, while often wrong, is very real. If I see someone wearing a hat indoors, I assume certain things about them. Backward hat, ill-fitting pants, farting, nose-picking or belching in public... well, I'm gonna assume that they are a backward-hat-wearing, bad pants, farting, belching nose-picker, and I'm probably not going to hire them for any position of responsibility!

 

[warren]

As a copper I learned quickly to trust my instincts and initial judgements. Body language (posture, facial expression, hand position, etc.), clothing choices (gang colors), tattoos, immediate environment, time of day, number of by-standers and their interest (or distinct lack of) in me coupled to their positioning and so forth, taken in total, determined my initial approach to a situation. Only rarely were my first impressions incorrect. That impression was made almost unconsciously, usually in one scan as I gained experience.
My experience is that anyone with a job which requires going into harm's way (fireman, soldier, body guard, burglar, hugger-mugger, etc.) quickly develops and learns to trust this reflex or instinct.

 

[captainprophesy]

So I went to the mall last night... I made it a point to see how many people were wearing hats indoors, I shit you not, more older men (seniors if you will) were wearing hats indoors than younger people.

Not sure if that means anything other than they chose not to take their hats off.
Really at the end of the day, I believe Warren touched on this, every new generation changes and does things that the previous generation deems improper... but really many of those things are just frivolous. Things that have to do with fashion, music, or even language really don't mean squat... what carries weight and truly mean something are ones actions.