Hats off to you

I was sitting in the hospital, and I noticed a soldier walking through the building to visit a friend. He was dressed in his fatigues, wearing a cap. Now, I may be wrong about this, but my understanding of military regulations regarding uniforms is that you can't wear your uniform whenever you feel like it. You should be on duty, going to or coming from a military post, or attending a function where your uniform would be expected or required (like a Memorial Day parade, maybe).

Going to the hospital to visit a friend, however laudable, doesn't seem like a decent reason to be in combat fatigues. And then, wearing a hat indoors? Big no no. The only people who can wear a hat indoors are those who are armed (with guns!).

The reason I mention this is because people seem to have forgotten that hats are not proper attire indoors. All the time, people wear baseball caps and cowboy hats indoors, and really, they shouldn't. Now, there are some general ground rules. In a house, a restaurant, a place of worship, or a place of business, a man should always remove a hat. In some 'common areas' a hat may be okay, such as a mall or such, but this is controversy rather than dogma. A convenient way to remember: if there is a coat rack, then it's hats off.

Women may keep their hats on in church, in homes, and I think even during the national anthem. The hat rule is very much a rule for men. But women play by different rules, of which I can only barely comprehend.

I used to think that baseball caps were okay, and that this hat rule thing was archaic and old-timey. However, as I've gotten older, I've realized that taking your hat off is a gesture of civility and respect, because to wear a hat as a man is to hide something, whether that is your intention or not. Only slightly ruder is to wear sunglasses indoors.

I would encourage you, if you favor hats, to follow this rather simple rule, not because someone told you that you should, but because it speaks to your class and civility, and shows that you are a gentleman.