The Dumbest Comment I Ever Heard

[Al Niente]

I say get yourself a boater and wear that for the summer. That will really freak them out.

No one can insult you unless you first give them the power to do so and accept what they say as an insult.

Better to take what they say and look at it through the lens of compassion. They don't get it and how sad for them. Secondly, why would anyone make a comment about your hat unless they were feeling threatened by it? You have style, they don't. You have confidence, they don't. You have a cool hat and they don't. The best response is just a knowing look (under the brim of your cool hat!) and a small, wry smile. Pitty the hatless.

Enjoy your hats. Know that all leaders get flak once in a while. It is the price we pay to lead.

 

[Dr Doran]

Al Niente: beautifully put.

 

[fluteplayer07]

I say get yourself a boater and wear that for the summer. That will really freak them out.

No one can insult you unless you first give them the power to do so and accept what they say as an insult.

Better to take what they say and look at it through the lens of compassion. They don't get it and how sad for them. Secondly, why would anyone make a comment about your hat unless they were feeling threatened by it? You have style, they don't. You have confidence, they don't. You have a cool hat and they don't. The best response is just a knowing look (under the brim of your cool hat!) and a small, wry smile. Pitty the hatless.

Enjoy your hats. Know that all leaders get flak once in a while. It is the price we pay to lead.

:arated:

 

[The Good]

JB - you need to lighten up a bit fella. Given the age of your brothers, they are likely to give you grief even if you dress exactly the same as them - they will look for any chink in the armour. Ask anyone with brothers on here, its what brothers do, its in thier chemistry. In effect, you are doing the same back to them.

Also, judging by your age and lengthy (over) analysing of the 'problem', it sounds like you are at an age where you are still trying to express some independance. Re-read your messages in 10 years and you will probably cringe.

Just to look a one point - hand on heart - did you tip your hat to the lady because it's polite, or because you want to be different? (or both?). It is outdated, but not necessarily wrong. An open smile and a hello is now far more suitable, as, in the encounter you describe, it is intended to place the other person at ease - that is the whole point. One can't cherry pick civilities, not least those from a particular 20th century period, and expect everyone to understand....polite behaviour may appear to be limited today, but it didn't begin, reach a zenith or end with the Golden Era.

You shouldn't change anything, but perhaps chill out. Give them a week seeing that you are comfortable in your skin and they will find something else about you to rip.....

Yeah, you're right. I need to lighten up, but by ranting here, it lets off some steam. As for hat tipping, well, I've been reading up on the basics of hat etiquette, and that's encouraged. I've picked up on it after a while, and it's become natural to me. I'm not sure if I'm doing it only because it's what was done before in the past. I just do it because it's the polite thing to do. I can agree with you that I may be over-analyzing the situation, though.

I say get yourself a boater and wear that for the summer. That will really freak them out.

No one can insult you unless you first give them the power to do so and accept what they say as an insult.

Better to take what they say and look at it through the lens of compassion. They don't get it and how sad for them. Secondly, why would anyone make a comment about your hat unless they were feeling threatened by it? You have style, they don't. You have confidence, they don't. You have a cool hat and they don't. The best response is just a knowing look (under the brim of your cool hat!) and a small, wry smile. Pitty the hatless.

Enjoy your hats. Know that all leaders get flak once in a while. It is the price we pay to lead.

I agree with just about everything you've said, Al Niente. Good post. As for me having style, compared to them, you're probably right. I seem to be the most adventurous, stylistically speaking, in my household, though I'm really drawn towards conservative looks rather than anything particularly flashy.

 

[Mr_D.]

Ok, we have all been seen with our hats on and called things like Indy and gangster but I had the absolute stupidest comment today. I was outm getting lunch and some oaf said I looked like Columbo with my 2 1/4" brim Milan on. This was with a Hawaiian shirt and khakis! I could have understood Carl Kolchak (Darin McGavin) in the Nightstalker

but Columbo?! He didn't even wear a a hat! :rage: :eusa_doh: What a nitwit!
What was your dumbest comment ever heard?


Regards,

J

I thought Columbo had a hat. I know he is seen holding one from time to time.

 

[jamespowers]

I thought Columbo had a hat. I know he is seen holding one from time to time.

You might have seen him carrying one and maybe wearing on in all of two episodes but he is the detective least know for wearing hats. His trademarks are the rumpled raincoat and a ramshackled car, not the hat.
I am also pretty sure he was not a hawaiian shirt wearer either.

 

[Lonny]

I've gotten a bunch of responses from wearing a fedora in public, even around the house, or any hat really...

My family thought I was really weird when I got my first fedora, but they got over it haha, just like when I first started collecting militaria, just another vice for me to help cope with their...strange parenting and annoying siblings among other stressing issues, haha.

My friends never really thought anything of it, when I went to school I got a bunch of compliments, but many thought I was trying to be a cowboy or something, which wasn't uncommon at my high school considering a lot of the kids came from the country; but there was one guy who would always shout "faggot" at anybody wearing a fedora, thats always a bit of an annoyance, but its easy to just get over it.

As for people in public, they always give me a weird look, probably because I live in such a tiny city its strange to see an individual sense of style, I even get a bit freaked out when I see a man or woman wearing a nice hat, its certainly rare!

In the winter I wear a Russian Army ushanka! Its beautiful, its warm and its black, so I only ever really hear comments like "hey red october!" or something like that haha. My dad called me sean connery, I guess there is never anything bad to say about that hat, although I was once branded as a "little red commie" by a local shop owner, he was kidding of course.

Berets are so comfortable, but it seems to be impossible to wear them and not have people eye ball you like your an alien or a frenchman.

One thing about people wearing hats that bugs me is when they wear those stupid baseball caps with the straight visor and the dumb little sticker on it, or the little "gangsta fedoras", they are always so tiny and ugly, with the dumbest prints of fabric and form.

In fact, this forum has inspired me to invest in yet another hat. It has been a while.

 

[Mario]

You might have seen him carrying one and maybe wearing on in all of two episodes but he is the detective least know for wearing hats. His trademarks are the rumpled raincoat and a ramshackled car, not the hat.
I am also pretty sure he was not a hawaiian shirt wearer either.

I've never ever received the Columbo remark yet (even though everybody seems to know him here in Germany), but instead there are some suspicious brains out there that think I do look like...Sherlock Holmes! And that was way before that recent Robert-Downey-Jr.-in-some-kind-of-fedora flick came out! [huh]

The part of Berlin where I live has an extremely high amount of people with a migrant background (55%, and hey, that's official lingo!), with Turkish and Arab families taking the lead. In my neighborhood people ask me a lot (always eyeing my hat) if I am a jew... On a sidenote: I was born with a jewish name (hailing from my mother's family) but always thought it wasn't exactly a good idea to elaborate on that particular detail, at least not with people who might probably flash a photo of Saddam Hussein or a Hezbollah-colored bandana at you any moment...

 

[Yeps]

I've never ever received the Columbo remark yet (even though everybody seems to know him here in Germany), but instead there are some suspicious brains out there that think I do look like...Sherlock Holmes! And that was way before that recent Robert-Downey-Jr.-in-some-kind-of-fedora fling came out ! [huh]

I have gotten that one too. It really confused me. I also got a compliment a couple years back that deserves to be up here. Someone complimented me on my "many suits" that I was wearing. Now, that phrase was just confusing, but made even worse by the fact that I was not wearing a suit. I was wearing trousers and a sportcoat with a vest, and because it was winter, a peacoat on top. Sometimes people amaze me.

 

[Al Niente]

Yesterday was fun. Black suit with light pinstripes, purple shirt and printed tie, pre-stetson grey Mallory ten. Got two "you look like a gangster" comments. My reply? "Why, thank you! That's the look I am going for."

Took the wind right out of their sails....

 

[jamespowers]

Sometimes people amaze me.

The stupidity out there never amazes me. To think that in the golden era, the high school drop out rate was over 50%---and they were still smarter than the dolts we have running around today saying "you look like Columbo."
:eusa_doh:

 

[Pompidou]

Smarter? Probably not. Just different. I like to think a person can only spend so much time absorbing information each day, and everyone's about equally capable at it, but everyone focuses on different things. Whether the guy who chooses to excel at football statistics is equal to the guy who chooses to excel at hat styles or whether either are equal to the guy who reads history books is anyone's guess. All the time those Colombo, Dick Tracy and Indiana Jones hecklers spend not learning about hats is time spent learning other things, I'd imagine.

 

[Dr Doran]

Today at Trader Joe's

This morning at Trader Joe's in El Cerrito I was wearing a 1940s flat cap, a modern rough-weave light green two-piece suit, a dark red shirt, yellow 1950s tie, black dress shoes and a yellow pocket square with black stitching.

The woman who was sampling out coffee to customers said in an entirely pleasant and non-annoying voice "Do you also drive an old car?"

A perfectly affable comment. We chatted a bit about my black Scion Xb.

 

[Dr Doran]

All the time those Colombo, Dick Tracy and Indiana Jones hecklers spend not learning about hats is time spent learning other things, I'd imagine.

That assessment is very, very, very generous of you.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I have yet to receive the "Columbo remark", and I would actually be quite impressed and surprised if I got one. Hardly anyone I know seems to know who Columbo even is, so the only comments I ever get are Indy comments or Inspector Gadget. If someone called me Columbo, or Phil Marlowe, or Sam Spade, I'd probably be more impressed than anything and offer to high-five them.

 

[jamespowers]

Smarter? Probably not. Just different. I like to think a person can only spend so much time absorbing information each day, and everyone's about equally capable at it, but everyone focuses on different things. Whether the guy who chooses to excel at football statistics is equal to the guy who chooses to excel at hat styles or whether either are equal to the guy who reads history books is anyone's guess. All the time those Colombo, Dick Tracy and Indiana Jones hecklers spend not learning about hats is time spent learning other things, I'd imagine.

Perhaps I should have said that they had more common sense than to go around saying stupid things, which would make them stupid anyway I guess.
I am sure they spend more time learning how to be a bigger jackass. :eusa_doh:

 

[cptjeff]

This morning at Trader Joe's in El Cerrito I was wearing a 1940s flat cap, a modern rough-weave light green two-piece suit, a dark red shirt, yellow 1950s tie, black dress shoes and a yellow pocket square with black stitching.

The woman who was sampling out coffee to customers said in an entirely pleasant and non-annoying voice "Do you also drive an old car?"

A perfectly affable comment. We chatted a bit about my black Scion Xb.

You drive one of those ugly boxes? lol

Actually, I have to admit they're not bad once you get used to them.

 

[Yeps]

We chatted a bit about my black Scion Xb.

The older awesome toaster-shaped one, or the newer one that is just kinda ugly and boring?

 

[AXL DEMOCRACY]

Love this thread! I hear some stupid comments too when wearing my fedoras, especially the Indy Jones one when I wear my light brown fedora.

I did get called John Dillinger recently. That was cool!

 

[Doggy Darb]

Not long ago, a young person shouted, "Nice hat '80's boy!" whilst I was wearing a center dent pinch front fedora. I must forgive the dating error, as I am certain the lad was unaware of Sardou's 1880's play. What unsettled me was that someone had raised a child that felt it was appropriate to insult a stranger. There was not another soul in site at the time. Not only is it rude, but in today's world it is exceedingly dangerous. I feel pity for the boy as a parent and fear for my own children, as this lad will be their peer (in the context of our society).

My straw hat usually draws comments relating to the Amish, such as: Are you Amish? (wearing a necktie, modern clothing, and jewelry) You must really like the Amish? (I assume the individual was intoxicated.) Hey! Check out Eli Yoder! (wearing a linen suit... driving an automobile)

It was said earlier that these instances usually derive from an individual being threatened by your appearance. If you take a moment to observe those who affront you, you will often notice that they are slovenly; and not so by design.

For someone like the early poster, I must say that one's appearance must originate from one's own taste. Do not let the weakness of others shape your outward expression of self. The strength of your own character and your confidence in your self are the constraints that bind you. "Know thyself, and to thine own self be true."-(Socrates/Shakespeare) If your expression of self is to tip your hat, then do so. If it is an affectation of propriety, maturity, and/or sophistication, then do not. There are things in life that cannot worn.

We know you have class, just make sure that you know it, too. If it's right for you, those comments won't offend you. Knowing who you are can take a lifetime. It's best not to let other make it more difficult.