Posted on 06/08/2004 4:13:51 PM PDT by ambrose
June 9, 2004
THE REAGAN LEGACY Mourning decorum's death
To say that California casual was the dress code among those paying last respects to Ronald Reagan is to put it charitably.
By Booth Moore, Times Staff Writer
A president was lying in repose, but the occasion could just as well have been a Saturday afternoon at Universal CityWalk, judging from the polo shirts, shorts, Harley-Davidson T-shirts, tank tops, flip-flops and dirty white sneakers with pulled-up tube socks.
For some people these days, there is nothing they will dress up for ? not a concert at Disney Hall, a graduation, not even to pay their respects to a former head of state.
When Americans went to see John F. Kennedy's flag-draped coffin at the U.S. Capitol in 1963, women wore dresses and high heels and men donned suits.
But during Monday's procession through the Reagan library in Simi Valley, many men did not even remove their baseball caps as they paid tribute to a man who was never in the Oval Office without a coat and tie.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
BRAVO!!!
You're being a bit hyperbolic; I don't see anybody advocating shorts and sandals.
OTOH, wearing a coat and tie is not necessary. I've just watched some of those who went in, on CSPAN. They were all dressed nicely, and I didn't see a tie in the whole bunch.
Fretting over attire on this occasion seems niggling, to me.
And every pathetic judgemental fool coming down the pike on this thread has insulted people paying their respects to the finest president of the past fifty years simply because of what they were wearing. Some of these people may have taken a day off of work at a great cost to them. Some may not have known about the plans until the last minute. Whatever their reason or situation they came. That just isn't good enough for the nitpicking ninnies. I bet it will be the number of people that came that history reflects upon and not the choice of apparel of the masses. It is more meaningful to see a man in shorts and a tee salute and shed tears over this great man than it does to see some democrat stuffed in a suit pay "tribute" to him with veiled criticism.
It looked to me like the bus drivers had gone to the fields and gathered some bean pickers and brought them to the library.
Look, this is a different era. I'd like to see more people dress, but it's not going to happen. Plus, there's no way I'd be wearing heels knowing I'm going to be standing for three hours. At least they went. And they stood in line. And paid respects.
The irony is the author of this article is likely a leftist who hated Reagan.
I think Nancy's thoughts just about settle any argument. She has decided that this event should be totally open to the public; rich and poor, Armani and K-Mart, Business Casual and Beach Attire. It's her call and she seems to have no problem.
It was a parable. Jesus used the story to say that just as one must be dressed appropriately to get into a wedding feast here on earth, so also must one be dressed appropriately to get into heaven, (i.e. according to heavenly standards). He used the idea of the body being appropriately dressed so that people would understand the idea of the soul being appropriately dressed to get into heaven. Thus, he endorsed both earthly and heavenly standards. That is the way I always understood that parable.
It is a parable. Jesus used the story to say that just as one must be dressed appropriately to get into a wedding feast here on earth, so also must one be dressed appropriately to get into heaven, (i.e. according to heavenly standards). He used the idea of the body being appropriately dressed so that people would understand the idea of the soul being appropriately dressed. Thus, He endorsed both earthly and heavenly standards. That is the way I always understood that parable.
That is hardly a fair comparison, and I am sure you know it.
Besides, I eat in places like Cracker Barrel where a lot of people wear hats.
bttt
WOW! A magnificent post. There is nothing more to say.
You won the argument hands down.
"Man, I'm 50 but that kind of etiquette dates from a couple of generations before me. "
I pity you.
I am 53 and I was raised properly. I have one scar that starts above my eyebrows goes straight up then down around to my right ear - I do NOT wear a hat indoors. Besides, scars are a mark of honor in many places (but many do not know the meaning of honor these days)
There are quite a few Ladies down south! Religious purposes is acceptable - but what real religion requires a yankees cap?
One last item - to me, a Texan is a yanqui!
If we were to apply your line of thinking, it is better for a member of the honor guard to be improperly attired as long as he dutifully did his assignment. It is not an "either/or" choice it is a "both/and" choice. The man should salute in appropriate dress. The honor guard member should dutifully serve and be impeccably turned out.
Finally, you cannot say that how you appear or behave in public has absolutely no bearing on your inward attitude. If you were invited to the White House for dinner, would you show up at the gate in jeans and a t-shirt? You might say, "well, I really admire the president." If you really admired the President, you would have dressed more appropriately for the occasion.
He set a good example. Leaders should be better than the rest of us, since more is expected of them. That's no excuse for regular folks to dress slovenly to a funeral or for men not to take off their hats. I realize I'm being too exacting and then again I believe their are moments in life when we should be solemn in what we wear. Isn't what we do when we go to attend service at our churches and synagogues?? Casual wear should be reserved for other occasions. God Bless Ronald Reagan and God Bless America.
Nothing wrong with casual wear on non-solemn every day occasions. I'm not an elitist snob and dress casual myself most of the time. All I'm saying is there are occasions when "dressing up" is an act of courtesy or recognition of the importance of the event.
Conservatives who bemoan the decline of values in this country probably need to look no further than themselves. If we all adopted a desire to exemplify the highest standards of etiquette, civility and gentlemanly behavior, we could do more to stop the decline of our civilization than hundreds of threads on the subject on Free Republic.
Its nice to know there is someone who agrees with me. The point about conservatism is upholding traditions. They don't grow passe cause the culture has rejected them or considers them "stuffy." When you see how the Reagan family dressed up for this, no one considers them snobs. Its exactly how we should follow their example. I think Ronald Reagan would have wanted us to be the best we can be.
Tough Stough and DMWT, thanks for your very kind words. It perhaps seems like putting too-fine-a-point on things for many FReepers, but when we Americans let all decorum slide, we are all somewhat belittled.
It's not as if fellow citizens visiting President Reagan are being asked to walk across hot coals or lie on a bed of nails. It is to simply don decent clothes...which should be perfectly comfortable for all wearers if the correct fabric and cut is selected.
~ Blue Jays ~
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