# I pit you, highschool letterman wearer **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 10, 2006, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864 "2006-02-10T14:53:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/21 "2006-02-10T17:50:33Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > How is it “lame” to wear a very pretty, expensive ring that just happens to be from high school? It is because certain people think it is, and lameness, like most of your popular pejoratives, is subjective. You can pay attention to people’s standards or you can ignore them. If you ignore it, you run the risk being judged on it by the sort of people who judge other people based on shit like this.\*\*\*\*\* It’s a chance I personally am willing to take. > [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > I still have my very pretty, expensive prom dress that I wore in highschool. I’m not going to be wearing it any time soon either. Why? Because I would look like a tool. Whatever floats your boat. I still have the suit/tux thing I wore to my senior prom, and I wear it whenever I have an excuse to rock formalwear. That suit kicks fucking _ass_. \*\*\*\*\*Kind of makes you wonder which of us is really stuck in high school mode… ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/22 "2006-02-10T17:50:53Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > I still have my very pretty, expensive prom dress that I wore in highschool. I’m not going to be wearing it any time soon either. Why? Because I would look like a tool. Which would make it different from not wearing it? ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/23 "2006-02-10T17:51:25Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > How is it “lame” to wear a very pretty, expensive ring that just happens to be from high school? Perhaps the root of the problem is that you think anything made by Jostens is actually _pretty_. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/24 "2006-02-10T17:51:44Z")
My wife will wear one of my old jackets every once in awhile. I guess it’s just a way of saying had she known me back then we probably would have gone steady. It’s really nothing more than an innocent indulgance and maybe some are reading far too much into the act. Me, I’ve never “hated” anyone for something they wore… except for maybe a white sheet. Can’t rightly see how this comes anywhere close. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/25 "2006-02-10T17:57:10Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Which would make it different from not wearing it? Oooo, burn, baby, burn. Listen, you continue to wear your highschool duds, with your uber stylish mullet, acid wash jeans, and Ratt t-shirt, and I’ll wear stuff that I bought in this decade. There, now we can both be happy. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/26 "2006-02-10T18:07:19Z")
You are not afraid to fill up your tank in the same frayed jacket you wore 20 years ago. We salute you, Mrs. Highschool Letterman Wearer! % Mrs. Highschool Letterman Wearer % ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/27 "2006-02-10T18:10:15Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > Perhaps the root of the problem is that you think anything made by Jostens is actually _pretty_. Touche. Honestly, I just happen to like my ring. Sometimes I’ll wear my mother’s class ring because I like it. A cousin of mine wears his grandfather’s classring. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/28 "2006-02-10T18:21:29Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > I still have my very pretty, expensive prom dress that I wore in highschool. I’m not going to be wearing it any time soon either. Why? Because I would look like a tool. That’s a shame, Mrs. Havisham: I bet you were the prettiest tool at your prom. **Surbey** , one of the perks of actually getting past (not the same as merely graduating) high school is the ability to put on clothing without worry as to whether the local empty-headed snobs will give you a bad review on a pseudonymous internet message board (another benefit is no longer _being_ one of said empty-headed snobs). Or, just maybe, she was one of the ones whom her high school is proud of, and she returns the sentiment because she views her life as a seamless whole and isn’t running away from a four-year chunk of it because of some irrational, festering sense of shame. Or maybe the jacket is her son’s, and she’s twenty years younger than she looks, which is better than any of us are doing, and therefore she can wear whatever she wants. In my experience, it isn’t the people who remember or even sentimentalize their youthful accomplishments who are unachieving adults; it’s the ones who give up and turn their backs on them, pickling their memories in a brine of embarrassment and cynicism and thinking that _that_ equals maturity. It doesn’t, any more than idealizing one’s younger days confers eternal youth. Remember your youth. Remember your uninformed ideals, your green talents, your innocently-chosen friends, your callow triumphs, your unripened dreams, your surprise and indignation that you could not actually fly. Let your past be a closet and not a tomb. It’s the only thing that will allow you to remain fully human as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/29 "2006-02-10T18:22:51Z")
I worked for three years (literally) to get one of the cool jackets that the rugby team wore. We started the first women’s rugby team at our school, and had to put up with endless shit from the men’s team about how women don’t play rugby and what we were doing didn’t count. They actually CANCELLED our order for cool rugby jackets without telling us because we didn’t “deserve” them. In my graduating year (after six seasons of playing every game and attending every practice) I finally got it. I wore it for a year. It remains the coolest jacket, ever (it is not a letter jacket, it’s a totally different style) but I still couldn’t bring myself to wear it after high school because it would have been lame. Maybe now it’s retro again and I can wear it. Hm. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/30 "2006-02-10T18:23:02Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Oooo, burn, baby, burn. > > Listen, you continue to wear your highschool duds, with your uber stylish mullet, acid wash jeans, and Ratt t-shirt, and I’ll wear stuff that I bought in this decade. > > There, now we can both be happy. That would have been funny if you had said > [@](#): > > Listen, you continue to wear your highschool duds, with your short hair, khakis, and polo shirt and I’ll wear stuff that I bought in this decade. Because that is what I wore when I was in high school in the 70’s; change that short hair to shaved head and it would still be accurate today. Never had a mulett, never wore acid wash jeans, and never heard of Ratt. ---
**Author:** ![Slacker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/31 "2006-02-10T18:24:13Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Good point, **Bosda**. Maybe she was going to a costume party. Maybe she was an actress who got a part in a movie playing an idiot and she was getting into character. Maybe her children were being held hostage and she had the ransom money and the kidnappers told her to identify herself by dressing as lamely as possible and she normally had great fashion sense so the only lame thing in her closet was a twenty year old jacket that she kept for sentimental reasons. > > Or maybe you’re just a tool. LOL! I was about to post the same thing. Do we have to envision every damn scenario possible before we can pit someone these days? ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/32 "2006-02-10T18:24:49Z")
> [@The King of Soup](#): > > Let your past be a closet and not a tomb. It’s the only thing that will allow you to remain fully human as an adult. Wow, that was really deep. By the way, you look great in those MC Hammer pants. Really great. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/33 "2006-02-10T18:28:14Z")
> [@furt](#): > > At what point is one supposed to stop having school pride? Ideally, some time shortly before you enroll. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/34 "2006-02-10T18:30:09Z")
> [@Slacker](#): > > LOL! I was about to post the same thing. > > Do we have to envision every damn scenario possible before we can pit someone these days? I’m often accused of being bitter, yet the reaction of many posters here to a woman wearing a coat, and to my sense of kindness, baffles me. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/35 "2006-02-10T18:35:16Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > That would have been funny if you had said > > Because that is what I wore when I was in high school in the 70’s; change that short hair to shaved head and it would still be accurate today. Never had a mulett, never wore acid wash jeans, and never heard of Ratt. Pink polo shirts with the collars up don’t count. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/36 "2006-02-10T18:35:36Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > I’m often accused of being bitter, yet the reaction of many posters here to a woman wearing a coat, and to my sense of kindness, baffles me. 😕 … you weren’t intending to be sarcastic? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/37 "2006-02-10T18:48:28Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Me, I’ve never “hated” anyone for something they wore… except for maybe a white sheet. Bad memories of a toga party? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/38 "2006-02-10T18:48:35Z")
> [@The King of Soup](#): > > Remember your youth. Remember your uninformed ideals, your green talents, your innocently-chosen friends, your callow triumphs, your unripened dreams, your surprise and indignation that you could not actually fly. Let your past be a closet and not a tomb. It’s the only thing that will allow you to remain fully human as an adult. Ah, High School. Avoiding certain parts of campus (like all of the bathrooms) so that you wouldn’t get your ass kicked for walking in on a drug deal. Two armed guards patrolling the campus at all times. Talking your way out of extortion attempts from gang members. Those were the days allright. Dude, it was all about surviving that shit hole until I could get out. By the way, I’ve pretty much worn t-shirts and 501s since I was a kid. How lame is that? Guin, wearing your mothers high school class ring is cool. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/39 "2006-02-10T18:51:21Z")
> [@](#): > > Remember your youth. Remember your uninformed ideals, your green talents, your innocently-chosen friends, your callow triumphs, your unripened dreams, your surprise and indignation that you could not actually fly. Let your past be a closet and not a tomb. It’s the only thing that will allow you to remain fully human as an adult. But trust me on the sunscreen. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864/40 "2006-02-10T18:54:56Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > … you weren’t intending to be sarcastic? :dubious: No. Nowhere in this Thread was I attempting to be sarcastic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-you-highschool-letterman-wearer/343864.md?page=3)