# Is This the Dumbest New Congressmember? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 24, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786 "2010-11-24T16:33:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/1 "2010-11-24T16:33:02Z")
[Florida lawmaker calls House ban on hats ‘sexist’](http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20101122/pl_yblog_theticket/florida-lawmaker-calls-house-ban-on-hats-sexist) Is it wise in any way to make an issue of the right to look like an idiot? Or am I missing some nuance of the spirit of American liberty? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/2 "2010-11-24T16:39:49Z")
I’m not much for talking about the dignity of Congress, but if Congress wants to ban hats from being worn while it’s in session - and then further show her up by banning sequins - I would fully support it. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/3 "2010-11-24T16:56:31Z")
I can see a congressman wearing a beanie with a propeller to the floor. It’s all good. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/4 "2010-11-24T17:07:07Z")
Well, to be fair, the rule was targetted at men’s hats… no one in the 1800s foresaw women congresspeople coming or the rule may have been different. But still, as a freshman congresslady, she should not make this her first priority. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/5 "2010-11-24T17:09:35Z")
Yeah, if Bella Abzug was able to abstain, Wilson should be able to hold off. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/6 "2010-11-24T17:11:50Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Well, to be fair, the rule was targetted at men’s hats… no one in the 1800s foresaw women congresspeople coming or the rule may have been different. I’m sure it was. Of course that makes her comment about sexism really backward - the rule is unisex, it’s the social etiquette on hats that is sexist (very mildly so). I think I’m more annoyed by her lack of understanding of what sexism means than by the ridiculous hat in the photo. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/7 "2010-11-24T17:34:03Z")
I don’t understand the sexist argument… It’s because men don’t traditionally wear hats in-doors but women traditionaly can get away with it? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/8 "2010-11-24T18:29:17Z")
It looks to me like she has a problem with the fact that the rule _isn’t_ sexist. Now, if the rule said that men had to doff their hats but women could leave them on, _that_ would be sexist. Meanwhile, does the prohibition against arresting legislators in session apply to the fashion police? Because that’s gone way beyond “classy” or “fancy” into outright gaudy and tacky. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/9 "2010-11-24T18:40:23Z")
“It’s like a fetish.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/10 "2010-11-24T18:41:53Z")
Congratulations, Florida, you’ve done it again! ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/11 "2010-11-24T18:45:44Z")
Wow, there’s someone who clearly has her finger on the pulse of the American voter! “Elect me to Congress and I’ll overturn the hat ban!” Let others worry about the economy and junk.\* I’d be embarrassed if I’d voted for this twit. \*Sure, I don’t know. Maybe she _is_ worrying about the economy too. But this is truly a tone-deaf way to make one’s congressional debut. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/12 "2010-11-24T18:57:25Z")
BTW, this is the same person [who was terribly confused by the word ‘alien’ as it applied to immigration](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=410449&highlight=Frederica+Wilson) a few years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/13 "2010-11-24T19:13:01Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > BTW, this is the same person [who was terribly confused by the word ‘alien’ as it applied to immigration](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=410449&highlight=Frederica+Wilson) a few years ago. I don’t think she was confused: she was using less than perfect English, but she was clearly opposed to the use of the word “alien” to refer to foreigners or non-citizens. However, in this current hat matter, I think she is confused about what “sexism” means, and her confusion comes partly from her old-fashioned ideas about hat etiquette for men and women, and partly from her obvious love of wearing brightly coloured hats that few men other than professional entertainers would wear. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/14 "2010-11-24T19:22:36Z")
Perhaps she should thought of this before applying for the job. And the picture doesn’t go a long way to making her look like the brightest congress person, sparkliest though. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/15 "2010-11-24T19:40:50Z")
Frankly, I was hoping to see a pic of her in Aretha’s giant bow hat from the inauguration… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/16 "2010-11-24T20:22:12Z")
> [@howye](#): > > And the picture doesn’t go a long way to making her look like the brightest congress person, sparkliest though. Yup, it one of the better “Durp” shots I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/17 "2010-11-24T22:24:07Z")
Clearly she wears hats as part of trying to look feminine. So in a way, telling her not to wear a hat is like telling her not to wear makeup, or a dress. To un-woman her, or even to discourage a woman from being on the floor. It is sexist in a way, rather as if a grammar school forbade trousers for its teachers. Yes, I know women don’t all wear hats. But they may wear weaves & wigs in this context, & those are just as artificial. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/18 "2010-11-24T22:58:51Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > So in a way, telling her not to wear a hat is like telling her not to wear makeup, or a dress. To un-woman her, or even to discourage a woman from being on the floor. Come on now. The rule doesn’t stop her from doing anything except wearing a hat, and she happens to like wearing hats. It was clearly not designed to keep women from being on the House floor: women couldn’t even vote when the rule was passed. It doesn’t “un-woman” her, whatever that means. The wording of the rule is gender neutral, and it doesn’t have a disproportionate effect on any one group. It’s not sexist. > [@](#): > > It is sexist in a way, rather as if a grammar school forbade trousers for its teachers. How would preventing men and women from wearing trousers be sexist? ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/19 "2010-11-24T23:31:34Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > Yeah, if Bella Abzug was able to abstain, Wilson should be able to hold off. i was under the impression that there was a religious exception for her. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786/20 "2010-11-25T04:24:04Z")
As if Congress doesn’t have more important issues to deal with…you know, like the economy, oil spills, health care, inflation, etc… some bimbo wants to debate whether she can wear her stupid sequined cowboy hat in session! A hat is to keep the sun off your head and believe me… the lights in Congress aren’t that bright! (pun intended) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-the-dumbest-new-congressmember/561786.md?page=2)