# Vets - do you wear "vet" clothing? Why or why not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 11, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vets-do-you-wear-vet-clothing-why-or-why-not/967778 "2022-07-11T18:06:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 44
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2022, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vets-do-you-wear-vet-clothing-why-or-why-not/967778/44 "2022-07-14T21:03:35Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > hope this isn’t too much of a hijack of a thread I started, but why do you dislike, “TYFYS”? Is that cliched statement that different than the offering of a discount - which many/most of the vets in this thread gladly accept? It’s all about the context of the interaction. It’s 99/100 times, to me, a lazy, dismissive utterance on the par of “[Have a good one](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phrases-terms-that-aggravate-the-hell-out-of-you/923894/820).” Some examples: - (Laziness) I don’t really shop for the discounts, but I do use my retired ID card as a form of “Real ID” when I need to, or when I prefer not to use my state driver’s license or my company-issued Federal HSPV-12 (one step closer towards anonymity). [Sidebar] I’ve had a couple of people push back my New Mexico driver’s license, demanding something from the US, and not “international.”[/Sidebar] Normally, I’ll get a half-assed “TYFYS” from a clerk . . . - (Mixed messaging) Because my organization is tied at the hip to the DoD, we often get a lot of politicians and glad-handers thanking us for our dedication, and to the Veterans, a “TYFYS.” Their delivery falls flat. . . - (Weaponization) I often get the question from other contractors or subcontractors who, on first introduction, want to gauge my expertise in my field. When I tell them I came to this Lab straight from Active Duty, I usually get a weak “TYFYS” or a snarky “TYFYS.” So, normally it comes across as a cliched throwaway statement, normally dropped by people who’ve never served, nor care to even consider what it’s like to serve. - From another Veteran who ‘gets it’? . . . It’d be genuine, and I’ve shared my thanks with them. - From a co-worker genuinely interested on where I’d been and done? . . . It’d be genuine, and I’d thank them for their support and/or time in listening. - From someone who considers the meeting _transactional_? It’s cliche and IMHO better to say nothing, than something half-assed and without meaning. It’s all about the context. 99% of the time, the context and delivery is from someone genuinely, wholeheartedly disinterested. Tripler I once had a hat that said “Dysfunctional Veteran: Leave Me Alone.” This post makes me look that way, doesn’t it? --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vets-do-you-wear-vet-clothing-why-or-why-not/967778)._