In other words, what’s so important about the top of my head that people need to see it during a song? The basic idea behind this country is freedom of self-expression; now I have to conform to a rule that on the surface seems to have no logic behind it.
Please explain.
Respect is not a logical concept, it is an emotional one.
That’s why there is no such rule. There is only custom, enforced only by public opinion, not law.
The standard answer: to show respect.
The alternative answer: because some super-patriots want you to adhere to their idea of what patriotism is, and debate is not an option.
Again though, what is it about the top of one’s head that indicates respect?
In some cultures, when a man removes his hat in the presence of someone else, it is an act of showing respect to that other person. It is not logical. It is totally arbitrary. It accomplishes the same thing as standing up for the other person, or a slight bowing towards him.
It has nothing to do with revealing the top of one’s head. Maybe it started out that way long ago – sort of like “In deference to you, sir, I present to you my very vulnerable head” – but that means has long since departed.
Also why a man removes his hat while dining, in the presence of a lady, or in a dwelling (although since the time that the baseball cap largely replaced the fedora, most men seem boorishly oblivious to these conventions).
And yet some religions require covering the head, either all the time or while in a house of worship, depending on the level of orthodoxy.
So it’s not the presence or absence of head covering that indicates respect, but the adherence to custom.
You tell this lady you will not doff your hat.
Removal of the hat during the national anthem is just one of the many points of male hat etiquette which flourished in the days (pre-1960s?) when everyone wore hats. A bit of googling reveals qiute a bit about what those rules were/are, their history, and a fair amount of conversation and controversy over whether they do, or should, still apply nowadays. For example, a succint summary from The Art of Manliness:
The theory I read is that removing your hat makes you shorter, thus you are showing that you are submissive. Same thing as bowing - it is an acknowledgment that the flag/a lady/whatever is higher status than you.
It developed somewhat like offering your hand to shake is a gesture that originally showed 'see, I’m not armed, so assume I am friendly".
Regards,
Shodan
It’s not the silliest theory I’ve ever heard, but it’s up there. Where did you read that?
and you’re not supposed to cheer the singer afterwards.
Just a guess, but in many societies hats were worn a visible marker of status, and we can still see this in a king’s crown (and the use of a crown as a symbol of authority), a policeman’s hat, a graduate’s cap, etc. To remove your hat was to signal your willingness to surrender your own status before the greater status of someone else, and hence became a generalised gesture of respect.
(Yes, other articles of clothing might also indicate status. But most other articles of clothing are not so conveniently removed as hats.)
For you, it’s a silly looking hat. You should just take it off anyway.
For some others, it’s a sign of respect for their country and Richard Stands, without whom you would be living in some communist country where they have to wear concrete hats.
For the rest of us, it’s a minimal sign of respect and gratitude for those who gave their lives for the great ideals of freedom of expression, equality under the law, a constitutional republic with democratic representation, and the enduring spirit of liberty.
Here, here! I wholeheartedly concur, sir! 
“concrete hats”… The mental picture of such, amuses me, tremendously! 
The Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris, IIRC.
Regards,
Shodan
That book is full of it. Hair-brained theories, that is. Morris is more of a populist writer than a scientific researcher, and psychology is one of the most subjective sciences to begin with.
It’s one of the silliest theories I’ve ever heard.
You “boorishly oblivious” might be matched by someone else’s “outdated persnicketyness.”
I support the trend that people should not expect that others will be subject to their sartorial preferences based on arbitrary customs and unnecessary connotations, especially in casual situations like meals with friends or in commercial situations like sporting events.
I always thought it was because a hat was symbolically for protection. So, when you are indoors you take it off, and when you want to show respect, you take it off to say you trust someone.
But it would be interesting to find someone who actually studied why certain gestures became popular, and perhaps find the meaning that is lost in modern times.
::nitpick:: That would be “hear, hear”.