# Why do I have to take off my hat for the national anthem? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 15, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087 "2011-07-15T01:21:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/21 "2011-07-15T15:07:53Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > 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: Nowadays, the hat is likely to be a backwards baseball cap. Not worn by some kid, but by a guy old enough to know better. (Shielding the face from sunlight is actually a _good_ idea.) Maybe he’s trying to hide his bald spot. And taking the hat off will just wreck his combover. (I have nothing against bald spots. Combovers are a different.) Here in Texas, cowboys with real rural roots usually know proper manners. Fratboys in cowboy hats, not so much… ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/22 "2011-07-15T15:10:56Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > ::nitpick:: That would be “hear, hear”. And hare brained (in another post) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/23 "2011-07-15T23:22:39Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > ::nitpick:: That would be “hear, hear”. Where, where? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/24 "2011-07-15T23:26:04Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > And hare brained (in another post) It’s not as simple as you might think: > [@](#): > > hare·brained (hârˈbrāndˈ) > > adjective > Foolish; flighty: a harebrained scheme. > > Usage Note: The first use of harebrained dates to 1548. The spelling hairbrained also has a long history, going back to the 1500s when hair was a variant spelling of hare. The hair variant was preserved in Scotland into the 18th century, and as a result it is impossible to tell exactly when people began writing hairbrained in the belief that the word means “having a hair-sized brain” rather than “with no more sense than a hare.” While hairbrained continues to be used and confused, it should be avoided in favor of harebrained which has been established as the correct spelling. > **[Harebrained Definition & Meaning | YourDictionary](https://www.yourdictionary.com/harebrained)** > > Harebrained definition: Having or showing little sense; foolish. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2011, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/25 "2011-07-15T23:31:47Z")
I always heard that you took off your helmet to show your peaceful intentions as well as your belief that you were safe (i.e. you don’t need your armor)…so, it became a sign of respect. It goes fairly far back, so it’s not exactly some quaint American custom to doff ones hat as a show of respect. BTW, I think Shodan’s comments aren’t all that far off the wall…I know that wearing a helmet with plumes and such was a way to make one appear taller, so doffing a helmet to show you are shorter seems logical as well. The exact reason is probably lost in time though, since a quick Google search turns up as many answers as to why as there are links (212 million according to the top of the page)… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/26 "2011-07-16T00:40:01Z")
Taking my hat off is just easier than getting the shit beat out of me by a large tattooed biker with a shaved head and German helmet. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/27 "2011-07-16T17:14:16Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Taking my hat off is just easier than getting the shit beat out of me by a large tattooed biker with a shaved head and German helmet. My head isn’t shaved and I don’t wear a “German” helmet, other than that, a fairly accurate description. 😃 (And I see that you are also, a wise man!) 😉 And a prodigious poster, to boot! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/28 "2011-07-16T17:44:31Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > My head isn’t shaved and I don’t wear a “German” helmet, other than that, a fairly accurate description. 😃 > > (And I see that you are also, a wise man!) 😉 > > And a prodigious poster, to boot! I noted my post count with shock the other day. All those words, so little content. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/29 "2011-07-16T17:54:26Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I noted my post count with shock the other day. All those words, so little content. Meh! Don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s the thought that counts! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/30 "2011-07-16T18:16:13Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > Meh! Don’t be too hard on yourself, it’s the thought that counts! 😃 My only defense is that I’ve been retired for three years. Prior to that, I was one of those useless, lazy government contractors and public servants that we’re reading so much about on the board these days. ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/31 "2011-07-16T18:25:48Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > My only defense is that I’ve been retired for three years. Prior to that, I was one of those useless, lazy government contractors and public servants that we’re reading so much about on the board these days. Well… I, for one, won’t hold that against you… 🙂 _ **Somebody** _ has to be… uh… well… what _ **you** _ said… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2011, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/32 "2011-07-16T19:30:41Z")
> [@](#): > > JBDivmstr “Here, here! I wholeheartedly concur, sir! > “concrete hats”… The mental picture of such, amuses me, tremendously!” > [@](#): > > ChefGuy “::nitpick:: That would be “hear, hear”.” > [@](#): > > MusiCat “Where, where?” _ **My** _ turn, to ::nitpick::! 😉 IMHO, the “proper” snarkastic response to “hear, hear”, should have been… “What, what?” 😛 Just sayin’… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/33 "2011-07-18T00:28:24Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > 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. I have heard in several places that the military salute comes from days of armored knights who would raise their visor as a gesture of respect. After soldiers stopped wearing visored helmets, they still raised their hand as if they were about to raise a visor. This could be related. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/34 "2011-07-18T05:55:41Z")
^ close. the gesture of respect is in showing one’s face. NB: you are not fully recognizeable when you’re wearing a hat (there are exceptions, the joker for instance.) ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2011, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/35 "2011-07-18T06:05:24Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > 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.) This seems the best answer to me. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/36 "2011-07-19T01:48:05Z")
I remember one _Sopranos_ episode where Tony, uh, _suggests_ that another diner remove his cap. As long as I’m getting history/culture here, and even if for historical purposes only, check a great and funny/nasty scene where Hamlet teases a courtier mercilessly to put his hat _on_–as a sign of respect–during a brutally hot day. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/37 "2011-07-19T15:55:48Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I have heard in several places that the military salute comes from days of armored knights who would raise their visor as a gesture of respect. After soldiers stopped wearing visored helmets, they still raised their hand as if they were about to raise a visor. > > This could be related. My understanding is raising the visor was to aid in identification. It’s very hard to see a knight’s (or cataphract’s) face through a proper helmet visor, hence the development of various methods for armored cavalry (the real kind, not the motorized variant) to figure out whether or not to kill each other. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/38 "2011-07-19T17:25:56Z")
Because it’s the [law.](http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/36/usc_sec_36_00000301----000-.html) (Although I don’t think there’s a penalty for breaking it.) > [@](#): > > (a) Designation.— The composition consisting of the words and music known as the Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem. > (b) Conduct During Playing.— During a rendition of the national anthem— > (1) when the flag is displayed— > (A) individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note; > (B) members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute in the manner provided for individuals in uniform; and > \*\*(C) all other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart; and \*\*(2) when the flag is not displayed, all present should face toward the music and act in the same manner they would if the flag were displayed. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/39 "2011-07-19T18:15:22Z")
So wait, that only applies to men? Women wearing hats need not remove them? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087/40 "2011-07-19T18:19:48Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#): > > Because it’s the [law.](http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/36/usc_sec_36_00000301----000-.html) (Although I don’t think there’s a penalty for breaking it.) The fact that it appears in the U.S. Code means it can technically be described as a law, but it really has none of the other hallmarks of law. As you said, there’s no way to enforce it. It says “should,” which is at best ambiguous and at worst entirely voids any obligation whatsoever. Most importantly, if it did have any of the compulsion characteristic of a law, it would be struck down as unconstitutional. I haven’t found any other portion of the U.S. Code to be a pile of bullshit as this one is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-i-have-to-take-off-my-hat-for-the-national-anthem/589087.md?page=3)