I don’t think there’s anywhere in the US today where you’re expected to wear a hat, is there? Well, except on a construction site or some other place for safety.
Many uniforms have hats. The military salute is an extension or evolution of the general hat salute.
I would remove my hat for a funeral (even though I think the whole idea is outdated in the first place), but not for the national anthem. It’s not that I dislike the U.S., I just don’t see why I should go to such a length to express my respect for it–of which there isn’t a very great amount (I’m not a nationalist).
Anyways…
The cheating thing was something I never really thought of…unfortunately 
just a couple of thoughts: teachers have always had an “in loco parentis” role, and as such, have used the time spent with their kids to teach them the common courtesies of society that they may not have learned or practiced sufficiently, in addition to trying to inculcate a facility with the three R’s. And, as Jinx implies, many teachers, consciously or not, are in a power joust with their students. This is revealed in all manner of behaviors, including the many instances of “because I said so” injunctions and directions that are so often issued AT students. This includes not even letting a kid get to his locker before ragging on him to take off his hat.
That’s not a very vaild comparison. After all, if I don’t take my hat off indoors it’s because I’m more comfortable with it on, not because I’m intentionally being disrespectful. If I flip someone off, I think it’s pretty clear I’m doing it to be insulting. That’s the only purpose for flipping someone the bird. There are, however, many purposes for leaving a hat on.
But I haven’t agreed on it. I don’t think it’s rude. Not everyone does. But doesn’t it make more sense to let someone keep their hat on because they like it, or they’re self-conscious about a mishapen head or a balding spot, or they’re having a bad hair day, then to make someone take it off and suffer in discomfort just because ‘it’s something we’ve agreed on, with no “reason”’?
Just IMHO.
Kezermezer, good luck explaining all that when you’re interviewing for a job.
Yes, you may live disregarding other people’s conventions but you are segregating yourself from most people who have certain manners and conventions. But if your aspiration is to work for minimum wage and live in a trailer park, then you can feel free to leave your hat on while in bed or in the shower. I don’t see you getting a job as CEO of any big corporation though.
Completely off-topic, but is anyone else amused that only one of the three R’s is actually an R? 
Here’s the exact cite for the Emily Post thing I mentioned earlier. http://www.bartleby.com/95/101.html
Some guy named Richard Duffy actually wrote the bit about the knights…unfortunately can’t seem to find where he got this info.
C’mon, sailor. Who the heck even wears a hat nowadays. I know, from some of your other posts, that you bemoan the passing of the hat (hehe). But you’ll not find a whole lot of support among most men. The fashion is dying even in Texas.
Peace,
mangeorge
I think you are missing the point. The point is not whether you should wear a hat outside but whether you should remove it indoors. That’s the question asked in the OP. Do you know many men who have good jobs and good social positions and go against convention by wearing hats indoors and by not dressing appropriately for their jobs? Would you recommend going to a job interview wearing a baseball cap backwards?
Nothing much in the OP about dressing appropriately, or backward baseball caps. Or job interviews, for that matter.
Yes, sailor, I get the point. I just don’t see how you can remove something you don’t have on. Maybe the OP’s talking about in general, and not at work?
Peace,
mangeorge
The OP is
Some of us have attempted to explain why wearing a hat indoors is considered rude.
>> Nothing much in the OP about dressing appropriately,
The OP is asking why it is considered inappropriate (rude) to wear a hat indoors.
>> Or job interviews, for that matter.
What you would wear to a job interview is a pretty good test of what is considered polite and appropriate.
>> Yes, sailor, I get the point.
It doesn’t look like it to me. How much punch have you had tonight?
>> I just don’t see how you can remove something you don’t have on.
Nobody has said you should wear a hat outside so you can take it off when you come inside. Your reply is surrealist. We are explaining there is a convention that a man shows respect by taking off (or tipping) his hat. It goes back centuries and it is widely accepted. You can ignore it but it will work against you.
Well, put me in the camp that thinks the hat etiquette rule is silly. In a capitalist meritocracy, a rival company is going to hire the talented hat-wearing individuals that are turned away. Then, in the marketplace, they will proceed to trounce the companies that cannot see beyond the hat to the talent.
Ties, let alone hats, made a very brief comeback where I work. I think the “rules” of the workplace are a changing.
Muslims wear their kufis indoors. Sikhs wear their turbans indoors.
In fact, in traditional Islam it was considered a bit rude to go with the head uncovered anywhere, indoor or out. Not a religious injunction, but one of those common courtesy items. For Sikhs, the headgear is actually a requirement of the religion.
Have these folks been set up for a cultural clash when living in European culture?
My opinion is that a hat is placed on the head for a purpose. Whether for Religious, Cleanliness, Respect, Baldness, or simply for keeping the sun out of the eyes, it does have a purpose. Not removing it usually denotes a negative of one of the reasons for wearing it.
i.e. Disrespect, uncleanliness, and so on.
If your Social Mores, (Religion, style, etc) mandates the wearing of a hat indoors, great. If you wear a hat indoors otherwise you are being disrespectful. Period.
Baseball Caps are to keep the sun out of your eyes, therefore you do not need them indoors. Particularly worn backwards which will not keep the sun out of your eyes.
If you have a receding hairline, get used to it, it is not going to get better and you will have to learn to live with it.
If you wear a cowboy hat, remember that a true cowboy would never disrespect anyone by wearing his hat indoors, just as he would remove his hat in the presence of any lady.
Hats do have a purpose. Wearing one inside, except for religious purposes (or if the roof leaks) is not honorable.
It’s because God doesn’t want to have to look through all three of a roof, a hat, and your scalp to see your brain, when he can just look through two of them.
Regarding an earlier question. Hats aren’t allowed at the high school where I work because so many students were using them to indicate a gang affiliaton. Color, emblems, even how they were worn on the head, all of it meant something. I was glad when the administration finally ‘outlawed’ all head coverings because I was sick and tired of reminding kids to take off their damned hats-- not because I was engaged in any power struggle with my students. A good teacher knows who’s in charge and doen’t sweat crud like that. Why did I care if they wore hats in my room? Because that’s how I was raised, because it was the school’s rules and it was my duty to enforce those rules, and because I was, and still am, opposed to gangs and didn’t want such an obvious symbol of aggression in my classroom. Plus I’d asked them to remove their hats before entering and it was irritatingly rude of them not to do so once they’d promised they would.
As to why they couldn’t wait for you to get to your locker, I’m guessing because it’s better to have everyone take their hats off at one clearly defined point. How would proctors know if you’d been to your locker yet or not?
I wear a fedora in the winter because I’m bald & it keeps my hear warm. It also keeps the sun out of my eyes. I wear a baseball cap in the summer because it keeps my scalp from burning & the sunlight & sweat out of my eyes.
It ain’t fashion, it’s functional.
Yeah, jack@ss, I know. Many men wear 'em for the same reasons. I was talking about those who wear a hat as a fashion statement and a status symbol (like a tie), and expect others to do the same.
BYW; a “coolie” hat (Asian conical hat) works well year round. Wear a do-rag under it in the winter for warmth.
OK, don’t.
Peace,
mangeorge
What I’m saying is that maybe we should take a look at why it’s a convention in the first place. Since there’s no real reason anymore besides ‘that’s the way it’s always been. It’s just rude. Period’ we should retire this particular convention.
I hope you realize how rude you’re being with this statement. Obviously I never said I aspire to work for minimum wage and live in a trailer park. My job in our household is to be the mommy and wife, and keep the house together. But my husband has a job he goes to nearly every day. He gets paid above minimum wage. And he’s allowed to wear a hat at work as long as it doesn’t promote any rival companies. Wearing a hat isn’t stopping him from moving up the ranks and getting promotions. In fact, different locations are fighting to have him.