I keep noticing foreigners running around town in these funny old man hats.
Why do they embarrass themselves by wearing something they would never wear at home, and if they did wear it, someone would knock it off their head.
This is obviously part of some syndrome (of some name???) where foreigners come to Taiwan, act stupid, dress stupid, etc. and other things they would never do at home. And then Taiwanese end up thinking these are normal people acting normal like they do at home.
I swear, someday I expect to see a foreigner with a monkey on his head, thinking he is cool, and then my Taiwanese friends commenting to me that all foreigners must wear monkeys on their head. I’m already tired of explaining that these odd things foreigners do are not normal typicial behavior.
Just a foreigner (that doesn’t wear funny hats) ranting…
I wear a funny hat -not proudly- but it is by doctor’s orders (protect as much of me from the sun).
And yes, as a girl, I find it funny that furriners complain about the way people dress here… when most of us are not straight out of the pages of VOGUE, exactly. We do abuse of the privilege of going to work in jeans and flip-flops. Though that is the way you know it is an English teacher: bermuda shorts, wrinkled T-shirt, TEVAs… that is all you need, truth be told.
Now, regarding color coordination… I call it a “cultural constraint”, just like logic.
I have 17 hats at last count. Everything from a Mountain Hardwear Legionnaire’s hat with neck flap to a rabbit fur brown derby that cost me nearly 7,000 clams. I don’t know if any are old man hats or not, but thank FUCK, not a single one of them is one of those godawful baseball cap things that all Americans seem to wear as if they’re glued to their heads.
Americans cannot wear hats, I’m totally convinced!
I always thought they could in the old B&W movies. God knows hat happened then. Trousers hanging around the bottom of their arses and bloody baseball caps.
[quote=“sandman”]I have 17 hats at last count. Everything from a Mountain Hardwear Legionnaire’s hat with neck flap to a rabbit fur brown derby that cost me nearly 7,000 clams. I don’t know if any are old man hats or not, but thank FUCK, not a single one of them is one of those godawful baseball cap things that all Americans seem to wear as if they’re glued to their heads.
Americans cannot wear hats, I’m totally convinced![/quote]
Mmm… fedora style might be the one… and makes me laugh inside everytime I see it. Especially with the shorts and t-shirt and I think some type of chain around the neck.
It isn’t that the hat that is funny. Hats are ok. It is humorous thinking about the whole situation, attire, location… and humorously wondering “Why are you (not) thinking???”.
Kind of like Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, “Emperor who has no clothes” who doesn’t know how odd he is until the child screams “he had no clothes on at all”. It isn’t just the look, it the whole situation of foreigner in foreign land…
Makes as much common sense as a monkey on the head.
Fedora style? Kids are wearing those all over the world these days. Where have you BEEN, man? Like, dude, you are just SO out of the loop. Talk about revealing your total unhipness!
I’ve seen some laowai’s here lookin’ purty sharp in their fedoras and similar hats, wailin’ away on their instruments. They were wearing suits, or at least suspenders, though. Mighta looked silly with the same hats if they were in tees and shorts.
[quote=“tango42”]I keep noticing foreigners running around town in these funny old man hats.
Why do they embarrass themselves by wearing something they would never wear at home, and if they did wear it, someone would knock it off their head.[/quote]
Why do you care what others wear?
Maybe they left their home countries and came here because jagoffs in their home countries couldn’t mind their own business and kept knocking their hats off their heads?
