How Did America Become a Nation of Slobs?

[Gaius46]

I would argue that judging people based on their appearance, though not something limited to losers, is not something I would advocate for.

While I agree with you the fact of the matter is that most people do judge you based on you appearance - at least initially - and you may well, depending on the circumstance be disadvantaging yourself if you don't dress appropriately. One of the best pieces of advice I got when I started my working career was to dress so that no one noticed what you were wearing.

 

[Gaius46]

Exactly. A nation of men down on their luck, facing the worst of conditions still having the dignity and pride to dress as well as they could.

What constitutes "proper dress" depends completely on the time period and circumstance. I'm sure the people who thought powdered wigs were high fashion also cried when they fell out of favor.

I work in a financial services firm. A place where 10 years ago I wore a suit and tie to work every day, like everyone else, despite being an engineer who never saw customers. Now everyone, including the CIO, wears jeans to work every day.

As long as the clothing fits properly, is in a good repair and is clean what difference does it make?

 

[sangha]

While I agree with you the fact of the matter is that most people do judge you based on you appearance - at least initially - and you may well, depending on the circumstance be disadvantaging yourself if you don't dress appropriately. One of the best pieces of advice I got when I started my working career was to dress so that no one noticed what you were wearing.

I agree with that. My point is not that there arent a lot of people who do that. It is whether or not it is something we should promote as a Good Thing.

 

[Xelor]

Lucheonettes and diners were where teens went on dates or to possibly find romance, and where white office workers went for lunch, so it is no surprise that they would be dressed to impress. It is not a good representation of everyday fashion

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
-- Martin Luther King Jr.​

Re: your the miscomprehension of context evinced by your diction, choice of images, and thus situational and temporal frames of comparison:

....and for all that, the folks whom you pictured yet do not appear in their underwear and bed clothes. Each of them wears a collared shirt and proper pants, even as they may dirty from working in fields.


ETA:
Look at the men posed on the truck in the first picture. In what reality do you imagine that farm hands wore spectator shoes to work?

"Is everyone who lives in Ignorance like you?" asked Milo.
"Much worse," he said longingly. "But I don't live here. I'm from a place very far away called Context.”
-- Norton Juster, The Phantom Tollbooth​

 

[ElChupacabra]

Dressing well does not have to mean 'new' or latest fashion. It means neat and clean.

Indeed. I think what's important is understanding that how we dress is part of the first impression we make to others. There's nothing bad about dressing casually, but if you do just put yourself together well.

 

[RetiredUSN]

First impressions mean a lot, and you only get one shot at a first impression.

 

[ElChupacabra]

I actually had a girl come in once to fill out an application. She had a filthy baby on her hip, she was wearing a food-stained tee shirt and bleach-stained sweat pants. Her hair was a mess and she looked like she hadn't showered in a week. I told her we were all out of job applications.

There's a difference between being clean and presentable, and just being a slob and not caring.

That's the main message that's sent when you dress slovenly. I'm the last person to be accused of being the "fashion police", but for me it's about respect for how I present myself to others as well as respect for the events I attend. If I'm going to work out then I'll wear that type of attire, but if I'm going to someone's home for an event I'll put myself together.

 

[jimbo]

While I agree with you the fact of the matter is that most people do judge you based on you appearance - at least initially - and you may well, depending on the circumstance be disadvantaging yourself if you don't dress appropriately. One of the best pieces of advice I got when I started my working career was to dress so that no one noticed what you were wearing.

I'd disagree. i always dressed a shade above the crowd. Otherwise you're just part of the crowd. I generally got the job.

No one is going to be offended if you show up not smelling like yesterday's cigarettes, not chewing gum, not wearing clothes you grabbed out of the hamper.

The reverse is not true.

 

[SDET]

https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/how-did-america-become-nation-slobs View attachment 67247355 This is dead on correct, we are a nation of slobs and we should strive to be better. How can we be taken seriously by the world and be any sort of positive image when we look like we just spent a night in a dumpster.

In spite of being rather submissive, my wife throws a fit if I go to work and take shortcuts on my clothing and shoes. Even if others at work are a bunch of slobs, they are not the ones to impress. It's all about self respect. Or as my wife says "respeito proprio".

 

[Gaius46]

I'd disagree. i always dressed a shade above the crowd. Otherwise you're just part of the crowd. I generally got the job.

No one is going to be offended if you show up not smelling like yesterday's cigarettes, not chewing gum, not wearing clothes you grabbed out of the hamper.

The reverse is not true.

Fair enough. The point the gentleman who gave me that advice was making was that the time people spend thinking about your clothes or the way you look is not time they're spending thinking about what you're saying.

That isn't so much for job interviews as it is for actual work. When I did pre-sales technical support work I dressed in a suit because, while I was "technical" I was supporting a sales rep and being put in front of people who were making purchase decisions. A suit was the appropriate dress for that environment at that time - the late 80s - and no one would be spend a minute thinking I looked out of place.

On the other now that I run an agile software development team where the typical engineer is 20 years my junior and I never deal with external people face to face jeans are much more appropriate.

 

[Superfly]

Worst I ever had was a young lady who showed up 10 minutes late, parked in the executive slots, crushed out her cigarette, and entered in jeans chewing gum.

I had gotten her name from a local secretary school.

:lol: Nope. File 13.

 

[Superfly]

That's the main message that's sent when you dress slovenly. I'm the last person to be accused of being the "fashion police", but for me it's about respect for how I present myself to others as well as respect for the events I attend. If I'm going to work out then I'll wear that type of attire, but if I'm going to someone's home for an event I'll put myself together.

Exactly. And honestly, I'm not a dressy type girl at all. I have a dozen pairs of flip flops, a good pair of Sketchers, a pair of canvas sneakers and a pair of black flats for dressing up. I don't do 500 pairs of shoes, etc. I don't own a single pair of heels. Not anymore. But I am clean, and my hair is combed, and my clothes have no rips, stains or tears on them. There is something to be said for having pride in yourself and your appearance. I'm not fancy, but I'm clean and well put together. If I needed to find myself in a "dressy" situation, I could with no problem. I have a few nicer outfits in my closet. I just don't wear them - don't need to.

 

[HumblePi]

I don't run into this at the Walmart but I have seen enough 'Walmartian' photos to know that there are people that go out into public as though they just came out of their shower or are wearing their kids pants or husband's wife-beater T-shirt. The fact that some people don't seem to have any mirrors in their homes is just proof that some people are just ignorant slobs and don't really give a crap what anyone thinks. It's indicative of the type of upbringing and lack of parental guidance as they grew up.

But this thread is pertinent for many reasons and it's a good way to open dialog as to the reasons that people in the U.S. are some of the most unhealthy, obese people in the entire world. This fact adds to our national deficit by increasing medical costs that are a burden to the health care system since many have no insurance and are using government subsidies to pay for their health care which is usually only in an emergency situation.

'Walmartians' such as this one below seems to be more typical of what you'd see in a Walmart located in the South or Mid-West. And I'm not trying to shame anyone, I'm trying to make the point that the lack of access to health care and having sub-par education for children are absolute factors that contribute to the 'fattening up' of Americans. People living in towns and cities that provide adequate education to children statistically have children that are average weight and above average health. People living in more rural areas such as those found in the south and mid-west are lacking those important factors. If people aren't taught from childhood about the importance of sanitation, nutrition, personal hygiene and other things like eating a balanced diet, pro-active health care etc., will not even be aware of the damage they're doing to their own health and welfare.

Thirty years ago it wasn't even a worrysome 'thing' that children were born with ADD, autism and childhood diabetes. But more children are being diagnosed with things like diabetes and hypertension than ever before in U.S. history and much of it is due to poor diets. In 1985, no state had an obesity rate higher than 15 percent. In 2016, five states had rates over 35 percent. There are also substantial economic losses associated with obesity. The medical costs of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment were estimated at $147 billion in 2008 and that number has increased exponentially since then.

Children that live in very urban city environments in families that are poorer will also be less healthy. Their mothers work and give their kids a few bucks to go find their own dinner while she's at work. Well where do kids go to get their dinner with their $5 bucks? To McDonalds for a Big Mac or to Burger King for a double-quarter-pound King with fries and a Coke. These meals are absolutely loaded with empty calories and sugar. Parents can actually train their children to make better choices. They can still buy a dinner at McDonalds but choosing healthier options like a chicken sandwich with a side salad and a diet Coke would be better for them in the long run.

So, what's the answer, where's the solution to the what has become a national health crisis? It's education. The person pictured below says more than the eye tells us initially. Obviously she's an extremely obese woman. She's in a motorized scooter for a reason, she's having difficulty walking which means she has some serious health issues. Not only is she inappropriately dressed, she's also a burden on our health care system.

 

[Tom Horn]

My guess is once we were lectured that all we had to do was shoot our shotgun from the front porch by our Vice President, all bets were off.

 

[ThoughtEx.]

https://www.intellectualtakeout.org/article/how-did-america-become-nation-slobs View attachment 67247355 This is dead on correct, we are a nation of slobs and we should strive to be better. How can we be taken seriously by the world and be any sort of positive image when we look like we just spent a night in a dumpster.

Millennials have to work three jobs and 8 side hustles these days just to afford to subsist. We dress for efficiency. The more time we save on looking fashionable, the more time we have to work.

Everything about our lives is about efficiency, which is why we kill so many industries.

Why must we be so efficient.

Because for the first time in history, one generation didn't leave a better world for their children to inherit. They left a **** show. And continue to fling **** as we take it over.

So keep you damn opinions about what younger people do to your damn self.

 

[mike2810]

One just has to look at the trashing of our National Parks and Recreation areas during the shutdown. It amazes me how thoughtless some people are in leaving their trash in a park when they know no one is going to be emptying the trash bins.

"Oh look, the trash can is full. Let's just throw our stuff on the ground. Someone someday will clean up the mess."

 

[Winchester]

*sigh* Yoga pants are not a right. They are a privilege.

And I have to agree. I hate seeing people walking around, shopping in their PJs or bedroom slippers.

Why? All it does is give me flashbacks to my grade school anxiety dreams of sitting at my desk in my PJs while everyone else is dressed and staring at me. :lol:

Now the yoga pants thing... It's more of a I really don't mind it for the most part, but **** don't look at me like I'm a dirty old man if I notice (not stare, I'm more subtle than that. :2razz: ). While waiting for connections at the airport last weekend I told the mrs I was going to do an unofficial survey on the percentage of women who wore them... it was a lot.

Edit to add:

That being said we've been watching the Marvelous Mrs Maisel, and damn, damn, damn I'd like to see some of those fashions come back.

 

[Checkerboard Strangler]

During the same time period though 4 bucks was a lot of money. My mother was a 1 room school teacher. $26/month. 9 months/year.

The question is where was she a school teacher?
The well worn memes of Americans lining up for soup are all photos shot in big cities. I'm sure that even if it was Iowa or Oklahoma, twenty-six bucks a month was not typical, but in a place like New York City, typical teacher pay was a lot higher, like around a hundred a month.

In Iowa, where schools depended almost solely on property taxes, a salary of only $40 a month for all teachers was established.

However all that having been said:

Most hard-pressed urban districts cut teachers' salaries. From 1929–1930 to 1933–1934, the average teacher salary dropped from $1,420 to $1,227, a decrease of 13.6 percent. Depending on the district, however, pay cuts of 25 to 50 percent were not uncommon. By 1934 almost 300,000 rural teachers earned less than $650 a year, the minimum wage of factory workers under the National Recovery Administration (NRA). Approximately 85,000 earned less than $450 per year, which today is equivalent to only about $5,800 per year.

Having just finished reading the entire article, I come away with the impression that right now, today...we are REPEATING the exact same patterns that were evident during the years of The Great Depression, and this despite record unemployment and booming Wall Street stock figures, and all the propaganda about how our economy is roaring under the current administration.

My detectors are going off again.



If you don't at least skim through the article, you might not get what I am all on about, but if you do, it will be quite clear.

 

[braindrain]

Millennials have to work three jobs and 8 side hustles these days just to afford to subsist. We dress for efficiency. The more time we save on looking fashionable, the more time we have to work.

Everything about our lives is about efficiency, which is why we kill so many industries.

Why must we be so efficient.

Because for the first time in history, one generation didn't leave a better world for their children to inherit. They left a **** show. And continue to fling **** as we take it over.

So keep you damn opinions about what younger people do to your damn self.

I think your knowledge of history is severly lacking.

 

[jimbo]

Millennials have to work three jobs and 8 side hustles these days just to afford to subsist. We dress for efficiency. The more time we save on looking fashionable, the more time we have to work.

Everything about our lives is about efficiency, which is why we kill so many industries.

Why must we be so efficient.

Because for the first time in history, one generation didn't leave a better world for their children to inherit. They left a **** show. And continue to fling **** as we take it over.

So keep you damn opinions about what younger people do to your damn self.

I think, sir, you missed the point, and any chance at a higher paying job at my businesses.

 

[jimbo]

The question is where was she a school teacher?
The well worn memes of Americans lining up for soup are all photos shot in big cities. I'm sure that even if it was Iowa or Oklahoma, twenty-six bucks a month was not typical, but in a place like New York City, typical teacher pay was a lot higher, like around a hundred a month.

In Iowa, where schools depended almost solely on property taxes, a salary of only $40 a month for all teachers was established.

However all that having been said:



Having just finished reading the entire article, I come away with the impression that right now, today...we are REPEATING the exact same patterns that were evident during the years of The Great Depression, and this despite record unemployment and booming Wall Street stock figures, and all the propaganda about how our economy is roaring under the current administration.

My detectors are going off again.

View attachment 67247438

If you don't at least skim through the article, you might not get what I am all on about, but if you do, it will be quite clear.

St Paul, NE, early '30's. I found her contract when I cleaned out my parents former home.

 

[ElChupacabra]

Exactly. And honestly, I'm not a dressy type girl at all. I have a dozen pairs of flip flops, a good pair of Sketchers, a pair of canvas sneakers and a pair of black flats for dressing up. I don't do 500 pairs of shoes, etc. I don't own a single pair of heels. Not anymore. But I am clean, and my hair is combed, and my clothes have no rips, stains or tears on them. There is something to be said for having pride in yourself and your appearance. I'm not fancy, but I'm clean and well put together. If I needed to find myself in a "dressy" situation, I could with no problem. I have a few nicer outfits in my closet. I just don't wear them - don't need to.

You dress according to the event; you don't want to be overdressed because that can be off putting as well. It can be perceived as trying to show others up. When in doubt I just toss on a sport coat, button down shirt, jeans and a pair of Oxfords. I like wearing ties but only do so when I need to.

 

[sangha]

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.
-- Martin Luther King Jr.​

Re: your the miscomprehension of context evinced by your diction, choice of images, and thus situational and temporal frames of comparison:

Speak for yourself. You have obviously missed the context

....and for all that, the folks whom you pictured yet do not appear in their underwear and bed clothes. Each of them wears a collared shirt and proper pants, even as they may dirty from working in fields.

The man in the first image is wearing overalls, not proper pants. Some of the others are wearing ill-fitting pants. In one, a woman is wearing pants, which in the temporal context, was considered inappropriate. And many of them are wearing clothes that are heavily wrinkled.

ETA:
Look at the men posed on the truck in the first picture. In what reality do you imagine that farm hands wore spectator shoes to work?

I cannot look at the men on the truck because they are women. Talk about ignoring context.

 

[ThoughtEx.]

I think, sir, you missed the point, and any chance at a higher paying job at my businesses.

Lol, higher paying job.

 

[Lovebug]

You can probably start this with change in fashion threads during the rock & roll era of the Fifties and then the Sixties Revolution and continuations in style changes right up to today. People of Wal Mart is an excellent indictment of what you are talking about.

But what can really be done about this? Nothing I would think. I am always taken aback of 1930's soup line pictures of men in suits and fedoras. My how times have changed.

What exactly are you calling fashion? Dressing withing the trend or not giving a sh..?