If you don’t have any interest in my reactions to the funeral of Prince Philip, or my opinion about culture and fashion for that matter, this will be tedious to read to say the least. Scroll down to the end to read my reaction to the nude girlfriend video Matt Gaetz shared with his GOP pals in Congress.
.
After reviewing the news I hadn’t thought of anything original to write about to post on Daily Kos this morning. Not that I am compelled to write something every day, and amazingly sometimes I skip a day. However this has become something of a ritual and diversion for me and I hope there are at least a few readers interested in my sometimes off the wall rambling. Sometimes I write down what I would say if I had a companion. Community posts on Daily Kos are called diaries and diaries include what you happen to be thinking about. This is why I began prefacing mine with Just Sayn’.
.
I am well aware that Queen Elizabeth in deep mourning. The family of Prince Philip, citizens the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth, and other countries are grieving too. I also know that Prince Philip planned the entire ceremony. Commentators are saying he didn’t want any fuss over his funeral. Though while the funeral itself was modest compared to what it could have been, the procession leading up to the ceremony was anything but modest.
.
I was watching the funeral procession for Prince Philip and noticed almost all of the soldiers marching were wearing so many kinds of unusual hats from the giant furry hats famous for being the headgear of the Royal Guard to a variety of other hats. Some had flags with plumes on top and others look like they were made to wear in tropical climates.
.
I know I am culture bound and I may be more cynical than the average American about many things. I once wrote a story for
a police magazine where I had a column about why some police chiefs of small departments decided to wear four or even five stars on their collars. (It isn’t online.) After all, aside from those working in the Pentagon, most generals with even one star have hundreds under their command.
.
I view ceremonial garb with a jaundiced eye and begrudgingly accept that American judges wear black robes to remind everyone of their own importance. American law enforcement and military have dress uniforms for special occasions but they are decidedly understated compared to what the British wear.
Don’t get me started what I think of the way the Pope, bishops, and cardinals dress.
.
I am not against making personal fashion statements. Quite the contrary I really like it. I think expressing your individuality through clothes is a healthy and good thing. Even Melania’s notorious “I really don’t care” jacket expressed her feelings. I have colorful belts to go with my shirts and a collection of
happy socks.
.
I just am leery of institutional dress meant to convey some element of superiority. For example I wonder why members of the military always seem too wear a chestful of medals whenever they appear in their dress uniforms. It’s like wearing a resume on your chest. People across cultures, but it seems to me mostly men and particularly veterans, like to accessorize with symbols representing their awards even when not in uniform.
.
There is a need among many people, though again I think mostly men, to publicly show their identification with a group whether it is a biker gang, street gang, MAGA, or military service by what they wear or decide to have tattooed on their body.
.
I have a old Michigan State baseball cap. If I went to Harvard I probably wouldn’t even have a cap, but if I did I’d never wear it because that would be pretentious. I live in a senior facility with rapid Oregon State and University of Oregon fans so the last time I wore my MSU hat was when they were in the
national playoffs for football and played Oregon and beat them. .
I suppose if it makes about to graduate high school and college students feel good to wear robes and mortar boards on their heads so be it. I do look askance at the tradition of fancy robes and necklaces worn by college presidents at graduation ceremonies, but again tradition is tradition. As for commencement speakers, even President Obama goes with the tradition (story about his 23rd commencement speech which was a Rutgers):
Of course this is a somber occasion and the hats and uniforms are have a long tradition and are an important part of British culture. On reflection I know that if I was observing a similar ritual or ceremony from another tradition, for example Native American or African, I’d have no problems with what the participants wear. My sense is that these cultures have more understanding as to the history and meaning behind what they wear but I could be totally wrong. Why do I have more affinity for the kilts that Scots soldiers wear than what British soldiers wear? I respect and admire some of these cultural traditions and not others.
.
The citizens of the countries of the former British Empire may have a different viewpoint about the military uniforms of their former oppressors.
American patriots certainly didn’t have a high opinion of the uniforms the Redcoats wore.
.
Once I started writing this I took a few pictures.
Everyone is familiar with the bearskin hats worn Royal, or Queen’s Guard hats. They are worn by the guards outside Windsor Castle known to standing statue still no matter how much children and others try to provoke them to react. They hat are made of real bearskin prompting me to wonder how many bears had to die to make them. I came across this article fromSeptember, 2020:
The Queen’s Guard May Have to Give Up Their Iconic Bearskin Hats:.
Excerpt:
The UK’s departure from the European Union (EU) has given its leaders the chance to negotiate new trade deals and maybe even ban the sale of certain products—like fur. It’s something animal rights activists have long been pushing for, and a recently publicized letter from UK environment secretary George Eustice suggests that the government will indeed investigate the possibility.
The photo used to illustrate it shows ceremonial garbed soldiers carrying assault rifles. I find this somehow jarring. If these guns are loaded, not that the idea of being shot at is something to relish how would you like to be shot at by someone dressed like this?
The other item that caught my attention was in an article about Matt Gaetz that I came across. It was one that provoked a somehow troubling image in my mind:
Gaetz allegedly showed off to other lawmakers photos and videos of nude women he said he had slept with, the sources told CNN, including while on the House floor. The sources, including two people directly shown the material, said Gaetz displayed the images of women on his phone and talked about having sex with them. One of the videos showed a naked woman with a hula hoop, according to one source.
This doesn’t specify that the woman was twirling a hula hoop around her hips because it simply says “with a hula hoop” but I assume she was doing some kind of hula hoop dance. After all why would she send Gaetz a video of herself merely holding a hula hoop.
.
I admit that out of non-salacious curiosity I’d like to see the video because I can’t imagine how twirling a hula hoop could be remotely compelling let alone sexy unless the woman was an Olympic caliber hula hooper, but then again, who knows maybe his ex-girlfriend is an amazing dancer.
