I know there at least four bona-fide cowboy/cowgirl types that read this, and I have discovered I possess a very grave misunderstanding of the Cowboy Hat. As I have displayed a substantial lack of the knowledge necessary to be in possession of a cowboy hat, I need some schoolin'.
I like the whole Old West aspect of the cowboy hat. Lonesome Dove. Billy the Kid. Wyatt Earp. Doc Holliday. I like that part - I kind of get that part, which is why I want one. Plus they're nice in hot weather, and they'll keep the sun off my my delicate melon.
Now, what I don't get is the rancher/farmer/rodeo/horsemanship people part of it, and as there really aren't any Gus McCrae's anymore, it's the rancher/farmer/rodeo/horsemanship type of people that are likely to be affronted by the wearing of a straw hat in December.
Now, I must confess that I've had primarily poor experiences each time I've met any of the rancher/farmer/rodeo/horsemanship types. Now granted, most of the ones I've met have apparently been weekend frauds & charlatans and not the "real" variety that do any of these things for a profession, so I can't honestly say I've spent any quality time with any "real" ranchers or "real" cowboys. Most of the time I've encountered anybody that's obviously done any of the aforementioned professions as a livelihood it's been in passing when I've seen some of them sneer at my flip-flips while I stopped by to eat in Mom's Diner in Justin, or when I've had to throw their belligerent asses out of a bar, so I while I admit my experience with any sort of real-life rancher/farmer/rodeo/horsemanship folks has been brief, it's generally been poor. And, quite honestly, I could give a tin poopy about offending the sensibilities of any of these clowns. They've already had their chance to show they're nice, and they blew it. I don't have a lot of respect for those folks I've met so far. So there's that.
Now - I respect the Wild West part still, but based on my experiences I feel like the good parts it has been corrupted and its ownership has been assumed by jerks.
So, I guess here's what I need from you guys. I need you guys to tell me that there are still good cowboys and ranchers and rodeo guys and horse trainers that are to be respected and who feel that those cowboy hat traditions are gestures of respect designed to honor the good parts of some of the most dynamic history in the our country's heritage. I guess I want to know that those people are worth respecting, and that when I wear my hat isn't beholden to a bunch of jerks.
So - you guys are out there, right? I'll be glad to do my best to be considerate of cowboy hat etiquette for you guys.
Kent?
Cindy?
Jen + significant other?
Toni?
OK - that's it.
654
5 comments:
Ian,
As the Grandson of a Farmer, the son in law to a Rancher, the husband of a Rancher's daughter and a farm kid who know what it is to hand milk cows twice a day until that wonderful day the automatic milker was installed I know for a fact these men and women are worth respecting. I don't know many real farmers or ranchers who go to bars, cause when you have to git up before dawn or starve a hang over is a pretty bad thing.
A Cowboy hat, unfortunately to most people that have one, is a object they don't understand. they think it makes em taller and more sexy to the city girls at bars with names like Cowboys or Good Luck Rodeo etc.
To me it is Honor, American Flags, Apple Pie, God and Country made up and shaped in felt or straw. It keeps the sun off your head in the day, and the rain from running down your collar while you are out looking all night for that heifer who has ran off to have her calf. It is some thing that gives me a thrill when my girl puts it on, knowing that tradition says if a girl wears your hat ya kiss her. I have used my hat to keep the sun off my daughters face when she fell asleep after swimming in the blue hole at Dinosaur Vally.
I know cowboys who spend more money on a hat as they do on boots, cause it is a vital piece of equipment a ball cap just can not replace.
I love my hats both straw and felt. Every crease, groove, sweat stain and dent tell a story.
Between the two i am more partial to my straw hat. I have had this one about three years and it still isn't broken in yet. (I will let you know in about five more years when I have the new worn off)
Ian, these hats represent the best America has to offer. Love of God, Family, Country. Not just a fashion item, even thought I will admit they look dang good! To me this is just a small part of what my hat means to me.
I say git one, love it and know what it represents, it becomes part of you and your story. I don't know any real cowboys who would really care if you would wear a straw hat in winter or if those jeans make your butt look big. We'd be much more likely to tease on ya for how you string barbed wire!
I grew up with my grandpa wearing a cowboy hat. He wore a straw from Easter until Labor Day and a felt the winter months. He had ones that he wore to work in and ones that he wore to church and to town. He was a rancher and a roper and a horseman and was what I think is the last of the real cowboys.
He grew up having nothing. As an adult he supported his family ranching. Sometimes the only money they had was what he made from roping on Sunday's after church.
He didn't like anyone messing with his hat (or his family or his horses or his cattle or his land) and he sure didn't go a day without wearing it. His hat had absolutely nothing to do with fashion and everything to do with it being a critical piece of equipment. Though, honestly, I do think he enjoyed getting gussied up for town now and then.
I can not imagine him without his hat.
I interviewed KB about the hat rules once and posted it on my blog. You can find that post here: http://cindydianne.blogspot.com/2008/09/cowboy-hat-rules-and-interview-with-kb.html
Oh! While I think that my grandpa was the last of the "real" traditional cowboys, there are plenty of people who still 1. earn the title of cowboy 2. honor the tradition of the hat and 3. wear felts in the summer and straw in the winter if they choose.
I've been thinking about this high number of ass hats that wear cowboys hats. I think the cowboy hats just make the ass hats more visible. There are more people in the world than there used to be. Statistically, when there are more people there will be more jerks. You probably are remembering the jerks in cowboys hats because they are cowboys hats. I bet there are just as many, if not more jerks that wear baseball caps or no hats at all.
Also, it is easy to get a bit defensive if one is the type of person to wear a cowboy hat - there are so many people who think of us as hicks, red necks, illiterate nincompoops that I think we are, generally, a bit more defensive about our choices than we have to be.
I think that is all I have to say. For now....
wait, on third thought...
we are thinking about going to a fireworks show in Fort Worth on Saturday night, if the weather is decent.
wanna go? (I'll wear my hat. It's purty)
*Word verification = curse
I am OFF on Saturday, so I say yes.
And I feel a lot better about wearing a cowboy hat, and I unserdtans the rules a lot better, any why they're followed.
I appreciate it, guys.
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