George Will: Stop wearing blue jeans, you juvenile rabble
posted at 6:45 pm on April 16, 2009 by Allahpundit
The most painful line, the one where it slips into outright self-parody, is where grandpa George urges us to dress more like Fred Astaire and Grace Kelly. I’m almost disappointed he didn’t say Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford. Anyone know where I go to get my recession tux?
Says Treacher in the comments to the Headlines thread, “His next column is all about the dangers of Elvis Presley record albums.”
Denim is the infantile uniform of a nation in which entertainment frequently features childlike adults (“Seinfeld,” “Two and a Half Men”) and cartoons for adults (“King of the Hill”). Seventy-five percent of American “gamers” — people who play video games — are older than 18 and nevertheless are allowed to vote. In their undifferentiated dress, children and their childish parents become undifferentiated audiences for juvenilized movies (the six — so far — “Batman” adventures and “Indiana Jones and the Credit-Default Swaps,” coming soon to a cineplex near you). Denim is the clerical vestment for the priesthood of all believers in democracy’s catechism of leveling — thou shalt not dress better than society’s most slovenly. To do so would be to commit the sin of lookism — of believing that appearance matters. That heresy leads to denying the universal appropriateness of everything, and then to the elitist assertion that there is good and bad taste.
Denim is the carefully calculated costume of people eager to communicate indifference to appearances. But the appearances that people choose to present in public are cues from which we make inferences about their maturity and respect for those to whom they are presenting themselves.
At TNR, Jonathan Chait reminds us that Will wrote a column last year knocking Obama for his, ahem, elitism and evident disdain for “middle-class American culture.” Among the many other vices of today’s piece, it’s simply wrong on the merits: The ubiquity of jeans might have its origin in a bourgeois imitation of working-class “authenticity,” but for most adults I think that association’s been lost in the mists of time. When I think blue-collar, I think of various types of uniforms, not of Levi’s. The virtue of jeans, as Ace says, is simply that they’re comfortable and essentially fashion-proof insofar as they can be worn with almost anything and in various social situations. If Will likes to spend time mixing and matching with his haberdasher, good for him, but most people — men especially — can’t be bothered.
Blowback
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Well, there were a couple of months back in the 80s where I went to church in cargo pants every week. They weren’t even monotone, had a few colors in a kind of splotchy pattern on them. But, that’s what most of the people around me were wearing, and I was just trying to fit in.
Nobody seemed to care much then, but I’m worried now that how I dressed might have been disrespectful. Should I have asked the Drill Sergeants for my civvies?
malclave on April 16, 2009 at 7:53 PM
George Will in casual wear.
MadisonConservative on April 16, 2009 at 7:54 PM
Back OT
I still dream of dressing like Jimmy Stewart and being accosted by Grace Kelly.
Can I still vote?
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 7:54 PM
Brilliant! Thank you! +1,000
Kensington on April 16, 2009 at 7:56 PM
Give your boot a dapper strap
And it’s smarter if your garter has some snap!
Cravats should be flounced about our necks
Wear a nightcap when you nap
Be bewitching with some stitching on your cap!
Now, drape your cape
And puff your cuff
Embroider those lapels!
Be the king of the beasts in pastels!
La, but someone has to strike a pose
And bear the weight of well-tailored clothes
Sir, be a lion-hearted prig
Fill those pantaloons with light!
You could dangle down a spangle out of sight!
Oh, yes! Be bold, sir!
When it’s cold, slap on that wig
Draw your britches in quite tight
Even more so, and your torso will ignite
Now, smock your frock
Perfume your plume
And let your waistcoat swing!
And the jungle will bow to its king!
La, but someone has to strike a pose
And bear the weight of well-tailored clothes
Remember what we’re here for
Why we must be dressed to kill
If we have to look like Cleopatra
Then we will!
Buttons, buckles, ruffles and lace
Represent the human race!
If you’re out to make a splash, cheri,
Do know your haberdashery!
PercyB on April 16, 2009 at 7:56 PM
Two people who defined class. Great movie, too.
MadisonConservative on April 16, 2009 at 7:56 PM
You know who else wears a suit and tie?
Janet Napolitano.
TexasJew on April 16, 2009 at 7:56 PM
Any videogame consoles in your house?
Kensington on April 16, 2009 at 7:57 PM
AAH MY EYES!
CURSE YOU MadisonConservative!
rihar on April 16, 2009 at 7:57 PM
ewwww BAD TJ… go to your room!
upinak on April 16, 2009 at 7:57 PM
I really think you are getting a bit worked up over whether or not people like to wear jeans. I’m happy that the dress codes have relaxed and that there is a casualness in our modern society, when I was in my 20s I used to dress in vintage clothing (50s early 60s) and believe me, it was not comfortable. Do I wish people would dress more fashionably even while wearing jeans? Yes, but I’m not going to get all worked up over it if they don’t, because style isn’t important to everybody and as I’ve grown older, I’ve accepted that about people. We live in an age where people who are 40 look a decade younger than people who were 40 in 1975 did (keep in mind at the end of the Mary Tyler Moore show, she was only 36 and Ed Asner was only in his 40s), if it is a youthful attitude that contributes to that, then great. What I don’t understand is why anyone would get so worked up over this issue. If you don’t like people who wear jeans, don’t associate with them. You would probably be very lonely, but you won’t get your panties in a twist about it either.
Ann NY on April 16, 2009 at 7:58 PM
This column made me chuckle, because it just seems odd that someone would take the time to write such a well-written rant about a subject like blue jeans. For the record, I wear business attire to work, and have been known to wear nice jeans to church.
But I also own three suits and constantly want more.
Slublog on April 16, 2009 at 7:58 PM
I may be old, but that scene still …
Never mind.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 7:59 PM
You know who else wears a suit?
Damn near everyone in Congress.
Let’s talk about how respectable they are.
MadisonConservative on April 16, 2009 at 7:59 PM
upinak on April 16, 2009 at 7:57 PM
But I really meant that in a heterosexual, Annie Hall kind of way.
TexasJew on April 16, 2009 at 8:01 PM
The Death of the Grown-Up: How America’s Arrested Development Is Bringing Down Western Civilization by Diana West.
aengus on April 16, 2009 at 8:02 PM
Jos A. Banks has been running a great sale on suits and blazers. (Mr. Y-not got quite a haul there recently.)
Y-not on April 16, 2009 at 8:02 PM
Oh my. I believe there may be someone like this in every office greater then 3 people.
ericdijon on April 16, 2009 at 8:02 PM
So,
jeans = disrespectful
but
foul language = respectful
yes we can see that being respectful is a top priority for you….
Scrappy on April 16, 2009 at 8:03 PM
That would be sweet, but there’s not a single Jos. A. Banks store in my state.
*sigh*
Slublog on April 16, 2009 at 8:04 PM
Nope. I suppose that’s a disqualifier right there.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 8:06 PM
portlandon on April 16, 2009 at 7:46 PM
If you were really from Oregon, you’d know that it is “KETCHUP”. I don’t think we can trust you any more.
innominatus on April 16, 2009 at 8:08 PM
I saw a commercial for that the other day. Hubby doesn’t need suits now (military), but he might in another 18 months or so. How’s the quality there?
Anna on April 16, 2009 at 8:08 PM
I tend to like Will but it is hard to take a high brow couture beat down from a guy who wore a bow tie until a couple of years ago. To paraphrase George, his bow tie struck me as a “carefully calculated costume of people eager to communicate difference.”
moxie_neanderthal on April 16, 2009 at 8:09 PM
OK.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 8:09 PM
I bought a couple of suede sport coats from them not too long ago. Good quality, and the prices are decent.
MadisonConservative on April 16, 2009 at 8:10 PM
Not nearly enough pork in that picture.
MadisonConservative on April 16, 2009 at 8:10 PM
It might be worth popping over to NH. Mr. Y-not has found that he can just slip right into their jackets without alterations… so he only needs to get the slacks altered. If that’s the case for you, you could start ordering them on-line once you find the line of suits that works for you.
Y-not on April 16, 2009 at 8:11 PM
You metrosexual!
upinak on April 16, 2009 at 8:13 PM
Y-not on April 16, 2009 at 8:11 PM
I’ve never thought that I would say thsi, but..
This thread is turning into a GQ magazine column!
Not that there’s anything wrong with that…
TexasJew on April 16, 2009 at 8:14 PM
Call me crazy (“you’re crazy!”) but I actually sympathize a bit with Will’s column. I think as a society we may have gone too casual overall. Is denim at fault? Hardly–at least I hope not, since I’m wearing jeans as I type. But there’s some truth to the argument which should not be dismissed so lightly.
cackcon on April 16, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Very good. He had some Brooks Brothers suits that needed retiring and hit one of Jos A Banks sales last year, then returned for a bunch more this spring. The only thing we haven’t liked is that their tropical weight suits tend to wrinkle quickly, but the standard light wool suits have been great. Blazers have been nice, too.
I would not recommend them for shirts or ties — they’re over-priced, imho. But for suits and blazers, they’re great.
I gather that their company is doing very well. Everyone needs suits in this economy and tight job market.
Y-not on April 16, 2009 at 8:15 PM
Cool. Thank you.
Anna on April 16, 2009 at 8:16 PM
George Will has to be very careful with his wardrobe. If he ever wore a dress, he’d be a dead ringer for Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies.
Oops – I mentioned a TV show. Did I just lose my right to vote?
Phildorex on April 16, 2009 at 8:16 PM
Doesn’t Will understand that the word denim comes from the French De Nimes (named after the city where the blue cloth originated) and thus has major Cosmopolitan and International haute couture status.
George is so declasse!
And such a political buggywhip.
profitsbeard on April 16, 2009 at 8:20 PM
I kind of agree with Ann NY that he is getting worked up over something not that important in the grand scheme of things. I have plenty of friends that wear blue jeans, they’re alright people. I myself have never owned a pair but so what.
Slublog – try their online store. If you know your sizes and have someone you trust to finish them off the deal is still great.
DrM2B on April 16, 2009 at 8:20 PM
This brings to mind a Dilbert strip where Dogbert exploded the brain of a rigid bureaucrat by placing his baseball cap on backwards. Anyone want to try this on Will?
Maquis on April 16, 2009 at 8:21 PM
Is this Hot Air’s first thread thread?
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 8:21 PM
And darnit, I’m having a difficult time keeping score without those visual cues; I actually have to talk to a person before passing judgement.
/
Disturb the Universe on April 16, 2009 at 8:23 PM
I think Mr. Will was born 45 years old.
Cindy Munford on April 16, 2009 at 8:24 PM
And, unlike Benjamin Button, he isn’t getting any younger.
Disturb the Universe on April 16, 2009 at 8:26 PM
I tend to side with Mr. Will on this one. I was brought up to consider jeans “work clothes.” In the photos of Goldwater and Reagan provided in the links by posters, denim was worn as riding wear and work clothes, respectively–I could be wrong, but I don’t recall photos of either man wearing them outside those contexts. I would rather see people in neat blue jeans than sweatpants, but those aren’t the only two choices. What I don’t understand is why everyone is so spun up over the idea that some of us think this way. It isn’t as if we walk around correcting everyone–I don’t, and I doubt the other posters do. I simply prefer to see people in something else.
DrMagnolias on April 16, 2009 at 8:28 PM
Men and moms. If Will wants to try staying at home all day with babies, toddlers, and small children while dressed like Fred Astaire, he’s welcome to it, but a great big F-U to anybody who suggests it’s some kind of social faux pas or larger statement about my cultural views that I know the value of my jeans.
He’s just showing his age. In one of the dumbest ways possible. DrMagnolias, “thinking this way” about what everybody around you should wear suggests to me you need more thoughts to occupy yourself.
Anwyn on April 16, 2009 at 8:33 PM
My older sister feels the same way, and I do agree we would probably be a lot better as a society if we were more formal. However, the horse is already out of that gate, I feel. I was offended more by Will’s tone than his sentiment.
Disturb the Universe on April 16, 2009 at 8:33 PM
Besides, it’s the day after all those tea parties and this is what he focuses on.
Disturb the Universe on April 16, 2009 at 8:36 PM
It’s because non-judgmentalism is now considered the highest virtue and is, in modern times, the ruling principle of society.
aengus on April 16, 2009 at 8:36 PM
Millions of American adults that grew up playing video games have contributed far more to society than George ever will.
FloatingRock on April 16, 2009 at 8:36 PM
Millions of American adults that grew up playing video games and wearing jeans have contributed far more to society than George ever will.
FloatingRock on April 16, 2009 at 8:37 PM
True, but…jeans? Is this really symbolic of what’s wrong with the Western world?
Disturb the Universe on April 16, 2009 at 8:40 PM
I am Switzerland on jeans. I like them and wear them but at work when they have fund raisers and you can buy the right to wear jeans for the week I usually pass. I am kind of a clothes nut. But I am pretty sure that anyone who wears a bow tie as often as Mr. Will probably shouldn’t be giving fashion tips.
Cindy Munford on April 16, 2009 at 8:50 PM
I don’t care how you dress or how you feel about the dress of others. On the other hand I do care when people judge the worth of an individual by the threads he or she covers themselves with . . . such a thought process is shallow, elitist, morally wrong and blatantly stupid.
rplat on April 16, 2009 at 8:50 PM
Culturally, it’s a good starting point. The ugliness of cities and moden architecture is another clear sign in my opinion.
Here was my response upthread to an identical query:
aengus on April 16, 2009 at 8:54 PM
BTW – as I said in my first comment I think jeans in particular are not the best example of people dressing childishly or slovenly but it seems to be what Will in particular is fixated on.
aengus on April 16, 2009 at 8:59 PM
I really don’t understand this foundational principle of contemporary liberal culture:
the judgment that non-judgmentalism should be preeminent.
It makes my head hurt.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 9:00 PM
Whether true or not, I’d vote for that.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 9:01 PM
Slobby people who don’t wear nice, respectful clothes, especially when attending church, are less loved by God than those who do. They will be spending more time in Purgatory than they imagine is possible.
Schmucky people with tattoos are even more vile in God’s eyes than inappropriate dressers, and I’m afraid that they will never be admitted into Heaven for committing such a vile sin, much like those evil homosexuals, who shall suffer eternal burning torment for the ghastly crime of stimulating each others’ genitals rather than simply doing it to themselves for the purpose of physical pleasure.
Bizarro No. 1 on April 16, 2009 at 9:04 PM
Hail Xenu.
MadisonConservative on April 16, 2009 at 9:07 PM
This is just a result of eating too much Domino’s Pizza.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 9:13 PM
Damn straight! ;)
Maquis on April 16, 2009 at 9:14 PM
All your thetans are belong to us.
MadisonConservative on April 16, 2009 at 9:17 PM
George Will and his type are the same ones who use blow up dolls.
SouthernGent on April 16, 2009 at 9:18 PM
You are a mean person.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 9:19 PM
I’d have to say, I agree with some of what Will says here. Jeans really are not that comfortable to wear. Dress pants are alot more comfortable – no rivets, softer cloth, more space, not as tight. They just relaxed the dress-code where I work, but I still wear dress pants, most of the time.
I just think people have bought into the jean fad hook, line, and sinker, whether it’s because of marketing, or the need to look “cool”.
gxpgxp on April 16, 2009 at 9:19 PM
In one word, yes!
Bizarro No. 1 on April 16, 2009 at 9:22 PM
I hope George was just joking. I’m wearing jeans right now.
GarandFan on April 16, 2009 at 9:25 PM
George Will, didn’t you used to be somebody?
JohnGalt23 on April 16, 2009 at 9:26 PM
I hate to drag God into these discussions, but now that it’s been done…here goes. :) I would never presume to speak for God, but I do believe He expects reverence in His house. Some evidence that He might care about details is in His very specific instructions in Exodus for building the Tabernacle, down to the fabric, colors, and metals for each part. Although it is difficult for me to imagine that He would damn someone for eternity for wearing jeans in church, I don’t think people who say that such things don’t matter at all to God are on the most solid ground. And, often it’s a false dichotomy–”He’d rather I be in church in blue jeans than not at all,” as if these are the only options. But, it is up to God to judge the condition of each of our hearts, and my focus needs to be my own heart.
DrMagnolias on April 16, 2009 at 9:31 PM
Mark Steyn wrote an article years ago saying much the same thing, specifically that grown adults walking around in shorts and Star Wars t-shirts was a clear sign of the infantilisation of modern America.
aengus on April 16, 2009 at 7:04 PM
I’d say the infantilization and intolerable increase of disrespect for others began when wearing powdered wigs went out of fashion, but hey, maybe that’s just me…
Bizarro No. 1 on April 16, 2009 at 9:32 PM
Okay, that’s funny. I am sitting here looking at some of his old books as I type.
DrMagnolias on April 16, 2009 at 9:32 PM
Who is George Will?
4shoes on April 16, 2009 at 9:35 PM
I wear jeans to work every day. I’m a mechanic – they’re kind of a necessity, when crawling around on aircraft components. When I get home, I’m just a little tired – so, if I go out, it’s to a jeans-friendly establishment.
I’m reminded of a commentar
uncivilized on April 16, 2009 at 9:36 PM
I think that what George Will was trying to say is basically what Diana West said in “The Death of the Grown Up”.
JohnJ on April 16, 2009 at 9:36 PM
Reagan wore blue jeans at the ranch, no?
Does Will have a problem with Reagan too?
joey24007 on April 16, 2009 at 9:37 PM
Oops – my lab puppy jumped onto the couch and hit “enter”. She’s fascinated by my laptop. I expect her to have her own blog by this time next year.
Anyway, I heard a commentary on the radio last year – it was by a guy who has a reputation around here for being a bit cranky and inflexible. He was going on and on about how people don’t dress up to fly on airlines, the way they did 40 years ago. Everyone used to wear dress clothes; now, he says, it’s jeans and flipflops.
I have to say, though, that I wear sandals and jeans when I travel by air – not because I’m too lazy to dress up, but because you just about have to get nekkid at the security checkpoint anymore. I’d bet most folks are more concerned with being able to get their shoes and belts back on than they are with fashion.
uncivilized on April 16, 2009 at 9:40 PM
Oops. I see that aengus has already made that point.
JohnJ on April 16, 2009 at 9:41 PM
:(
Maquis on April 16, 2009 at 9:41 PM
Sorry George, I’m still not wearing bowties except for proms, weddings, the occasional black tie dinner and my kindergarten graduation photo.
viking01 on April 16, 2009 at 9:45 PM
It’s as clear as 0bama’s messiahhood that Will wasn’t joking at all, especially when seeing that last paragraph (A confession: The author owns one pair of jeans. Wore them once. Had to. Such was the dress code for former senator Jack Danforth’s 70th birthday party, where Jerry Jeff Walker sang his classic “Up Against the Wall, Redneck Mother.” Music for a jeans-wearing crowd.)
Bizarro No. 1 on April 16, 2009 at 9:47 PM
Those elites, whether right or left, who look down on those of us who don’t wear suits everyday, need to realize that we actually believe and practice what they only preach. We are good people who don’t need to pretend to be something we aren’t. George is getting a little long in the tooth … I think he needs a nap.
Stickeehands on April 16, 2009 at 9:52 PM
I think it’s more the fact that while Will’s correlating the wearing of jeans with the rise and fall of cogent adult thought, a lot of us are wondering, “When did Will’s focus shift from the ‘message’ to the ‘messenger?”
I mean, that George Soros wears some pretty nice suits and rumour has it he can’t Wii worth a damn…
CaptFlood on April 16, 2009 at 9:52 PM
Most arguments of fashion will probably soon be moot as President Zero and “Judge Dread” Napolitano issue all of us brown shirts to wear in the name of homeland security…
viking01 on April 16, 2009 at 9:55 PM
George is a brilliant baseball writer, but even that doesn’t have the same relevance that it did several decades ago.
For example. another brilliant baseball writer is “historian” Doris Kearns Goodwin, who wrote lucidly about her childhood as a fan of ‘Da Bums.
However, she got tainted by Democrat politics under Lyndon Johnson, and years later would be busted for plagiarism. I hate to suggest George is going down the same route, but it sure looks like it.
Del Dolemonte on April 16, 2009 at 9:55 PM
“dress respectively” according to whom?
The Fashion Police need to be sent to the same place the Humor, Word, and Political Correctness Police need to be – the Phantom Zone
Bizarro No. 1 on April 16, 2009 at 9:57 PM
oops I meant “dress respectfully“
Bizarro No. 1 on April 16, 2009 at 9:59 PM
Stop that! Speak English. What’s wrong with you? Are you wearing jeans and eating Domino’s Pizza?
Good grief!
I hope you’re not wearing pizza and eating jeans.
Again.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 9:59 PM
I don’t think that’s entirely fair. Snobbishness (which I assume is what most people mean when they say “elitism”) is never okay, but it does work both ways. The idea that people who prefer suits are pretending to be something is also a put-down based on someone having different tastes.
DrMagnolias on April 16, 2009 at 10:06 PM
I don’t think I’ll take fashion tips from someone who wears a bow tie and has an Alfred E. Neuman haircut!
flytier on April 16, 2009 at 10:08 PM
Quoi?
Maquis on April 16, 2009 at 10:10 PM
Hmmm…I just got a whim to wear my dark-blue denim pants with my light-blue denim shirt all day tomorrow.
jgapinoy on April 16, 2009 at 10:10 PM
Maquis on April 16, 2009 at 10:10 PM
Le mot de passe, s’il vous plaît.
Loxodonta on April 16, 2009 at 10:13 PM
The point is probably lost on beta-male bloggers, but sloppy dress leads to sloppy manners.
Johnson on April 16, 2009 at 10:19 PM
I am going to jump in and say that I agree with GW on this one. I’m not saying that wearing blue jeans is the problem itself or that people who wear them are bad people, just that I think they’re an inappropriate and lazy choice of attire for most situations and are symptomatic of a larger societal mindset towards juvenility and conformity. Blue jeans really are the Mao jacket of the modern world, which is one reason why I try not to wear them too often, especially on casual Friday. I want to look different, not the same.
The general defense always seems to be “comfort” but a well constructed and properly sized pair of lightweight wool trousers is always more comfortable, I think, and more flattering to most body types, too. Sometimes I think peoples’ arguments about comfort are less about comfort and more about not wanting to bother to pick out coordinating clothes or shoes for a nice pair of pants.
jr.ewing.78 on April 16, 2009 at 10:42 PM
I saw George Will in a bar in Manchester, NH a couple of nights before the NH primary last year. Even in a bar setting where everybody else had relaxed and loosened their ties so to speak, he was as buttoned up and bow tied as one person could possibly be. He seems like an odd fellow.
BrianBoru on April 16, 2009 at 10:44 PM
And sloppy thinking, and sloppy love-making. Dress for success, people!
hicsuget on April 16, 2009 at 10:44 PM
A suit does not an intellectual make.
Jeans do not a slob make.
To imply (or infer) otherwise is not elitism, it’s snobbery.
Krydor on April 16, 2009 at 10:48 PM
And vice versa. Or its equivalent.
DrMagnolias on April 16, 2009 at 10:51 PM
Seeing as how Al Capone was a sharp dressed fellow during Prohibition and was one of the dudes most responsible for the underlying civil decay, the notion that it’s a dress code that keeps us from turning into savages is idiotic.
The more I think about this, the more annoyed I get. I already have enough issues with the current standard bearers of conservatism with their single issue rants with little substance, and now this joker has decided that it’s really all about the clothes.
Krydor on April 16, 2009 at 10:59 PM
The first rule of success is to stop caring about what other people think.
Speakup on April 16, 2009 at 11:19 PM
Somebody sit Grampa George down in his easy chair, give him his Reader’s Digest, and pass him some warm milk & pitted prunes.
OhioCoastie on April 16, 2009 at 11:37 PM
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