I have a hypothetical for you. Mine is about my Aunt Sally, who attended that same wedding as Solon last weekend. Nah, it's really about me. Since I've already been outed for my unseemliness, I guess I can leave Aunt Sally out of it.
So, I attended the wedding. I'm a friend of the bride's family. I showed up in my usual attire--elastic waist pans, a tunic-length cotton-knit shirt, flat shoes, and socks. I knew that Solon, like the rest of the men, would wear suit and tie and that the women would be wearing dresses and high heels. But I have a deeply held and longstanding belief that comfortable clothing is one of the keys to a happy life and that many a wedding has been ruined by guests acting out because they get cranky when their clothing is uncomfortable. I advocated casual clothing where I used to work and wore it before it became common. I know that Emily Post as the wedding guru, but I strongly believe that more brides and grooms would have happy weddings and therefore successful marriages if people dressed as I do. I'm long on record on this thread as dressing that way. And I have some data that show that seventy percent of businesses have been pleased with the result of casual-dress policies.
Now, the bride's family, knowing me, is aware of my beliefs. Presumably, they would have been expecting my attire. The rest of the guests, however, were surprised. And the groom's family was quite distressed at how I could be so disrespectful and insulting to the principals. The mother of the groom wanted me bounced from the event.
How should the parties have reacted to me? With tolerance? With acceptance? With admiration for my convictions? Or should I have been bounced? |
