Is this some new form of public masturbatory S/M where you pleasure people who treat you like shit? And what is it with the use of Puritanical to sideswipe everyone? People here deserve that kind of treatment? Why?
In Ehrenreich's _Hearts of Men_, she talks about the male rebellion against the conformity of the gray suited 50s. Dressing down wasn't just about rejecting the pretensions of the 50s, it was about exploring different kinds of clothing, different colors (like lavendar and mauve and teal green), ruffles, psychedelic colors, etc.
You can, thus, trace this rebellion against the business suit, not to a Puritanical drive in u.s. culture, but to something quite the opposite: expanding the range of clothing styles open to men. These folks saw the dull conformity of the business suit as an aspect of the dominant culture's Puritanism. Of course, Ehrenreich has some semblence of class analysis here, and goes on to point out that it was quickly co-opted by the fashion industry to become -- yet another uniform.
What's self-centered is the feeling that other people should conform to some unspoken standard to pleasure you! The day the people who hold these views look Steve P and Chuck0 in the eye and unblinkingly tell them that they don't care about others because they dare blight humanity with their clothes and even post their pics on the 'net, is the day they might actually have a pair.
If you don't like to hear criticism, why should anyone else graciously accept your judgements that "they're just not trying (hard enough to please me)"?
Even a casual look at those makeover shows indicates that none of those people dress the way they do because they don't care about other people. So, even at the level of cultural analysis, it doesn't even hold up. And, last I heard, casual Fridays are a thing of the past. There doesn't seem to be any ubiquitous trend here.
Dunscombe apparently feels judged for his appearance. So, instead of looking into the intra-class dynamics behind those sentiments (where he gets his need to dress as a dandy, where gender privilege comes into play, where tensions between straight/gay are at work [see Ehrenreich on that, too] etc.), he pretends it's all about not caring about people.
All it is is dressing his particular life choice up in some virtuous claim. As far as I can see, no one here says that dressing in leisurewear is a virtue. Folks keep bringing that up. Where do you get this?
R dresses in the khaki shorts from the surplus store because they have lots of pockets. For a tool goober, it's a nice thing to have lots of pockets. I used to pick on him. But, since he's moved in, those tools in his pocket have come in handy more time sthan I can count. And yet, he has a bunch of colorful clothes he brought home from Asia. Some of the stuff he bought for himself are actually for women! So, if you saw him at an outdoor arts festival, you'd peg him as someone who doesn't care about enjoying nice things!
People are a little more complicated than, "They just aren't trying (hard enough to please me)."
It'd be very easy to operationalize your concepts and do the requisite research. For three days, count people walking by on a street corner. Of them, determine the % who offend your sensibilities. Nab 50 who do and get all ARlie HOchschild with them. Find out what they think, why they do what they do, how much time they expend, what's going on in their lives, if they have body image issues, money issues, time issues, etc. It's a helluva lot better than maintaining that they "just aren't trying".
The idea that leisurewear is somehow indicative of someone who doesn't try to look nice is really hilarious. "other son" was the kind of kid who wore khakis or jeans, a tee, and an unbuttoned shirt. He had sonshine show him how to dress one night, so they could go out and play pool before he left for the service. "other son" said, "Man, this takes a lot of time." He was getting duded up in a Sean John velour jogging suit -- cream with white trim. The pant leg has to be just so, the collar this way, and the sneaks have to match.
Sonshine's law firm (if Justin's reading) expects everyone to wear suits. On the last Friday of the month, they all wear khakis and golf shirts provided by the firm -- nice range of colors, too. He came home with 10 diff. ones ranging from light blue to burgandy. But, they do that because they want to maintain uniformity and uniform. Get that team spirit!
Oh, gee, sonshine just got home from Senior Breakfast. My Gawd, I was up at 5:30 a.m. tying his tie in a Windsor! The kids wanted to have a Sr. breakfast and everyone _wanted_ to dress nicely. Amazing!
And Mike: You're alright in my book, ballcap, bald and all. I never understood what people have against baldies. My dad was bald by the time he was 22. Now that I think about it, I like a guy in a ballcap, too. 'Other son' is the only one I know who wears one, but I think he looks quite nice in one. We have the same problems here in Limpdick with the sun.
Besides, you can very cheaply do the Tammy Faye Baker thang on the cheap -- you'll pass as trying hard enough to please others!
I've been meaning to send along this, 'coz I thought J would like her stuff. Krista's been into boxing the past year and a half. As soon as my back injury mends, I've got to get back to the kickboxing myself.
http://www.stumptuous.com/weights.html K