Society Is Going Downhill And It's On All Of Us To Stop The Slide By Banning T-Shirts In Nice Restaurants

If you recall, President Kennedy once said, "By far more concerning than the Russians arming nukes off the coast of Cuba is that we would allow men to dress slovenly in restaurants across the country." Ole Jack could never have spoken truer words. 

In the vein of JFK, sometimes you cannot be afraid to speak your truth for fear of a bullet coming at your head. He got the raw end of the deal on that one but he spoke what he believed nonetheless. That is how I feel right now. 

Maybe because of how I was raised or where I went to school or that I was in the Army or maybe a combination of all of those things but I think decorum and appearance are incredibly important. Especially when you're going out for dinner. However, it appears based on some of the responses as well as my eyeballs that not everyone agrees with me. 

What is wrong with looking nice? Is a t-shirt comfortable, of course! But it doesn't carry the same level of formality as a button down shirt or any shirt with a collar for that matter. The gym, locker room, running errands, sleeping, a sports bar, Chilis (shout to Chilis) - these are all perfectly acceptable places to wear a t-shirt. A restaurant, whether it has multiple Michelin stars or just your neighborhood steakhouse, requires more from us. 

Maybe it was COVID. Maybe it was the rise of athleisure wear. I'm not sure where it came from but we need to go back in the other direction. By no means am I suggesting we return to the days of Don Draper (although I will tell you the times I've been out in to dinner in Manhattan in a suit I've felt some kind of way) but we need to care more and I think this will trickle into other parts of our lives.

People are saying I'm an elitist but I just say we need to be better for our country! 

By the way, please don't give me examples of Dave or other ultra wealthy people wearing t-shirts. When you're worth north of 100 million (before this week at least) you get to play by your own rules as you inhibit a different society than you or I. 

We discuss the above as it relates to service members transitioning to civilian life, remote work for Congress, adjusting the fitness standards for men AND women in the military, and much more on today's episode of Bold American. 

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P.S. Stop wearing hats out to dinner as well