[cal823]

Really... what on earth are neck ties for?
Why do we wear them?
They seem kind of silly...
What is the significance of neck ties?
Where did they originate?
What do they do?
Are they important in any way?
Should society just stop wasting those few minutes it takes to put a tie on?
Should we stop wasting fabric and labour on making neck ties?
Should we stop wasting money on them?

[Clough]

I like to think that by how we dress that we are presenting a "picture" to others that can be pleasant or unpleasant, depending on what a person's beliefs and preferences are as to how people should look depending on the accepted cultural norms of the society where one is living and working, or maybe even when presenting oneself to be the center of attention to an audience. I think that how we decorate our bodies with what we wear can be very much an art.

There is an old saying, "When in Rome, do as the Roman's do." I think this saying holds very true as to why men, (or women, for that matter) wear neckties. It is a matter of being socially acceptably dressed depending on what the occasion might be.

If enough people in any certain social group in society were to agree and decide that wearing neckties was not important, then it would be accepted that neckties were no longer to be the way to dress in that social group.

The customs as to why people dress the way that they do is a matter of enough people agreeing that a certain way to dress is the accepted and appropriate way to dress.

I personally don't like neckties. But, I do know that when I dress in a suit or tux and have a necktie/bow tie on, I feel more clean and professional. But, that is because of the training as to what I have brought up in as to what is socially acceptable where I live and work as to how I am supposed to look in front of people depending on what the occasion might be.

[Clough]

There is also an article on the following site that may be worth examination.

Necktie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[cal823]

Ever noticed the parralels between "socially acceptable "customs" and "peer pressure"?

[Clough]

ever noticed the parralels between "socially acceptable "customs" and "peer pressure"?

Absolutely! Happens all of the time! There are some places that I go where I'd better be wearing a t-shirt and jeans, or people are going to think that I am weird and won't want to socialize with me.

[cal823]

We all say "dont conform to peer pressure! Be yourself! Peer pressure is bad!
Yet a lot of our society is built on it...

[Clough]

we all say "dont conform to peer pressure! be yourself! peer pressure is bad!
yet alot of our society is built on it...................................

And, people also talk about that "it's best to be yourself." But, the sad part is, that it's a conformist society. If you want to belong in certain groups, or do certain things, then part of being successful at doing that is acting and dressing according to what they deem to be acceptable.

Some years ago, I grew a fairly long ponytail. Not completely down to the middle of my back. But, almost. I knew that it would be acceptable to the students and people at the inner-city school where I was teaching. In fact, they thought that it was pretty cool that I had the ponytail.

However, at the same time that I was teaching at the inner-city school, I also happened to be the Director of Music at an affluent Christian church. People there, except my closest friends there, really didn't say anything about my ponytail when I had it. But, you should have heard them when I finally cut it off!

I found this to be an interesting experiment as to how two different cultural groups would react to something as simple as someone growing their hair just a little longer...

[cal823]

Lol, ponytail.
I want to die my hair blue, and grow it longer, curlier.
But my school is built out of the ultimate, most sneaky, unseen form of peer pressure
How is it unseen? You don't even realise its peer pressure, its disguised
As a uniform policy!
Uniforms are meant to stop peer pressure, give you pride etc... but this uniform, it crushes individuality, means you can't express yourself, and I don't feel proud in this uniform, it makes me feel like I just want to disappear into a corner and not be seen, the white shirt and gray pants are okay... but this jumper, its green and shapeless and horrible and made of something like wool... and iit smells like dog when it rains.
You know when it rained today, the rain honestly smelt like fish?
Oh well, back on topic, next, is these hats, they are wide brimmed, and feel like your wearing cardboard hoops round your head, they do have bucket hats available, but I keep losing them, and I am hence trapped into these wide brimmed ones...
We can't grow our hair long, chicks can't wear their hair out,

[Clough]

What kind of school is it? Does it have some sort of religious affiliation?

[cal823]

Living waters lutheran college
It's a private school

[Tommyjo206]

I asked this same basic question back in college. The answer I received was:
The neck tie is a tradition handed down from the old roman catholics. The priest would wear a robe as would a the commoner assistant. To make the priest different and easily noticed, a sash was worn and draped down BOTH sides of the front of the robe. The commoner's sash was a single drape down the center. This progressed into the dress tie now used.

[Clough]

I asked this same basic question back in college. The answer I received was:
The neck tie is a tradition handed down from the old roman catholics. The priest would wear a robe as would a the commoner assistant. To make the priest different and easily noticed, a sash was worn and draped down BOTH sides of the front of the robe. The commoner's sash was a single drape down the center. This progressed into the dress tie now used.

You could very well be correct as far as the history of the neck tie is concerned. What you have posted sounds very plausible. We inherited so many traditions from the early church.

[cal823]

Wow, now I know how it all began :)thanks tommy