As I look at the MAGA hat on my kitchen counter I think to
myself, will today be the day someone gets upset or will people even notice? I
take a breath and steady myself as I pick it up and place it on my head.
The more I wear the hat the more I forget that I am actually
wearing it. There is a part of me that says ‘Maybe you just don’t wear it this
one time.’ I admit that voice is tempting but I must stick with this challenge
to the end.
Largely my experience so far has been positive but I do
experience moments where I am very conscious that I am wearing a MAGA hat and
people have noticed.
Day 2
The second day wearing the MAGA hat was largely uneventful.
I wore it to work and got stopped by a coworker. He took a look at the hat and
asked if that was a MAGA hat. I said yes it is with a smile. He replied, right
on, and we both returned to work.
Toward the end of the day I was finishing up some work when
another coworker asked me a question. He wanted to know if anyone has
complemented me on my hat yet.
I explained to him how people have said they liked it or
have given me a positive response. To this reply he made a face. I did not
understand the question and he was thinking how he could phrase it differently.
After a moment passed he said that I was a brave man for
wearing this hat. That there are a lot of people who are afraid to do so out of
fear for a number of things. I was stunned. I had dismissed the thought that
wearing a Make America Great Again hat made me a brave person.
I understood it took a bit of courage but it was not as if I
was running into a burning building or storming the beaches of Normandy, I was
simply wearing a red hat with the slogan for the duly elected president of the
United States.
When I first came up with this idea I ran into people who
thought it was a bad idea. They said they would not wear a MAGA hat because
they did not want to open themselves to the possibility of being attacked. I
understood their concern and hesitation, I was also frustrated that they were
so afraid, but it only made me want to do it even more.
While I do not think that wearing a MAGA hat should be considered
an act of bravery (I do not think I am any braver than the next person) I can
understand why people would think of it that way. There are people who want or
have wanted to wear a MAGA hat but have felt the social pressure not to.
I hope that sharing my experience here shows that you do not
have to give into that social pressure and we all realize we are not as divided
as the media and Facebook would have us believe.
Grocery Shopping
I had gone to the grocery store on day one but this time I
was going full out grocery shopping. I know it seems like a normal thing but I
must admit I was a little hesitant. I was going to be in a big public space for
an extended period of time with lots of people coming and going.
I took comfort in the idea that most people won’t notice,
busy with their own lives. As I grabbed my cart and approached the produce
section I saw a young man look at me, look away than turn and look back for a
second longer.
He continued to shop with the girl he was with and I
continued to select the items I needed. Every so often I noticed that people
would look at me for a second longer than normal but would than go about
shopping.
Normally when in public I make eye contact with the people
around me and smile at them if we make eye contact. While in the store I
noticed that I had stopped doing this and instead would look straight ahead. I
paused to think about this for a second and understood this was my way of
avoiding inviting people to talk to me.
It was that feeling you had in school when the teacher asked
a question you did not know the answer to so you averted your eyes and hoped
they would not call on you. I was surprised that I had found myself acting
differently than I normally do and resolved to act as my normal self.
As I continued shopping I notice that young couple I had seen
in the produce section again. The girl stepped up and said that she liked my
hat. I said thank you and we both kept shopping. I never considered what to do
if people would complement me on the hat and later realized that people who
were commenting were probably open to a conversation.
I missed this chance but in the future I will stop and make
conversation with someone who complements my hat, at the very least I will tell
them why I am wearing it and what I intend to do.
I want to also say thank you to the people who have
responded positively to my MAGA hat, it might not seem like much but that small
act of kindness is a great balm against the division and outraged obsessed
media.
Observations
This weekend I mostly worked around the house and spent time
walking and running my dogs. I did go out to a few places briefly. I went to
grab some lunch and could tell that the people working behind the counter did
not like my hat but they did a great job providing excellent customer service.
To me it was proof that the spirit of we don’t have to agree
but can be civil to each other still exists. I also entered a retail
establishment where normally the employees greet you as you enter the store.
They took one look at me and then ignored me.
I am not sure if they were surprised, upset or just busy as
I just kept walking and soon after left. If that is the worst thing I experience
that would be fine with me.
I have noticed that wearing a MAGA hat in the part of Oregon
where I live draws attention to yourself. It is just not something that you see
outside of the internet or on the news. It seems to open you up to conversation
and to have people take a longer look at you.
I suspected this was the case and while the extra attention
is a little strange at first it has all been positive so far. I am open to
having more conversations with people and want to try and engage a little more
with people who approach me.
I have also observed a couple changes in my personal
behavior and thoughts. The first thing I noticed was that I now ask myself if I
want to really go to some place with my MAGA hat on. There is a part of me that
says ‘go, but don’t wear your hat.’ I then ask myself the question, would you
go if you were not wearing a MAGA hat, and if the answer is yes than I go with
my MAGA hat on.
Part of this experiment is to wear my MAGA hat while I do
everything that I would normally do. To show that people who wear MAGA hats are
regular people too. That they are your neighbors or the guy who holds the door
open for you at the restaurant or the lady who is selecting fruit next to you
at the grocery store.
I think this feeling will fade over time as I commit myself
to this challenge. I have also noticed that normally I make eye contact with
people in public and if they return the contact I would usually smile or say
hello.
It was something I taught myself to do a long time ago
because I thought that sometime we are all in such a hurry that we ignore
everyone around us. That is was a simple and nice way to brighten someone’s day
ever so slightly. Since taking on this challenge I started looking straight ahead
and avoiding eye contact.
I understand this is my way of avoiding opening myself up to
comment and attention. This is something that I will work on as the challenge
goes forward. I do not want to change who I am simply because I am wearing a
MAGA hat.
Overall I would say my experience has been positive so far. While
I have felt a little strange at times and have noticed that when I go out I am
drawing attention to myself. I hope the rest of the month goes this smoothly
and will write another update in a few days.
Happy MayAGA and hope everyone is having a great month!
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