I Could Be an Idiot, but You Would Never Know It Because I Look Good In a Suit
2009.05.20
Me and the boys are out cruising downtown Saturday night in Traverse City Michigan. At 6:46, a guy is coming across the street. He has cropped well-groomed hair. His appearance is All-American, and he’s wearing a suit with a green accented tie and white stuffed shirt. As attorneys in Traverse City Michigan, we don't see nearly as many suits on attorneys and lawyers as most other places.
I immediately stopped the conversation which was occurring in the car to show the boys. It occurred to me they had never actually seen it before and had no idea. I pointed with my finger extended and said, “LOOK!”
This guy stood out for a number of reasons, not the least of which is we live in Traverse City where stuffed suits are few and far between. The bankers and the “high-end” lawyers definitely wear suits most all the time.
I explained to the boys in careful measured tones that I used to have to dress like that every day. I thought about the comfort of my jeans and my relaxed shirt and the black crocs I wore over socks because of the recent chilly weather. It even struck me that I spent almost a decade dressed almost every day in a suit and tie.
The guy looked pretty nice, but it occurred to me that the whole point of the suit and tie is to try and impress the client. If you put a whole bunch of suit and ties together in a room, the importance of the room increases numerically with the number of ties.
It also occurred to me that at least half of these people might very well be idiots, but you would never know because they have a fancy haircut and very nice suit. In a way, it’s outright fraud. There ought to be some sort of regulations that have to be met if you want to wear a suit, but that post is for another day. Me and the boys are going into Right Brain Brewery, play same games, drink some root beer and revel in the fact that their dad never wears a suit.