As I read through some historical events of this day, I saw a photo of Joseph Goebbels, one of Hitler’s top henchmen. It made me wonder what could convince a person that they had the right to harm / control / kill, other people.
A few moments later, I saw a note about the first slave rebellion in America, which took place in 1663, Virginia. Again, I tried to understand how any person could seek to have such power over another.
I decided to look for something lighter to discuss. And the next thing I happened upon was a piece on the Straw Hat Riots. I’d never heard of this before and had to explore further.
The Straw Hat Riots occurred in September of 1922 in New York City. It started out with some minor brawls, but it grew in size and lasted eight days.
Apparently — and I’m not making this up — this falls right along the lines of not wearing white after Labor Day. Another mystery I do not understand. Regardless, at that time in NYC, there was an unwritten rule that a person was not supposed to wear a straw hat past September 15 (which was known as “Felt Hat Day”)
Straw hats started to be fashionable during the 19th century as summertime apparel. They were usually worn in connection to summer sporting events — like boating. Hence, the nickname for these hats — “Boaters.”
Early on, it was not considered appropriate for men to wear these hats in bigger cities, like NYC. Even in the summer. But, during the early 1900s, more and more men sported them. But, that unwritten law still remained. No straw hats after September 15.
This sounds to me like it had a good-natured feel to the whole thing for years. It was socially acceptable for businessmen, like stockbrokers, to destroy each other’s hats. As long as the guys were buddies, cohorts, compadres. But it was not acceptable for total strangers to do this. In fact, it was an assault.
Even so. If some nonconformist insisted on wearing a straw hat past the fateful date, he was, at minimum, subjecting himself to ridicule. In addition, it was a tradition for youths to knock straw hats off of wearers’ heads and stomp on them. Newspapers would print warnings about the upcoming date, September 15.
But things got out of hand. The riot began on September 13, 1922, two days before the unspoken date.
A group of youths in the area of Manhattan started the whole mess by removing and stomping hats worn by factory workers who were employed in the area. This turned into a brawl when dockworkers decided to fight back. It got so out of hand that the fights stopped traffic on the Manhattan Bridge. Eventually, the police were called, and this altercation was subdued, with several arrests.
It didn’t end there, though. The fights continued to escalate the next evening. Gangs of teenagers prowled. They carried large sticks, sometimes with a nail driven through the top. And they hunted down anyone wearing straw hats. They were violent in this, too, beating anyone who resisted.
Several straw-hatters were hospitalized from the beatings they received. Police were slow to respond to the riots, but eventually, the situation began to die down. Reports came in from all over the city of the violence. Many men were hospitalized as a result. All over straw hats.
Again, I cannot comprehend.
But I wonder how much of this behavior, this mentality, has to do with being male. In this case, it was all men.
In the case of the Capitol Riot of 2021, over 570 arrests were made. As far as I’ve been able to find out, only 20 of those were women.
The same thing goes for mass shootings. The shooters are mostly male.
Is it hormonal? Or is it because men have been in power for centuries, and this is a druzy side-effect of the mentality that comes with yielding such control?
Or, are women equally capable of riots, and massacres, and genocide?
I have no answers to those questions.
But, I know in my heart and soul that we are better serving the world if our intentions, thoughts, and actions are focused on kindness and perpetuating the good.
Which may, or may not, include not wearing white after Labor Day.
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“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”
― Isaac Asimov, Foundation
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“To paraphrase several sages: Nobody can think and hit someone at the same time.”
― Susan Sontag
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“Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.”
― Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays
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The last straw. Pulled right off their heads.
