Have you seen someone wearing a MAGA hat in real life (not online)?

I have two red Make America Great Again hats. I’m afraid to wear one in public. You have to be a very brave and crazy sucker to do that. HA!

Yes, this weekend my friend wore one to dinner with us at a local restaurant. He was with his wife ad 18 year old son, both also Trump supporters.

There was no public reaction. I said “nice hat”, he said “it’s my first time wearing it”. End of story.

I see a lot of people with shirts, hats and all kinds of things, it’s not a big deal at all. Here anyway.

I live in a very conservative town and I see dozens of MAGA hats wherever I go. There’s also a large Trump sign on the grass before I enter my neighborhood. But I’m 20 minutes away from a larger city and I rarely see them in public there.

Yes, last September, at the County fair in the county where I live. My county is split between very suburban and very rural (farmland) and is next to a mostly-farmland county to the east. So the County fair gets a mix of people.

Sparsely but regularly. There generally is no reaction, the southeast is predominately christian and conservative and there are a lot of Trump supporters. MAGA bumper stickers are more frequent.

I have seen several. One at Walmart before Christmas was probably the last. Public opinion was non-existent. No one going crazy about it…I didn’t really notice anyone really looking.

Only one that I noticed. The guy that owns the gas station/market where I buy my newspaper had one on one day.

Nope. Never.

No. I’ve seen those caps on TV and the internet, but never IRL.

You know…I think I’d have said sure, right off the bat, if I didn’t stop and think. The image is ubiquitous. And I’m not a TV watcher at all.

But when I do a conscious memory check, the answer is no. Not here, not in real life. I don’t think I’ve seen a single one. If I had, I’m sure I’d have paid attention to who was under it. Are the caps just stage props really?

However, I have seen quite a few people whose appearance and actions have made me think, “Trump voter.” Some of that is probably pure unregenerate self-reinforcing stereotyping.

I’d have no inclination to address such a person. I’d give him a wide berth. No confrontation, no conflict.

One day, though, early in the 2016 campaign, I saw a guy with blatantly Trump-styled Crayola-yellow hair. Immediately I saw it as a political statement and wondered if it would catch on. Thank goodness it didn’t. The guy just got into his old pickup and drove away. No hat.

@Jeruba At the Trump rally here in Missouri, the protesters were the minority.

I actually told a few friends who were going to watch their backs, because people were getting goofy. There was no violence by anyone and several thousand people didn’t make it in, due to the crowd.

My point is, here it’s the ‘crazy liberals’ we give the wide berth to.

I think if people also include where they live, it will reveal a trend.

^ I live in eastern MA and I’ve never seen one.

East Tennessee, all the time.

I thought I had but it was a “Make America Gay Again” cap worn by a Trump impersonator at the Edinburgh Festival last August, so no.

I’ve seen perhaps a few, but I live in a fairly liberal, heavily unionized town on the outskirts of the Chicagoland area.

I’ve seen a couple downtown, always on middle-aged white men. I assumed they were tourists as this is a city that attracts a lot of out-of-towners, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve never seen any anywhere else. This county is pretty evenly split between blue and red. It has voted for Obama, Obama, and Hillary in the last three presidential elections, but only by a small margin.

No. I live in CA, and that wouldn’t go over well here. The only people I know, personally, who are Trump supporters, are my cousin and her husband, and they purposely moved to Texas, to be with more like minded people, and they are estranged from the rest of our family.

I have seen them worn by older (I would guess retired) white men here in Northern California.

As Alysa Milano tweeted, “The red MAGA hat is the new white hood”

I’m just outside Boston and while I’ve seen a number or Trump and MAGA bumper stickers (mostly on pickup trucks), I’ve never seen anyone wearing a hat or shirt.

Yeah, I’ve definitely seen more pro-Trump bumper stickers than I have seen the actual hats.

Yes, I have seen them at work on three or four customers. The location where I saw them is rural NE Ohio. No one has said anything. I ponder what in the world possesses them, but I don’t say anything because they are customers. No politics, no religion, no sex, is discussed with them.

The most shocking MAGA hat wearer is a college friend of mine. He’s gay, his grandparents were Italian immigrants, and I cannot understand his thinking.

Kind of interesting answers. I could wear a hat that says “Fuck the USA” and everyone would be okay with it. But if I wear one that says “Make America Great Again” everyone goes crazy. Does that hit anyone else as being odd?

@seawulf575 I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting America to be greater than it is. The fact that we’re so divided tells me that we are not as great as we could be. I think we’ve gone through cycles of being united and not being. But if you’re like me and you think ending division will make this nation greater, then it seems to me that most of the people who wear those hats are not about ending division, but quite the opposite. They’re the people who think the other side is pure evil that needs to be vanquished. And to be fair, the people enraged by those hats often feel the same way.

So it’s not about the message on the hat itself but about the implications of wearing it.

@seawulf575: “I could wear a hat that says “Fuck the USA” and everyone would be okay with it.”

Please try this.

He could potentially wear it in your neck of the woods, not here.

@ARE_you_kidding_me: “He could potentially wear it in your neck of the woods, not here.”

He wouldn’t get very far in my neck of the woods. People would be ok with it in seawulf’s imagination only.

@Demosthenes I have never seen the country so divided and I agree. That hat is a right wing uniform identifying a person as a team member and is divisive in that way. It’s not a freakin white hood though, that’s asinine.

@notnotnotnot that’s about the most refreshing thing I have heard you say.

Fairly sure @seawulf575 meant the places where burning American flags are acceptable. I assure you that is not my area. A hat probably would upset a lot of people, but that flag is sacred.

@KNOWITALL: “Fairly sure @seawulf575 meant the places where burning American flags are acceptable. I assure you that is not my area.”

And I can assure you that you’d get your ass kicked for burning a flag here in MA. It’s only acceptable in conservatives’ imagined liberal utopias.

@Demosthenes unfortunately we are all humans and rarely agree on anything. I still remember when wearing clothing made with the American flag was outrageous. It was thought to be disrespectful to the country. I think the most ironic part is that the people that pushed for being able to wear the American flag are the same sort that are now acting like wearing a hat is disrespectful to the nation.

@notnotnotnot Not me…..I assure you I would never burn a flag. And more than likely, I wouldn’t watch someone else either.

@seawulf575 Sure, but even though we’ve always disagreed, it seems that there were more avenues for working together in previous times. I was born in ‘91, so I can’t claim to know what it was like back in the 70s or 80s, but reading about the Reagan presidency, I’m amazed at the times the Republicans went against Reagan or the times Democrats worked with Republicans. There was a lot more bi-partisanism. Obviously we’ve had worse times (the late 60s come to mind), but now we’re in an age where being combative and viewing politics like a death match is celebrated. That’s the kind of thing that the hat represents to some. It hasn’t always been where so much of the country thinks so much of the country is out to destroy the country. I refuse to believe that it’s inevitable.

But @Demosthenes the question becomes…is the hat the cause of the division or is it just another thing for people to hate and be combative? We have had discussions on these pages about what a great America looks like to the various members. Many just can’t get beyond “Trump in chains”. They can’t even answer what a great America looks like. So they are likely not going to ask that question to someone wearing a MAGA hat. And asking that question would be the first step in a sane conversation about that issue. And it is likely that if they asked the question, the hat wearer wouldn’t have thought it through very well either.

“Make America Great Again”, “Fuck the USA” – aren’t they both just different ways of saying the same thing: “America sucks”?

@Darth_Algar pretty much. So then why would I hear nothing about the “Fuck the USA” but would hear all sorts of crap about the MAGA?

@seawulf575: “So then why would I hear nothing about the “Fuck the USA” but would hear all sorts of crap about the MAGA?”

My google skills are failing me. I’m trying to find a president whose slogan was “Fuck the USA” and ended up with people wearing them as a symbol years after the election. Help me out.

I’m not sure where you’re living at, but in my 41 years a statement like “fuck the USA” has never been anything but incendiary.

@Darth_Algar To my mind, the two do not mean the same thing.

MAGA is about putting our people and country first.
The other is just idiotic and incendiery.

Don’t folks realize that it’s the “again” that’s controversial?

@KNOWITALL

No, MAGA implies that America was great, at some (probably mythical) time in the past, but that it sucks now.

Wearing the red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap doesn’t mean much apart from indicating your support of Trump. Trump’s great failure is that having won the election he is failing to unify and lead the nation and these caps are just another symptom of a miserably divided country.

@Darth I honestly don’t know why I even try.

It’s a campaign slogan that triggers 1960’s nostalgia for some. Maybe triggers some of the anti-Obama folks who were tired of his apology tour. I can’t say what it means to everyone, but I don’t see anything bad about it.

No, never.

There is, however, a giant red bill board between this town and the next that simply reads MAGA. It went up before the midterm elections. It didn’t work, yay.

Nope

Yeah, the 60’s were a wonderful time for blacks and women. Blacks getting lynched, and mowed down by fire hoses. Women couldn’t open up a line of credit without their husband’s signature. Rape was blown off as “Boys will be boys.”
It was a really super great time.

@Dutchess_III You are infinitely predictable, I’ll give you that.

@KNOWITALL: “I can’t say what it means to everyone, but I don’t see anything bad about it.”

But what if you were told that many people (or most people) interpreted the hat to mean that you were racist? Would that change your mind about the hat? While you don’t think of that way, you can at least acknowledge that symbols are communication. If you are communicating something to most people that you don’t wish to communicate, I suspect that it’s not very useful.

@notnotnotnot I think I’m going to get @gondwanalon‘s other hat and walk around smirking, maybe nodding at the other Trump supporters to infiltrate their clubhouse.

Because you’ve been less antagonistic lately, I will answer you. I do actually care how people interpret my clothes or words or actions, because I innately care about people. Always have, always will. But that’s on me. The way you interpret my ripped jeans or my Nike’s, can be political or not, but that is up to you. And that is out of my control.

Many people aren’t willing to live their life according to other people’s interpretation.

I am not on a street corner calling for everyone that’s a real Christian to ban Yeezus is a Gemini t-shirts, or Make America Rap Again.

Maybe your mama didn’t tell you, but the world does not revolve around you and what you want. It’s getting closer than ever, but not quite yet.

^ Am I to interpret this to mean that you would not wear a MAGA hat if it meant that you were signaling your racism to many or most of the population?

Nope haven’t seen it. Maybe because blue state here. Oh wait maybe once in DC last year.

Quite a few, but I live in the South.

@notnotnotnot I’ve bought some Trump items, for friends or family, but I’ve never wore any of it personally. I never really questioned myself on why I don’t, until you just asked.

So…. I wouldn’t wear those items because I don’t agree with some of what he says or does, not because of anyone’s perception of what wearing those items would signify to them.

I still know a guy who fly the stars and bars with pride and no shame. Not everyone cares about other people’s sensitivities. It may not be right but it’s HIS America, too.

@KNOWITALL: “I wouldn’t wear those items because I don’t agree with some of what he says or does, not because of anyone’s perception of what wearing those items would signify to them.”

Really? As I have asked, isn’t the purpose of such items to communicate to others? What other reason(s) could you have for wearing it?

Is it possible that those that wear those symbols are aware of what they are communicating, but don’t care because the common interpretation (racism) is accurate?

What if someone went to a get a tattoo and decided that the ancient symbol for good luck or fortune – the swastika – would be a good choice?

About this red hat, @flutherother nailed it. End of story.

During the run up to the election, with accusations of racism flying around, one guy put up a Confederate flag across his whole front window, in place of curtains. I think he was disappointed that there was absolutely no reaction. Nobody shot his windows out or anything.

@notnotnotnot I don’t think so. I think what they communicate is very subjective.

Support for Trump doesn’t make anyone a racist, or anything else.

Why should they care? Are you supposed to live your life to please others or please yourself? You realize there are black people who like Trump right?

A swastika tattoo….well in that case it’s still not my body and not my call to make. I wouldn’t do it, because that’s not my feeling.

Do you run your clothes and tattoo’s by other people before you get them?

When I was growing up in the 80’s, I had lots of friends of other races, and it actually took someone saying or doing something racist to earn them that racist label. Anything else is destructive imo.

@KNOWITALL “It’s a campaign slogan that triggers 1960’s nostalgia for some.”

So then you agree that it does imply that America was great at some point in the past.

@KNOWITALL: “Do you run your clothes and tattoo’s by other people before you get them?”

You’re completely missing what I am saying.

I’m saying that people should stand up for what they believe in and be vocal about it. People who wear MAGA hats should stand behind what it means. And what it means is that they are racist – whether they like it or not. And if they continue to wear racists symbols, good for them. Stand up for yourself.

I’m just trying to discuss the concept of symbolism and interpersonal communication. MAGA hats convey a message of racism, xenophobia, and misogyny. I think those that wear the hats know this by now. There may have been some initial Trump supporters that didn’t realize what was going on, but at this point there is no question.

@Darth_Algar Sure. My mom and several of her classmates tell me all the time how great it was in the time of muscle cars and milkshakes. When one income could pay for the whole family, etc…

@notnotnotnot I disagree. I know my friend very well, he is not racist or xenophobic at all. And his wife is the boss, not him.
The point is, you don’t get to say what it means for the entire human population. Kanye can’t wear the hat and say it’s not offensive for anyone BUT HIM, but you can’t not wear it and say it is FOR EVERYONE. Do you see my point?

Frankly, the point you are missing is that not everyone cares what you or anyone else thinks about their choices in life or in clothing or in hats, or in Presidents. It’s amusing that you think you’re that important.

“People who wear MAGA hats should stand behind what it means. And what it means is that they are racist”
Um, no. First off, I’m not a Trump supporter but I know plenty who are though and they are none of what you say. Such a broad brush to paint people with. I hope you don’t approach the rest of life that way.

@KNOWITALL: ”@Darth_Algar Sure. My mom and several of her classmates tell me all the time how great it was in the time of muscle cars and milkshakes. When one income could pay for the whole family, etc…”

This is objectively a racist sentiment – and part of the reason people correctly interpret MAGA that way. Those were not good times for non-white people in the US.

@KNOWITALL – The rest of it seems like we’re talking past each other.

@notnotnotnot haha, okay then. I’ll make sure to tell my mom who teaches Sunday school and has dated a black man and a Jewish man, that.

Do you really not see how ignorant that is? She was there during integration, she knows the good and the bad. smh.

Yes, have fun judging other people in a negative light all the time, that must make life real fun for you. <sarcasm> Try to get to know someone before you slap a label on them, okay?

@Darth_Algar I think the difference you are looking for is that “Fuck the USA” shows despair without intention of fixing. Make America Great Again acknowledges problems with the country but a willingness to fix them.

Now that Trump is president you have to ask what is he actually doing to make America great again. MAGA was just a campaign slogan, it is now time to lead the country to greatness. But for Trump greatness begins and ends with a red baseball cap.

^ He’s bumping up top marginal tax rate to 1960 level of 90%. He has promised a Green New Deal and a jobs program. He’s guaranteed free public college and apprenticeship programs. Medicare for all is another of his efforts. We’ll get there and be great again.

The MAGA slogan is not just a symbol of racism. It is an embodiment of everything that trump is, and racism is just one facet of it. He’s also misogenic, he’s a bully, making fun of handicapped people, he incites violence, he’s the embodiment of every ugly, negative trait a human being could possibly have….and HIS slogan, MAGA, spits that in sane people’s faces.

See MAGA hats all the time in North Carolina; last one was in a super market with guy wearing a .380 strapped to his right hip last week.

If ever anyone here in englandtown saw someone wearing one they’d be mercilessly mocked to within an inch of their lives…

@ucme In a good way or a bad way?

I wore American Idol gear to Mexico once, it was kind of funny, they all thought I was on the tv show and introduced themselves a lot. Funny stuff.

“Mercilessly mocked” is always in bad way. England hates trump as much as Canada and every other free world country does.

@KNOWITALL It would be brutal, because the person would stand out like a sore thumb as someone clearly looking for attention.

@KNOWITALL

Despite your mom viewing the decade with dewy-eyed nostalgia, the 1960’s were not a great time for non-whites in America. No amount of “my mom’s not racist” (something no one is saying anyway) protesting is going to magically make it so.

It’s natural to be nostalgic for earlier times in one’s life. The problem with relying on nostalgia is that it clouds our perception of how things really were.

@Darth Algar
To recap, @notnot specifically said I expressed racist sentiment. So I’m out, thats not acceptable. Nostalgia is great, they were there when the first black kids came in guys, thats living history. Embrace the painful reality.

@ucme Huh, may be fun, may be dead meat? You’re pretty daring, sounds like a good skit.

@KNOWITALL

Yes, he said that a particular statement expressed racist sentiment. He did not say that your mom was racist.

“they were there when the first black kids came in guys, thats living history. Embrace the painful reality. ”

What in the blue hell are you talking about here?

I was too young to realize, in the early 60’s, that having a black kid in class was uncommon. It didn’t hurt. He was my friend. I was blissfully unaware of his painful reality and the realities of all other black people at the time. I think that’s called “White privilege.”

I think the kkk hood analogy fits great. I live in SC, but I almost never see the hats unless they’re on heads at a picture of a Trump rally.
Like the kkk members, Trumpers are cowards. They don’t walk around in those hats, for the same reason kkk members don’t just walk around in their robes.

I’m kind of sick of the “I dated a minority once defense.” Slave owners raped their slaves all the time. So, one can easily conclude that sexual attraction is not a variable that determines if one is racist.

If someone is wearing one of those hats, there’s a good chance that they’re a terrible person.

MrGrimm888

Yep. I had a great-uncle (not someone I really knew, I maybe met him once or twice, and the man died when I was 8), who was a staunch white supremacist and a member of the KKK. That didn’t stop him from having a hispanic mistress.

^Mmmm hmmm.

And in Shindler’s list the very worst Nazi guy had a Jewish mistress.

There’s been a terrible mistake. MAGA stands for Minnesota Apple Growers Association.

Many war lords, or leaders had large numbers of females as sex slaves. Color doesn’t seem to affect people’s sexual desires.

Or age for that matter.

Agreed.

I live near the Bible Belt, and last month I talked to a family of MAGA hat wearers. I asked if they could name one negative thing Trump has done and they replied “The day he gets out of office.”