“Griffey Jr. later revealed that wearing his cap backward was never supposed to be a big statement,” wrote one T. James on “Hat Realm” on the internet. “The outfielder explained that this style was merely a habit he’d picked up from childhood. He used to wear his dad’s hats all the time, but they never fit and would fall off. Griffey Jr. began flipping the hats around to help them stay on his head and said the habit simply stuck.”
While Griffey wasn’t trying to make a statement, I have always assumed that the motive of his copycats was to exhibit nonconformity. Ironically, after nearly a generation of this masquerade, the symbol of nonconformity has become the mandatory symbol of conformity.
So, the other day I put my baseball cap on sideways and strolled down Hertel Avenue, to see what reactions I’d get. Chris at Walgreens just looked down and asked to scan my rewards card. Andre at Kostas asked if I’d come to pick up my takeout order. I went shopping at Dash’s – nothing. The only person who noticed was my wife, Carol, who asked me if I was trying to be funny.
Yes, I was. But nobody but me was laughing. This says a lot about society’s uncritical acceptance of weird behavior.
Sometimes, when I’m driving into the sun with my baseball cap tilted down over my eyes, I wonder if the backward-cap folks ever do so, too – while fervently praying that they aren’t observed by someone who recognizes them. Oh, the shame of it!
