^ I deleted a couple of them. Wearing it to dinner at a steakhouse is a tad odd, especially if you're not in the military or a hunter. Wearing it as formal wear to a prom is bizarre and sounds like something out of a Jeff Foxworthy routine. However, like Gebirg said, back in the 80s, camo pants and shorts were fairly popular with teens, especially us punks and slackers. Everything comes back around again.
I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing a pair of camo cargo shorts. I wouldn't wear them if I was going to be doing some fine dining, but for everyday use they are perfectly acceptable.
That's the thing. It's not just a pair of camo pants or shorts. Their whole outfits are camo. From their overalls to their shirts and hats. All pristine camo, no sign of any hunting. I couldn't tell you how many tables I've waited on where parties of three or more are decked out in camouflage like they're the goddamn Predator. Hmm... maybe next time I get a group like that, I should go to the table, wonder aloud why the hostess set menus down at a clearly empty table, shrug, gather the menus and walk away
I know what you were saying about the full camo outfits in the restaurant. I was just making a separate point about how wearing camo has gone in and out of style over time since I was in school. I wouldn't gather the menus, but the customers might find it funny if you jokingly pretended not to be able to see them sitting at the table briefly. Well, I'd find it funny if the waiter did that to me, at least. Can't speak for everyone, though.
Your location is Kentucky. You're surprised? Seriously, here's a song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stsdZvryy3I
I think the point at which camouflage was actually intended TO camouflage was surpassed at warp speed many moons ago. Nobody, not even the military, wears it for that purpose, do they? They wear it because it's tradition, nothing more. I mean, for fuck's sake, the Navy's current "camouflage" is BRIGHT BLUE, isn't it?
Yeah, they do, though the current patterns vary widely in effectiveness (with the USMC MARPAT digital patterns being very effective) and are actually a source of conflict between the various branches at times. What might appear to be striking out in the open can often conceal the wearer quite well in its intended environment. Plus, it's not just about blending in color-wise with the background, though obviously that's important. It's also about breaking up the shape of the person or vehicle you're trying to conceal so it doesn't look like the outline of a person or tank or ship. Take for instance Dazzle Camouflage on ships in WWI and WWII. But even seemingly strange colors or bright lights can serve as effective visual camouflage in certain situations. Obviously in the day and age of widespread RADAR and thermal sensors visual camo had less effectiveness on vehicles and people, but against the type of technologically unsophisticated adversaries we usually wind up facing these days, they still have an important place. Plus, it's very important in suburban warfare when facing off against (literal) armchair generals:
My brother has a camo recliner. Also his son's crib has camo sheets. He'd buy more if he could find it.
We currently wear the "multicam" camo here in Afghanistan. Its pretty effective in the environment we are in and the Marines wear their digital pattern. Its interesting seeing some of the different camo patterns from other countries as there are alot of coalition forces on my camp. I do wear old BDU and DCU pants sometimes when I'm back home, but its usually only when I go to a metal show. I don't wear them when I go out to eat or run to the Food Lion.
This. (Also: oh man, that song was the WORST.) Whenever I see civlians in camo I usually assume they're trying to piggyback on the honor of military service, and I further assume they're probably huge dickwads. It was expertly designed to make it extremely difficult to locate sailors who've fallen overboard.
I know. I see enough stupid shit that I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but I like to keep an optimistic view of humanity, but unfortunately, especially around here, the area has a way of destroying my optimism.