What would A Tribesman’s Think About Modern Ties
To someone coming for a visit from a place remote from modern society (say, some African tribesman that has not met any westerners) quite a few articles of our modern clothing would appear weird. This is not illogical; many of the pieces of clothing we wear are in fact unnecessary from a functional perspective: what would they make of high heel boots? or cosmetic clothing? But surely the article of clothing they would find the least comprehensible is the tie.
And what is the tie? A tie is a piece of cloth that is arranged in a complex way around a person’s neck. It’s not worn for warmth. It’s not worn for any functional reason. Then why should anyone wear it? Good question.
I can envision the baffled tribesman looking at his western counterpart who is dressed in a business attire and just wondering: “how do I tie a tie?” “Is tying a tie of any value?” “Why would someone want to wear a bizarre piece of clothing like that?” and ending up with no answers. And to be completely honest, all these questions make very good points! The value of a tie is completely ornamental, and the fact it is treated as necessary part of a man’s business attire originates only from historical reasons.
Conversely, to us novelty ties may appear to be an odd invention. After all, they should not be used in any business scenario (which is where ties are normally worn), so why sell ties with cartoons or flashing lights? But to the tribesman probably it would look as inexplicable as an ordinary tie. In fact, he is more likely to find some novelty ties practical – for example, those with the flashing lights – can serve a practical function as they provide light.
Oh, what a complex world we live in.