Truckers Wearing Flip-flops: Why All The Hate?

Lawd a mercy... Before this thread is over I will be pulling a 3 piece suit out for the first day of class tomorrow.

True story... I've gone to several interviews for "professional" positions here in Mississippi over the years, wearing what I felt was appropriate attire ie: slacks, dress shirt, tie, dress shoes (no, not flip flops). Anyway, on 2 occasions members of both the managerial staff and employees looked at me like I was from another planet. One thought I was an attorney attempting to sue them. When I tried to explain my dress after being questioned the same phrase was offered by both.... "but this is Mississippi". Apparently living within these borders a new and different standard exists--different from what I was taught in my early years. Now, whenever we come across or see something where the phrase will fit, the words "but this is Mississippi!" Comes out with a chuckle.

Now all you fellow southerners don't get all defensive. I've lived here many years and have respect for the area, (generally). This is just a casual and truthful observation and is not meant to be a blanketly disparaging. Now I'm the one being defensive, poisoned by political correctness.

No jeans are not mentioned in the same sentence as professional but they are known as durable work clothing. These slacks that you see some wear would not hold up for a day with what I do. You can find me as some point in the day dirty, greasy and/or sweaty. Now flip flops say childish to me. Kids wear them and adults wear shoes. Just my opinion.

Oh and cowboys wore jeans more than they did suits. You are watching too much TV or reading too much fiction. Now gamblers, they tended to dress up more.

Respectfully disagree with you My information didn't come from watching too much TV and reading fiction as you suggested My information comes from the Smithsonian archives and photos The suits I was referring to were made of a canvas material . They can still be purchased , and yes cowboys did wear them and sometimes a tie or bandanna Agree with you on the the Gambler but that type of suit was not what I was referring to I myself wear jeans ,have over 50 pairs, but professional looking well perhaps to a 20 something person and when they get the least bit greasy or stained they are tossed But to each his own personally I don't care what someone else wears or does while working as long as they are not on my payroll

Lawd a mercy... Before this thread is over I will be pulling a 3 piece suit out for the first day of class tomorrow.

True story... I've gone to several interviews for "professional" positions here in Mississippi over the years, wearing what I felt was appropriate attire ie: slacks, dress shirt, tie, dress shoes (no, not flip flops). Anyway, on 2 occasions members of both the managerial staff and employees looked at me like I was from another planet. One thought I was an attorney attempting to sue them. When I tried to explain my dress after being questioned the same phrase was offered by both.... "but this is Mississippi". Apparently living within these borders a new and different standard exists--different from what I was taught in my early years. Now, whenever we come across or see something where the phrase will fit, the words "but this is Mississippi!" Comes out with a chuckle.

Now all you fellow southerners don't get all defensive. I've lived here many years and have respect for the area, (generally). This is just a casual and truthful observation and is not meant to be a blanketly disparaging. Now I'm the one being defensive, poisoned by political correctness.

Now that was a funny post And that's the wonderful and tragic thing about the human mind If It looks at something screwed up for long enough it becomes normal

Real Cowboys Wear Suits

Real truck drivers used to be a roughneck, blue collar, working breed that would get greasy and work on their own equipment. Flip flops are seen as being the new lazy class out here like they're on some damn vacation, or working an office 9 to 5 job! Flip flops go with the driving gloves and tire thumper, (which are completely useless in my opinion). US veterans take it personally, as the image of truck drivers is reduced from a respectable, hard working individual, to a lazy steering wheel holder with his feet up on the dash while driving. It's a disgrace what things have become.

No jeans are not mentioned in the same sentence as professional but they are known as durable work clothing. These slacks that you see some wear would not hold up for a day with what I do. You can find me as some point in the day dirty, greasy and/or sweaty. Now flip flops say childish to me. Kids wear them and adults wear shoes. Just my opinion.

Oh and cowboys wore jeans more than they did suits. You are watching too much TV or reading too much fiction. Now gamblers, they tended to dress up more.

Respectfully disagree with you My information didn't come from watching too much TV and reading fiction as you suggested My information comes from the Smithsonian archives and photos The suits I was referring to were made of a canvas material . They can still be purchased , and yes cowboys did wear them and sometimes a tie or bandanna Agree with you on the the Gambler but that type of suit was not what I was referring to I myself wear jeans ,have over 50 pairs, but professional looking well perhaps to a 20 something person and when they get the least bit greasy or stained they are tossed But to each his own personally I don't care what someone else wears or does while working as long as they are not on my payroll

That's not a suit, those are Carharts.....

I've been watching a lot of you tube videos about trucking lately (video crack) and there seems to be an overwhelming disdain for flip flops.

Why? Is it unsafe to drive a truck in them? Less safe then wearing them to drive a car? Is it somehow seen as unprofessional? I can see putting on shoes or boots when I get to a customer, but if I'm just driving (and it's not cold) I'd like my toes to breathe.

Or is it just a Trucker thing?

I've lived in a desert for the last 20 some years and wear flip flops anytime I can. It's soo hot, shoes just make it feel hotter.

I can't wear them to work now for safety and Heath department reasons, so I guess if I can't wear them to drive I'll survive, but I'm really curious as to why all the hatred.

Poor flippity floppities getting no love.

Just curious, thanks.

Well in my experience , I loved to wear flip flops while riding as a passenger or going into the stores and showers. But when my dad made me mount the trailers or back into a receiver I would have to wear sneakers because I could not control the clutch as finely as I could with sneakers , same with the gas pedal. In my sneakers I can just about pull off as smooth as a car. but in my flip flops the truck would be doing plenty of "show boating " ask around if you don't know what that means ;)

This being said, I really hate walmart.

me too! but for more reasons than just their product. My mom worked for them way back when we lived in vegas and they fired her after her bf "accidentally" (I still don't think it was an accident) broke her wrist and she couldn't do her job. Most companies will give you some kind of leave of abscence / medical leave but no they decided to straight up fire her. That was the beginning of my hate for walmart. Then there's more political type issues such as how they buy products from companies that participate in slavery, the quality of their products, their ever growing list on the wall of shame (recall board), especially in stuff children use. oh great you are recalling my stroller... why... because it could close on my child and kill it.. gee thanks walmart for selling a product so dangerous. they prob wouldn't have recalled it if it wasn't for the manf doing it.

the list goes on, but needless to say I only shop there when I have no choice. Like in both my years of AmeriCorps when I was on campus my team did our grocery shopping where team leader wanted to and also we didn't have a target in or near Vicksburg, ms... so because TL liked walmart that's where I HAD to go... but i went in protest.

They've got us all fooled.

Not me... not even a little bit. I have proven time and again to people that even if you do find a lower price tag it still either cost more at the unit rate (price per lb, oz, etc) or the quality is not there making it not worth the money you spent.

It's almost as bad as best buy... they way over charge for their stuff and they do it because they have the monopoly for B&M stores in the electronic industry. That's why unless I need it now I buy my electronics online... screw best buy... that store name should be false advertisement. should rename to "The only buy"

Phox wrote:

It's almost as bad as best buy... they way over charge for their stuff and they do it because they have the monopoly for B&M stores in the electronic industry. That's why unless I need it now I buy my electronics online... screw best buy... that store name should be false advertisement. should rename to "The only buy"

While Best Buy might be the only National Chain still in the game, they are not alone... we still have many smaller regional chains in the game too... off the top of my head we still have Tiger Direct/Comp USA, Microcenter and HH Gregg, I'm sure there are many more that arent immediately coming to mind right now. Keep in Mind, Best Buy is not out to rip you off, they are trying to stay alive against the crazy competition against the likes of Amazon and other online Mega-Stores. The cost to maintain a brick&morter retail presence is insanely high, that's why the prices are higher in a store vs online. I for one like to be able to go into a local store and actually see and touch something before I buy it, something you don't get with an online retailer.... and something you'll have a hard time doing once the stores are all gone because they were forced out by the online Mega's. And yes, even the evil empire, Wally World charges more for many items in the store than they do on their own website too.

Oh, by the way, I was at Wal-Mart last night and thought of this thread when I saw a giant bin of Flip Flops for 98 Cents/pair.....