Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two degrees from Harvard. When I want to pull rank at a casual social event, I’ll wear an old sweatshirt. This happens very rarely, though.

I went to Harvard and trust me, you're not pulling rank on anyone.

Anonymous wrote:I have two degrees from Harvard. When I want to pull rank at a casual social event, I’ll wear an old sweatshirt. This happens very rarely, though.

Anonymous wrote:I have two degrees from Harvard. When I want to pull rank at a casual social event, I’ll wear an old sweatshirt. This happens very rarely, though.

Anonymous wrote:I'm starting this thread because it's an off-topic spin-off that's taking over another thread. Trying to give the original thread some oxygen. Here are some of the key comments so far ...

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So if mom or dad went to Syracuse it is ok to deck the kid in orange head to toe, but if they went to Harvard then school gear is obnoxious? Why can't someone who went to a top school give their kid school clothing? That alone isn't obnoxious.

Had this exact conversation with someone last week. Other person’s view is that the Harvard parent needs to recognize that lots of people will think it’s obnoxious to wear Harvard gear because it could be viewed as bragging, but no one would think it’s obnoxious to wear Syracuse gear because no one would ever brag about Syracuse.

It is obnoxious to wear your elite college gear any place but the gym. That is my philosophy. It is stupid to compare wearing Harvard gear with schools that have good sports teams, Michigan, Cal, etc. The only reason to wear ivy gear is to brag. It is low class and is considered as such at our school.

I’m going to take it a step further and say it’s obnoxious to wear your elite college gear, period.

You know what? The only people who care are those who are envious and insecure. DH and I are both Ivy grads. Our kids wear them because it's part of our family traditions. They have visited our schools, including during alumni week, and know that many of our oldest friends are from those schools, too.

It's quite obnoxious to suggest that UVA or Penn State grads can happily tout their school loyalties, while Harvard, Yale, and Princeton folks who do so must be snobs.

My entire immediate family went to ivies or Stanford (some of us "lower ivies," but ivies still). My sister regularly attends the drunken Princeton reunions. My dad goes to Penn homecoming. My brother gives lectures at Stanford as a notable alum. So we get it. But if you cannot see at all how wearing this stuff could be perceived by some as snobby, that is unfortunate. It is like the dorks who still use their alumni accounts. Be a grown up. Leave some of that behind.

Yes, totally agree as a general matter that anyone who is still wrapping himself in college gear 10 years after graduation need to turn the page. But I think lots of people have college spirit and fond memories of those times, so they do it regardless.

The question here - I think - is why it's generally considered socially acceptable for a Maryland grad or even a Georgetown grad to wear college gear, but offensive for an Ivy grad to do the same thing. I know Ivy grads with lots of genuine school spirit and fond memories, but it seems they have to be careful about wearing their college gear for fear someone else will judge them as bragging. I think it's really mostly about the fact that lots of people have insecurities about where other people went to college.

Maybe be should start a list ...

Ivy or Stanford - totally unacceptable to wear because you might be bragging
Duke or UVA - obnoxious, don't do it
MIT or CalTech - ok to wear because it's just so nerdy?
Navy or West Point - ok because it's a military school?
any other state school - fine
any small liberal arts college - no problem because they're so obscure?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My husband wears Penn gear because he has it from college and it still fits. He played a sport, so he has a ton of sweats, jackets, etc. and we toss them as they wear out.

I don’t understand people who wear vacation gear for a ski resort or beach town they went to once. College makes sense to me - you spent 4 years there. Vacation gear makes sense to me if you have a house there or have been going to the same place every year forever and it is part of your family’s culture / collective memories.

My kids always want to buy souvenir hats and sweatshirts from any random beach town we might spend a weekend at. I get why it seems strange, but they view that stuff as souvenirs to remind them of a fun weekend. It's usually only about $10-15, and more useful than a snowglobe or refrigerator magnet, so I don't fight it. Maybe that will help you understand.

I am not judging your kid. I am judging my mom who went to a Bar Harbor once for a long weekend and is wearing her fleece and using it to strike up conversations in the grocery check out line 10 years later. It was not purchased due to unexpected weather. For some reason that is different to me than my inlaws who wear shirts and jackets with the logo of a popular western ski resort because they own a timeshare there and have been skiing there 2-3 weeks a year since the 1980s. It’s a big enough part of their family that some of my husband’s siblings got married there - hence actual family history and connection. So when someone randomly asks you if n public about the place on your shirt, so you have something interesting or meaningful to say. My mom doesn’t even know anyone who lives in Maine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s fine if you went to the school or your kids are current students. Young kids in college gear makes me want to barf though. Seeing a 4 year old in a college logo hoodie is just too much - I don’t care what the school is.

Why?! Such a strong reaction for a fairly innocuous thing. Lots of parents show school pride by dressing their kids in their alma mater onesie, etc. College bookstores wouldn't sell this stuff in infant/kid sizes if people didn't buy them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I prefer college t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats to those bragging about where you went on vacation. Why do people feel the need to buy an overpriced 1/4 zip just because it says "Jackson Hole" on it?

I love you.