Cowboy hats don’t stay on in the wind (“Worse for Wear,” 1/20). You can’t wear them at a gallop, or on a motorcycle, or on a windy day, without a chinstrap. So they’re worthless for shade or during storms and hence have no practical value and serve as a symbol only. Too bad that symbol has come to represent bigotry rather than being the symbol of the freedom of the open range they once were.
—Joe Ward
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Useless without a chinstrap.
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