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Comment by kingkongreveng_ | Hacker News Reader

> I work in a building full of men in shorts and sandals.

You work in a building full of men who look ridiculous. They and their peers may not care, but many do. And what's the point of needlessly alienating others?

I think fashion and the disdain programmers have for it play a role in creating the popular misconception among non-programmers that skilled software people should be very cheap. Skilled professionals dress like skilled professionals. Look at doctors and lawyers. Deal with it or deal with the consequences.

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You work in a building full of men who look ridiculous.

Dude, you do realise that "fashion" is just a consensual hallucination, right? I work in Hawaii. Nobody looks ridiculous wearing shorts, they just look... normal. Go back and read what I said about local cultural norms.

> a consensual hallucination

Gee, kind of like money. So let's all ignore money.

Even in hawaii, haolie white dudes of north american extraction look ridiculous in shorts. I'll cut them slack if they're speaking hawaiian and support secession.

> I work in Hawaii.

So did these guys: http://pappastenant.com/investigation/Hawaii50.jpg

I dare you to mentally substitute shorts on them and not laugh.

Gee, kind of like money. So let's all ignore money.

Uh no. Money is nothing like fashion. If you put in 10 grand in your savings account, you have money in the bank, no matter what anybody thinks you have. On the other hand, if my nice brown coat from last year is now "unfashionable" because the editor of Vogue said that brown is out and pink is in, that only has power on people who believe it.

Fashion is just a social construct. Like other social constructs it has its uses (I certainly don't advise turning up at a job interview in the Lapland national dress, or a bikini), but let's not give it more importance that it is due. Especially here.

When I worked in Hawaii, it was a wild day indeed when we changed out of the usual uniform of gym shorts, t-shirt (or no shirt), and flip-flops (only when outdoors, barefoot inside).

Doctors stereotypically wear sandals and socks, which is supposed to be the greatest mistake ever. Sure doesn't stop them from costing thousands of dollars.

Doctors have to be on their feet for a large percentage of very long shifts, so they can be forgiven. Omitting socks--and/or shoes--is of course not an option.

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