I have been in a high school recently. I am a teacher and a coach, and I do a pretty good job of teaching our next generation that when you go to job interviews, church, weddings, funerals, etc. that dressing like you are going to the beach or out in the yard to work is not acceptable. Rather than throwing up our hands and saying, "Oh well, that's the times in which we live," maybe we should be saying, "Things have gotten out of hand, and as Masons we should be the ones leading the charge to turn things back in the right direction." Yes, things have changed, but they haven't all changed for the better. Just because societal norms have degraded, we don't have to live with it. If you haven't noticed, things are falling apart. Instead of riding the downward spiral, let Freemasonry be the shining example.
Our Grand Master said this year, "When you wear a ring or put stickers on your car, you are someone's opinion of Masonry." I take that to heart. I make sure my students' opinion of Masonry is that of a clean-cut, well-educated, respectful, contributing member of our community.
The only people I recall ever attending church while wearing shorts are the ones who go up front for the children's sermon. I only recall a couple of times seeing someone come to lodge dressed like they were going to the beach, and both times they were taken out by PMs and shown the error of their ways.