So I have a couple questions for the members here. Is the lack of formal wear within the fraternity a by-product of laziness within the craft or is it second order effects from a society that has taken up being "casual" as some delusional form of "Freedom of Speech"?
Can't say both as that is too easy, while both are involved, which of it is a major contributor to it?
First of all, for some reason the author of that article just annoyed the tar out of me...lol As for my opinion, I don't think really anyone puts on what they choose to wear that day and says to themselves "This is me expressing my right to free speech". But you really can't answer this question without admitting that is is a combination of the laziness in the craft and society both. Like you said, both are involved, but I think looking at things from a "direct or indirect" approach both contribute more.
Indirectly, I think that society contributes more. Whether it is "Freedom of speech", comfort, style, or whatever, society being lazy is the reason we have migrated to attending everything casual. Society has allowed people to start showing up to these kinds of events in less and less "dress to impress" clothes, so now folks are showing up in sandals to a graduation ceremony. People don't care anymore, or at least as much as they should. Though, I really highly doubt that that graduation ceremony was nearly as bad as that author made it sound (he made it sound like he was the onlly doggone person there dressed up). I don't know, this part is kind of hard because you do have some people that just are plain lazy and don't care, and then you have some that actually did take time to get dressed and believe they look good and presentable for an event like that wearing cargo shorts, a button up shirt, and flip flops, but that is just the way specific trends are. Some guys will wearing those BAGGY jeans sagging below their butt, baggy shirt, and a ball cap turned half sideways with the pricetag still on it....To them, that IS dressed up and looking nice. That is just the culture of that person. There just seems to be no more set standards that are across the board...
As for directly contributing to things, I think the lodge is more at fault. I gotta tell you. I believe whole heartedly in the whole thing of the internal vs. external. I really could care less what this guy wears, or what kid of shoes this guy has on. In fact, I absolutely hate when I have to wear shoes haha. If I could get away with wearing shorts and flip flops or my Vibram Five Fingers for the rest of my life, I would...lol BUT, when I go to lodge I do try to dress up and look decent for meetings. Practice, I'll do my normal thing, but for Stated or Called meetings, I will make sure that I am wearing jeans, shoes, and a button up or a collared shirt. At least. Sometimes I do the kahkis thing. I will not wear shorts and sandals to official meetings, but I have been to a couple of lodges where they would have a couple Brothers dressed like that. It is the lodges fault because they allowed this kind of stuff to happen, and then you get new young Masons coming seeing this and they think that it is all good to do it, so pretty soon they are doing it, and even involving whatever style they are into.
For an organization that is supposed to hold true to the fact that the internal is what is important, I think that it would be a bit hard for them come out and have some sort of standard guidance on what is to be worn without losing a little face. But, I do think that they should be able to say that you need to show up and dressed decent. I have heard that a lot of the lodges over on the East Coast require the members to show up to meetings in a suit and tie. Even heard that they have it at places where it has to be a black suit and tie. I think that that would keep close to being true to the internal principle and being able to have the members for sure showing looking presentable because everyone is wearing the same thing. BUT, I don't want that to be how it is here...lol I like it how we have it. I really haven't had too much of an issue about what a Brother wears to Lodge behind our doors. Lol something public that you obviously need to be dressed to impress, or even a funeral and a Brother shows up in shorts..... Not gonna happen, guy. He can go home for all I care for not respecting the event....