Affectations

I once asked my father what an “affectation” was.  He explained it was something superfluous, fancy, or pretentious, like a monocle, or a general using a swagger stick.  Patton was famous for his chrome plated helmet and pearl-handled revolvers, while MacArthur was famous for his equally plain uniform, aviator sunglasses and corncob pipe.  Opposing generals Montgomery (UK) (sweater and beret) and Rommel (Nazi Germany) (trench coat and British goggles on his German visor cap) likewise indulged in this business.  Von Mackensen (August, not his son Eberhard), affected the huge busby with the skull and crossbones, but he only served in World War I.  Probably the most affected of the German generals was Reichmarshall Herman Goering, commander of the Luftwaffe, with his sky blue uniform and baton, among other trappings.

Generals by no means have any monopoly on this.  Among the high class, a monocle (single eyeglass), spats, ascot, etc. remain rare but obvious upper class affectations.  These days the #1 affectation is probably grooming:  bald with a goatee, a look reinforced by Bryan Cranston as Walter White on “Breaking Bad”, also embraced by Andy Powell of Wishbone Ash and Rob Halford of Judas Priest – even used by John Travolta in “From Paris With Love”.  Ayn Rand’s affectation was the FDR-esque cigarette-though-a-holder deal, odd given how much she disliked FDR and his socialist agenda. 

I suppose slavish adherence to fashion doesn’t really qualify as an affectation: if everyone else is doing it, how special can it be?  Pants pulled down two inches below the boxers; Timberland boots not even laced up; baseball cap either backwards or raised up with the brim off-center; and – although I don’t hate the team – the ubiquitous NY Yankee logo, particularly on a cap.  I understand the Yankees have won more World Series than any other team, and have lost more than the second place champion, the St Louis Cardinals, but why don’t we leave the NY logo to true Yankees fans?

I can’t claim to be immune to this: my own affectation is wearing soccer jerseys, and sometimes of mutual rivals (Flamengo & Fluminense, Schalke & Borussia Dortmund, various Premier League rivals) – not necessarily just one team, or even one team per league.  It’s not even just the most popular or well-known teams, such as Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, or AC Milan, but also some of the more obscure European teams, and the Brazilian teams.  Guilty as charged. 

But this is a much less controversial affectation than my high school preference: a World War II German service jacket, first with Wehrmacht insignia, then Waffen SS (Das Reich, NOT Totenkopf or Einsatzgruppen).  I’ve always wanted a 1936 pattern jacket, and At The Front has them for a reasonable price.  But where could I wear it?