Tiki With Ray Episode 157 - The Truth About Wearing A Fez

Tiki With Ray Episode 157 - The Truth About Wearing A Fez
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[@islygon]

This was very interesting! Thank you!

[@annamariacaftanista]

Great episode. I've got an article coming out on the fez and discussed this very thing briefly. I've always been connected to Masons and Shriners and have spent much time at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial and at events at lodges, so I couldn't write an article on the fez without mentioning some of this. As in any creative community or subculture, education is key, and we never want those new to a community to be unaware.

[@skylarking12]

Thanks for talking about this, Ray. It's come up in comments in some tiki facebook groups, and some people are curious about why it's a big deal. I've always tried to explain to people who have gotten their hands on a legit Shriner's fez that that's not cool to wear if you aren't a member. It's not quite like wearing a rocker in front of Hells Angels bad; Shriner's wouldn't beat you up over it. Probably. But it's not cool.
The fez without the Shrine symbology can be worn by anyone, any way they want. We went to sci fi conventions wearing fezzes with star trek delta symbols on them, and it was a hoot, no harm done. Fezzes have always been associated with exotica, in the Adventurer's Club niche - they are tiki-adjacent because of that tie to a distant land and culture we don't understand very well...same as Caribbean or Polynesian themed tiki.
There's a fascination with old fraternal orders because they were ascendant and prevalent in earlier, simpler times, and people external to that culture like to imagine what those times were like, being in on it - this is just like what we do in Polynesian tiki when we're evoking imaginary tropical paradises that never were with our bamboo and tapa cloth shrines, lounge music and umbrella drinks, with out own little rituals, costuming, and lore. Back in the day, Shriner conventions could be massive multi-day affairs that brought a lot of frisky men together, away from home, with a lot of liquor, and the hijinks that could ensue were the stuff of legend. Mind you, that's not what Shriners are primarily about, it's a kind of "partier" reputation that's been laid on them from those days. Heck, my own wedding reception got re-scheduled because the Shriners changed their convention date to my wedding date, and the hotel liked their bar tab a whole lot more than mine... but I digress...
Maybe look at it like this: is it cool for you to go out sporting a full-feathered chief's war bonnet to parties and act the fool in it, if you're not a Native American? There's some fraternal charity group that cosplays as rubber-clad nuns, but they don't wear the specific habit of a real Catholic Order, their outfits are a satirical riff, not an attempt at impersonation, and are a stand-alone look, not an attempt at deception, so it doesn't bother me in terms of my religion. I would be bothered if they dressed to fool people into thinking they were real nuns. That's no bueno.
Your guest made a comparison to "stolen valor" with military clothing, and while that's a different level altogether, you can see the similarity.
Appropriating any culture's sacred regalia out of context and without their consent, and using it in a way that conflicts with or defies the true owner's beliefs and ethics, is just hella insensitive, and hurtful to those people. We already have a minefield of trouble navigating between cultural appreciation and appropriation in tiki culture, we don't need to add to the drama by dragging orphaned Shriner fezzes into things. Buying a custom fez with your own logos and symbols is completely fine and hurts no one.

[@ManaMuralProject]

Is informative and I get earning a fez and others just wearing them but that is the whole tiki scene. It's basically a costume party.

[@Siren_In_The_Mist]

I feel like the gentleman on the far right (as you watch) really had more to say, but was cut off. 😔 We have a lodge very close to us, and would have loved to hear more from him.

[@stevilmeyers]

Grotto!

[@geot3554]

Perry seems ....not annoying

[@perryhitechew4231]

I try my best lol….

[@geot3554]

​@perryhitechew4231 you did great 😂

[@teddnagurski5583]

I'd love to be a Mason but I'm an athiest.