Useless without a chinstrap
Cowboy hats don’t stay on in the wind (“Worse for Wear,” 1/20). You can’t wear them at a gallop, or on a motorcycle, or on a windy day, without a chinstrap. So they’re worthless for shade or during storms and hence have no practical value and serve as a symbol only. Too bad that symbol has come to represent bigotry rather than being the symbol of the freedom of the open range they once were.
—Joe Ward