Saturday, July 30, 2011

Regionalism or Malicious Intent?

Today I volunteered for a USO fundraising bazaar here in Iwakuni. A few days before, I met with one of the organizers who said, "Wear warm clothes!" in parting.

This led me to believe that the air conditioning would be on full-blast and that I should layer in preparation. He had a bit of a southern twang, which also led me to believe that he couldn't be trusted about temperature advice, so I wisely wore a shirt and a skirt.


When I arrived in the gym, it was roughly 85 degrees with no fan! As my body was melting into a puddle on the floor, I remembered the advice and had a flashback to another southerner who said something vaguely weird about wearing warm clothes. I'm starting to think this is a way of saying "Wear clothes suitable for warm weather" rather than "Wear warm clothes so you don't get cold!"

Is anyone better versed in linguistic patterns? I love that I am exposed to all these regionalisms in the military community, but this was one instance where some clarification would have been very helpful. 


Out of curiosity, how do you tell someone to dress for hot temperatures? 

As a side note: if you are interested in showing your support for the sacrifices military men and women make, the USO is a fantastic place to volunteer your time or donate your resources. They really have no political agenda, just a willingness to lift the spirits of those who offer their blood, sweat, and tears for your freedom.

1 comment:

  1. I would state the fact that it is very warm inside so dress lightly. It must have been meant as a personal malicious attack on you alone! When WE say dress warm, we mean it's below zero outside and we are going to go outside to play!
    xo stay cool!

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