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- Embed this noticeI met MIT prof Frank Rowe at a conference in the Dominican Republic many years ago. he was all dressed up under that incredible heat, while I'd much rather have a t-shirt and short pants on. we talked a lot there. I was so much younger than he was, and we got into a bit of a mentor/apprentice dynamics while there. (I've unfortunately failed to keep in touch, and haven't heard of him afterwards)
at some point while there I asked him why he chose to dress like that while there. he shared advice he got from a mentor of his back when he was in my shoes. quoting from memory, his response went a bit like: you can be an activist for dressing freedom, or you can be an activist for other causes. it's not fair, it's not logical, but if you don't dress up, people are far less likely to pay attention to whatever you have to say. I've experimented a bit afterwards, in several speaking engagements, and found that there's certainly some unfortunate truth to it.
I suppose that's the reason politicians dress as if for parties (double meaning intended)