Pajama Republic

It has come to my attention that our society is evolving from a capitalist nation concerned with name brands, to a minimalist nation concerned with comfort. More and more often I notice individuals in public sporting, not necessarily the latest, but certainly the most comfortable in PJ apparel.

It all started with a pair of slippers. Someone decided to go to the store—it should go without saying what store that was—and simply did not want to take the time to put on some real clothes, let alone shoes. Their pants were sweatpants; people wear those in public, right? Bra-less? Who cares? Florida is hot, even at night, so the holes in the beaten white tee are merely there to support cooling the core of the body. And while flip-flops are quite popular among Florida’s social livestock, they can oftentimes pose a problem: lack of cushioning. To rectify this issue, the individual had a brilliant idea: slippers! These are a convenient means of supporting the feet when mobility is just all too unavoidable, and can “slip” off the foot without having to do anything more than wiggling a toe or two.

Now that’s comfort.

Last night, I noticed a woman walking along the side of the road—mind you it is a very busy road—wearing pajama bottoms of white with what could have been dots of pink flowers. Then I noticed her top matched. I thought, “How wonderful it is that we live in a nation wear individuals are so free, they can be more concerned with comfort than mannerism and etiquette.” It was then that I noticed she was walking up to her friend, who was also wearing some PJs. Hers were old gray sweatpants and what looked like a pink silk top belonging to a pajama set, but I suppose she wanted to mix it up a little. My wife was with me at the time, and explained that just the other day, she’d noticed pajamas were being advertised as fashionable, casual attire. I said, “We truly are lucky. If only the founding fathers were here to witness the fruits of their labor.”

At one time in the history of this great nation, an individual would most certainly be stopped and questioned as to why they are walking along public roads in bedclothes, most likely presumed to be in danger, or perhaps have a screw loose. But not today. Today, it is universally understood that less is definitely more. Comfort and ease is what is important. As citizens of this country, they have the right, nay, the duty of figuring out how to get things done with as little effort and as much comfort as possible, and still maintain their dignity.

As former President W. once said—and this rings just as true as if he were saying it himself—MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!