To a person coming for a visit from a place remote from modern society (say, some Australian tribesman that has not met any westerners) most of our modern clothing would seem odd. This is not illogical; quite a few articles of the pieces of clothing we wear are in fact unnecessary from a functional perspective: what would the tribesman understand of high heel boots? or ornamental clothing? But surely the article of clothing the tribesman would find the weirdest is the tie.

And what is the tie? A tie is a piece of cloth that is arranged in a complex way around a person’s neck. It is not worn for protection from the cold. It is not worn for any functional reason. Then why would anyone wear one? Good question.

I can envision the baffled tribesman looking at his western counterpart who is wearing a business attire and just wondering: “how do I tie a tie?” “Is tying a tie of any value?” “Why would a sane person want to wear a thing like that?” and ending up with no answers. And to be completely honest, all these questions are perfectly legitimate! The value of a tie is completely decorative, and the fact it’s considered a essential part of a man’s business attire stems only from historical reasons.

Interestingly, to us novelty ties may appear to be a pointless piece of clothing. After all, they cannot be used in any business event (which is where ties are normally worn), so why create ties that feature cartoons or flashing lights? But to the tribesman certainly it would look as bizarre as an ordinary tie. In fact, he is more likely to find some novelty ties practical – for example, those with the flashing lights – can serve a practical function as they provide light.

Oh, what a complex world we live in.