Are Neckties Out?

Andy Rooney has a
commentary on neckties at CBSnews.com that got me to thinking.

Rooney notes:

The other night, John Roberts, substituting for Bob Schieffer on the CBS Evening News, came on camera without a necktie. Two other correspondents on the same broadcast, Allen Pizzey and Wyatt Andrews, also appeared with open shirts and no ties.

[snip]

For a lot of men, wearing a necktie is one of those relatively unimportant social conventions that contribute to a civilized day at the office.

When I was younger (junior high, high school) wearing a necktie was for special occasions. The football team would all wear ties on game days. Church services, weddings, funerals, awards day, concerts...those were reasons to wear a tie. And sometimes a suit or sport coat.

College was pretty much the same. And in the first few jobs I had working in the broadcast media, a tie was more of a hindrance. Except in sales and the newsroom. All the guys wore ties in those departments.

Where did this convention come from? I watch pre-1960 movies and television programs and it seems like every man wore a tie, no matter what his job. Photos and movies from the depression-era also show most men wearing ties. Why? Evidently many men still wear ties even for leisure activities. Why?

I think I'll ponder more on this.