[BeetleB]

>If I have to get a read on someone before I directly interact with them, their wearing of a MAGA hat will give me a bunch of useful going-in assumptions, just like any other political insignia worn as clothing.

Where we disagree is this:

1. You don't have to get a read on someone before interacting with them. That path is the path to stereotyping.

2. We disagree on whether those going-in assumptions are useful.

[mfringel]

There are plenty of professions where someone has to "read a room/person/situation" before having a chance to interact with people. As an example, many types of consulting require someone to "take the pulse of a room" before directly interacting with any one person. To be sure, there's a price for being wrong, but there's also a reward for being right.