2002: When wearing FDNY T-Shirts meant this would happen to you

For my first blog post, I wanted to start off with a look back at this NY Times response to letters from readers on October 6, 2002 (THE WAY WE LIVE NOW: 10-6-02: THE ETHICIST; I Love F.D.N.Y.). The first question is this:

I bought an F.D.N.Y. T-shirt online to benefit a firefighters' fund. When I wore it to lunch, I wasn't charged for drinks, supposedly because my order was slow. But then I overheard the waitress tell the manager, ''I didn't charge that nice firefighter for his beers.'' I bought this shirt to support firefighters, not to impersonate one. I don't want favors under false pretenses. This wasn't the only time people were almost too cordial when I wore this shirt. Should I be reluctant to wear it? Vince Leskosky, Cleveland. (read the rest here)

Today, wearing an FDNY probably does not have such an effect, but they still appear to be selling at quite a high rate.