Well if he’s gonna go over with me he needs to lose the cowboy hat while indoors. WTF?
Is that socially unacceptable where CB hats are common?
It's a manners thing (where manners are practiced) to remove one's hat when you enter a room. You'll see it without fail with military personnel and lots of old cowboys.
In the traditional Western ranching culture hat etiquette has always been around. As we have become more mobile it has become less so but it is still considered good manners in many places. When you enter someone's home, knock on a door, or speak to an older female (someone's mom/folks), taking your hat off is a sign of respect. This is where the term "Hat in Hand" actually means something.
Many people who own horses but may not necessarily be in the out-west ranching community may not be as in tune with it, but if you go to a place like Jordan Valley Oregon or a ranch in very rural Northern Nevada/Southern Idaho/Owyhee County ID to one of the ranches there, it is more normal, even if half the people are wearing ball caps these days.
