mogold: I did not say anything against the Satmar Rebbe in my above post. I merely questioned the story, and also questioned the idea that the Rebbe is responsible for Jews being able to dress as Jews publicly in the US.
I personally know people whose parents were moser nefesh in the US in the 1920s and 1930s. True, they don’t wear a streimel, but they do wear a frock and a black hat.
I know plenty about streimels and when they are worn. I have many cousins who are chassidish, and know far more than you think. I am MO by choice, after growing up in a chareidi family.
As for making myself a laughingstock, honestly, the Satmar/Neturei Karta fanatics who post here are laughed at far more than I am, with their ridiculous posts about Israel.