Growing up I wore a black hat. I decided to wear one on Shabbos. I took pride in wearing the black hat. The hat I wore was not a main stream brand, in fact it was a cowboy hat brand. I got the hat reshaped so it looked more traditional but you could still tell that it was different. My father never wore a hat and my grandparents were not religious.
When I went to a sleep away camp, I became aware of other people’s reaction to my hat. People were always trying to ‘fix’ the hat and telling me how weird it was. They eventually bent the hat out of shape. After the camp I never wore the hat again and I still don’t wear one.
It goes both ways with the bottom line being: People will make fun of others just to raise themselves up. I know I might get some flak for saying what I’m about to say but I believe that it should be said. Jews should try to get along with other Jews and ignore the differences. Obviously Jews should also practice proper Halacha, but as Rodney King once said, “Can’t we all just get along.”