Kilted to a police recruiting interview

[Tobus]

Which Native Highlanders are these? Theimpression I'm given is that mostof the no camp live on the other side of the atlantic...

And what exactly does 'native Highlander' actually mean in this day and age? Ghillies? Hill Sheperds? Farmers?
Is a person who worksin 5he city but just happens to live North of the Highland line but doesn't spend any times in the hills really a 'highlander" 'in the true sense?

I'm talking about people born and raised all over the Highlands of Scotland who understand the traditions and culture of wearing the kilt in its own environment. They do not all adhere to the same exact protocols in every instance, but it is abundantly clear that the vast majority do not all wear the kilt all the time. Rather the opposite, in fact: full-time kilt wearing is seen as eccentric. We needn't delve into semantics of what constitutes a "true Highlander" to see that.

Simply put, the kilt is not normally worn there as an everyday article of clothing. By deduction, this suggests that in the ancestral homeland of the kilt, it is not seen today as appropriate for all occasions. Contrary to what some are suggesting here, it actually seems that the unbridled zeal for kilt-wearing is an American phenomenon (as well as a few other locations), and not something that is practised in the modern Highlands. This has been hashed out in discussions on this forum many times over the years, to the point where it's an inside joke that seeing someone wearing the kilt in the Highlands is likely a sign that they are a tourist.

I am not saying we shouldn't wear the kilt at all, or that we shouldn't enjoy wearing it in places that a Highland Scot typically wouldn't. I'm simply attempting to bring some levity and common sense to the discussion by observing how even the most traditional kilt-wearers in the Highlands behave. It's OK to love the kilt whilst also recognising that it's not always the most appropriate choice of clothing. It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing.

[FossilHunter]

I have to ask, how have we gotten to 5 pages without a kilt-cop joke?

[jthk]

I have had a few conversations with several Scottish friends of mine from different parts of Scotland -- but mostly not from the highlands (from Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Skye) and all of these folks voiced their opinion to me that it's a sad thing that when they see a kilted man in Scotland, they immediately think that person is a tourist, most likely a North American. Of course, I proved their point correct because I'm a North American and I was wearing a kilt. The conversation went onward to discussion of colonialism, post-colonialism, and the effects it has on culture.

From what I gather, the belted plaid was -- more or less -- the everyday clothing of many men and boys of Highland Scotland in the past. The highly-tailored, hand/machine-stitched beautiful garment that is more common today could be viewed as a product of an imperialist force co-opting a native garment, re-packaging it, and selling it back to the native population.

Off-topic from the OP but I suppose I was thinking of the distinction between a daily or frequent wearer of the kilt to someone who only wears it once in a great while.

Regards,
Jonathan

I'm talking about people born and raised all over the Highlands of Scotland who understand the traditions and culture of wearing the kilt in its own environment. They do not all adhere to the same exact protocols in every instance, but it is abundantly clear that the vast majority do not all wear the kilt all the time. Rather the opposite, in fact: full-time kilt wearing is seen as eccentric. We needn't delve into semantics of what constitutes a "true Highlander" to see that.

Simply put, the kilt is not normally worn there as an everyday article of clothing. By deduction, this suggests that in the ancestral homeland of the kilt, it is not seen today as appropriate for all occasions. Contrary to what some are suggesting here, it actually seems that the unbridled zeal for kilt-wearing is an American phenomenon (as well as a few other locations), and not something that is practised in the modern Highlands. This has been hashed out in discussions on this forum many times over the years, to the point where it's an inside joke that seeing someone wearing the kilt in the Highlands is likely a sign that they are a tourist.

I am not saying we shouldn't wear the kilt at all, or that we shouldn't enjoy wearing it in places that a Highland Scot typically wouldn't. I'm simply attempting to bring some levity and common sense to the discussion by observing how even the most traditional kilt-wearers in the Highlands behave. It's OK to love the kilt whilst also recognising that it's not always the most appropriate choice of clothing. It doesn't have to be all-or-nothing.

[Tobus]

I wasn’t going to contribute any further to this discussion about “Highlanders” as I felt it was getting away from the original subject but my earlier post does not appear to have been well understood. Kilt-wearing is not something exclusive to the highlands as some seem to be suggesting. Growing up in what I would regard as “The Lowlands” kilt wearing was not unusual among my contemporaries and older generations, and it is a misrepresentation to imply that it is something only “Highlanders” know about. As I said earlier, it seems to be a romantic notion derived from who knows where but it is certainly not something anyone raised in Scotland would recognise.
Kilt-wearing by its very nature has always been a fairly expensive clothing choice, my latest one cost £550, and as a result was mainly the preserve of the more well-to-do. As a result it has not been the garment of choice for many other than those who choose to celebrate their Scottish identity or hire one for weddings etc.. To give the impression that it is only people from a
certain, circumscribed, area of Scotland who have “the kilt knowledge” is not only misleading but is patently incorrect.

It was not my intent to claim that only Highlanders have kilt knowledge, and I'm not quite certain how it was read that way. It was just a point in passing that the kilt originated in the Highlands (surely you're not suggesting it was originally a Lowland garment?), and on this forum we often refer to the way it's worn in modern Highland tradition when discussing how or when to wear it.

I only brought it up in order to make the point that even in the homeland of the kilt, it is not seen as appropriate for all occasions. If we want to include the Lowlands as a part of that, it just furthers my point (although, in fairness, it was never widely accepted as normal clothing there at any point in history). Scots - all Scots - claim the kilt as their national dress, but they still have a sense of discretion about when to wear it. My point was that there's absolutely nothing wrong with saying we should not wear the kilt on certain occasions. Some people here seem to take offence at that notion, as if it means we're anti-kilt for saying it. I am simply saying that it's what the Scots do as well, and it doesn't mean we don't love the kilt.

But yes, we've drifted from the original subject by focusing on minutia.

[Father Bill]

But yes, we've drifted from the original subject by focusing on minutia.

......Yup!

[Allan Thomson]

I wasn’t going to contribute any further to this discussion about “Highlanders” as I felt it was getting away from the original subject but my earlier post does not appear to have been well understood. Kilt-wearing is not something exclusive to the highlands as some seem to be suggesting. Growing up in what I would regard as “The Lowlands” kilt wearing was not unusual among my contemporaries and older generations, and it is a misrepresentation to imply that it is something only “Highlanders” know about. As I said earlier, it seems to be a romantic notion derived from who knows where but it is certainly not something anyone raised in Scotland would recognise.
Kilt-wearing by its very nature has always been a fairly expensive clothing choice, my latest one cost £550, and as a result was mainly the preserve of the more well-to-do. As a result it has not been the garment of choice for many other than those who choose to celebrate their Scottish identity or hire one for weddings etc.. To give the impression that it is only people from a
certain, circumscribed, area of Scotland who have “the kilt knowledge” is not only misleading but is patently incorrect.
By the way, to hark back to a previous post, there is no longer any such thing as a “Highland Regiment”, the nearest thing nowadays is an army reserve battallion, the 51st Highland Volunteers.

Well let's face it 5he whole RRS is 'Highlandised' now so whilst we could get into the semantics of old regiments now being battalions (including the unbelievable amalgamation of the 1st with the KOSBIES the obliteration of aspects of the Lowland identity of some battalions has not removed the highland identity of the others. So I would maintain that someone who has served in a Kilted regiment in particular the highland battalions of the RRS has considerably mpre claim to be a 'modern highlander' than someone who is of Highland descent but is not equipped or inclined to spend a significant part of their life working or at least spending their leisure time upon the hills.

[tokareva]

Personally I hope he wears it, I would love to hear the result...

[Garth]

Isn't the whole idea of a panel interview to stand out? Why blend in as all the other suited applicants? Why not shine and show integrity as a kilted individual? Once accepted, then by all means blend in as a unit.

[tokareva]

Isn't the whole idea of a panel interview to stand out? Why blend in as all the other suited applicants? Why not shine and show integrity as a kilted individual? Once accepted, then by all means blend in as a unit.

Judging by the cops that I know, he would stand out all right... right in the unemployment line. I do think your right about wearing the kilt though, if they still hire him after that they must really want him.

[Lady Grey]

Isn't the whole idea of a panel interview to stand out? .

No it isn’t the idea...
There have been numerous “real world” reasons given on this thread..
from currently serving members, ex-members and in my case a police wife of many years.

The fact that people are even ‘arguing the toss’ is rather laughable in my amazed opinion.

Guess that why they have interview boards.... to sort out the team players who are mature, responsible and trustworthy enough to uphold the law and to weed out the immature show ponies that are more concerned about their appearance!

My .2cents