Question about who joins the Rabble.

[kilted2000]

I've noticed that military veterans and to a lesser extent members of the clergy seem to be overrepresented on this site relative to the overall population. Am I imagining this? If I am not, why do you think this is? Are members of these two groups more likely to be kilt wearers or interested in their heritage? I'm just wondering.

[figheadair]

I've noticed that military veterans and to a lesser extent members of the clergy seem to be overrepresented on this site relative to the overall population. Am I imagining this? If I am not, why do you think this is? Are members of these two groups more likely to be kilt wearers or interested in their heritage? I'm just wondering.

You forgot to include those from N. America.

[Liam]

I think those who wear kilts are also over represented 😉

[John_Carrick]

I have worn a kilt since 1986 and a clerical collar since 2021

[bdkilted]

Maybe they just post more?
I'm neither a veteran (I blew out my knee in jr. high so they wouldn't take me) or a clergy.
I will admit to being a North American of Texan variety though.

[Ninehostages]

You forgot to include those from N. America.

You mean us military veterans from North America?

[EagleJCS]

Never military nor clergy. I'm just quiet and throw my tuppence in when I feel I have a perspective to add to a conversation that hasn't been represented yet.

I actually joined when there was a discussion about kilts being appropriate with the uniform shirt of the Boy Scouts of America (it isn't - yet).

[tripleblessed]

My apologies to any who feel this is TMI, the long paragraph is just for perspective. Feel free to skip to the third paragraph for the relevant comment.

In the three months following the 1968 Tet offensive, I made three trips to Naval Station Mayport at the warm invitation of one of my relatives, one Uncle Sam.
During the third trip his assistants took pictures of my spine and told me I would not survive spending more time with him, as the weight of a pack would kill me.
For the first time I understood how much damage multiple trampoline crashes had done to my skeletal system. In the fall of '73 I was lifting 500 hundred pound steel billets off the floor and onto the rollers feeding the furnace on a rolling mill (the only person in the 96 year history of the plant to do it solo). In '76, a scaffold quit on me while hanging scenery in a new theater and the stage floor 20 feet down caught me; broken bones and a pin. '78 and '79, I demonstrated that motorcycles tend to defer to cars. In '83 a ladder decided to take a break, leaving me 27 feet above a concrete floor. Broken ankle and severe disalignment. Later that year some gravel across a hairpin curve escorted me under a guard rail, no one reminded to duck. Concussion and severe cervical damage. In '84, I sold my bikes. Also that year I got the opportunity to spend some time with a Scottish neurosurgeon widely regarded at the time as maybe THE pain specialist on the planet and was told there was no possibility of my body getting out of a bed, and no medical explanation as to how I could stand, much less walk. That if there were on the planet enough pain meds to deal with my pain, the amount required would not allow me to stand anyway. In '91, hit on a bicycle, broken femoral neck, ball went necrotic; was told no way to repair w/o replacement. I made them put pins, they said dead ball won't hold, still is. '99, 240 lbs. of roofing shingles slid down a frosty roof carrying me off the roof with an 80 lb. bundle on my shoulder. At 75, I still put my feet on a hand rail and do 80 pushups in one set and and a hundred more 10
minutes later. All the above may well have something to do with the fact that my first tartan, and most often worn, is my clergy tartan. Clergy since '96.
And as well my interest in healing in various traditions.

It occurs to me that clergy and military folk understand well the power of community and spending time with like-minded people in pursuit of common goals.
X Marks allows us to do that. Broader exposure leads to greater understanding, better relationships, and more satisfaction in our lives. Clergy and military
all too often have direct experience of the power of companions to get us through tough times, and they are more willing to seek that in various forms, such
as this one.

Or not.

[matchlock]

Fighead air, The over-representation by North Americans you claim, might have had something to do with the Highland Clearances. Ya dinnae want us then either...

[Balaamsass51]

Kilted2000 originally said, "I've noted that". This is something that also occurred to me when I first joined XMarks. Yes, most seem to be from America. Most older guys and therefore probably more vets. I would suspect that leaving aside the people who join out of curiosity for a short time, the bulk of members is not military/clergy. Most members are those that are looking into what is proper and best to get started killting, who may stay for the interesting questions/answers. Those who have been referred here for information are probably similar to those who are interested in their first kilt, to whom I suggest checking out this site.
Like any other group, there are the few who are more prominent and the many who actually make up the group that the few become a figurehead of. The prominence of posts by certain folks varies over time. For instance, there have been many mods who posted frequently in the past but now join in infrequently.