Not the nicest thing in the world to say

[MacHummel]

Today as I was organzing stuff for our store front in Elora On, an elderly lady and her friends walk past the window and saw me dressing a dumby for the store. The women asks me "do you make kilts here?" I said yes she turns and says "no you don't you make crap(not the actual word but I'm polite) can't you tell by my accent I'm scottish I was a kilt maker when I was younger and let me tell you those aren't the garb of my people".
So I explained to her that what I make is a kilt that is a affordable custom kilt,explained fabric, and yardage etc. she told me flat out that I was a disgrace to kiltmaking and a disgrace to all things scottish.
At this point I'm on fire I really don't feel I'm a disgrace to anything. So I asked her why is it that she feels this way, and why come into someones place of business and tear a whole in them. I said to her that what I'm do is simply keeping a form of dress alive that has history and culture if anything she should be a little happy that someone in the area is doing this. She really got on my nerves she would pick up one of my kilts and pointed out all their flaws , I smiled and thank her for all the constuctive critisim and asked why doesn't see make them any more she replies I have lost most of my sight and my hands won't hold a pin as well as they used to.
Just venting much better now.

[BLAZN]

Some people's grandmothers, I tell ya!

No offense the to the aged and wise, but what a bent. There's no need at all for that kind of stuff.

Now... off to your site to see if you have anything to offer this Yankee.

[Macman]

You handled it well, MacHummel. Sadly, there are some people who figure that however things were when they did it must be cast in stone.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Machummel, good on ya for holding your temper, especially under those circumstances. I would have been livid as well, but who knows, as much as she complained, she just might remember you when someone who knows wants a kilt.

[Streetcar]

If you hadn't said she was Scottish, I would have sworn you were talking about my mother in law!

[Kilted KT]

You seemed to have handled that situation well. It speaks very highly of your character. Very nicely done.

[mbhandy]

she replies I have lost most of my sight and my hands won't hold a pin as well as they used to.
Just venting much better now.

I believe she might have been venting also because of her inabilities and might be a bit Jealous.

MrBill

[Blu (Ontario)]

... The women asks me "do you make kilts here?" I said yes she turns and says "no you don't you make crap

Wow... she set you up and let you have it with both barrels!

... I'm scottish I was a kilt maker when I was younger...she told me flat out that I was a disgrace to kiltmaking and a disgrace to all things scottish...

So those credentials give her the authority to cast aspersions on you personally? I imagine you appreciated her passionate but rather misguided candor.

... At this point I'm on fire... She really got on my nerves...

Oh, I guesss not!

... she would pick up one of my kilts and pointed out all their flaws.

Did she have any idea what she was talking about? Sounds to me like she has a touch of Yosemite Sam complex.

So What was her point in all this?... did she expect you to crumble under her critisism and close up shop?

You just never know where some people are coming from these days!


blu

[Kilted Stuart]

I think you handeled this well. I don't think some people can handle the fact that some people can't always afford a hand sewn wool kilt. I think she would see a flaw in anything less. She would probably see a flaw in any kilt from any kiltmaker other than her own weather it's better or not. She probably can't emagine there's a market out there for PV or Poly- wool or machine sewn wool. Could you see her if she saw someone in a camo kilt.

She's just old school and cannot adjust to the times. If there wasn't a market there would not be kiltmakers out there selling there unique spin on the traditional kilt.
It's not a bash on the traditions and history, it's a continuation and representation of history's past and an update to the present.

For some it's one way and one way only. That's fine but let the rest of us have our fun too.

Kilted Stuart

[motorman4life]

I don't know what it is with old Scottish ladies. :confused:

Last summer, I was in New Orleans and I had an awesome time on Bourbon Street with a buddy that swore if we ever came back, he was going to wear a kilt. I was wearing a UK and got tons of great feedback, nice comments and thumbs up.

The ONLY bad encounter I had was with a Scottish lady (and I use the term lady loosely here) that went out of her way to come up to me and insult my UK in a heavy brogue that bordered on sounding fake. Apparently there was some big family/clan reunion going on in town at the time and I ran into several people wearing tartan items, a few kilts and a bunch of guys in jeans or shorts wearing some very nice Balmoral and Glengarry caps. Anyhow, this lady was in the company of two young men in their 20’s and she began by questioning my heritage, she then claimed I had no RIGHT to wear a kilt, then flatly stated my gray UK mocker was not a kilt. I was pretty shocked, as this had never happened to me before (or since).

My initial response to her was to ask her why the fine Scottish lads in her company were NOT wearing kilts, since is was apparently their "rightful" heritage and they were there celebrating their family. She had no response to that. So… that was when she started in about how the UK was not a “proper” kilt. My next reply was that I was a member of the Clan MacDonald, but moreover, I was an American and as such, I am free to wear whatever I pleased and I really didn't need to clear it with her. To that she started in about how I should be ashamed of myself and no Scot would dare wear a kilt that was not tartan. I told her I was sorry she felt that way; if it wasn't a kilt, then what was she upset about anyhow? Before she could respond, I just walked away. She was babbling about tartans or some nonsense and within about 20 feet and 30 seconds, I had two really hot chicks asking me if they could do a kilt check, so I pretty much forgot about it until you mentioned your bad encounter.

I don't know if she was into her cups, just felt really self-righteous about the issue or maybe a bit of both. I usually try to make every encounter a positive one, no matter how it starts out, but I must admit, I didn’t really try on this one. Her aggressive demeanor and statements made it clear she was making rhetorical statements and I was not going to make any headway. I let her say her piece, I said my piece and I walked away.