Diluted tartan?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I love that I know some folks here that I can predict their replies on this one! Here's my equally predictable reply.

Tartans, kilts might ideally be found in the Highlands, but they are not commonly seen. Americans might ideally have a common identity and culture, but they don't. In wearing a tartan or a kilt we seek to add meaning and a sense of identity (or some of us do)...

I think the "lack of identity" that you mention does go a long way to explain why some in North America may feel it necessary to load up on every tartan they see. The root cause of their insecurity, and their need to be seen to "belonging" to everything is beyond the scope of discussion. Suffice it to say that most people of Scottish ancestry in North America, even those with multiple clan ancestries, tend to be secure enough in their own sense of self-identity to only identify with one clan or clan tartan.

I have a brand new MacBean kilt that just arrived at home that I haven't seen yet. I'm pleased as punch! Rocky of USA Kilts has a MacBean kilt, and I have a photo of the two of us together. I love it; I like that he opted to dress that way (although he wears many different kilts). Few if any of us can claim to be the real McCoy, or if we are, the McCoyness has been diluted endlessly over the millenia. I can cite three centuries of name patrilineage, conveniently ignoring the 200-300 other lineages that added equally over the same period; that's kind of weird.

No, it's not weird, it is a genealogical fact that a person can only belong to one family. True, one biologically inherits equally from both parents, but over the course of time the one thing that continues virtually unchanged is one's family name. As far as being "the real McCoy" is concerned (at least in the Highland sense) as long as one bears the patrilineal name, that's it. Now one can make all sorts of arguments to the contrary, but those arguments would only apply to specific cases, not to the general assumption that all who possess a common surname descend from the original ancestor to bear that name. The passage of time does not (in the genealogical sense) dilute one's McCoyness, although it may move one farther from the stem of the chiefly line. (Congratulations on your new kilt, by the way.)

Personally, I'd love to see the entire Highland Tradition look forwards instead of backwards. I'd love to see the kilt fashions move ahead and experiment more.

I am a bit confused by your last statement, as kilted fashions constantly move forward with the times, insofar as they mirror the current fashion in ordinary men's attire, albeit slightly modified for wear with the kilt as opposed to trousers. As far as I can tell the only time kilted fashion looks backwards is when someone insists on wearing a great kilt, or the out-sized bonnets of the 19th century; when that happens fashion becomes costume, in the same way the wearing of 19th century clothes would be regarded as "costume" if compared to the traditional pin stripe suit worn by many successful businessmen today.

I might still love and wear my old Harris Tweed jackets and traditional kilt, but unless we move evolve we fossilize. This is the 21st century; the culture is eclectic and likely to become more eclectic.

Two things here: First, change, merely for the sake of change, is rarely a good thing. Evolution in the style of clothes worn by men has hardly changed in 150 years. It has, however, refined itself. And that is a good thing, because it means that in Darwinian terms it no longer needs to evolve. Second, I think you have confused society, which is eclectic, with culture which, by it's very nature, is a smooth continuum of values passed on from one generation to the next.

Enjoy! Now I'll go home and open that MacBean kilt!

Absolutely... and post some photos while you are at it!