"Well my kilt is pure wool - 35 yards"

[Highland Logan]

Maybe that's what the Pakistanis told him...

I have to ask... what the *?!; does that mean? Are you trying to be raciest or funny? If it's funny, maybe you can explain it.

Frank

[Zardoz]

I have to ask... what the *?!; does that mean? Are you trying to be raciest or funny? If it's funny, maybe you can explain it.

Frank

I'd guess funny, but i don't have the ear for racism some folks do.
There's an old showbiz saying "Don't Explain the Joke", but in this case, I would assume that since a lot of cheaply priced acylic kilts come out of Pakistan, and said kilts are often labeled as "Scottish Kilt" and/or "Wool-Blend" etc.. the line poses the notion that maybe the owner of the kilt was less informed than we are here on the forum and was perhaps misled by such labeling.

I once had a fellow at renfaire tell me that his kilt (which I think was a "cheaply priced acylic kilt") was 'the real deal' because it was a "10 yarder" and real kilts had 10 yards of fabric etc... I asked him if he was sure he had 30 feet of tartan wrapped around his butt

[Dale Seago]

I got it, and saw it as a regional/economic thing rather than racist.

On the other hand, a member just informed me privately that something I posted with similar humorous intent on the MythBusters thread might easily be misconstrued as well, especially by younger and more athletic types. I guess there's really no substitute for unambiguous communication.

[CDNSushi]

I have to ask... what the *?!; does that mean? Are you trying to be raciest or funny? If it's funny, maybe you can explain it.

Frank

I didn't read it to be racist at all. There are a number of kilt manufacturing companies in Pakistan (mainly in Sialkot) and oftentimes their sales and marketing tactics are umm... less than honest, shall we say.

The jibe, as I read it, was aimed towards the business practices of some of these notorious companies rather than ethnicity or colour of skin.

[pascs]

I didn't read it to be racist at all. There are a number of kilt manufacturing companies in Pakistan (mainly in Sialkot) and oftentimes their sales and marketing tactics are umm... less than honest, shall we say.

The jibe, as I read it, was aimed towards the business practices of some of these notorious companies rather than ethnicity or colour of skin.

I agree and that there was no racism intended

[Highland Logan]

I could agree that maybe it was in jest. However when did the OP mention Pakistan? He didn't. So I see no point in bringing it up if not to create a racial or regional stereotype. Which in this case would be negative... and that's called what?

Frank

[CDNSushi]

I could agree that maybe it was in jest. However when did the OP mention Pakistan? He didn't. So I see no point in bringing it up if not to create a racial or regional stereotype. Which in this case would be negative... and that's called what?

Frank

(Mod hat off)

Frank, with all due respect, I think that's being a bit hypersensitive. First, there is nothing wrong with having negative sentiments about a region for a specific purpose... The Chinese may be lovely people, but I for one don't care for many of the products they produce, especially when they're made of metal and/or plastic. The quality tends to be awful. Doesn't make me a racist though.

Second, if we were to simply to restrict ourselves to ONLY that which the OP mentioned in his post, there really wouldn't be much conversation in any thread... The whole point of having a discussion is people bringing up novel ideas and introducing them into a thread. Otherwise, why bother?

He brought up the line about Pakistan because there have been many discussions on XMarks about mislabeled products, false claims, unfulfilled orders, and outright scams coming from Sialkot.

Let's not make a mountain out of a molehill and move on. The quip was not meant as being stereotypical or racist and I think pretty much everyone responding in this thread thus far understands that.

[Highland Logan]

(Mod hat off)

He brought up the line about Pakistan because there have been many discussions on XMarks about mislabeled products, false claims, unfulfilled orders, and outright scams coming from Sialkot.

Let's not make a mountain out of a molehill and move on. The quip was not meant as being stereotypical or racist and I think pretty much everyone responding in this thread thus far understands that.

Since your hat is off...

There were no claims from the OP that the "misinformed" gentleman's kilt was made in Pakistan so why mention it. It sounded more like a case of the other example given; that he heard 3 to 5 yards, and misheard it as 35 yards. There have been many threads on here where the quality of goods from other places have all been lumped in together as poor quality, and we all know that this is not really the case. One bad manufacturer does not make the region. What of instead of saying the kilt was Pakistani, I said the owner was lets say, Canadian.. only a Canadian would figure you could have 35 yards of material in a kilt, would that be wrong?

Frank

[Zardoz]

Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.
E. B. White

Don't feed the Troll....

[CelticSire]

Since your hat is off...

What of instead of saying the kilt was Pakistani, I said the owner was lets say, Canadian.. only a Canadian would figure you could have 35 yards of material in a kilt, would that be wrong?

Frank

No, especially if you also threw in a humorous sidebit about the metric system. Lighten up, Francis. Now, do I need to explain the humor in that movie reference? Or am I going to be accused of being racist because I don't like talking mules...