Quote Originally Posted by CMcG View Post
Apologies, I did not mean any offence and I'm not trying to "diminish Scotland and the Scots," but rather to point out my confusion regarding a point of view held by some Scots. This conundrum is that there are Scots who think that Scotland's national attire should only be worn by the people of a nation that is not a nation, in the common sense of that word
Perhaps I could point you here - http://geography.about.com/cs/politi...tatenation.htm - and in particular the reference "Nations are culturally homogeneous groups of people, larger than a single tribe or community, which share a common language, institutions, religion, and historical experience."
This is obviously not your understanding but is, I believe, the commonly held interpretation. Various native American tribes are referred to as "nations" for example as are other groups who share a common culture and background.
While I accept your statement that you didn't mean any offence, it is just this type of remark, made in ignorance or otherwise, that causes great offence to Scottish people. To refer to our proud nation as a "region" in the same way that Calgary or the Rockies might be regarded as a region of Alberta is not only incorrect but deeply offensive.