I would like to submit a proposal to the membership

[davidlpope]

Steve,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. In a way, XMarks is the baby that Hank birthed and you adopted. Like every parent, I'm sure that you have a vision for what you hoped it would grow up to be. Like most kids, though, they tend to have a mind of their own.

XMarks, like most online forums, is a marketplace of ideas. I think we are all better for having different opinions presented. That carries with it, though, the possibility that some ideas will be more compelling than others.

I don't know why there isn't more discussion about contemporary kilt-wearing. Maybe less folks are interested in this style of kilt-wearing. Maybe contemporary kilt-wearers spend less time online and more time doing other things. Maybe there just isn't that much to talk about when there are no shared conventions to discuss.

For many of us, though, the kilt is inextricably tied to the Highlands of Scotland. Our sensibilities continue to be guided by how the kilt was, and is, worn in the Highlands of Scotland. As a result, many threads discussing traditional kilt-wearing will have be in the context of a Highland/Scottish event.

If a poster asks for general feedback or advice, it doesn't seem right that those who hold a more traditional view should voluntarily censor ourselves. I shudder when I think of XMarks returning to a place where a guy posts a picture of himself wearing a kilt and a fried egg on his head and is met with responses of "Looks great! You wear it well!" In the same vein, I listen to and consider your view that many wearing THCD seem to be wearing a costume or appearing in a production of Brigadoon. I may not agree with your assessment, but I'm willing to politely listen and consider your opinion.

If other members really don't want to be encounter views which are more traditional than their own, they can simply post in the Contemporary forum. I'd hate to think that's what they'd do, but it's an option. I do get the sense, though, that there is more angst about this issue in the Contemporary/Modern/Non-Traditional camp. The Traditionalists, for the most part, seem to recognize that we'll not all agree about these things.

I think that the subforums serve a beneficial purpose and would hate to see them go. I think the delineation of these subforums should be based on how the kilt is worn, not where the kilt is worn.

Finally, I believe the wedding photo that you posted was taken in Dumfries. The kilt isn't native to the Lowlands or Borders. Here's a picture of a Highlander on his wedding day: