I gotta vent a little...

[Dalmore]

The few negative remarks I've gotten are fairly equally split between the UKs and the tartan kilts. All have come from the late teen/early 20s wannabe thug willfully ignorant types. I get a few wide eyed looks from the Mexicans here in San Antonio but no remarks. I've worn tanks to several churches and the preachers all liked them and most people seem to appreciate them and have gotten many nice kilt remarks in church. As for the internet searches, I believe most stuff about as far as I can throw my truck. So, ignore the crazies on the net and cruise by the willfully ignorant as if they don't exist.

YMOS,
Tony

I think Sp8 nailed that right on the head. While I think that ignorance and rude behavior is equally split across young and old alike, I think the younger ones are more likely to open their mouths.

My .02: some people who are going to say something or react in a certain way are going to do it anyway, regardless...you are just a convenient excuse.

Example #1: I'll never forget this...a few years ago I was headed to a 1940's jazz concert/ lounge event in NYC. I was walking to the venue in a casual suit, with a fedora and trenchcoat on. Then a car with young idiots rolls by as I'm walking and they slow down to shout "Hey, Inspector Gadget"! They sang some disjointed version of the theme song and shouted some nonsense. At the time I was a bit peeved but now it just seems funny.

Example #2: for some of the more formal or dressier lounge and jazz events in NYC I would wear a tuxedo. On occasion I would get some ribbing when I passed a group of idle young idiots...just looking for some excitement or a boost of group testosterone.

My point...these people are not just misinformed of the facts but are rude, intolerant and willfully ignorant by nature. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time- for them anyway. In both cases, I was dressed to the nines. My threads probably cost 10X more than theirs. Still, they could find something to say.

The irony of this whole thing... (without sounding like an anti-youth dinosaur) if you look at how the youth of today dresses its pathetic. They follow each other like sheep. Poorly fitting, baggy, sagging, celebrity endorsed clothing with a temporary sense of style that must be shamefully discarded when the new fad clothing shows up. Got to your local mall if you need an example. Right now the fad is gaudy fake jewel-encrusted belt buckles, multi colored slouchy psuedo- Timberlands and sneakers and jeans 4 sizes too big. How long do you think that will last?

The next time some numbskull makes a comment just look at them up and down with a "you must be kidding attitude" and politely say ....: "You're not serious, are you?"

[sharpdressedscot]

They can't walk without their pants fallin' down either! You could say something and run like the Dickens,man!

[Daaaaang]

if you look at how the youth of today dresses its pathetic.

Every fashion looks stupid to somebody, and looks great to somebody else. The kilt is no exception. I agree that saggy pants et al looks pretty dumb, but hey, it's a passing fad. They're all passing fads, and they're all lame.

My only hope is that kilts never become a fad.

[Surly Dave]

Regarding eternal damnation and kilts...

I'll take my chances on the kilt and spend a lot more time worrying about how I treat other people and what I'm doing to make the world a better place.

Amen.

[Dalmore]

Well said Daaaaang, I see your point.
Calling them pathetic was a bit of license to help make my argument.

I personally don't have a problem with how any young person dresses. I recall wearing combat boots and Clash concert T-shirts in high school. It was cool to some and utterly ridiculous to others. However, I never once thought it was ok to ridicule anyone on their clothing choices that were different than mine.

I don't think kilts will become a passing fad because it's all about substance.

[Surly Dave]

I wore my kilt to IKEA the other night and found some guy following me around taking pictures with his cell phone camera. Then he and his girl friend went off and had a laugh. Also, I had a lady from the east coast come up to my wife and I and strike up a conversation about Scots and tartans and such. Very positive. She did ask me if I had gone to an event or something like that, but I kindly told her that I bought the kilt to wear it, and that it was clothing, not a costume.

All and all, I've had more positive encounters than negative, but there are those out there who seem to be willfully ignorant. Someone made a post a while back regarding diversity training and how he wore a kilt and talked about things like how making negative comments towards the kilted (questioning their masculinity and such) was actually implying that they had a negative view of women. I think that is either the issue with most folks, or the don't feel secure with themselves.

I will say this though, one of my wife and I's running jokes when we're out and about it that we're shocked we never see any one else wearing a kilt.