Quote Originally Posted by Arlen View Post
Alan, I DO go to the games back home in Scotland. And I do get annoyed at people wearing absurd outfits but shrug it off because it's their life and they're having fun. People wearing a Kilt badly aren't hurting me and it doesn't take a lot for me to gently and politely point them in the right direction to a more flattering and much happier Kilted life.

But, coming from Scotland and placing a lot of value in my family, country, history and heritage, I reserve the right to get as fuming angry as I want when I'm told by someone who's never been to Scotland that it's perfectly O.K. to view Scottish culture as and perpetuate the view of Scottish culture as fat blokes badly doing SHA, drunken idiots swearing and pretty much the same as Irish but with more Kilts and more throwing stuff and blue paint.

And I think that's what most of us are really getting upset about. All of those little niggling things we dislike but 'let it be because it's harmless fun' add up over time and change the overall view of Scottish history and culture.
And, while I think ranting about it and being a mean idiot isn't going to do any good, being justifiably upset and trying to be a polite and decent person while you point people in the right direction is no bad thing.
I've been to what...I don't know, 30, 40 Games now? Are there drunk guys? Sure. But there are drunk guys at rock concerts, and drunk guys at the beach and drunk guys at the Japanese Oban Festival. Nobody thinks that being a drunk guy is "Scottish Culture".

I've never seen blue face paint at a Games.

You wrote this:

"And, while I think ranting about it and being a mean idiot isn't going to do any good, being justifiably upset and trying to be a polite and decent person while you point people in the right direction is no bad thing."

Spot on.