kilt lifters

[Gary Krueger]

I really dislike those folks who take advantage of a crowed situation to grab ya in an inappropriate matter. Well, I don't mind women so much...but Men?

[kiltedjaz]

My feelings on ‘kilt lifting’



I wear my kilt as part of my normal everyday clothing. It is NOT and never has been a ‘costume’ or a fashion statement.



I object VERY strongly to unsolicited comments about what I’m wearing under my kilt and to unwanted, uninvited and invasive attempts to look.



My answer to these people is a very polite but extremely firm ‘mind your own business’ and that any attempt to look will be treated as assault, and that I would have NO hesitation in calling the police if any further attempts were to be made.

Many of these ignorant people seem to think they have a right to ask or to take a peek. By doing this they are treating the kilt as a fancy dress and showing me no personal respect as a member of society.



Imagine the scenario … walking down the street, there is a woman wearing a skirt…I go up to her….ask her if she is wearing knickers and I want to look up!!

What would her reaction be? .. A laugh?...A smile?...A ‘go ahead’, feel free? …Let’s treat this as a joke and a bit of friendly banter ? Somehow I think NOT. She would likely scream her head off….shout for help and the police. I would end up in prison.



But it seems to be acceptable behaviour to do the same to a man in a kilt… WHY ?????

I do not think it is acceptable, in any form, for a stranger ask or attempt to look at what’s under my kilt. I see it as extremely insulting, a gross invasion of my privacy and I will NOT tolerate it at any time. My reply to them includes asking them what they would do if I did the same to them….how they would feel and what would they do to me? Very often this shows them that they have behaved extremely poorly and usually generates an apology …‘I never thought of it that way’.



Until the majority of real kilt wearers adopt a similar attitude we will remain the butt of jokes, ‘funny’ comments and unwarranted invasions of our privacy. We should be working hard to remove and or control the titillation aspect of wearing the kilt.

Amongst friends this behaviour MAY be acceptable at times, but, in my opinion, it is certainly NOT appropriate in public.



As for Max’s comments:-

"Hey you're in the wrong country for that"
"Trains for Scotland leave at King's Cross, you're on the wrong tube / travelling in the wrong direction"

That is just as insulting….would the same people do the same to Arabs, Indians, Muslims or Africans dressed in their national costume.

Of course not…they could be prosecuted under the Race Relations act. So what makes them see it as acceptable to pass fatuous and infantile comments to a man dressed in Scottish national costume.



I never let any of these comments pass unanswered…I stick up for MY rights as a human being to demand respect from others..

[An t-Ileach]

A Sheumais,

I entirely agree with you. I get very ratty with people who do this. The only problem with the poileas is they're never around when you need them, and in London they're just as likely to treat it as a "piece of harmless fun" and have a go at you for wasting police time.

[Galant]

Strong words from Uncle Ricky, but I have to say I think I'd adhere to his point of view. Whilst this might come across as one of those things where if it's done to a guy it deserves a wink and a nudge, but if to a woman is a case for a lawsuit - and more than that is disgusting dishonourable behaviour - I just don't think I could tolerate it. I'd get pertubed enough if someone asked me.

In this day and age I'm becoming a man who appreciates courteous, modest and honourable behaviour. In the midst of a growing number of 'lads' and 'ladettes' I truly appreciate ladies and gentlemen. I'm trying hard as a guy to control my nature and learning to view women and my own roles rightly. It seems to be getting harder and harder to do that these days, with pervasive imagery and language everywhere. I don't want to be seeing naked women everywhere I go, I want to preserve that side of life. I don't want women who feel like they should, or it's okay to, present themselves that way.

As much as my male nature might like the idea of women, epsecially attractive ones, taking an interest in my 'sexuality', my masculinity knows that such is not appropriate, decent or beneficial behaviour. It's not okay to do such an act, and I feel sad that more and more things are heading that way.

[MACKAY]

I've decided that my co-workers can't seem to handle excessive drinking, and as much as I love some of these guys if they can't handle the alcohol I really don't want to go out drinking with them.

One of my major rules in life is to NEVER drink with co-workers if at all possible. I love working with most of them, but when you mix drink and work, you very often end up with results that cannot only affect your job, but also your reputation (deserved or not). It is really hard to put the Genie back into the bottle in these types of situations. Kind of like having intimate relations with a close friend, it is never the same afterwards and you usually end up losing a great friendship in the end.

On another note, why is it acceptable to do a kilt check at all? The last time I tried lifting a woman's skirt at a pub to see if she was 'regimental', I was beaten, arrested, and had to register as a Sex Offender ... not really, but you get my drift. Seems that in the US that woman’s equal rights only apply when their rights are more equal than ours!!!

Brian Mackay
'Manu Forti'

[beerbecue]

Perhaps it comes down to folks ignoring the old addage "Treat everyone the way you want to be treated". Would the young lady or gentlemen like to drop their pants so we can see what's under them?

It's like this, If a person comes by and asks about what's under my kilt, I think, tit for tat, I should be able to ask what color underwear, if any, they have on. But of course, as mentioned already, that isn't the way to go.

I live in a college town, and I must say, that if I behaved as they do at that age, I was a real twit.

Of course mixing drink doesn't help, especially if it is a bit much - however, I have several friends back home that I used to toss back quite a few with, and I don't believe that any of them would have lifted my kilt, had I been kilted at the time.

Someone once said you are more like your true self when you are drunk. I don't know if that is necessarily true, but I do know there are several people in the world I prefer not to be around (and won't be around) because of the way they behave when drinking.

just my $0.02

Sorry you had to deal with that Magnus...

[Magnus Sporrano]

I've been making the rounds today and pretty much telling them "Sorry it has to be like this, but recent events with two of my friends here have forced me to tell you what to expect should any of you find it amusing to lift my kilt..."

They all know now they can pretty much expect a thorough pounding if they touch my kilt again.

Now perhaps an even tougher question... it's almost never appropriate for a man to strike a woman. But the front of your kilt is lifted by one, exposing you to all in eyeshot. What can you do beyond issuing strong words or sinking into foul language? The bouncers don't care when the men are assaulted in this way.

[beerbecue]

If that happened to me, I can say with 100% certainty that my wife would beat the living sh*te out of her..... if it came to blows and the offender didn't back down....

You don't mess with a 6' tall italian woman or her man!!!

[sorcererdale]

What would happen if you said, "That'll be $20.00!" Or ask if you can peek inside thier pants or if they wouldn't mind pulling their pants down.

I guess most women wear slacks or pants now anyway.

DALE.

If that happened to me, I can say with 100% certainty that my wife would beat the living sh*te out of her..... if it came to blows and the offender didn't back down....

You don't mess with a 6' tall italian woman or her man!!!

[Galant]

You know that is a tough question.

I think I'd just have to be blunt with her. Tell her I didn't appreciate it and that it is a matter of shame and un-ladylike conduct. I suppose exactly what I said would depend upon whether I knew her.

I have an idea though, not sure anything of use will come of it but there's a columnist in the London Times who writes 'Modern Manners'. He answers questions on everything from eating etiquette to formal events and everything else. I think I'll pose this to him and see what comes of it. He writes once a week I think, so it might take a little before I can respond, or you can keep an eye out for it yourself. Just go to the Times Online website.