Darn Stereotypes

[Paul]

I've had a few negative comments but I've never really let me feel paranoid or put me down... especially since the comments have been extremely petty. I prefer not to wear my kilt around large cities when I'm alone, as I normally have my headphones on or am clearing my head walking around and don't want to stand out.
On a few occasions I've managed to walk a few miles through Glasgow and receieve absolutely no comments to me personally... I wasnt sure if that meant that no one really cared or that people were talking about me, rather than to me!

[wvpiper]

I found the whole day a bizarre trip into reversal land.

It's referred to as Bizarro World

Incidentally, I find your assumptions that the 4 boys in the lifted truck must be named 'Bubba' and 'Leroy', and by implication ignorant hillbillies, to be a bit hypocritical.

[Inchessi]

Incidentally, I find your assumptions that the 4 boys in the lifted truck must be named 'Bubba' and 'Leroy', and by implication ignorant hillbillies, to be a bit hypocritical.

I was attempting to give a description of the men and the small town atmosphere without being overly negative, or using unnecessarily derogatory terminology. I believed that if any terms would have raised hackles, it would have been the reference to the "Hippy Store." Then again, people will find any reason to be offended.

The trip did not bother me, this wasn't my first rodeo. I merely found it odd that where I expected negativity was acceptance, and vise versa.

[denmcdough]

Stereotyping is what we all do. That's a part of being human. But, when we take our prejudices, bigotry, racism, and then act upon it, like rude remarks, violence, etc., then this become the problem.

Much of what we here against kilt wearing stems from ignorance. It's what 'they' become use to, and if they're not use to seeing kilts, then we, the kilted, must be considered weird in their eyes. People gravitate toward like minded people, and then judge them according to their own standards. They have no reason to go out of their comfort zone to get to know you, or to understand where you're coming from.

Groups will put themselves at the center of the universe and accept that their views are all important, and that the world revolves around them and their views. So, the further you, or your group, is from me, the weirder you must be. They can not associate with anyone (kilt wearers) different than themselves. It's out of their realm. Thus, rude remarks.

What to do? Keep on walkin' with kilted pride!!!

[Woodsman]

Stereotyping is what we all do. That's a part of being human. But, when we take our prejudices, bigotry, racism, and then act upon it, like rude remarks, violence, etc., then this become the problem.

Much of what we here against kilt wearing stems from ignorance. It's what 'they' become use to, and if they're not use to seeing kilts, then we, the kilted, must be considered weird in their eyes. People gravitate toward like minded people, and then judge them according to their own standards. They have no reason to go out of their comfort zone to get to know you, or to understand where you're coming from.

Groups will put themselves at the center of the universe and accept that their views are all important, and that the world revolves around them and their views. So, the further you, or your group, is from me, the weirder you must be. They can not associate with anyone (kilt wearers) different than themselves. It's out of their realm. Thus, rude remarks.

What to do? Keep on walkin' with kilted pride!!!

I find that since I started wearing a kilt I am much more open minded towards other people than I was before. I try not to judge others by what they wear or how they look -clothing, jewelry (piercings), tattoos, etc. I especially avoid criticisms of what others decide to wear. We're all different and we should respect those differences, enjoy those differences and enjoy the variety life has to offer.

[Riverkilt]

I love that old line that the only people who seem to care about tattoos (piercings) are the people who don't have them...

Live and let live...

[Jdot84]

I would have figured that you would have been heckeld about the boilermaker hoodie! lol
Sorry about your experince you would think that people woul have evolved past that by now.

[Jaggy thistle]

My experiance of large cities is that nobody bothers what others wear I am often in Glasgow and have had many compliments an occasional shout of give us a flash!! is the only negative comment I have heard

[Tobus]

Sorry about your experince you would think that people woul have evolved past that by now.

Sadly, stereotyping and prejudice against anything out of the norm has always been part of human sociology and likely always will. It was an evolutionary defense mechanism; part of the tribal social structure, and for good reason. It probably kept a lot of people alive. Modern "civilization" hasn't been able to breed that out of us and possibly never will. It's an instinctive reaction that takes conscious effort to repress.

Human nature is, and has always been, tribal. We tend to flock to those around us who are like us (whether those similarities be racial/ethnic, religious, political, or what have you). And it just comes with the territory, so to speak, that people will mistrust those who are different. We don't have to like it, and we should always strive to overcome it as a society, but we should also understand that it's natural. It's easy to blow someone off as a bigot or as closed-minded, or to say that they should have evolved past it by now. But if we reflect on WHY people act that way, it could make things easier for us in trying to overcome them.

[ABG0819]

Isn't it odd that we all have stories of people down grading us because we choose to wear a traditional, can I say it manly, garment simply because it is unbifercated (my spelling is horrible). Yet these young, and sometimes not so young, hooligans wear trousers and jeans down to there knee caps and we are told that we have to accept their cultural differances...does anyone else see the hypocracy there????? Just wondering