Quote Originally Posted by Blackrose87 View Post
I just find it very interesting that decisions seem to be made to associate oneselve with a certain country's culture, but not another's. Especially in America, where the connection is separated by a great amount of time and distance.

But had i been born 4th generation American, I wouldnt have these influences, and I'm not really sure how i would decide which culture and heritage I would associate myself most with.
As far as choosing to associate with a particular portion of my heritage related to kilt wearing I will give you an example.

I decided I wanted to get a kilt. At this point I am just a citizen of the US exercising my freedom of expression; it doesn’t have anything to do with heritage. The question then becomes which style and pattern of fabric. My wife and I went to a local Scottish Festival and decided we like the traditional tartan kilts. So my choices of tartan become: German-American based on my surname; Ulster, County Down, Murray, or Morrison based on my middle name; various states including Idaho, Arkansas, and Kentucky; or some more distant Scottish relative; or other universal tartans.

I ordered over a dozen swatches and mulled over my decision. At the end I chose Morrison Red muted and joined the Clan Morrison Society of North America. So while I started the process in a manner typical of my country, I ended up selecting my first kilt in a very “Scottish” way, including a consultation with Nana.

Now that is not to say I won’t get an Ulster kilt at some point in the future. It would be downright un-American to own just one kilt. Now if I can just find a kilted Moravian trombone band……