what work needs me to do

[MacLowlife]

Pink Donkey,

I think you are beginning to understand your work environment from a new and broader perspective- and I expect that includes the realization that your wearing a kilt is a much bigger thing than you and a garment. What I would suggest to you now, as an old guy, is that you need to learn to spell and work on your grammar. You are clearly articulate and thoughtful, but you might either do more reading or study some books on usage ( it is utmost, not up most, you USED to have, not use to have, etc.) I don't know much about working in a call center, but it sounds like you are working with people who are not as bright as you are. The way to fix that in the end is to make sure that everything you do reflects your intelligence. Right now, your writing skills need some improvement. One day they will hold you back unless you work on them.

In theory, when your written work and the impression it makes reflect your true abilities you will be more likely to have a job that allows you the freedom of dressing as you wish. As long as people are having to say "yeah, but you know what he means" you are going to be stuck with the kind of people who are ruining your chances at wearing a kilt.

This sounds a little mean and I am sorry, but you need to fix some things. Good Luck with it.

[Aussie_Don]

Pink Donkey,

I think you are beginning to understand your work environment from a new and broader perspective- and I expect that includes the realization that your wearing a kilt is a much bigger thing than you and a garment. What I would suggest to you now, as an old guy, is that you need to learn to spell and work on your grammar. You are clearly articulate and thoughtful, but you might either do more reading or study some books on usage ( it is utmost, not up most, you USED to have, not use to have, etc.) I don't know much about working in a call center, but it sounds like you are working with people who are not as bright as you are. The way to fix that in the end is to make sure that everything you do reflects your intelligence. Right now, your writing skills need some improvement. One day they will hold you back unless you work on them.

In theory, when your written work and the impression it makes reflect your true abilities you will be more likely to have a job that allows you the freedom of dressing as you wish. As long as people are having to say "yeah, but you know what he means" you are going to be stuck with the kind of people who are ruining your chances at wearing a kilt.

This sounds a little mean and I am sorry, but you need to fix some things. Good Luck with it.

I'll echo Mac's thoughts here -- Pink Donkey, it would be worth your
while to have a look at a book titled _Elements of Style_ by Strunk and White
free copy at Elements of Style by Strunk and White
It's in the public domain, so there's no issue with copyright.

This book is like your High School Grammar book on steroids. Everything
that you need to know about how to express yourself well in English in
a single (admittedly very dense) book.

I've worked as a Unix System Administrator for a large multi-national. Now,
most would think that would be a full-on technical job, where I'd be talking
to computers all day. The reality was that I spent a significant part of my
time writing papers of 5 -10 pages detailing the cost versus benefits of
various courses of action. Should we spend money on new machines? Is it
a good idea to have a tape drive and software for backups? Do we need to
have a safe to store the tapes? Do we need a room with air conditioning,
physical security and UPS power where the servers can be installed?

And every one of those papers was read by the managers at several levels
above my place in the company. Expressing yourself clearly in the written
word is an essential skill.

Best wishes, even if you are on the wrong side of the Susquehanna.

-Don (Who's on the other side of the Pacific now)
(And note that I went back and checked all of the words with wavy red lines
under them and fixed the spelling problems -- I'd be the first to acknowledge
that I'm a crap typist -- the spell-checker is your friend -- provided that you
really know your way around the homonyms that Strunk and White talk about.)

[JohntheBiker]

Looks like you made the right decision in the end. Good for you, literally.

[cryptoman]

Just to make sure you understand me, I assume that personal expression is important to everyone, and it's important for me too. I take no issue with personal expression. The only issue here is whether it's appropriate at work. There are a lot of other things that are important to me (like my political and religious beliefs) which also do not belong in my workplace. The purpose for which my employer hired me has nothing to do with my personal life, and there is very little benefit in mixing the two.

Your political and religious beliefs have no influence on your well being at the work place, as long as you don't work for a company whose philosophy is quite the opposite. The way you dress and express yourself, that is YOU and if they don't want YOU, look somewhere else. The only reason for not wairing something could be a rational one. If your employer hired you for your abilities than nothing else should matter. That's the purpose thing. Happy in you skin, successfull at work.

[TheOfficialBren]

I have a few thoughts on this matter. Working in an artistic field I have the luxury of occasionally wearing my kilt. I said occasionally. Not always. There are times where (even as an artist) a kilt is not the appropriate garment.

Would I wear it to meet with "Industry" executives who will be signing my paychecks? No. I want them to be focussed on my work rather than my clothing.

Would I wear it for a music video shoot to promote my new single? No. I want to maintain a consistent image for a Modern Rock artist and that pretty means fashionable jeans.

Might I occasionally wear my kilt whilest performing on stage? I have a total of twice during more than a decade of performing (and a year of kilting). Even better-known Hard Rock artists like John Davis (from Korn) and Axl Rose (from Guns N Roses) rarely perform in their kilts. There is precedence in my chosen profession to occasionally wear a kilt but it is always an exception rather than the rule.

You see, as a performing artist there is still a level of expected dress--it may be an "alternate" dress code but it is still a dress code. If I am performing at a Celtic-themed venue or club then it's a no-brainer--my kilt is worn. If I am performing at a club or festival where there is absolutely no Celtic flair or theme whatsoever then no kilt.

Perspective is the key. Overwhelmingly I wear my kilt outside my professional life and on my own time.

I think that you made the best decision, mate. I would not have even brought the issue to my employer but it sounds as though you approached a manager with whom you have a good rapport and in an appropriate manner.

Well done.

[Manxstralian]

Pink Donkey,

I think you are beginning to understand your work environment from a new and broader perspective- and I expect that includes the realization that your wearing a kilt is a much bigger thing than you and a garment. What I would suggest to you now, as an old guy, is that you need to learn to spell and work on your grammar. You are clearly articulate and thoughtful, but you might either do more reading or study some books on usage ( it is utmost, not up most, you USED to have, not use to have, etc.) I don't know much about working in a call center, but it sounds like you are working with people who are not as bright as you are. The way to fix that in the end is to make sure that everything you do reflects your intelligence. Right now, your writing skills need some improvement. One day they will hold you back unless you work on them.

In theory, when your written work and the impression it makes reflect your true abilities you will be more likely to have a job that allows you the freedom of dressing as you wish. As long as people are having to say "yeah, but you know what he means" you are going to be stuck with the kind of people who are ruining your chances at wearing a kilt.

This sounds a little mean and I am sorry, but you need to fix some things. Good Luck with it.

It does sound kind of mean, but I agree with your premise, as Gavin McInnes said: "The bartender told me to mind my own business as I tried to explain the difference between bullying (picking on physical traits) and benevolence (telling someone what to throw in the garbage)."

This is not an isolated incident, and one that vexes me continuously, not just on xmarks. I find myself constantly wincing at grammatical errors and spelling mistakes online, and it does make me wonder what happened to the written language. As pointed out by George Orwell in 1946: "Now, it is clear that the decline of a language must ultimately have political and economic causes: it is not due simply to the bad influence of this or that individual writer. But an effect can become a cause, reinforcing the original cause and producing the same effect in an intensified form, and so on indefinitely. A man may take to drink because he feels himself to be a failure, and then fail all the more completely because he drinks. It is rather the same thing that is happening to the English language. It becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish, but the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts."

To bring it back to the thread topic however; I do think this works as a metaphor for attire. If you can't be bothered dressing appropriately for work, why bother at all? I recent resigned from a job where people would routinely turn up in pajamas in winter , and beach attire in summer, as we had an "everything goes" policy. Admittedly, I did wear my kilt occasionally, but other times never arrived in un-ironed, casual clothing.

Both dress and language are the victims of our desire for comfort over propriety.

Respectfully,

Cameron

[Liam]

I hope that I am not repeating advise that has already been provided. I would suggest taking some photo's of what you plan to wear and email them to your boss. I would recommend that you consider conservative business attire including a tie and possibly a proper kilt jacket, but that is up to you. Ask for your boss' opinion and support, but if he/she says "no", then respect it or start looking for alternative employment.

I occasionally wear a kilt to work - National tartan day, sometimes on casual Fridays, company Christmas parties, etc. I have never had it suggested that it was inappropriate. Usually once others see that a kilt is not out of place objections disappear.

Slainte...Bill

[CDNSushi]

Kilts and work are often a touchy subject. As I look for work on a daily basis, I have been reminded of this fact by others at least once. Last week while was attending a three-day job hunting course, I came kilted one of the days. Everyone absolutely LOVED my attire, and made no hesitation to say so. I must have gotten at least 5 or 6 very positive comments. Plus, this is Victoria, Canada, where people tend to be quite open-minded and even very used to seeing people in kilts. But one person did remind me (although I already knew this) that the kilt would be inappropriate attire when applying for work. In fact, her exact words were,

"You should probably leave the kilt at home, unless you were applying for a job at Freedom Kilts."

I think the take-home message is, that if it's inappropriate to wear when APPLYING for work, it's more than likely inappropriate to wear TO work and DURING work for the most part as well. Of course there's bound to be exceptions in everything, but we must never forget that this is not mainstream. As much as we would like it to be, or wish it to be, it's just not.

I was not offended by this young woman's suggestion... It was very clear from my conversation with her, that as much as she agreed that kilt-wearing is cool and all, it is also somewhat weird. And it's not that "weird" is necessarily bad, "weird" is not what you want to be at work, neither to your customers nor to your co-workers. Much the same way, if a man in Japan wore a (men's) kimono to work rather than the standard western suit, it would be very unacceptable.

The only thing I can say, is I wish it were otherwise, but sometimes it's best just to suck it up and "fit in" as best as possible.

[WillowEstate]

I have a few thoughts on this matter. Working in an artistic field I have the luxury of occasionally wearing my kilt. I said occasionally. Not always. There are times where (even as an artist) a kilt is not the appropriate garment.

I think you have it exactly - "as appropriate" are the operative words.

I would take issue with one statement:

"There is precedence in my chosen profession to occasionally wear a kilt but it is always an exception rather than the rule." (my emphasis)

I think "usually" would be a better word - The Red Hot Chilli Peppers at least, would likely disagree with "always" ! But that doesn't detract from your well taken point.

[WillowEstate]

This is not an isolated incident, and one that vexes me continuously, not just on xmarks. I find myself constantly wincing at grammatical errors and spelling mistakes online, and it does make me wonder what happened to the written language.

Both dress and language are the victims of our desire for comfort over propriety.

Respectfully,

Cameron

I do agree strongly with your thoughts, Cameron; I, too, wince at some of the language we hear around us every day, such as split infinitives, neuter nouns adopted from Latin pluralised with an "s" rather than an "a". I fear that what happened to the written language was the spoken language. Because there is a tendency to speak or telephone, rather than write, in the business and everyday life context, we are losing the formality of the language. Certainly, my sons were not taught formal English Language as a subject and this in an English school!

I've posted elsewhere my observation that standards in society appear to reflect the loss of formality of dress, particularly in the business world. I wonder if "our desire for comfort over propriety" is tainted with a little laziness, perhaps?