Political Thoughts

**Archangel** · 22nd August 05, 05:14 AM

Originally Posted by M. A. C. Newsome

The bold-faced emphasis in the above quote is mine.

I wanted to make a couple of points, but the above is a principle that I think we need to all abide by. What someone else chooses to cloth themselves with is their business..... however --

--it is also a very true principle that our clothes project a certain image of ourselves to society. Unlike other physical features, such as skin color, height, stature, etc., we have a choice when it comes to how we shall dress ourselves.

So the idea that you cannot judge someone by the clothes they choose it wear is not true. If someone dresses like a gangster, it may be wrong of me to assume that he actually is a gangster, but I do know that he has chosen to dress himself in a manner that makes him look like one, and that tells me something of his character.

You mention the suit as a symbol of power. Well, in some circumstances it is. It's also a symbol of respect. You mention churches. The reason men wear suit and tie to church is not as a "power" symbol but as a symbol of respect for the duty they are there to perform. Same reason I would wear a suit and tie into a court room -- out of respect for the court.

Clothing has meaning, weather we like it or not. It is obvious that we expect people like police officers and soliders to wear uniforms, as it marks very clearly their place in society. But there are unofficial uniforms that we also sub-conciously recognize. You expect your doctor to be wearing a white coat. You expect your lawyer to wear a tie. You expect your English Lit professor to wear sweater vests and tweed jackets.

Even in places with no dress code, this applies. If you attend a public school with no dress code, the male teachers may feel free to wear kakhi slacks and a polo shirt. If one showed up to class in a Fred Flintstone t-shirt, jogging shorts, and flip flops, he would rightly get some comments both from the students and administration.

I say all of this so that I can comment on this last section:

I disagree with both of these issues. First, why should the kilt be seen as a limitless garment? Why should we say that anything goes in a kilt? I'm one of those who advocate that much of the "rules" of kilt wearing are fluff and nonsense that you can feel free to ignore. Yet I maintain that basic fashion sense and decorum applies. There are limitations that are proper to any moder of dress, kilted or not.

Second, why should public acceptance of kilt wearing neccesitate the acceptance and approval of every other fashion trend that is out there? Some fashions are simply horrible and deserve to die a natural death. Kilts have been around in their modern form for over 200 years and are still going strong. As a heritage garment, they have a timeless quality that will ensure they are going to be around for a very long time. We don't need to worry about that. And we don't need to tether our kilt wearing to every pop fashion fad that flies by.

Aye,
Matt

Good.
In a hurry, got my citizenship ceremony this morning.
This is the kind of dialogue I'm trying to generate. If we're being iconoclasts what are the community's collective limitations? How do we express those limitations in a way that is still inviting, open and reciprical?

**LordDamax** · 22nd August 05, 06:31 AM

Originally Posted by Dreadbelly

So I wouldn't hang to the left or to the right, but right down the middle as God clearly intended, bobbing from side to side when making forward progress. Yeah. Think about that for a while and take it as you will.

A very good and thought provoking point... however, I did think about it, and unbidden, a mental image forced its way into my head, and now I feel dirty... eew...

**bubba** · 22nd August 05, 07:16 AM

There are a few basic "rules" of dress that apply if you don't want to look like an ascapee from the clown tent at the circus, but beyond that wear what's comfortable for you. I admit I don't, and never have, followed fashion and I've always dressed casually, at times to the point of barbarity, depending on what I'm doing. The simple answer is dress to suit the activity.

**Dreadbelly** · 22nd August 05, 07:22 AM

Originally Posted by bubba

There are a few basic "rules" of dress that apply if you don't want to look like an ascapee from the clown tent at the circus, but beyond that wear what's comfortable for you. I admit I don't, and never have, followed fashion and I've always dressed casually, at times to the point of barbarity, depending on what I'm doing. The simple answer is dress to suit the activity.

As a "barbarian" my self I take issue with using that word in a negative manner.

Bad press!!! Ugh argh ugh ugh oogah arghle!

**Dreadbelly** · 22nd August 05, 07:22 AM

Oh, and I suspect the clowns will be along shortly Bubba to lodge a complaint and mayhap hit you with a pie.

Be on guard!

**Archangel** · 22nd August 05, 12:11 PM

Now a Canadian citizen, papers and all.

Here's some examples of the political process I've been thinking about.

1) Said to a friend yesterday that I wasn't sure what to wear to the ceremony, my kilt or and Armani suit. He suggested that if I wore the kilt they would send me away thinking I wasn't serious about becoming Canadian. He's a good guy but what is in his thought process that says that wearing an expensive Italian suit represents my intent better? (Armani bought at thrift store, cool deal, believe it.)

2) Wore my kilt, day formal: Argyll jacket, off-white kilt socks, oxfords, button-down collar shirt, no tie...looking good. Court Officer remarked I must be from Scotland, Judge remarked I must be from Scotland, local politician wondered if I might be Irish. Wife noted that of the 70 people being sworn in, I was the only one singled that way. What is the political process that happening here when there were 23 countries represented and some wore cultural clothing?

3) After the ceremony, nice looking blonde stopped and said she loved my kilt. What is the political process that she would stop and do that in front of my wife? That never happens in any other clothes.

4) Stop for celebration at Starbucks with some family and friends. As we were leaving some guy yells out, "Hey, are you Scotch?" What is the process that encourages that kind of a reaction?

After all this my sister-in-law and my wife are discussing how different I am treated when I'm kilted. They've noted it several times now, what we on this forum have all seen and heard (noted another new thread about drive-by yahoos today).

There's a lot of social pressure to conform and we challenge that. We need to support and encourage better than we do. Seems like a lot of us are fully confident of ourselves in most situations, we need to help others have that confidence.

**Colin** · 22nd August 05, 12:20 PM

Originally Posted by Archangel

Now a Canadian citizen, papers and all.

Here's some examples of the political process I've been thinking about.

1) Said to a friend yesterday that I wasn't sure what to wear to the ceremony, my kilt or and Armani suit. He suggested that if I wore the kilt they would send me away thinking I wasn't serious about becoming Canadian. He's a good guy but what is in his thought process that says that wearing an expensive Italian suit represents my intent better? (Armani bought at thrift store, cool deal, believe it.)

2) Wore my kilt, day formal: Argyll jacket, off-white kilt socks, oxfords, button-down collar shirt, no tie...looking good. Court Officer remarked I must be from Scotland, Judge remarked I must be from Scotland, local politician wondered if I might be Irish. Wife noted that of the 70 people being sworn in, I was the only one singled that way. What is the political process that happening here when there were 23 countries represented and some wore cultural clothing?

3) After the ceremony, nice looking blonde stopped and said she loved my kilt. What is the political process that she would stop and do that in front of my wife? That never happens in any other clothes.

4) Stop for celebration at Starbucks with some family and friends. As we were leaving some guy yells out, "Hey, are you Scotch?" What is the process that encourages that kind of a reaction?

After all this my sister-in-law and my wife are discussing how different I am treated when I'm kilted. They've noted it several times now, what we on this forum have all seen and heard (noted another new thread about drive-by yahoos today).

There's a lot of social pressure to conform and we challenge that. We need to support and encourage better than we do. Seems like a lot of us are fully confident of ourselves in most situations, we need to help others have that confidence.

Congrats on your citizenship!

A friend of mine got sworn in on Canada Day this year. He wore his Canada Customs uniform, and asked that I wear my kilt in his honour (I was wearing it anyway

). It was nice to spend the day mingling with new countrymen (and women).