cloves,

Brava! Your honesty and lack of pretense is a breath of fresh air. We've all been through this in one form or another. It's nice to see that you can admit (albeit leaving it unsaid) what most of us never seem to grasp: We're basically selfish creatures at heart (but not by design) and let's face it...it's part of why we're even reading each other's words on our monitors. We all desire acceptance or recognition for one thing or another whether that benefits us in part or on the whole. Even if at first it doesn't, we'll still strive to be loved, applauded, recognized (et cetera)...simply because we feel a need to belong.

Quote Originally Posted by Zardoz View Post

If a kid gets one of those things at Hot Topic and likes it, maybe gets into a nicer one down the line, maybe he learns about his heritage, maybe a friend catches on, etc...it's fresh blood, good for all of us.
I'll agree with that...but I still cringe when I see "kilts" like this.

A very good topic, cloves...these are the kind I truly enjoy.