Two Telling comments? The Answer Perhaps?

[CeilidhDoc]

Cyd, with all due respect, I find your post offensive.

Generalizing that an individual can be judged by prior experience with others is what is rubbish. I am an American, and I have spent a VERY significant amount of time attempting to learn and listen, and adjust what I do based on comments by people who know more than me. I have asked not a few questions on this forum and had some great feedback which I have used to modify my approach to highland attire in many ways. I never ridicule well-intentioned critiques. I thank those that take the time to post them.

If you spend enough time researching things you eventually develop a sense for what is general tradition, what is personal opinion, and who is being mean and who is being genuine in trying to help but has something potentially unpleasant to say. And on different days, different people might fit one or another category depending on their mood and a million other variables, but often there is a trend on this forum of who you can trust and I would say that for that on XMTS I find many.

I would say that one really cannot generalize about if an American or a Scot is more in touch with their own heritage. I lived in Scotland for only 6 months, and it was about 20 years ago. But while there I met Scots who could school anyone on their knowledge of highland dress, and Scots who themselves made a mockery of highland tradition but they really could have cared less. Similarly, in the USA I know many well-meaning Americans who take the step of wearing the kilt to honor their heritage but have no reasonable guidance on how to do it properly. I also know a number of forum members that live quite close to me in the San Francisco Bay Area that know more about traditional highland dress than most Scots I knew in Scotland. I don't know them well, but I know enough to know what they know.

What you seem to be addressing is a group of people who cannot take constructive critique. I agree that without the ability to do this one cannot grow or learn, and it is a common fault of members of the human race to have issues with this regardless of where they were born or their specific genetics. But if we do not strive to improve ourselves, then what the hell is the point?

Let's behave like intellectual creatures rather than simple animals. Humans have a hard time doing what they often assume to be their birthright, which is to elevate their behavior above that of other animals. Treating one another with respect is a very basic thing that can go a long way. I might suggest that you attempt to implement a bit more of that into your own interactions. There is some constructive critique for you. For me, I will continue to have pipe dreams that one day people will simply treat each other more nicely. It is a sad commentary that this too is a pipe dream.

Slàinte