National Tartan Day in the US

[OC Richard]

I fully agree that people ought to know where they come from. If nothing else it allows them to better understand how they fit into the world.

Many people here in California simply don't care. Everything is focused on the now, or on tomorrow. Many people are totally ignorant of their heritage. Many others have a vague awareness but it's usually a mixture of truths and myths and misconceptions.

I've always been fascinated by the origins of things, all sorts of things. I'm interested in history but also paleontology, historical linguistics, in Denisovans and Australopithecines and such.

So much of what many Scottish-Americans believe about tartans is myth. It's wonderful to have Peter here on these boards doing important research shedding light on the real history of tartan.

I've been doing what little I can to dispel the mythology that surrounds the origins and evolution of the bagpipe, myths that through sheer repetition have gained an undeserved shine of truth.

[PinellasPaul]

Sadly, truth in general is quite undervalued.

For one thing, it often takes work to discover it. Sometimes it takes work, or at least effort to understand or accept it.
And many people today do not care for work or effort.

But I find one consolation. Those who have lived long enough to be disappointed in the world of today will not have to endure the world of tomorrow! For me there is great peace in that. It helps me truly enjoy these times as I cherish the memories of more wonderful times gone by.

- Paul

[MichiganKyle]

Again demonstrating the how culturally different things can be across the widespread regions of the USA, I had never heard of National Tartan Day before joining this forum. And this is in West Michigan - we have a lot of Scottish ancestry here, and we're quite close to Canada where it sounds like Tartan Day is probably more of a thing. I have not seen it on any calendars, nobody really makes mention of it - and this is in a place where people gleefully celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day.

[OC Richard]

a place where people gleefully celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Being that Talk Like A Pirate means, in truth, Talk Like A Cornishman, interesting that I was just reading about the massive Cornish presence in Michigan throughout the 2nd half of the 19th century.

For those who don't know, our concept of what a pirate sounds like is based on the actor Robert Newton, who was using his normal Cornish accent when he starred as Long John Silver in Treasure Island. (Yes he could do a posh accent when required, but he was born in the West Country and grew up near Land's End.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC_PR7YWQOc

[PinellasPaul]

Now that is quite interesting! One can certainly broaden one's mind here. I enjoy that sort of knowledge.
The kind that leads to great conversation, not great wealth...

Being that Talk Like A Pirate means, in truth, Talk Like A Cornishman, interesting that I was just reading about the massive Cornish presence in Michigan throughout the 2nd half of the 19th century.

For those who don't know, our concept of what a pirate sounds like is based on the actor Robert Newton, who was using his normal Cornish accent when he starred as Long John Silver in Treasure Island. (Yes he could do a posh accent when required, but he was born in the West Country and grew up near Land's End.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC_PR7YWQOc

[Macman]

Being that Talk Like A Pirate means, in truth, Talk Like A Cornishman, interesting that I was just reading about the massive Cornish presence in Michigan throughout the 2nd half of the 19th century.

For those who don't know, our concept of what a pirate sounds like is based on the actor Robert Newton, who was using his normal Cornish accent when he starred as Long John Silver in Treasure Island. (Yes he could do a posh accent when required, but he was born in the West Country and grew up near Land's End.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC_PR7YWQOc

That brought back some memories! Thanks for that!