No Kilts seen in Scotland!

[Jock Scot]

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Oh, and an historical fact. Alligator wrestling was actually started by cowboys in the south. During drought times, in ordercto make watering hopes safe for livestock, the cowboys would have to catch the alligators and remove them... make sturdy boots!

To add to the "interesting facts". I was reliably informed by an expert on the matter, that the trick with alligator wrestling is that the brain cavity of an alligator is much larger than its brain, so when wrestling an alligator the trick is to turn the animal on its back, its brain moves enough to cause the animal to fall unconscious. Apparently wrestling with a crocodile is not recommended as the brain cavity and brain are a tighter fit and a state of slumber is not, rarely even, guaranteed! I can't say that I am too keen on finding out, if he is right.

Now, back to kilts!

[OC Richard]

Perhaps my tongue-in-cheek humour is too subtle.

I was trying to show how the lack of Highland dress in Scotland is similar to the lack of Western gear in the USA. Some people wear it on occasion for special events, but very seldom habitually.

Your humour and the making of your point were spot-on.

The bulk of Scots relate more to modern North American styles and culture than they do to their own past.

Yes just before the Covid lockdown my wife and I spent a week in London and a week in Dublin, and what struck us most was that we could just as well been in Los Angeles, San Francisco, or Seattle regarding the cafes full of young trendy urban professionals having drink and chat after their work-day.

I'll wager the same would have been seen in Glasgow, Paris, or Berlin.

But in Los Angeles some of those young professionals are Country Music fans and own boots and hats and do Line Dancing and attend Country concerts. I've been astounded to discover how popular this stuff is.

And I'll wager that some of those Glaswegian yuppies don a kilt now and then, if only for attending weddings, sporting events, and the occasional smart parties.

[OC Richard]

The trick with alligator wrestling is that the brain cavity of an alligator is much larger than its brain...

I would suspect the same is true of the human attempting the wrestling.

[Panache]

But in Los Angeles some of those young professionals are Country Music fans and own boots and hats and do Line Dancing and attend Country concerts. I've been astounded to discover how popular this stuff is.

Richard,

I was surprised to see Western wear shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh

It made me smile to think that we Americans aren't the only ones interested in other culture's fashions

Cheers

Jamie

[Jock Scot]

Richard,

I was surprised to see Western wear shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh

It made me smile to think that we Americans aren't the only ones interested in other culture's fashions

Cheers

Jamie

Of course! The USA does not have a monopoly on other culture's fashions, you know! Other nations do have a considerable interest----including those in the UK----.I honestly don't understand the need for it , but there we go!

[BobF]

I would suspect the same is true of the human attempting the wrestling.

My uncle owned a tourist attraction in the Everglades, the sort of place where you could take airboat rides, walk through a “zoo,” pet a baby alligator (and then buy a t-shirt in the gift shop saying “I Petted Snappy”), order gator nuggets in the cafeteria, and one of the spectacles was watching a Seminole wrestling an alligator. I strongly suspected that the alligator might have been drugged, it seemed rather lethargic.

[Ayrkiltie]

I don't think most people would mind. Given that most Scots don't wear the kilt regularly, they might think it a little strange, but that applies to those of us living here too.

The overseas question is an interesting one. I understand people wearing a kilt for/to Scottish related events but I do find it a little strange when people chose to wear the kilt is places and doing things that are completely unrelated to Scottish activities. I have a particular dislike of the modern so-called Utility Kilt. Ask most Scots their opinion of those and I'm sure the first thing they would say is that it's a skirt.

Hi. I may be out of place totally but I understand what you say about not getting why people wear a kilt for non Scottish activities, however, I do in fact wear a kilt most days here and have done since I retired unless of course Im doing something that due to its nature def doesnt really suit wearing a kilt. Its true that people see this as slightly eccentric but its def offset by the numbers in everyday life ie men, women and schoolkids who see it as being anything ranging from 'great to see the kilt being worn' to the teenagers passing by to the local school here who think Im 'cool' wearing kilts. Never seen myself as cool before so its a first.

[OC Richard]

I was surprised to see Western wear shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

It made me smile to think that we Americans aren't the only ones interested in other culture's fashions.

I didn't see Western Wear shops in those cities but I haven't been there since 2007.

If you have places to do Country Line Dancing then the costumes would naturally follow.

I was aware that Country Music had a certain popularity. We had lunch at a pub in Oban that had a band with accordion, fiddle, and keyboard that did some Country songs (in fake American accents) in addition to Scottish songs and dance music.

I've heard that all this stuff is very popular in Japan.

[kiltedsawyer]

Back to kilts in Scotland.

My wife and I were in Scotland for two weeks last May. Besides the buskers and tour guides we only encountered two gentlemen clad in kilt. One was a rather large gentleman on the Isle of Skye. He wore the Lindsey tartan and mostly kept to himself but responded cordially when I asked what tartan he was wearing. The other gentleman we met while walking around Edinburgh early one morning. He was wearing Stewart, had wild red hair and beard and carried the remnants of a twelve pack of Miller Lite under one arm. As he passed a gentleman walking some twenty paces in front of us he said loudly; "People are bastards!" I tensed up as he approached us but he didn't say anything until he was several paces past us at which point he turned and addressed my wife saying; "But not you Ma'am, you're not a bastard." I turned when he spoke at which point he looked at me and said; "but you, you might be a bastard!" He was now even further away and so I responded; "I might be," at which point we both laughed and went on our way. All of this provided only the slightest bit of uneasiness and was the only such incident we encountered in our time in Scotland.

Cheers,

David