Allowed tartans

[Makeitstop]

*tosses in a pair of pennies*

I can honestly say I don't really care about tradition (any tradition, not just this one) and even if there was a big book of rules regarding the wearing of tartans, I still wouldn't care. Unless something is actually, objectively, morally wrong, I tend to be fairly pragmatic, and when that isn't an issue, I just go with my own tastes. So, when considering tartans I only care about how much that kilt will cost, how durable it will be, how it will feel on a hot sunny day, and finally whether or not I think it is ugly as hell.

I suppose it would be good to know the basic associations of the tartan I'm wearing if I am going to be some place where the issue is likely to come up, but as I live far behind enemy lines in the war on pants, I would be shocked if anyone even mentioned the fact that the tartan on my kilt might mean something. They are more interested in why I'm so weird, if I'm a cross dresser or just seeking attention, and whether or not they are going to get a show on a windy day. If I let other people's views and associations dictate my clothing, I wouldn't be concerned about tartans because I would just wear pants.

And even if I did care about traditions, I would still have trouble with this one because I feel very little connection to my ancestors. I'm a mutt, as I am descended from most of europe, some native american tribes, numerous historical figures, and many people of unknown origin. There's some scottish in there (have no clue about clans or anything else of the sort) but I'm not really going to feel connected to my kilt because of my ancestors, or vice versa. About the only thing in my family tree I can honestly say I am proud of is a fire breathing, dragon slaying werewolf who apparently was a real person, and with whom I seem to have a lot in common. If you can find that tartan, I will wear it with pride, otherwise I'm just not feeling it. Not to mention that with my budget, the number of tartans I can choose from is in the single digits.

Of course, if a tartan said something else, then I would want to know. I doubt there is a tartan for registered sex offenders, or one which claims I am a congressional medal of honor recipient, but if there were, I would rather not wear that one. And I did check and found there is no ninja tartan, so I may have to correct that.

Of course, this is a non-issue for me anyway, as I prefer solid colors. I will probably get a few tartan kilts just to have a little more variety (I wouldn't mind wearing the nightstalker tartan from stillwater) but for the most part, I'd rather just wear something in a nice solid black.

So if you take pride in what your tartan stands for, great. I wish I could feel the same way, but I don't. So as long as I you don't bug me for wanting to wear something just to feel pretty, I won't bug you for getting all excited about/emotionally invested in some random assortment of stripes. I mean honestly, aren't there more important things for us all to worry about?