I'm wearing pants today: semi rant

[Rex_Tremende]

It's good to ride my bike to work for the fitness aspect and also so as to pump just a little bit less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Another good reason to ride bikes is that it gives you time to ponder important ideas.

Regards,
Rex.

[Makeitstop]

I will say I don't think it is unfair to classify people who CAN'T wear a kilt because of a stigma or self-consciousness as having sheep-like tendencies. But then again, I seem to recall a thread about a so called "full length kilt" which looked a lot like a women's skirt and which quite a few people here seemed to be incapable of wearing.

Another example, I remember around Halloween when we were talking about kilts in costumes, and panache (not to single him out) said something to the effect of "I can wear kilts any day. Why waste the opportunity to dress as Robin Hood or Zorro or any of my other favorite swashbucklers?" And my response was "Who's stopping you the other 364 days of the year?"

Why is it I'm not supposed to wear a sportkilt (or sweatpants for that matter) to a formal event? If I let that stop me, does that make me any less of a man?

The fact is, there are two kinds of people in the world: sheep, and sociopaths.

Humans are social animals, and that means that part of our nature is to try and fit in with the group. Every day we unthinkingly follow thousands of unspoken rules which we are often only aware of once they are broken. If you really don't care what anyone thinks and never let society or the people around you dictate any part of your life, you are technically a crazy person.

Some of us are more independent than others (I can honestly say I am closer to the crazy side of the spectrum than most, and believe me, it's a bit overrated) and we may have some small amount of evidence to that effect if we are able to wear kilts in settings which are less than friendly to the garment, but that doesn't really mean a whole lot, and says nothing about those who don't make the same choice.

So, as always, judge not...

[Rex_Tremende]

2.) All pants are boring and have no character, unlike all kilts which are so magnificent in every possible way.

Weeelllll.....

I have a dozen or so kilts in various styles, and they each distinctive in their own stand-out way. I also have 40-some-odd semi-retired trousers in, let's say, at most four basic colors, and I do have a little trouble telling one from the other.

I'll agree with you that you can't say that pants have no character, but you gotta admit that kilts have more (in most cases). However, if Hamish, with his hundred kilts, says he stands at his closet and compains he has "nothing to wear," I'll give you this point.

Regards,
Rex.

[Ozman1944]

I don't have any problem in what people wear at all. It has never ocurred to me. I'm with Sister on this one. Just be nice:buttkick:

[davedove]

I understand the attitudes that Alan mentions, and I do see them occassionally on kilt boards. But, maybe a part of that is the anonymous nature of forums. A lot of times, people will throw out things on the internet that they wouldn't think of doing in person. You see attitudes like,

I'm man enough to wear the kilt, and if you don't you must be mindlessly following the rest of society like a good little sheep.

I can't say I like that attitude either. Sometimes I CHOOSE to wear a kilt, sometimes I CHOOSE to wear pants. My reasons are my own. Sometimes I want to blend in, sometimes I want to stand out, sometimes I don't give a hoot; but it's my choice.

[Coinneach]

Is it right to judge someone on whether they wear a kilt or not?....as in "all kilties are independent minded men with a sense of honor"..oh, we LIKE that one, do we? Ok, then how about this: any guy who wears a kilt is a crossdressing pervert... we don't like that do we?

It has nothing to do with kilts, but I try my best to practice humility, though I'm not always successful. There are a lot of people out there who have a need to feel superior, even in a small way, and one of the easiest ways, it seems, is to put down someone else for a superficial difference.

Anything more than a "nice kilt" comment, whether or not it's followed by a discussion on tartans, family history, or the book I'm reading, I always regard with suspicion, such as the "independent minded"/"sense of honor" comment above. Because both comments are generalizations, I usually find it easy to ignore both.

Still, all that being said, it's probably not going to stop me from mentally ridiculing men who wear ugly ties at the airport. After all, they're asking for it because of the way they're dressed.

[bikeolounger]

As far as being kilted, my friends have accepted it as part of the quirky person I am. Some have asked about heritage (when I'm wearing a UK?), to which my response has been a polite, "I am enough Scotsman to wear a tartan kilt, but don't have enough money to buy one." What others wear is up to them, in my not so humble opinion.

I will address that you rode your bicycle to work for a moment, by saying I wish I could more often. I just took a new job, and have been trying to figure out how to make my commute in a more eco-friendly manner. I'd like to ride daily, or at least most days, but it looks like I'll need my truck often enough to make that difficult without some creativity.

Then I get to work on how to get away with wearing a kilt at work...

[Bob C]

The attitude that kilts are BETTER in every way, and that people who wear kilts are BETTER than their non-kilt wearing brothers and sisters annoys the dickens out of me.

Wear a kilt if you want to. Wear pants if you want to. You don't like it when someone has a chip on their shoulder about kilts? Well then we all need to lose the chip on our OWN shoulder about how much better we are than guys who wear pants.

End Rant.

Hear, hear! The snobbery even extends to this board, where some of the full-time kilties turn their noses up at us part-timers.

Star-bellied Sneetches and Sneetches without.

[cloves]

it's the same snobbery I hate when people tell me a woman can't wear a kilt.
I want to tell them all...."get over it...it's just clothing"

[Bugbear]

Point well taken and laughed over. The guys are, in the back of their minds, a little worried about looking like they're wearing a skirt, or people thinking they are crossdressing. I say wear anything you want except a uniform you don't belong in.

it's the same snobbery I hate when people tell me a woman can't wear a kilt.
I want to tell them all...."get over it...it's just clothing"