Belsen-- glad you're back. You might not be able to spell, but damn, do you make people think!

I have to agree with a lot of what you are saying-- H.L.Mencken once rightly said that "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation." That sense of underlying desperation is, I believe, why so many individuals embrace activities on the edge of the cultural mainstream. As our society becomes less "connected" in the sense of traditional values and relationships more people are attracted to special interest groups-- square dancing, joining the Masons, wearing a kilt. This is not a rejection of the totality of "modern cultural values", but rather a desire to find a boulder to cling to in the tempestuous river of social upheaval that rages around all of us.

Identifying with one's chosen culture (be it Punk-culture or Scottish-Culture) is, basically, a good thing. It provides a bit more stability, and reduces the sense of "quiet desperation" that Mencken referred to.

So, if wearing a kilt fits in with your desire to totally embrace Punk culture-- great. Great in the same way that the guy in the utilikilt out in the Mojave desert, or the gentleman in the traditional kilt at the White Heather Ball are fulfilling their own personal cultural imperatives.

And why is it great? Because in this tiny corner of the universe, the one thing that dispels that sense of loneliness and desperation, that allows us, Punk and Heritage Worshiper alike, to communicate, to feel a bit less desperate, is the kilt.