Testing a Theory

**Mark Keeney** · 5th September 06, 08:51 PM

Originally Posted by Andrew Green

Well, today is the first day of wearing a kilt to school. This is part taking my supervisor (one of them) up on her encouragement of the idea (and so far, nothing negative), and part deviance research for my sociology paper. Face it guys, wearing a kilt is not the norm in mainstream American society. Hell, I'd say it isn't the norm in any mainstream society any more. So therefore, it falls under the blanket of deviance. I am to record people's reactions, and use them in a brief paper. The way I see it: If I must engage in a conscious deviant act, I might as well make it fun. I am sure that most of you would agree with that one. I also wanted to see if I really could wear a kilt to work, and not get any gruff. So far so good.

You need a helper that would follow a little behind you to see the reactions of people when they are behind your back. My wife loves to do this just to watch peoples reactions.

**Andrew Green** · 5th September 06, 08:54 PM

Ha ha ha.
One of the girls that works in the New Student Coordinator office mistakenly called it a skirt. One of my classmates (though not this term), corrected her, laughed, and then came in to tell me about it (he works there, I work in the library)... then I promptly had a laugh...not because the girl was mistaken (I do expect people to be rather uneducated about a number of different things), but because my acquaintance corrected her on my behalf (he's also going to be at Kelso with his family, whom I hope to meet as well, as they are apparently very into where they came from). More to come later.

**Hachiman** · 5th September 06, 11:58 PM

I like the sound of this paper - I'd love to read it when it's done.

I'm also studying deviance in my thesis at the moment... but in my case, it's a form of sexual deviance, so it doesn't really compare.

But, as I like to inform people, in reality, there is no such thing as "normal"... just different levels of conformity.

cheers and good luck with the paper!

Hachiman

**Andrew Green** · 6th September 06, 12:03 AM

Ok, some of you guys were interested in my paper. Here is a very rough "working draft" of it. Mind you, I have only tested half of the requirements. I have not combed over the paper to correct typos, or put any embelishments in there. I have written it, in a similar fashion to how I speak in an informal context. Also, I used some info from a couple websites. I am asking permission from Rex (I think) to borrow the quote from his website for use in my paper. I am also asking permission to use the names USA Kilts, Neokilt, Freedom Kilts, Stillwater Kilts, R Kilts etc. from their respective representatives on the forums. This paper is for my class only, although I sort of hope to raise awareness that these artisans are out there, and that not all traditionally styled kilts have to cost an arm and a leg. Note, for the initial part of the assignment, I wore a modern kilt, instead of the belted plaid... it was warm today. Do keep in mind that the intro was written at about 3am Saturday, with other responses and info put in today, so I will have a lot of editing to do to make it more coherent, and remove a handful of repetitious statements.
Well, for what it's worth...this is it so far:

**Andrew Green** · 6th September 06, 12:15 AM

In this brief study of deviance, I wish to document other’s reactions to my choice of deviant behavior. The action itself isn’t something as strange to me as it may be to others. I wish to randomly go about for a while kilted. I plan to wear my feilidh mohr around campus for my first study group, and record my associates (co-workers, supervisors, faculty, and classmates) reactions to this. Mary MacKintosh seemed rather supportive of the idea, not as deviance, but just because I am interested in clothing that has cultural significance (MacKintosh, enough said). The other environment I wish to engage in this is a likely a more accepting one. I am attending the Kelso Highland Games and Highlander festival, where I am sure I will see a number of kilted men. There will be reactions there as well. Anything from “Wow, that’s awesome!” to “You’re doing it wrong!” is to be expected. However, even at events such as Highland Games, or Clan gatherings, the sight of a feilidh mohr is still uncommon, despite the versatility of the garment. So I get to gauge reactions, acceptance/tolerance, as well as historical knowledge. If one must “deviate” from the accepted norms, it might as well be fun, or interesting, no?
Despite the rise of such firms as Utilikilts, RKilts, USA Kilts, Freedom Kilts, The Celtic Croft, Neokilt and a number of other companies, both domestically, and abroad, the kilt is still viewed as a curiosity, save for maybe in it’s homeland, and even there, most people view it as formal wear, or for special occasions only. This trend is changing, and a number of football, and rugby fans wear their colors to games… but even that could be relegated to the status of special events. Many of these aforementioned firms are striving to elevate the kilt back to its status as everyday wear, and in that they have my support. Some of these groups also like to increase the awareness of the history of the garment; many of them strive to make solid products, designed for everyday wear. Many of these firms offer low cost (relatively) products, many without sacrificing quality in the process…which brings the possibility of having a decent garment within range of most people who would want them.
Questions for consideration:
1.How did the characteristics of the recipients of your kindness/deviance, and your own, affect the situation?
2.Why did you choose to do this particular act of kindness/deviance?
3.How did you feel while doing the random act of kindness/deviance, and why? 4.How did the recipient react? Speculate as to why.
5.How would you explain your act and the individual’s/group’s reaction to your act using one of the approaches (functionalist, Interactionist, Conflict, Feminist etc.)
1. My own characteristics towards this act of deviance (kilt wearing is definitely not the norm in America, or anywhere else anymore sadly), is quite biased. The kilt men’s clothing, so, that makes it at least culturally acceptable for me to wear such a garment. Also race/ethnicity plays a fair hand in things; if I were not Scottish (by birth and heritage), I likely wouldn’t care about the kilt, tartan cloth, or much of the history behind it all. Also, if I had been born anywhere else in the world, I likely wouldn’t be as attached. Age doesn’t seem to play too much a factor on my end of things… I talk with a good handful of other “kilties”, and the ages range from a little younger than my 25 years, to folks over twice that age who are avid kilt wearers. It’s really a matter of personal taste, country of origin/hertitage, and exposure. So, in short, I see nothing wrong with wearing the kilt, unless I see a woman wearing a kilt…unless she happens to be in a pipe band, or a dancer, it’s a no-no in my opinion. Although I am sure it would have made an interesting study in deviance for a woman to don a man’s kilt and sporran, and see what other people’s reaction would be, if she were exposed to an environment knowledgeable about such things. I do have to wonder why so many women wear pants though. Other cultures have male unbifurcated garments; I believe the Sarong is Indian. The Middle East, the Philippines, Greece, and Rome all had their versions. The kilt is by and large, the most comfortable piece of lower body clothing I have worn. Why women, who have a wide variety of unbofurcated garments choose to wear uncomfortable, and restricting pants is beyond me at this point.
However, I will state that for roaming around campus, I chose to wear a modern kilt, and not the belted plaid. Not only could I not get it pleated and looking good in time, but I also decided it would be more practical to wear the modern kilt given the temperature.
2. I chose this particular act of deviance for a handful of reasons. I chose this act because for one, I like wearing kilts. They are also very comfortable, regardless of style worn. The feilidh mohr/belted plaide is particularly versatile, and quite warm. I am also Scottish, by birth, and by heritage, so I consider it a sort of birthright, I am aware of what Clan I belong to, and which side of the family it comes from, and the surname that grants me affiliation, a way to show respect for those who came before me; there is cultural and historical significance to it. Plus, given one of the environments I chose to wear the garment in, I thought it would be fun to see how much other folks might know about it. Plus, despite the encouragement of Mary, I wanted to see if I really could get away with it at work. Call it a mild experiment of sorts.
3. I was fairly apprehensive at first and quite self conscious. I rarely run around kilted in public, unless it happens to be in an environment that could be called “kilt friendly.” I am well aware of what I am wearing, and very aware that some people don’t really know how to react to it, as it is something that is pretty unusual around here. Of course when people ask questions, it gives me the chance to ramble their ears off on the subject. Sometimes a quick witted remark is enough to settle most people who might pose a question out of sarcasm, but a lengthier talk is quite fun when it is with someone who really wants to know. So I could say that it feels good to expand someone’s knowledge, and acceptance of cultural variance.
I pretty much expected most people to either not know how to react, or to have no reaction. I was actually quite surprised by most of the comments.

**Andrew Green** · 6th September 06, 12:16 AM

4. The first group I tried this act of deviance on were associates on campus. The reactions were mostly positive. One girl snickered, but it might not have been directed at me, since she was with a group of people, and they could have just been goofing around before I showed up. This was in passing, so I did not linger long enough to determine anything from that instance. Other reactions ranged from Briggs Harston’s comment of “Woo! Kilt” to Mary MacKintosh’s remark of “look at you! Sporran and all… looks good.” Lindsey walked up, and very politely demanded to see the kilt. I was wearing my typical lazy black over shirt with it, and sitting down at the time, so it was hard to see. After that, she made the comment of “right on” and we proceeded to talk about Utilikilts, and how she sees guys running around Seattle in them. She then inquired if today was any special occasion. I told her no, that I was wearing it, just to wear it. John, from the e-Lab called it a skirt in humor, we both laughed. One classmate had asked where I bought it, so I promptly gave him the web-address. Professor Power had asked me if I was feeling festive today, and said that she liked it anyway… even after I explained why I was doing it initially. 3 guys total asked me if I was wearing some form of undergarment. This part is odd. For one, I do work on campus, and 2 of the 3 who asked know that I work on campus, so I would hope that I have to sense to be decent under there! There’s just something disturbing about a guy asking another guy if he is “regimental” under his kilt. However, one guy did ask how that sort of came about. I told him that from the best of my research, it started with the Highland Regiments. One lady who worked in the NSC mistakenly called it a skirt. Now honestly the kilt is a kind of skirt, but it has its own name, and cultural identification behind it, so the colloquial term “skirt” is not quite accurate to describe it. Ryan Robertson, who is an associate of mine (ex-class mate, and friendly acquaintance) corrected her on the subject, then came to the library to inform me of the event. We both had a good laugh at it. The only two people who appeared to have misconceptions were women. I honestly cannot place that. I have read many a story about women doing very un-ladylike things to guys in kilts, usually involving trying to sneak a peek at what is underneath. I can guess for a fact that one of them was not well versed in cultural attire, other than her own; this woman was Hispanic-American , which leads me to believe that she had no reason to learn of anyone else’s culture, aside from maybe her Hispanic side, as I have noticed that when someone is mixed race, they usually only identify with one. It could also be that her cultural experiences were that of a Hispanic, mixed with the blanket of “American culture.” The other could have been a simple mistake; she might have forgotten the appropriate word, it has been known to happen. However, by and large, most people recognized the kilt for what it was, and they were pretty supportive of it. Some of the responses were relatively polite, and I could tell that the people regarded the kilt as unusual, but seen frequently enough in formal wear that they could easily correlate it to some kind of event. Most of the people who said anything were Caucasian. This sort of makes sense, as I am quite sure that there were not any native colored Scottish people. I expected more responses from the culturally diverse people; perhaps they only care about respect if it happens to be their culture that is getting disrespected? I know that often people do not act, unless prompted to for some reason. The “if it doesn’t affect me…” mindset is well known. The most supportive, and enthusiastic reaction was from Mary, as she had sort of prompted me to do something similar to this already. There is also a shared interest in Scottish culture. I have seen her wearing her clan tartan, and her clan badge before, so she also has a level of respect for these sorts of things.
What is considered normal in one part of the world, or with one subculture, can, and typically is, viewed as quite unusual in another.
5. One could use a number of approaches to explain this act of deviance, and the various responses to it. One could use the conflict theory, and argue that there is a whole subculture of people, who wear kilts because they are comfortable, and are struggling with the mainstream society for acceptance. To put it out there, here is Utilikilts mission statement, as seen on their website: www.utilikilts.com.
Mission Statement:
We are committed to pioneering a comfortable alternative to trousers by producing "Men's Unbifurcated Garments" (MUG's). Our patented utility design reflects the company's high standards and integrity. Utilikilts seeks to set a global example, defining "business with a conscience" and channeling company gains and resources back into the community.
1. The UK company does not accept preconceived limitations as our own.
2. Utilikilts Co. will only be publicly represented by actual and proven Utilikiltarians.
3. The management of the company will not exploit cultures, peoples or environments to achieve capital gains.
4. The company will only grow, act, and react at the speed our customer base demands.
5. "Form Follows Function" is our modus operandi.
We welcome the ideas, resources and opinions of our customers and other like-minded business owners.
Or perhaps this quote from Freedom Kilts (www.freedomkilts.com): “CRY FREEDOM! and let slip the legs of woe.”
The fact that I can name off half a dozen kilt makers, or suppliers shows that there is indeed a market for the garment. The market would not exist without people willing to support it. It is just that we are all spread out and relatively small in number where we are found. Thanks to this exercise, I think I am going to start wearing my kilts more often, just because I can. Perhaps more people will become interested, and I can point them to a few places for information, and products.
One could also theoretically take a symbolic interactionist approach. Most of the people who had positive things to say, gave cause for conversation. Interest alone is enough to start getting people to accept something. A couple of the people I chatted to about kilts and what not were also of Scottish decent. I am sure it’s a safe guess, that if someone is of Scottish decent (ok, marked Scottish decent), and they see a kilt, they’d likely say something, which would spur a conversation. You know made a connection to someone who shares a similar heritage. If it is one thing that people like to do, it’s congregate with “their own kind.” Which lends itself to the “salad dressing” theory of sociology; there is a number of small cultural pockets, coated with the American culture. One would imagine that is how you get Chinatown, or Little Tokyo, Little Italy, Little Edinburgh etc.