Imitation, sincerest form of flattery?

[Dall_Piobaire]

Here's something I have been wondering, more for our kindred over the pond, but experience counts so throw in!

Many, if not most, of us are of Celtic descent, not that that needs to matter, and see our love of all things Scottish, Irish and Welsh as celebrating, and enjoying our heritage, in all the various ways. This isn't about trad or contentious, I mean contmeporary!

What is the attitude towards our inclination from those who are natives, be they Irish, Scots, or Welsh? Are we seen as posers, Renn Faire escapees, nutters, or, is it seen a flattery and admiration for a people and land we have a deep connectin to, real or otherwise.

[Jock Scot]

Here's something I have been wondering, more for our kindred over the pond, but experience counts so throw in!

Many, if not most, of us are of Celtic descent, not that that needs to matter, and see our love of all things Scottish, Irish and Welsh as celebrating, and enjoying our heritage, in all the various ways. This isn't about trad or contentious, I mean contmeporary!

What is the attitude towards our inclination from those who are natives, be they Irish, Scots, or Welsh? Are we seen as posers, Renn Faire escapees, nutters, or, is it seen a flattery and admiration for a people and land we have a deep connectin to, real or otherwise.

I can only speak as a Scot. Baring in mind that most of us are getting on with our daily lives, I would say they(me certainly) hardly give our heritage, traditions and culture a thought.I do tend to have to think about it, when I am on this website though. Other than my own family's history, Scotland's past, just occasionally might cross my mind. It is usually when a earnest wide eyed visitor, often looking through rose tinted glasses, tries to tell me some cock and bull story about our history, that I do. In the past I used to let them go on and on and on with a fixed smile on my face and that would be that. I was wrong to do that! Nowadays I tell them, courteously, the truth, if I happen to know it. So in all honesty, I view the visitors as Americans, Canadians, Australians, or wherever, as just that; with an interest in my country.In truth, I regard anything other than "normal kilt attire" as theatrical nonsense.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

I think Jock has pretty much summed it up. To what he has said I would only add that I've never celebrated St. David's Day in Edinburgh, or St. Andrew's Day in Cardiff, or St. Perrin's Day in Dublin This entire "homogenized" Celtic culture thing is about as foreign to us as K'wanza, and seems to be something like peanut butter, that American product designed to satisfy a hunger, but annoyingly sticks to the roof of the mouth.

From our perspective the celebration of being "Celtic" would be on a par with celebrating being "European". No, I think we are bemused-- and sometimes annoyed to the point of anger-- when we see our traditions turned into some kind of "Celtic Peanut Butter". And it really does stick to the roof of our mouths.

The saving grace in all of this is that most North Americans want to get it right, and by-and-large they succeed in getting it right. The others, the "Celtic Peanut Butter Brigade" can usually be ignored, because we know they will be gone before long.

[Dall_Piobaire]

Right to the bottom line! Thanks for your opinion Jock!

I was interested in the heritage of both sides of my family. I was surrounded by it on both sides. My Grand father on my mom's side, and of course my aunt's and uncles on my dad's side.

Though my dad's side carries a ton of American history with it, it was always my mom's side that struck me really deeply. I wouldn't say I wear rose colored glasses, it is the uniqueness of the thing!

[skauwt]

i find it flattering that so many folk from other countries have such a fondness for my wee home country
i know alot of members on here have ancestors from the celtic lands but then so do i ..ive a fair few ancestors from Ireland ( and plenty from Scotland)but other than gathering data about them and when they lived ..there isn't much else i do about it ...traditional attire and there customs they had are a different world from me one of my great great great granddads might be from Ennis in southern Ireland but Ive never had the urge to "be Irish "( i just leave that to the misses) but then another my great great grandfathers came from thurso doesn't mean i embrace everything to do with the Gaels
with my view on the clothing aspects of the celtic side of things again i find it flattering that folk like all things celtic and like to dress in period clothes and so on but then i have no issue with that i find it humbling in some way that people from all over the world like to wear kilts at the end of the day folk can wear what they want,
id imagine some folk see my dress sense( my avatar image for example) as somewhat "theatrical to a extent" 30 -40 years the clothing i wear would be deemed as normal every day items now its 2009 they prob think I'm off to a 60s theme fancy dress these days

the old saying goes "wear what you want and be dammed what others think"

[Phogfan86]

Great. Now I'm hungry. Thanks a lot, MacMillan!

Thank you, gentlemen. I found that very helpful and, frankly, somewhat reassuring.

[Dall_Piobaire]

i find it flattering that so many folk from other countries have such a fondness for my wee home country
i know alot of members on here have ancestors from the celtic lands but then so do i ..ive a fair few ancestors from Ireland ( and plenty from Scotland)but other than gathering data about them and when they lived ..there isn't much else i do about it ...traditional attire and there customs they had are a different world from me one of my great great great granddads might be from Ennis in southern Ireland but Ive never had the urge to "be Irish "( i just leave that to the misses) but then another my great great grandfathers came from thurso doesn't mean i embrace everything to do with the Gaels
with my view on the clothing aspects of the celtic side of things again i find it flattering that folk like all things celtic and like to dress in period clothes and so on but then i have no issue with that i find it humbling in some way that people from all over the world like to wear kilts at the end of the day folk can wear what they want,
id imagine some folk see my dress sense( my avatar image for example) as somewhat "theatrical to a extent" 30 -40 years the clothing i wear would be deemed as normal every day items now its 2009 they prob think I'm off to a 60s theme fancy dress these days

the old saying goes "wear what you want and be dammed what others think"

I am a little older than you, but I will tell you this, some of that sixties stuff is making a comeback. Though, and interstingly related, the connotations of the clothing, very rebelious at the time, is lost. But then everything in some way means something different to everyone.

[ChubRock]

I live in an area of Minnesota that is primarily Norwegian, Swedish and German. But my neighborhood has a Scotish flair. The school near my house is called Scott Highlands and it is adjacent to McAndrews road. Strange, but some farmer of Scot descent must have lived there before it was developed.

As one American, in this great melting pot, I need some sense of culture to belong to. Other's cultures are constantly being force fed to us, thank goodness for the delicious foods :-) I find my heritage whether is is the Scottish side or the English side, is the only thing that keeps me from being homogeneous like white bread.

I do not pretend to know anything about my ancestor's culture other than what I have read or learned while visiting across the pond. This is a good thread, and I am glad to know that I don't have to pretend to be Canadian to be accepted.

Humbly,
Clifford

[Dall_Piobaire]

I live in an area of Minnesota that is primarily Norwegian, Swedish and German. But my neighborhood has a Scotish flair. The school near my house is called Scott Highlands and it is adjacent to McAndrews road. Strange, but some farmer of Scot descent must have lived there before it was developed.

As one American, in this great melting pot, I need some sense of culture to belong to. Other's cultures are constantly being force fed to us, thank goodness for the delicious foods :-) I find my heritage whether is is the Scottish side or the English side, is the only thing that keeps me from being homogeneous like white bread.

I do not pretend to know anything about my ancestor's culture other than what I have read or learned while visiting across the pond. This is a good thread, and I am glad to know that I don't have to pretend to be Canadian to be accepted.

Humbly,
Clifford

Great post Clifford, and well said.

Where you come from is part of who you are, no matter how far in the past.

[Standard]

I've often wondered this same point. Not wanting to offend, only wanting to honour my heritage (or in this case the part of it that is celtic) and at the same time not wanting to come off as a poser to those of the 'homeland'. It's nice to hear the opions of Jock Scot and MacMillan. I certainly, as I'm sure most all of us here at XMarks do, try to the best of my ability and knowledge to wear the kilt and associated kit in a "proper" manner. To me the kilt is certainly not a costume to be trotted out and paraded around, but rather a part (no matter how small) of who I am, and who I choose to be.

:ootd: