On Being Scottish (or something like it) . . .

**Del Arroyo** · 10-17-2004, 17:32

Well written.

**frogbeastegg** · 10-17-2004, 18:41

Very nice.

The thing is some men do look good in kilts. Proper kilts with the matching clothes, I hasten to add, not those wannabe fashion versions worn with a t-shirt, jeans or anything else. It's only a very few who can pull it off, but those few who do look good. It's like Bond and his suit; not everyone can wear a suit like that.

:looks around at staring, horrified patrons: No I do not have a thing for Bond or kilts! I'm just very slightly vulnerable to smart yet dashing.

**Kaiser of Arabia** · 10-17-2004, 19:51

I'm part english (way back like they moved here in the late 1600s) so I'm kinda like the guys that uses extreme numbers to kill the kiltwearers lol j/k.

Men in Skirts = nighmares for a year.

**The Shadow One** · 10-17-2004, 20:30

PJ, DA, et al.: Again, very kind words, seriously. Otherwise, I'm just kind of musing to myself.

Lady Frog: I am trying but I just don't see it. Maybe it's because I've been to too many Scottish Wedding wanta-bees (the most recent featured a sword through the wedding cake -- the psychological impications of that little gesture could fill a years worth of musings) where the groom and all the males wear kilts. (Or, to put it another way, everyone in the wedding party is in a dress).

I have yet to see someone carry it off, smoothly and without me wanting to glance down and ask if all their regular clothes are at the cleaners. Maybe it's the plaid knee socks or that thing hanging down the front that looks like a dead animal, but it just doesn't work for me. However, I've never actually been to England or Scotland and so, you know, maybe there are men who make it work over there.

Capo: Well, I suppose you English did manage to kill quite a few Scots in your time, although my somewhat hazy recollection of history seems to recall the English army was never quite able to defeat Scotland in a war. The actual "domination" of Scotland occured when Elizabeth died and James, being a rational and well-adjusted male of the species, realized the most restricted part of London was a damn site more entertaining than all of Scotland and moved his capital there. Two generations later, Scotland is a subject to England and without the loss of a single skirt-wearing man.

Am I wrong? (Seriously, I could be.)

Anyway, thanks to all and I'll be back next Friday night. I'm not sure what the topic will be but I'm thinking sometime this month I need to do a little tribute the greatest holiday of the year. Maybe a frightening little story, a cross between Washinton Irving and Vladimir Nabokov.

The Shadow One

Keep your eyes on the ball and you'll never see your opponent take you out.

**Kaiser of Arabia** · 10-17-2004, 21:01

I ahve not the slightest clue. All I know is, we won the battle of Falkirk (we did, right???)

**LittleGrizzly** · 10-20-2004, 06:30

that was hysterical! good writing.

**Lemur** · 10-20-2004, 07:28

Originally Posted by The Shadow One

Am I wrong? (Seriously, I could be.)

Absolutely not. In terms of the transition from Elizabeth to James, and the moving of the capital, you're spot-on. In fact, James was considered so Scottish and so gay by his subjects that he was derisively referred to as a "Scottish Queen" while he was having the King James Bible created.

Funny bit of trivia, that.

**Spetulhu** · 10-20-2004, 13:40

I never cease being amazed at how people still refer to themself as Scottish or whatever nationality someone had when they moved to the New World. One would think all those people would mix up over time and become something new.

Well, perhaps not. I hear there's places like Boston and New York that are more Irish than Eire ever was.

Good story anyway, and too true. My brother, being a seaman, does run into odd notions about our people too. Seems Finnish sailors aren't allowed to take part in drinking games. Apparently we're all professional drunkards.

And people sometimes check extra carefully for knives, since all Finns carry one and use it for killing people when drunk.

**Mount Suribachi** · 10-20-2004, 15:07

Following on from Spetulhu, one of the things that really, really annoyed me about Americans when I lived there was they way they would claim to be "100% Irish" or "100% Scottish" because their great, great, great grandaddy was from there

They weren't Scottish or Irish or whatever, they were American!!!!!!!

So, TSO, I am glad you refuse to embrace your Scottish "heritage". And after all, whats so great about being Scottish?

you wanna know the reason why Scotland was never conquered by the English? (or the Romans for that matter) Its cos there was nothing of value there! Why fight a bunch of red haired skirt wearing barbarians for land of no real value?

Embracing your Scottish "ancestry" means that you have to hate the English for a bunch of real & imaginary grievances from about 800 years ago and go on and on and on and on and on about a couple of isolated military victories from equally long ago

*runs and hides from hordes of rampaging Scots after English blood - specifically my English blood*