Here is a link to a blog in the NY Times,
http://modan.blogs.nytimes.com/
with a cartoon about a 5-year-old boy who wants to wear a skirt. Some of the comments (about a hundred) are interesting too,
http://modan.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/ ... /#comments
Cartoon, Queen of the Scottish Fairies
Cartoon, Queen of the Scottish Fairies
--G. Shubert
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ChristopherJ
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crfriend
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Re: Cartoon, Queen of the Scottish Fairies
The 'toon is, indeed, very poignant, and points up several things that figure into pre-adolescence.gshubert wrote:http://modan.blogs.nytimes.com/
It was the comments that made me want to cry -- the overwhelming bulk of them linked the simple desire -- of a toddler -- to experiment with something "out of the ordinary" with elements that are completely disconnected with the experimentation in question. Since when does a desire to experiment with things at age 4 set the stage for much of anything once one comes of age other than remaining curious about the world around one in maturity?
Curiosity is essential to the human experience: without it, we cease to be human -- and, here we have a cartoon that shows a young lad being curious and we have the supposedly erudite readers of The New York Times spouting off that the cartoon lad is headed off to become transgendered, homosexual, or a crossdresser! Without curiosity we'd still be living in caves; even if we somehow managed to evolve beyond that, we'd be nowhere near where we are now. Without curiosity, I'd rather be dead.
All in all, if the comments represent what's supposed to be the "upper end" of US newspaper readership (itself a rather rarefied breed; altogether too many get their "news" from Fox TV), then I find it cause for supreme disappointment. The "best and the brightest" have let the human race down. In spades.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
I read it a few weeks ago; but now that "Times Select" has gone the way of Netscape Navigator, we can all read it! Yea!
I thought it was cute, but did not really go very deeply into many issues. The main thrust seemed to be "if girls can wear pants, then why can't boys wear skirts" and "why can't parents be more open-minded." That's nice as far as it goes, but does nothing to address the feelings of parents who might be uncomfortable with the idea.
Moreover, I thought the idea that wearing kilt with wings made him "Queen of the Scottish Fairies" was at least moderately disturbing. Since when were kilt-wearing men (or boys) called "Queen"? Also, this article does nothing to address how this kid will navigate his future, in the event that he continues to want to wear skirts.
Really, we've gone way beyond this simplistic approach at SkirtCafe. I'd like to see a way we can educate the world about what we've figured out!
Please, post comments on the NYTimes web site!
I thought it was cute, but did not really go very deeply into many issues. The main thrust seemed to be "if girls can wear pants, then why can't boys wear skirts" and "why can't parents be more open-minded." That's nice as far as it goes, but does nothing to address the feelings of parents who might be uncomfortable with the idea.
Moreover, I thought the idea that wearing kilt with wings made him "Queen of the Scottish Fairies" was at least moderately disturbing. Since when were kilt-wearing men (or boys) called "Queen"? Also, this article does nothing to address how this kid will navigate his future, in the event that he continues to want to wear skirts.
Really, we've gone way beyond this simplistic approach at SkirtCafe. I'd like to see a way we can educate the world about what we've figured out!
Please, post comments on the NYTimes web site!
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crfriend
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Well, the 'toon was about a toddler, and young children are blissfully innocent of matters sexual (or at least they ought to be); everything's fair game. So, viewed through a child's eye, everything in the cartoon was as right as rain -- it's the adults that start reading things into the notion, and use our adult overlays to read context into a situation that a child is completely unaware of. It's actually rather insidious, and may be one of the reasons that men grow up so repressed.[...]I thought the idea that wearing kilt with wings made him "Queen of the Scottish Fairies" was at least moderately disturbing. Since when were kilt-wearing men (or boys) called "Queen"? Also, this article does nothing to address how this kid will navigate his future, in the event that he continues to want to wear skirts.
Well, the best way forward might just to be, "Put it on!" Stand up, stand out, and be proud -- be yourself. And if, heaven forbid, anybody asks you why, just tell 'em; give them your reason, because your reason is just as valid as the next guy's.Really, we've gone way beyond this simplistic approach at SkirtCafe. I'd like to see a way we can educate the world about what we've figured out!
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
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SkirtDude
Yes, I thought the cartoon was very well considered. The young lad clearly didn't mind expressing himself as female, hence the Scottish Fairies conclusion; we may find this disturbing if we at first associate with him and then feel let down that the association ends with a female role. But remember the kid is being himself; he has no obligation towards us.
And the point of the strip is actually well made, as lots of men here started with an overly-feminine approach which caused them a lot of schism within society, and later in life toned this down to wearing kilts, at which time they were more or less accepted, especially by themselves. So the strip hits home in a number of ways, despite being limited to half a dozen panels. Pretty clever!
And the point of the strip is actually well made, as lots of men here started with an overly-feminine approach which caused them a lot of schism within society, and later in life toned this down to wearing kilts, at which time they were more or less accepted, especially by themselves. So the strip hits home in a number of ways, despite being limited to half a dozen panels. Pretty clever!
The only thing man cannot endure is meaninglessness.
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BrotherTailor
chuckle, chuckle... 
It is one of the curiosities of western society that a boy in a kilt is normal whilst a lad in a obviously feminine garment is not normal (and I mean by that as being "perceived as" normal or otherwise)
The local small town papers lately are filled with pictures of local parades, military events, and so on, and there have been a dozen full page colour photos of pipe and drum bands, ranks of men in kilts and full Scottish regalia playing their pipes/drums, etc. This is a Scottish area settled by primarily Presbyterians. This is all normal and something people even pay to go to see! Yet you never see these same men wearing their kilt at any other time. Depressing.
The last time I saw a man dressed in kilt and jacket was at a sheepdog trial in August, he was browsing through an exhibitor's tent, and was wearing a largely green/blue/black tartan and the requisite jacket, hose, flashes, shoes, hat etc.
There seems to be a collective fear of being "outside the pack", marginalised by our peers, and left to the mercy of wolves that prey on the loners... I think the wolves mostly exist in our own imagination...
It is one of the curiosities of western society that a boy in a kilt is normal whilst a lad in a obviously feminine garment is not normal (and I mean by that as being "perceived as" normal or otherwise)
The local small town papers lately are filled with pictures of local parades, military events, and so on, and there have been a dozen full page colour photos of pipe and drum bands, ranks of men in kilts and full Scottish regalia playing their pipes/drums, etc. This is a Scottish area settled by primarily Presbyterians. This is all normal and something people even pay to go to see! Yet you never see these same men wearing their kilt at any other time. Depressing.
The last time I saw a man dressed in kilt and jacket was at a sheepdog trial in August, he was browsing through an exhibitor's tent, and was wearing a largely green/blue/black tartan and the requisite jacket, hose, flashes, shoes, hat etc.
There seems to be a collective fear of being "outside the pack", marginalised by our peers, and left to the mercy of wolves that prey on the loners... I think the wolves mostly exist in our own imagination...
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Skirt Chaser
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Oh what a sweet story and cute kid. Max is not only a champion of wearing what you like but also the pants and skirt together look. In the context of the kid naming himself Queen the title makes perfect sense. The strip is translated so we can't even be sure the original used a gender specific word. Kings don't wear skirts as far as he knows so the kilt still gives him a girl costume. Maybe he likes pretending he is a girl or maybe he just doesn't yet know boys can get to wear great costumes too. I pretended to be animals as a kid and thankfully my family never worried I thought I was an elephant or cheetah.
The only complaint I'd have is that siblings shouldn't get veto power over what the family is wearing as long as the parents judge the clothes okay. I'd have just given the sister the choice to join them or not. It seems the column is a slice of life piece so it isn't about educating, just what happens in real life and pople can take away from that what they will.
What I thought was cool was the author Rutu Modan is willing to stand up and say this is how she is raising her son, if it is indeed autobiographical. It takes a strong person to be willing to risk public criticism for her parenting choices.
Quiet Mouse
In the context of the kid naming himself Queen the title makes perfect sense. The strip is translated so we can't even be sure the original used a gender specific word. Kings don't wear skirts as far as he knows so the kilt still gives him a girl costume. Maybe he likes pretending he is a girl or maybe he just doesn't yet know boys can get to wear great costumes too. I pretended to be animals as a kid and thankfully my family never worried I thought I was an elephant or cheetah. The only complaint I'd have is that siblings shouldn't get veto power over what the family is wearing as long as the parents judge the clothes okay. I'd have just given the sister the choice to join them or not. It seems the column is a slice of life piece so it isn't about educating, just what happens in real life and pople can take away from that what they will.
What I thought was cool was the author Rutu Modan is willing to stand up and say this is how she is raising her son, if it is indeed autobiographical. It takes a strong person to be willing to risk public criticism for her parenting choices.
Quiet Mouse