Laughed at ...

[Disaffected.citizen]

Was she shouting at me? Who knows? 50/50. Could have just as easily be something else. But tomorrow, I'll still wear what I want. Nobody likes having an obscenity shouted at them, but... rednecks will be rednecks... And you know who's more obnoxious than a redneck man? A redneck woman!

I think we've all come to expect you not to be ruffled by such outbursts and to carry on regardless; bravo!

It occurs to me that the term "redneck" gets used quite a lot, yet if you look at who make the comments, they likely only partly fit our definition; and I suspect some don't fit it at all.

[moonshadow]

I think we've all come to expect you not to be ruffled by such outbursts and to carry on regardless; bravo!

It occurs to me that the term "redneck" gets used quite a lot, yet if you look at who make the comments, they likely only partly fit our definition; and I suspect some don't fit it at all.

Indeed, yet I'll recall my "50/50" odds, I'd say the remark stood about a 20% chance at being directed towards me on further consideration. It was after all clearly from across the parking lot. The parking lot was FULL of cars, the sound of her voice was at least a hundred feet away.

Even obnoxious redneck women typically don't shout such obscenities across a crowded parking lot seeing as how statistically there are a number of people she may offend between her and myself, not the least of which are the religious types who don't care for such language. The odds are likely any number of people in the lot would tell her to cool it regardless of how they feel about what I'm wearing.

It's much more likely she was yelling at someone in her own company who likely pissed her off, or perhaps played a prank on her and she shouted the obscenity.

I've been known to drop and F bomb or two in public when I get riled up really good myself.

[Pdxfashionpioneer]

Al thank you for sharing the information on the Native Americans' Two Spirit tradition it was really interesting and makes me interested in diving deeper into your source.

Thank you.

[Disaffected.citizen]

Al thank you for sharing the information on the Native Americans' Two Spirit tradition it was really interesting and makes me interested in diving deeper into your source.

Thank you.

Thanks go to BorderXing for finding the article, and to Uncle All for taking the time to copy/paste/format the article into a post.

[skirtingseattle]

My wife and I were on a day trip to Cambridge yesterday, and she made a comment that she has made many times before, "I wish I had a video camera and following behind you so you could see how many heads you turn." It annoys her sometimes that I get so much attention. However, at a crafts fair near St. John's College, she heard a woman say, "You don't see too many guys in skirts these days." I was wearing a camouflage kilt with a forest design and not a skirt, so it would have been easy for her to conclude that it was a skirt and not a (tartan) kilt. Most chuckles and laughs indicate a nervous reaction on that person's side as they experience that momentary cognitive dissonance.

Later, in front of King's College waiting for the free 2-hour city tour, a very drunk 60+ year old man (who was probably homeless) interrupted our conversation with the tour leader and said, "Where I come from they would kick your head in." When I asked him what country he was from, he declined to state, and moved away in his drunken stupor. Half an hour later we saw him sitting down in an alleyway shouting at passersby. I dismiss his comments as the ravings of a street drunk with a serious addiction problem (I would not count this as a negative interaction with the public at large).

Chris

[Caultron]

My wife and I were on a day trip to Cambridge yesterday, and she made a comment that she has made many times before, "I wish I had a video camera and following behind you so you could see how many heads you turn."

That would be interesting. I've always wondered what went on behind me.

You can get some of the same information with reflections from store windows, store mirrors, and backward glances. Sometimes I get glares and sometimes raised eyebrows and a tilt of the head. I just take credit for expanding their world view.

... she heard a woman say, "You don't see too many guys in skirts these days."

These days?

[Gordon]

Personally I have never had anyone laugh at me that I know of. Nor have I had any disparaging remarks within earshot. Am I just lucky? Live in a more accepting area? Perhaps a little of both. Now I have gotten some stares and double takes. And I'm sure more goes on behind my back than what I notice. But I don't care. I'm dressing how I want to dress. I'm sure that in my minds eye I look way better than what other people see. Like Moon, I believe that I am a person, a soul, who has two genders mixed in. I really enjoy dressing how I dress and more importantly how I feel when I dress that way. I have always had a streak of femininity in my personality and what I like and don't like.

[moonshadow]

(I would not count this as a negative interaction with the public at large)

I wouldn't either. Intoxicated people never count. You could have been dressed normally and he could have just as easily made the remark. However they are the ones you have to be the most careful around as they have lost their sense of judgement and boundaries. They may be quick to actually pick a fight, or worse, grope you.

These days?

Maybe she recalls one of her former lives back in the day when men wore unbifurcated garments? The remark makes me think she's intelligent and realizes that trousers are a relatively "new" thing in the grand scheme of human history.

Funny story, slightly on topic, but slightly off...

Was taking a small walk today along a mountain ridge which is along the Appalachian Trail. I was wearing one of my normal weekend skirted outfits, and the desire overtook me to walk slowly and have a "talk" with my spirit guide. Since I was alone I decided to have this talk out loud.

So I'm walking along, shuffling my feet carelessly talking to the sky, trees, rocks, etc and working on life's little problems when suddenly I heard the sound of foot steps and leaves rustling rather quickly. My adrenaline shot up in the "red" as I twirled around thinking it was a bear or bob cat chasing me down, I blurted out "J_____ C____!!!!" Saw it was a hiker, sort halfway chuckled as my heart raced "you scared the HELL out of me!"

He just grinned an apologized. I held my chest and told him not to sweat it. I explained I thought he was a bear and laughed a little. I let him pass, and all I can hear is my ear is thump thump thump thump thump thump about three heart beats per minute!

Wonder how he felt about a man shuffling along in the mountains talking to himself in dressed "like a woman"? I'm sure he thought to himself... "now there's a fella who's cheese slid off his cracker!"

Whatever the case, he took it well and didn't razz me about it at all! A very nice gentleman indeed!

[Kirbstone]

Three heart beats a second, Moon. That's 180 per minute, severe work-out rate or flight-or-fight adrenaline-driven rate.

Three beats per minute and you're DEAD !

Tom

[moonshadow]

flight-or-fight adrenaline-driven rate.

Nailed it! Nothing like that split second notion that you'll turn around to find a bear chasing you to get the ole heart rate up!

[moonshadow]

However, this:

In Native American cultures, people were valued for their contributions to the tribe, rather than for masculinity or femininity.

Wouldn't the world of today be a better place if the inhabitants thereof took this notion to heart?

Yes. Without a doubt!

Imagine a world where people allowed others to live freely as the people nature intended them to be..without harm..without persecution..without shame. Imagine a world where we are truly free.

Didn't John Lennon pen something along those lines a few years ago?

I'm actually being serious here instead of the usual sarcastic bastard that I am. These are supposedly universal ideals. What happened to change that? How can we get things back on the rails?

...do you really want to get me stirred up on that again Carl? It's a thread locking derailment waiting to happen!

Well all know how, why, and what needs to be done to correct it!

In a phrase, live and let live... of course we all know how that would go down...

[crfriend]

Well all know how, why, and what needs to be done to correct it!

Bill Staines' wonderful piece Bridges touches both my heart and my engineering-focussed mind in this regard. Not only is it a wonderful piece of music, but the words speak volumes to those who might listen.

Sometimes moments of random beauty...

[moonshadow]

Indeed, a good song and thanks for sharing it.

"Building bridges"... that's what we're all doing here whether we realize it or not!

[Reaper_Man]

Later, in front of King's College waiting for the free 2-hour city tour, a very drunk 60+ year old man (who was probably homeless) interrupted our conversation with the tour leader and said, "Where I come from they would kick your head in."

About 6 months ago i saw a homeless drunk walking along my street, he was mumbling to himself about being moved on by the police (from wherever he had came from) because a tv crew were filming in the area ... he was drinking from a bottle of rum, his shoes were next to unwearable and he had on a scruffy jumper and was also wearing a well worn and dirty kilt

[Uncle Al]

Yes, a big thank you to BorderXing for the link.
Once I read the article, I felt it needed to be shared
with the Cafe' members.

What intrigued me the most is that the Native Americans had
these ideas BEFORE European Settlers came to America. They
brought with them the 'PURITANICAL BELIEFS' that are
now considered being 'Normal(what ever that is) Western
Civilization'.

I fully agree that the world would be a better place if these
"concepts" were in common practice instead of the disdane
for the 'out of the box' thinkers of today. Could it be the
prejudiced media is a guiding factor in this

Oh - - that last comment could really open up a canbarrel of worms

Uncle Al