Skirt Cafe is an on-line community dedicated to exploring, promoting and advocating skirts and kilts as a fashion choice for men, formerly known as men in skirts. We do this in the context of men's fashion freedom --- an expansion of choices beyond those commonly available for men to include kilts, skirts and other garments. We recognize a diversity of styles our members feel comfortable wearing, and do not exclude any potential choices. Continuing dialog on gender is encouraged in the context of fashion freedom for men. See here for more details.
moonshadow wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 3:46 pm
BTW Carl, this site could be considered "social media" and you now can't be banned for sharing your thoughts...
So sayeth Donald Trump!
This week. Next week he'll be saying something else that suits him better in the moment. That's one of the things that make predicting what he'll do almost impossible -- he's a wildcard with no controls, internal or external. He does anything that'll benefit him.
But, hey, if Elon Musk can deliver a good old-fashioned NAZI salute in public and not pay a price then I guess anything goes. Welcome to the Brave New World.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
This whole thing kind of reminds me of a scene in Gangs of New York, where a home was burning down, and while the two competing fire departments were fighting over whose jurisdiction it was. The house burned while it was being looted right before everyone's eyes.. then they looted the neighbors house too!
At the very end, the looters had to pay a bit of the booty to the law enforcement, and of course "the Butcher" got his piece.
I realize now that that is "America" in a nutshell.
moonshadow wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 4:25 pm
This whole thing kind of reminds me of a scene in Gangs of New York, where a home was burning down, and while the two competing fire departments were fighting over whose jurisdiction it was. The house burned while it was being looted right before everyone's eyes.. then they looted the neighbors house too!
At the very end, the looters had to pay a bit of the booty to the law enforcement, and of course "the Butcher" got his piece.
I realize now that that is "America" in a nutshell.
I remember that scene. Hope you'll be home on time tonight. Maybe we can watch a movie and have a nice dinner?
"A woman who walks with God will always reach her destination."
moonshadow wrote:
> The nailpolish thread is getting in the weeds and too far off course, so I
> figured I'd start one to continue my thoughts:
>
> Realistically, I'm not worried much about my own personal situation with
> regards to society and how I dress. Sure, it's jarring to most people, but
> the reality is, it's really nobody's business, and they know that, so they
> pretty much leave me alone. It won't score me a bunch of friends, but
> that's okay by me anyway.
>
> Since I don't openly identify as trans, or even nonbinary, don't play
> sports, not on any hormones, I use men's facilities, and answer to
> masculine pronouns, I don't think this swing to the hard right will come
> after the feminine clothes I wear. I only expect a slight uptick in
> "that tha-f*ck"s and probably more obnoxious laughter behind my
> back... much like I had back home on the east coast, nothing new under the
> sun here.
>
> In many ways I'm okay with this. The obnoxious bigotry seems to be a
> catalyst to push me harder to protect my freedom. There are more
> "LGBTQ" friendly establishments in this area (PNW), but honestly,
> when I visit one, there always seems to be something "off" about
> them. It's very odd to me that I seem to have a warmer welcome in what we
> might consider "conservative" establishments, and Lord knows they
> are more affordable. Maybe they were more welcoming because they felt
> they'd be "canceled" otherwise. I figure as society comes to
> accept bigotry, greed, and general meanness as virtuous, we will see if
> these more "conservative" establishment and people continue to
> show kindness. Time will tell.
>
> It's fair to say, that in my travels if there's one thing I have come to
> realize is that in this ever increasing tribal society, I find myself
> without a tribe, a complete independent, a true maverick. The LGBTQ tribe,
> the Pagan stuff, it all had its place in my history, but I find that in
> these areas I still was basically a square peg in a round hole, and I think
> they knew it (that I didn't belong), it would explain the somewhat dry
> vibes I would get from many in the groups over the years. I was always
> treated politely, but never really part of the clique.
>
> And it is a clique, that's what the world is, a big group of warring
> cliques, and I don't seem to fit into any of them.
>
> So as for the times ahead, I intend to continue on as I've been doing for
> the last decade, that is, enjoying exploring my non-conformist style,
> exploring my soul, tuning out the haters, treating people as I'd want to be
> treated, and I think... the world will likely leave me alone to be myself
> provided I stay out of everyone's way and mind my own business.
>
> My only concerns are frankly outside of the purview of this website, that
> being I am a little concerned about hyper inflation in a situation where
> I'm already somewhat strained as it is, I'm a little concerned about a hard
> economical crash, and I'm a little bothered by the current administration
> kicking blue states in the proverbial balls, threatening to cut off all
> Federal funding if states like Washington don't lock-step with the current
> regime, all the while, the Federal government helps itself to 22 cents of
> every dollar I earn now. It's going to piss me off if some wild fire wipes
> the town I live in off the map, everything I own going up in flames, while
> he tells Washington to kick rocks, while taking my money and sending it to
> Florida because it's a red state. I can certainly see it.
>
> But... aside from that, I don't think they'll come after my skirts.
Sounds like you've got a pretty solid sense of self and aren't worried about fitting into any one group, which is pretty awesome. People will always have their opinions, but at the end of the day, you seem pretty clear on living life the way you want to. As for the broader worries, it’s definitely a chaotic time, but staying true to yourself and tuning out the noise seems like the best way to go.
Fifix11 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 24, 2025 5:27 pm
Sounds like you've got a pretty solid sense of self and aren't worried about fitting into any one group, which is pretty awesome. People will always have their opinions, but at the end of the day, you seem pretty clear on living life the way you want to. As for the broader worries, it’s definitely a chaotic time, but staying true to yourself and tuning out the noise seems like the best way to go.
Thanks fifix, and +1 for bringing this thread back home again, it seemed to go a little sideways.
Side note, my wife and I just watched "Wicked" for the first time, (we missed it in the theaters).
I can say that it's quite a story, a little song heavy for my liking, and the first half doesn't really seem to go anywhere, but the final half definitely is worthwhile.
Suffice to say, the plot had me thinking hard about the current situation in our world, and I'm sure the writers of the movie knew full well what they were doing when they wrote the script.
Anyway...
Be the Witch.
heh.... the "Wicked Witch of the West"... How appropriate!
moonshadow wrote: ↑Sat Jan 25, 2025 6:43 amI can say that it's quite a story, a little song heavy for my liking, and the first half doesn't really seem to go anywhere, but the final half definitely is worthwhile.
I don't know why you were surprised by it being "song heavy" because in its original incarnation on the stage it was a musical -- with a darned good soundtrack, too.
heh.... the "Wicked Witch of the West"... How appropriate!
Nah. To organised. I tend to think of the current Supreme Leader in terms of D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) "alignment" which amounts to a "Chaotic Neutral". All he's looking after is himself -- country and populace be damned -- and that's how it manifests as he wobbles back and forth between things he's doing. There are some that are "Lawful Evil" behind him -- and those are the inherently dangerous ones because they're willing to endure a bit of pain to get what they truly want. Those are the ones we need to be watching.
Retrocomputing -- It's not just a job, it's an adventure!
heh.... the "Wicked Witch of the West"... How appropriate!
Nah. To organised. I tend to think of the current Supreme Leader in terms of D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) "alignment" which amounts to a "Chaotic Neutral". All he's looking after is himself -- country and populace be damned -- and that's how it manifests as he wobbles back and forth between things he's doing. There are some that are "Lawful Evil" behind him -- and those are the inherently dangerous ones because they're willing to endure a bit of pain to get what they truly want. Those are the ones we need to be watching.
No.... you need to watch the movie Carl....
I am the Wicked Witch of the West...
Trump is the Wizard.
Im thinking the Witch of the East might be Musk.
The Animals are any one of the groups being oppressed and silenced right now.
The Goat is the teacher teaching actual history (not the version where Oz was always perfect)
Believe me, it's a movie based on current events.
I also noticed it seemed to be peppered with a little Orwell (1984) too. Not sure if that was intentional or not.
heh.... the "Wicked Witch of the West"... How appropriate!
Nah. To organised. I tend to think of the current Supreme Leader in terms of D&D (Dungeons and Dragons) "alignment" which amounts to a "Chaotic Neutral". All he's looking after is himself -- country and populace be damned -- and that's how it manifests as he wobbles back and forth between things he's doing. There are some that are "Lawful Evil" behind him -- and those are the inherently dangerous ones because they're willing to endure a bit of pain to get what they truly want. Those are the ones we need to be watching.
No.... you need to watch the movie Carl....
I am the Wicked Witch of the West...
Trump is the Wizard.
Im thinking the Witch of the East might be Musk.
The Animals are any one of the groups being oppressed and silenced right now.
The Goat is the teacher teaching actual history (not the version where Oz was always perfect)
Believe me, it's a movie based on current events.
I also noticed it seemed to be peppered with a little Orwell (1984) too. Not sure if that was intentional or not.
I'm eager to see what the second half brings.
Second half comes out in November but I'd probably watch it in the theater.
Last edited by Elisabetta on Sat Jan 25, 2025 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"A woman who walks with God will always reach her destination."
Mouse wrote: ↑Sun Jan 19, 2025 3:57 pm
A previous similar government opened the flood gates around year 2000 and we now have many towns full of people who have very different morals about how you treat women from the rest of us.
Immigration into the UK in itself is not a new thing. As just a few examples, we had the Windrush generation, other immigration at various times through links to the British Empire (most recently by Hong Kongers through the BN(O) scheme) as well as responses to various wars, disasters and political instability (Vietnamese boat people being just one example). Such immigration has occurred under the watch of parties of both the left and right. The difference with the more recent immigration is that it is at volume and is driven by greedy and immoral people smugglers (making the problem more similar to that experienced on the US Southern border). This became a big issue during a period when the UK was controlled by a party of the right (though the new government has similarly been unable to stem the flow). Just as Democrats in the US are accused of being pro immigration in the expectation that they will get most of the future votes from such people, I think that it is similarly absurd to accuse Labour of the same.
Mouse, maybe I'm reading things incorrectly here - but I get the impression that the term "how you treat women from the rest of us" is a thinly-veiled (see what I did there) reference to Muslims. My experience (with somewhat of a bias to my time in the US) is that religious institutions generally (but not all of the flock within) have practices, expectations and rules / norms that apply only to women. I have experienced Hasidic / ultra-orthodox Jews complaining about seating arrangements on a plane. I am aware that orthodox Jewish women are expected to wear a wig or veil to cover their hair once married. I am aware of the many rules applying to Mormon women (see also the "trad wife" movement). Some Christian groups very much see the wife of the house as being subservient to the male and expect them to fulfill specific roles and to abstain from certain practices (see Pete Hegseth for one example).
FranTastic444 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 26, 2025 4:52 pm
Immigration into the UK in itself is not a new thing. As just a few examples, we had the Windrush generation, other immigration at various times through links to the British Empire (most recently by Hong Kongers through the BN(O) scheme) as well as responses to various wars, disasters and political instability (Vietnamese boat people being just one example). Such immigration has occurred under the watch of parties of both the left and right.
If you look at net migration from 1964 to 2024 https://www.statista.com/statistics/283 ... om-y-on-y/ you will see that it bumped along between -85K and +77K until 1997 when it was +48K. The year after it was +148K and it has been rising ever since. The UK is a great melting pot and we have an absorbed many different sets of people from around the world which have added to our shared culture. However, we are a small island and can only absorb so many at a time.
FranTastic444 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 26, 2025 4:52 pm
The difference with the more recent immigration is that it is at volume and is driven by greedy and immoral people smugglers (making the problem more similar to that experienced on the US Southern border). This became a big issue during a period when the UK was controlled by a party of the right (though the new government has similarly been unable to stem the flow). Just as Democrats in the US are accused of being pro immigration in the expectation that they will get most of the future votes from such people, I think that it is similarly absurd to accuse Labour of the same.
The reason given at the time was requirements for health workers. Note, we are talking about legal migration here, as opposed to illegal which is the boats and the people breaking in to cross channel lorries which is quite separate, but still a problem.
FranTastic444 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 26, 2025 4:52 pm
Mouse, maybe I'm reading things incorrectly here - but I get the impression that the term "how you treat women from the rest of us" is a thinly-veiled (see what I did there) reference to Muslims. My experience (with somewhat of a bias to my time in the US) is that religious institutions generally (but not all of the flock within) have practices, expectations and rules / norms that apply only to women. I have experienced Hasidic / ultra-orthodox Jews complaining about seating arrangements on a plane. I am aware that orthodox Jewish women are expected to wear a wig or veil to cover their hair once married. I am aware of the many rules applying to Mormon women (see also the "trad wife" movement). Some Christian groups very much see the wife of the house as being subservient to the male and expect them to fulfill specific roles and to abstain from certain practices (see Pete Hegseth for one example).
You are very correct about many religions and cultures treating females poorly. In recent years we have had grooming gangs and FGM blighting young girls lives here in the UK. Many religions limit women. I grew up in one where women could not speak in church and they had to wear hats. There are many with far more stringent dress codes for the women and you see the results on the street. I have some high Jewish clients, so I know about the wigs and other restrictions. I also have clients from many different cultures, so I get to know how they live from the inside.
The multicultural aspect of the UK, and the equality laws enacted, have brought benefits for MIS as the public space now is totally free, for anyone to wear whatever they like. I had a chat about my skirting with one of my clients, who thought people like me were great, since it gave him space to wear his own religious/culture clothes on the street.
Not wishing to argue a point but in the UK since 1960 per capita:
- Gross domestic product has risen steeply
- Labour force participation has been constant
- Alcohol consumption has declined
- Infant mortality and sharply declined
- Hunger among children has sharply risen
- Severe wasting (starvation) among children has sharply risen
- Life expectancy has slightly risen
- Population has steadily risen
- Fertility has steeply declined
- People have continued to leave rural areas and live in urban areas
- personal wealth peaked in 2000 and has declined ever since
- Carbon dioxide emissions have steeply declined
- Energy generation and usage has declined
- oil reserves 47 years, no significant oil reserve finds since 2012
My view of these stats is we are working more for less. Our children don't die during infancy but they are then starving. We live slightly longer but our retirement is short lived. Our country in in decline.
C02 emissions have declined by 75% but not enough we are told. I might be wrong but low oil reserves might be a part of the push to reduce greenhouse gases.
