The Supply Chain of Kilts

During the course of the outgoing week, one of the major headlines in the United Kingdom was the beating of an English fan by some Scottish thug. His offence was showing his support for his team by donning the strip and flying the St.George flag on his car. While, it's no secret that there is no love lost between the Scots and their cousins further south, such acts of 'racism' have been condemned in many quarters, not least on the floor of the UK parliament by Tony Blair. Could this incident be linked to Scotland's First Minister? In the light of Scotland's absence from the World Cup, the First Minister, Jack McConnell declared his support for England's opponents.
Before you begin to ask how this links up with Kilts, I'll take you there in a minute. I used the one hour break during yesterday's summer school schedule to attend to some business on Union Street, Aberdeen's main high street. On my way back to the Uni, I noticed this guy wearing an England top over the Scot's traditional dress- the kilt. He drew a lot of looks, mine and others. But on asking him what he was up to, he revealed his part in a Sunday Times opinion gauge in the light of earlier developments in the week. "Most people" he said " would just look, smile and walk on, or just make a joke, but nothing nasty had been said or done to me" A brave man I think he is. I told him about my desire to wear my Nigeria Strip on a kilt as well. But while these events are on this side of the world the relevance shouldn't be lost on the Motherland. My mind also goes back to the issues of race and tribalism in Africa. The truth is that, all of us irrespective of our 'exposure', sophistication, education or a lack of it, still live in a society where thse issues of racism are our daily fodder. ( U remeber the movie-Crash? I saw it yesterday) We might not beat anyone up with our fists, but we do so with our mouths and minds and by our actions and inactions.
There is a benefit, and I dare say a blessing in us being different - lets not just go past each other with our deep rooted biases, but seek to engage on a deeper level and who know what we might find that could inspire, benefit and challenge us to new things.
My simple encounter with that guy somehow led to the choice of the kilt as the product that my team is working on for the coursework element of a Summer School module. Written and oral presentation are lined up for the coming week and the task is to find out the intricacies of the Supply Chain ,and how to optimize it.
I look forward to lessons to come forth. I will share in the knowledge. In the time being, I'd beta head off and catch up with my readings and research.