In Irish clans, black watch is the tartan of Irish folk of no particular known clan group, and it is regarded with suspicion.

Shall we ban that?

There’s a subtle language of scarf arrangement – shall we ban that – which allows for rapid visual communication by those in the know. Like the time Ricky S. accepted an Al-Queda scarf by accident – he wasn’t aware of the patterns.

Perhaps knowledge of cultural traditions like these might help.

In the mean time. In my old area, it was common for new immigrants or people on the Foreign Worker Program to wear poppies every day, and one I incorporated, and a practice that I think should be spread around — they wore their poppies to proclaim their gratitude to be in Canada, in support of the veterans who made it possible for them to become Canadians.