I was thinking about this after reading a new thread from a new person on here, he has lovely long blond hair and is cutting it off to make money for a charity.
I don't get it. I mean I understand that if you're going to get rid of your locks, it's good to help out a cause but how many men are forced into this by pressure at work from colleagues or from employers?
There used to be a really good pub in the town where I live and there were 2 barmen with long ponytails. The bar was taken over by new management and, all of a sudden, the 2 blokes were doing a 'sponsored haircut'. They raised £250 and it was reported in the local paper.
I was horrified. This was a pub me and my friends went to a lot (we're all long hairs) and the fact that there were blokes behind the bar with long hair made us more comfortable (and they werent bad looking but I digress lol 'eye candy' I believe you americans would say)
I never felt the same about the place as I thought they'd been pressurised (i.e. the hair or the job scenario) and we all stopped going there. In fact they lost a lot of business.
My bf (who has waist length hair) was once approached by a manager at his work to do the same thing. He said he'd have to ask me (I said no) but I wondered if I hadn't taken the 'blame' for not making money for charity, if I hadn't been 'selfish' if he would have caved in and done it?
An american friend of mine cut her hair short in a moment of madness over a year ago and gave it to locks of love (it was incredibly long). She was later told that they couldn't use it as it had been coloured/dyed. She never got her hair back and no-one knows what they did with it at all.
I think to be charitable is good but I also think it's open to abuse. I just wonder who benefits the most? The employer with an agenda? And using guilt when it comes to charity is a powerful thing.
Sorry. I'm rambling. What do you think?
Hi Asdis,
thanks for warning all of us about this abuse & guilt scheme for pressuring guys into haircuts, and cheers to you you for protecting your partner by saying "NO". I'm certain that £ 250.- could have been raised in other ways, by the way.
I'm not that knowledgeable about the UK, but is this guilt-trick currently rampant there? I remember other stories from the UK related eg by Luke Hairmonster (Luke, how are you doing?) This "charity scheme" is clearly a kind of manipulation that is selfish on the part of the employer, and I think it serves that new bar manager right that he has lost LOTS of business.
Too bad that this episode will obviously endanger the jobs of the two bar tenders who have carved in. NB: This shows how cutting your hair can actually DETERIORATE your employment prospects.
It's always good to be forewarned and forarmed about the "newest" manipulation schemes.
Stay strong, guys, and show those manipulators the correct finger!
All the best, and, thanks again, Asdis!
Hans-Uwe
I think this whole LoL thing is BS!!If you wanna donate...give them money!!!
Everyone is selfish.
So be it.
You're selfish. I'm selfish.
Don't buy the bullshit. Don't be naive. Don't be gullible.
Do what *YOU* think is right, because that is what matters.
JeffL
Charity Organization are the biggest bunch of gansters I've ever seen. The United Way for one. I hate these workplace donation schemes. Where I work even if you don't donate you have to fill out a form saying that you aren't donating.