new thread
Conclusion of an interesting paper
Full text at: http://www.choisser.com/longhair/rajsingh.html
"Those in power have required their man-servants to emasculate themselves through cranio-facial hair removal as a demonstration of their submissiveness. As this pseudo-feminine appearance has become more and more associated with respected and valued male participation in the national economy, the powered males have become motivated to emulate the very appearance of subservience from which members of their class had historically sought disassociation. As a result, we find ourselves in a society where men commonly, and unthinkingly, deny both their manhood and personal autonomy by daily face scraping and cranial hair mutilation. (A man's quasi-voluntary submission to social dictates cannot rationally be seen to vitiate the position that our society's male hair expectations are unacceptably oppressive.) Those few men remaining who have the wherewithal to present with uncompromised facial and cranial hair can be recognized as being relatively masterful of their own lives and valued as such, but only if they are able to otherwise indicate a high socio-economic status."
by Raj Singh, Valparaiso University
Copyright © 1997 by Raj Kumar Singh
In other words...
Throughout most of human history, those in power have forced those who are subservient to them (slaves, servants, peasants, etc.) to present an appearance that sets them apart from their rulers. For men, this has often meant short-cropped hair and clean-shaven faces, effecting a look that our brains are hard-wired to recognize as childish and/or feminine, and therefore easy to overpower and control. De-masculinized (i.e., subservient) males, being highly valued by the rich and powerful as important generators of wealth (i.e., cogs in the machine), over time, became the visual template by which men who prided themselves on their economic potency patterned themselves. It became fashionable to "look productive." Because the truly productive, working-class men had been relegated by their masters to wearing their hair short and shaving their faces, the fat cats and finger-waggers eventually adopted the look for themselves. The fact that the majority of men today voluntarily wear their hair short and shave their faces does not justify the oppression of--and discrimination faced by--men who wish to keep their facial hair and/or wear their cranial hair long. Indeed, studies of reactions to both "clean cut" and long-haired/bearded college professors indicate overwhelmingly that those of the "clean cut" variety tend to be regarded as less intelligent, less wise, and less knowledgable than their more hirsute colleagues. The relatively few men in today's society who have the confidence, courage, and integrity to wear their hair long and/or keep their facial hair are generally easy to recognize as men who are leaders rather than followers; men who would rather stand and fight than kneel and acquiesce; men who call no man 'master.' Worth noting, however, is that these qualities are far more apparent in the long-haired/bearded man who maintains and carries himself as a successful person (clean and well-maintained hair, body, and clothes; confident bearing; and a pleasant demeanor). Bottom line: if you are a man who wishes to appear as nature intended, to wear your hair long and/or keep a beard, then by all means, do so. Let the challenges of growing and maintaining your hair serve as a fount of self-confidence in your ability to persevere in even more important matters, to strive for and carve out your own destiny. Let this self-confidence spill over into every other aspect of your life. Do great things, and let your actions stand as proof of your quality as a man, as a member of the human race, and as a denizen of planet Earth.
Extremely well-said. Amen!