I posted on the buzz cut board. Here is what I said....
I'm a long haired guy from the long hair board. I come in peace!
I hope to come here and promote the acceptance of individual diversity within communities here on the web. I think we all should promote diversity and break down social barriers created by ignorance and stereotypes. WE've all heard the negative stuff said about us. Buzz cut guys hear "neo-Nazi", "McVeigh Wannabe", or "Skinhead". We longhairs hear "troublemaker", "hippie", "biker gang dude",and "criminal". None of those stereotypes is true of course.
In short, I have long hair and I love it. I've had long hair for 25 years and wouldn't even dream of cutting it. But that doesn't mean I don't like short hair, or buzz cuts, or shaved heads, or anything else (dyed green, orange, a mohawk, whatever). Michael Jordan looks great with a shaved head. A local TV news anchorman here has a fantastic haircut, great looking hair, and it's short.
To me, it should be the choice of the individual. It's your hair, do with it what you want. No one should tell or force anyone else to have their hair cut or styled a certain way.
Tolerance starts with the individual. That's you. That's me. That's each of us on your buzz cut board and our long hair board.
Wouldn't it be nice to have a society free of hate and prejudices for all of its citizens...where cultural diversity is respected, regardless of individual likes and dislikes? You and I can change the world. Of course it's not really THAT simple. But I have learned in my 39 years on this planet that getting to know the "other" can raise the quality of and enrich ones own life.
It is important to remind ourselves every now and then that every person has their own belief system, and the opinion of one is worth no more than the opinion of another.
This board is really no different than our board when you get right down to it. I find both boards informing and entertaining.
So I say...if you want it buzzed, go for it. If you want it to your knees, LET IT GROW, BABY!
I saw it there and I congratulate you. Well said! :-)
Thank you, Sir Ocelot!
you seem to have provoked a mostly civil thread at that board- i'm impressed. i confess that i'm a bit surprised you weren't ridiculed more. good for you AND them.
Well, there are a few who are being "militant" and expressing their views, but yeah...overall it's been okay.
Like I told them...they aren't wrong. But neither are we!
Rokker,
Thanks for your posts on the Buzz Board -- it was refreshing to see a post that was well-reasoned and polite. For the most part, it opened up a few lines of mostly civil discussion. Of course, there were a few negative comments, but they were surprisingly mild considering the posters.
I really hope you continue to visit the Buzz Board and share your comments there. Actually, not only you, but Revolver Ocelot (I hope I got the name right) and most of the others from this board who took the time to post politely there. Different points of view are generally refreshing and can often lead to a little enlightenment.
Well done, Rokker.
Andis
Thank you! I may stop in on occasion.
http://members2.boardhost.com/haircut_reserve/msg/2116.html
I guess some people still have their head up their asses.
This sort of post doesn't contribute anything of value to this board. I'd like for the badmouthing of folks on other message boards to stop.
Occasional discussions on how longhairs are treated elsewhere are on topic and encouraged, but let's be mature about it.
If there is an issue with people "stealing" pictures, take it privately, if possible with the offender first, the webmaster of the offending site second, the host of that site third. If none of these gets you satisfaction, feel free to contact me privately via email, and I will assist.
Hey guys,
I was in the U. S. Army and maintained a high and tight for most of my duration. These guys we see on the other site have me baffled. I no of no vet that has given me a hard time about my long hair. I just want to reiterate that no REAL Veteran should give you a hard time about your hair. So these guys that post on the short hair site calling themselves military while talking down the longhair I find utterly disgusting. Moral of the story is don't assume these short hair guys are REAL men. Yes in the military we have short hair and a job to do. But there are plenty of Vets with hair that is long or far succeed military standards. Later.
Guitartate
I watch the buzz board because I get a kick out of the posts by the "extreme element" there. The fact is that most of the people on the board are nice, open types that happen to prefer short hair - or are turned on by giving or receiving haircuts.
There are a few (a couple may actually be the same person giving himself encouragement) that have no idea what respecting other people means. For the most part, these are the ones that give themselves airs about being military - or "real" men. Personally, I doubt seriously that they have ever seen the military and a "real man" isn't so insecure in his masculinity that something as minor as hair length would be considered threatening. Really, what these people want is to control someone, esp. one weaker than himself ("order them into the chair" ... "get a firm grip")
For the vast majority of the people, there's no reason to ask them for respect because they already do - even if they don't agree with your choices. For the few, there's no reason to suggest respect because they don't know what the word means. Sad, but true.
Finely felt sentiments that were well-expressed. It's the right way forward, no doubt of it.
Congratulations !! :-)
It was a great post, but I think you're wasting your time. It's
like trying to reason with someone
who is trolling your forum
(posting outrageous statements in order to get attention). The
more
you respond, argue, reason or call them names, the more
attention they get. (If this reminds you of
someone you had to
deal with on the playground in grade school, well you're probably
right.)
You cannot please them or silence them or get them to agree with
you. You can only ignore them.
Eventually they will get tired of
being ignored and go somewhere else. Having a link to your
picture
posted is no fun, but it probably won't be seen by very many people.
If you are actually
libeled, well your attorney can easily find
the owner of the other board. It's public record.