new thread
Mark,
I responded to your post below and I would like to say that I am really offended by both your accusations and the use of the word "Longhair".
first of to me , the word "longhair" is very derogatory and It would be similar to referring to a black person with the "N" word or a gay person as a "F" word.
you can tell me to calm down all you want but I was very offended by your statement below and want the others to realize how much it upset me!
I think you owe me an apology.
Mr. NeoViking,
I'm sorry if the term "Longhair" offended you as I had no idea that was a slur as compared to the "N" or "F" words.People refer to me a a "Longhair" and I take no offense to that so I really don't know where you are coming from about that word.
Below I only suggested you may not be a long.... ops I almost said it again.lol.Listen I never seen a pic of you here and if you choose not to post one that's fine.Some guys just post pics taken from behind to at least show their hair off.I have to say though being you are relatively new here I found some of your posts a bit iffy.Normally when new guys show up they introduce themselves and eventually meld into our community.Not sure if that's your goal but it's your choice.
Anyway I meant not to offend but just to challenge as when newbies show up you never know if they are legit or not.So now my rant is over even though its not really a rant!LOL
Mark
Mark,
first off apology accepted, but
I do believe that you(like many others) have been indoctrinated into believing that somehow you are a "rebel" because you chose to have long hair. I see it as being normal.
women with Long hair are not referred to as "longhairs" anymore than women with short hair are referred to as "shorthairs".
by referring to yourself as a "longhair" you are going along with those who insist that we should have short hair and somehow when we deviate from THEIR accepted norms we are viewed as outsiders when it is THEM that should be considered the deviants.
up until a little over a century ago it was quite normal for Men to have longer hair and back in medieval Europe I seriously doubt that any Man with long hair would have considered himself anything other than a Man.
look at the founding Fathers of the U.S for God`s sake! none of them had anything less than shoulder length!
the usage of the term "longhair" originated during the 1960s and was used primarily by rednecks and ultraconservatives who thought we all needed to get short haircuts.
At the time, long hair was associated with those who were against the War in Vietnam and those with closely cropped styles were associated with the pro-war stance.
it is quite normal to have long healthy hair and quite abnormal to take a pair of electric clippers and buzz it off.
I think until humanity returns to some form of normalcy where hair on both Men and Women is acceptable and shaved looks are considered ugly the culture will continue to decline.
I think Roger and a few others here would be inclined to agree.
I have never heard of anyone with long hair complaining about the term 'longhair'. On the contrary, once you're received the moniker it means you've arrived!
Men and women are referred to as such. Just spend some time on other hair boards more geared toward women and you'll see that. I take that term with great pride.
I didn't have a problem with your other posts but I do have a problem with you calling Mark out like this. Chill dude. Really. And show us your long hair.
I have an unabridged dictionary published in 1961. It was given to me when I was in high school. The nice thing about books is they never change like web sites do.
The dictionary's first definition of "longhair" is "a man who wears his hair long". An additional set of definitions revolves around the "intellectual" definition, such as classical music being called "longhair music". My recollection as a child was that this was because early classical composers were from an earlier era where many of them appeared in sketches as having long hair. There is no mention of "longhair" being derogatory, nor is there any mention of the term applying to women.
Definitions do change over time, but my 1961 dictionary does establish that the term has been in use for half a century, plus enough additional time to have worked itself into the dictionary, and that the use of the term predates the hippie era. Guys like us have been called "longhairs" for over fifty years.
Bill
Thanks for the info, Bill. I had no idea that 'longhair' was such an old term. I have even more pride in the term now!
Damon
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I am a rebel for having long hair. Ever since the 70s when long
hair stopped being "fashionable" i've been in a distinct minority
of those with long hair. Despite this i've continued to have long hair and wear it proudly. But I also recognize that this
long haired male is in a distinct minority. Taking a look around will find very few long haired males.
It is what it is. Unfortunetely we live in a society that calls
short hair normal And i'm one longhair that has chosen not to be
normal.
I've been a longhair since 1964 when I started growing my hair.
And i'm very proud of being a longhair for all those years.
I find absolutely nothing derogatory about it. In fact I wear it
as a badge of honor.
Neo Viking,
I completely understand what you are saying about the term "longhair". It is men with short hair who are bucking nature and the tradition of earlier history - and logically, they are the ones who SHOULD be considered deviants.
But they're not. History doesn't work like that. Society conforms to the norms of the present - no matter what the past may have been - and currently the huge majority of men cut their hair short.
Thus, the decision to grow your hair long IS running counter to the norm as it is today. And in that sense, it IS a form of rebellion against what may be expected of us.
Whatever the origins of a term, those who were originally its victims often have a knack of turning that term around and spitting it back at those who try to insult them with it. Instead of the term being an insult it becomes a "badge of honour" (as Long Hair in Albany said) and is worn with pride and defiance.
There are many instances where that has happened.
The term "marrano" leaps to mind as one example. In 15th-century Spain, the word meant "pig" and was used to describe Jews who were forced on pain of death to convert to Christianity outwardly but who secretly refused to abandon their real faith. The Christians used the term "marrano" as the worst insult possible but the Jews eventually regarded the term as a badge of honour: it referred to those among them who had the courage to maintain their tradition even though they risked certain death if discovered.
If we stand by the courage of our convictions, we can turn a term that originally was meant as an insult into a term of pride. To me - and probably most people on this board - "longhair" denotes someone who has the strength of mind to resist conforming to mainstream dogmas.
Damon
The term "goyim" is a derogatory term that some jews use for refering to non-jews. It is Yiddish for "cattle". I believe the term may be in one of their holy books. Also some members of the black community sometimes refer to each other as niggers and can it be a term of endearment. This is a good example of how a minority group can take a term of abuse and adopt it as their own. Italians and Greek immigrants to Australia were once called Wogs as a term of abuse now they wear the "Wog" label with pride.Gays in Australia sometimes call themselves queers and dykes and the terms are not as loaded as it once was.
Duncan
Never once heard of anyone being offended by the term "Longhair".....in fact the only people iv really gotten that from are fellow Longhairs
you cant be so sensitive and make it so easy for others to put you down
What crap is this?
Surely we all WANT to be LONG HAIRS and to complain about it is asinine.
It is you, NeoViking that ought to be apologising and if you do not like it YOU should leave.
This is the "Mens Long Hair Hyperboard." As duly named, it is a website devoted to men of all ages desiring, in process of growing, or actually having long hair. This site also gives guys tips on how to care for their Long hair and updates of Long Hair progress of many individuals. I mean really, let's call a spade a spade. If the use of the word "longhair" is derogatory to yourself, I highly suggest that you find another website someplace. (One which won't upset you.) Easy as that.
Justin~
Seriously dude? Mark is one of the nicest people one here and you DEMAND an apology for absolutely no reason? I read his so called "offensive" comment and found nothing wrong with it or with the term longhair. Seriously stop taking things to heart like that.
NeoViking,
You are the first and only person I know who says they are offended by the term "longhair". I am proud to call myself a longhair and the term longhair was in use long before the hippies.
A pre-1950's term for a person often gifted who is very interested in or devoted to the arts, especially a performer composer, or lover of classical music. Some scientists working on the Manhattan Project were called Longhairs even though their hair length was only very slightly longer then average.
Their is also a performing jazz blues artist called Professor Longhair I believe.
I would take the term as a compliment and a longhair can refer to either a man or woman with longer then average hair. Over at the Long hair community forum ladies there often called themselves longhairs.
I fully support Mark using the term and did wonder if you were a possible troll as nobody has seen any proof that your genuine. At least the term longhair doesn't carry any association with stupidity or dumbed down ignorance like the term "homeboy" does which if anyone called me that would generate a strong negative reaction.
Like many of the others said here,
CHILL OUT!
cheeers, duncan
see abovehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Like a lot of the others, I take pride in being called a longhair. I've come so far in the length of time it has taken me to grow it out to mid-back length, that I could care less about what other people thought about it or the names they choose to label me with. My attitude? Hey, people, I didn't grow it out for you anyway, so CHILL, if you don't like it!
Steve
Hello Mr. Neo Viking,
Here's a question for you:
What do you truly know or understand about the 1960s era, and whether "longhair" was ever an offensive word back then? I was a teenager during the late 1960s, as well as many others here who have regularly contributed posts to MLHH over the years -- and don't EVER remember the word, "longhair" being something that any guy who had long hair (meaning, the hair growing out of their head was actually considered LONG) being any kind of a "slur"...
I think you need to read our basic FAQ rules again, because in my opinion you haven't yet learned enough about what the Men's LONG HAIR Hyperboard is all about!
Also, when you haven't yet shared any photos of yourself, nor even introduced yourself in any sort of helpful manner (like: maybe at least your age, what part of the world you live in, why you like long hair and/or if your goal is to grow your hair... you know, just BASIC information that will help us get to know you a bit better, -- especially before you start lashing out wild accusations at some of our kindest and most considerate long-term members)... you need to be more careful in what you say.
In a nutshell: I think YOU owe us an apology.
Yours Truly,
Neo non-Viking Ken Pissed-off in San Francisco!!
Ken. A well stated response. I was one of those teenagers in the 60s and well remember the tribulatioin of growing out my hair. I succeeded and was a bit of a leader in the concept. I started the process immediately after seeing the Beatles in early '64. and what was considered Long hair at the time is lughable ,now. I perervered and continied my growth,along with several freinds. We faought against draconian dress codes in High school in the late 60s (principally by ignoring the codes but keeping our grades up, really skewed the stereotype) and I heard the litany of names sent our way. "Damned hippies", "Commie fags" "Pinkos" "Longhair" could be and was inserted in any of these and there were seemmingly infinite combinations. but it passed. Longhair ,as a perjorative, was never considered an insult. we then as now wore it with pride.
NeoViking,
A quick review of the posts you've made since joining this community show that you are more interested in picking a fight, than in supporting the people here in growing and/or maintaining their long hair. You are easily offended, presumably because you take some enjoyment in feeling angry. It's not unlikely that you suffer from some sort of victim complex. Professional counseling, in your case, may prove quite beneficial.
The manner in which you "called out" one of the most kind-hearted, stalwart, supportive, long-standing members of the MLHH was nothing short of obnoxious, as have been the majority of your practically militant "contributions" on the hyperboard. It is you who owe Mark an apology, though I wouldn't recommend he hold his breath in the waiting. Assuming that your attitude and lack of decorum do not change for the better, I feel you will never fit well within this community of gentlemen.
--Val
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You sure about that? maybe I am just expressing the anger that you guys are afraid to express because deep down you know I am right.
I think Roger would be inclined to agree with me.
Seriously, what is it with you mentioning Roger in each and every post? So far he hasn't even responded to a single one....
I don't think you are right; I think you are an unbalanced fanatic. When I am angry, I have no fear of expressing it. I just fail to understand why you choose to feel angry so often, so easily, and so unjustifiably.
Whether or not Roger would agree with you is utterly beside the point. He is just a man who wrote (and has used the MLHH to help sell) a book that contains some valid information, in addition to considerable quantities of pseudoscience and embarrassingly copious citations from the christian bible (a sure way to establish one's assertions as being biased and unscientific).
Your continued protestations are only digging a deeper hole in which to bury your reputation here. I really have nothing more to say to you.
Peace,
Val
And you're going to prove him right by starting yet another argument? ;)
It's the internet. People are going to disagree with you, and no matter how much you get your head in knots trying to "save" them, they will, more often than not, exit the argument completely unscathed, continuing to disagree on their way out. You were supposed to learn that your opinion is not the end-all universal source of knowledge when you went through puberty.
Personally, I do not ob ject to being referred to as a "longhair" or "long haired dude" just as long as I am not accused of being a pothead or associated with other stupid stereotypes.
as for what the others said in response to you, I agree.
Thanks for all your support of me during this controversial thread as I really didn't mean for my comments to come off as an attack.Let's just say it's over and time to move on.Hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend:)Cheers
Mark