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Good morning (soon to be 8 am here in central western Europe!) people!
As I was browsing randomg long hair videos online last night, I bumped into this video right here.
It shows Keb, a 10 year old, cutting his GORGEOUS blonde, long hair, as advised by his father, in order to donate it for locks of love.
Some things I was thinking about:
1. Does the kid really look like he's happy with the decision, to you? Or does it look as if his father (or parents) made the decision for him?
2. The user called "David Bartlett" REALLY reminds me both in name and in writing style, as well as his analytic way of thinking, of our very own Jason. Could they be the same mystery man? are they brothers? Too strange of a coincidence! ;)
3. Is all that talk about locks of love being a scam, and in actually making profit by SELLING the hair donations true?
4. Guess no need to ask this, but was I the only one who cringed in seeing that mother playing stylist, and by totally cutting that beautiful hair off asymmetrically, pretty much sending her son directly to a real hair salon, thus making him lose even more length (if not most of his hair)?
Interesting to see your thoughts, MLHH :)
No he does not look happy at all.
http://hairreligion.tripod.com/sick.htm
Most of he hair they get ends up in the trash. They need money more than they need hair from what i've heard.
Yes I cringed too at seeing all that beautiful hair cut off.
Especially since my hair is only slightly longer than his.
Where I had to cut off eight inches of damaged hair last
year and another seven inches this year my hair now is at
nipple length in the front and about 2/3 of the way down
my back in back.
I found it somewhat odd that she went to all the trouble of
braiding the hair before chopping it off.
But I definetly cringed at seeing this video.
That is certainly painful to watch. The hardest thing for me was actually the sound of the scissors attempting to cut through that thick hair. The whole procedure is disturbing. I think the boy was less than thrilled.
Haha, maybe I do have some long lost relative who thinks similarly!
We're obviously biased here but I can't imagine doing that to a child. I guess if it was the child's idea and they really insisted, it might be one thing but we have no way of knowing how the boy really felt about it. It hits home for me as my son might have hair that long by that age. It's still pretty curly though. He'll have total hair freedom so no cutting will take place unless he asks for it.
Hi Jason,
Thanks for posting this beautiful photo of your precious son and beautiful wife! You all make a wonderful family my friend! Pleas stay well!
Ted
Thanks, Ted. I'm enjoying seeing what kind of hair my son develops.
Hi Raul,
As bad as it was to watch that video it reminded me of one that someone attempted to post here that was very disturbing to view so was rejected sparing you guys of that one just to avoid getting nightmares.lol.Surprisingly this kid took it well but as Jason mentioned hearing those cheapo shears cutting through the hair just makes you want to cringe.Obviously that mom isn't a fan of longhair herself based on that doo she is sporting.Barf! LOL.
Mârk
Hi Raul,
My apologies, but I refuse to watch this video. Locks of Love (LOL-get it?) is a terrible organization which is only interested in making a profit on hair. They do not just give the hair away as we might believe. Besides that, I am only interested in the promotion of long hair. I will never donate any of my hair to them. However, if you ever wanted to donate your precious hair, I would recommend Pantene Beautiful Lengths. Seems to be a better program. Although I would recommend that you keep and grow your beautiful hair!
/end rant
Ted
Hi Ted,
Good for you in regards to your feelings about LOL.I fully agree as I could never understand people's eagerness donating their own hair to this group.For starters donated hair doesn't save lives and two there is a thing called synthetic hair so if they want to make wigs then just have the factories in China churn out tons of hair in the color of your choice;) Cheers
Mârk
It always amazes me how free people seem to be in giving their unsolicited advice to donate hair. It is downright rude to approach a person and suggest they lop a body part off. I never watch the shows that propagate the cutting of hair and donating it. They are repulsive.
Same here. Haircuts are like sex: Wonderful if you want them and horrible if you don't. I underwent forced haircuts for over a decade as a child, and I now realize it was worse than rape. It was not only a violation of my body, but unlike a rape, it was a violation that everyone could see had been done.
I have no interest in watching rape videos, torture videos, or animal snuff films where tigers kill other animals on PBS. Similarly, I decline to watch that video.
Children can be influenced and they don't appreciate the longlasting effects of cutting off long hair. For this reason, the ramifications of a long-to-short haircut should be explained to a child in language the child would understand, before proceeding with a cut that the child "said he wanted".
Hair grows back but it takes years, which are eons to a child. Two other procedures, which children may get are permanent without exerting extraordinary effort, and should be banned outright for children under age 18: tattooing and circumcision. Addicting substances can affect a growing brain permanently, and they should also be denied to children. Once one is 18 he is an adult. These are decisions only an adult should, and only for himself, make.
My 2¢,
Bill
If IÂ’m not mistaken, itÂ’s illegal in most states for a child under 18 to get a tattoo, at least without parental consent. ThatÂ’s definitely a good thing.
It seems the tide has swung against circumcision though itÂ’s still quite common. Some men do need to get circumcised for medical reasons but I would agree that this decision should only be made by the man himself once heÂ’s an adult.
I also completely agree that a child should not be forced to get a haircut but it seems very unlikely that any law would be passed to enforce this. Some parents, like mine, cut their boyÂ’s hair thinking by doing so theyÂ’re pleasing God so that would likely become an issue of freedom of religion for parents to instruct their children as they please. Others make their children have their hair cut for a variety of reasons that will most likely always continue to fall under parentsÂ’ rights to raise their minor children as they see fit. It is heartening to see trends in society moving toward much less bigotry against longhaired males in general. Hopefully this will also influence the choices available for boys as well.
Well said, Bill! As usual you have made an excellent well-written post which I always enjoy reading! Thanks!
Ted
Will never happen. It's a religious based procedure which
means it will always be done.
I would mention that one of the problems with circumcision
is they are sometimes performed by rabbis who are drunk
and not careful with the procedure as they should be.
Circumcision will always be around.
Maybe, and maybe not. Religious belief against blood transfusions has not prevented courts from issuing orders to provide them if the welfare of a child is at stake. The controlling issue is not religion but "welfare of the child". Courts decide that now, and they will be deciding that in the future. We never know what courts will decide.
"Children's rights" is a very large field. Google it to learn more. Be prepared to read of many horrible things that adults do to children.
Bill
Won't effect circumcision which will always be done. It may be
restricted to designated people like medical personel, etc. but
it will never be banned. People will scream "religious freedom."
A couple of years ago enough signatures were collected to put a ban of the practice on the ballot in San Francisco. The vote was not had because state courts in California said only the state can regulate "medical practice". However, the state legislature did pass a law prohibiting state licensed professionals from trying to change a minor's sexual orientation, and that applies state-wide. Some people cried it was their "religious freedom" to hate gay people. That didn't fly. What prevailed was "the best interest of the child."
Because circumcision often occurs at a very young age for the child, we are not apt to see children complaining through the legal system. What we will probably see is a situation where one parent wants it done and the other doesn't. If it lands in court, what the court will base its decision on is "the best interest of the child." "The religion of the child" is not apt to hold much weight. Infants do not have the mental capacity to choose a religion.
When it comes to hair length, we've seen religious pros and cons tossed around in courtrooms for many years. The success of religious arguments has been mixed.
Bill
I would point out you could fill Yankee stadium thousands of times
over with all the parents who force their kids to get a haircut
against their will. It will never be banned.
The same could be said for white people who owned black people. (Although you might have had trouble getting them to go into a place named "Yankee" stadium.)
Bill
The so famous "My house, my rules". Unfortunately, kids have to obbey their parents while they live with them. Once you leave your parents house, you're entitled to do whatever you want.
The same way we have our own "My hair, my rules" parents have their "My house, my rules". So we have to respect that.
Thanks, Raul - but I ain't gonna watch it. I get stressed and I got too much stress in my life already!
Damon
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I dont think he looks happy, but he does not look sad either. He looks neutral to me. He thinks he is doing the right thing because his parents think thats the right thing to do. He is being politically correct. Thats all. He was advised by his parents, so at that age he probably thinks that his parents are ok by suggesting to do so. I don't blame him nor blame his parents. We are all entitled to have different ways of thinking regarding different topics.
In my opinion, I would never EVER donate my hair to LOL. Those people dont need HAIR, they just need money to get a cure for their illness. Not hair. So instead of donating my hair, I would donate money.
I would feel even WORST if I were sick and had to wear a wig made of someone else's hair. I would feel pathetic . I would feel like thats not who I really am . Besides, how long can you wear a wig? I dont think this is the solution.
But hey, every mind is a different world. Every family our house is a different world and we have to respect that.
Hi all!
Just dropping by here to say I've read and enjoyed all the answers (and pictures, thanks for sharing, Jason!), but after a long weekend with my girlfriend, I am all exahusted and don't have the time nor energy to reply to each and every one of you here, so again.. a public thanks for participating in the little debate here :)