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by Anonymous User on 01:57 PM October 5th, 2004 EST (#1)
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I come from a similar position as Raj Singh as I am also a Sikh. Unfortunately for us, many employment opportunities not only prefer shaven, short-haired men, but require them to be so. When I was sixteen I was not hired by a Smith's because of their no-beard policy. The army is an obvious example, but some people might not know about this gender bias: military women can have hair as long as they keep it above the collar, which means they can keep it long and tie it up. Though being female is grounds for exception to the the Army's no-hair rule, religion is, as my friend Kartar Singh found out first hand.
I want to pursue a career in the FBI when I am 23. The four years I have until then are unlikely to produce a change of heart in the FBI (if the agency still exists then). I might possibly be allowed to keep my hair and beard based on religious citation, but that is a big gamble.
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by Anonymous User on 02:00 PM October 5th, 2004 EST (#2)
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correction: where I put "religion is" I meant to say "religion is not" Sorry. Should have proofread better
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One of the things that the Pharisees ( Hebrew for "separatist" as in "Get ye apart from them and be ye separate") in Christ's time were very much against was the popular Greek custom of shaving the face. This was clearlr seen as part of the homo-sexual Greek culture and clearly an attempt to make the male face feminine.I have a full beard and long hair
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not to nit pick but i think you mean roman culture as it was common for them shave thier facial hair but as it was very uncommen for the greeks to do so (except in times of war) (emporer was often called the greek cesear because he loved thier culture so much that he wore a beard)
also most greek homosexuals when compaired to roman homosexuals (about whom you are right) would not be in any way considered feminine, as among greeks exculsive homosexual was atributed to burtal warriors such as the spartans.
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Some cultures would require for religious or social reasons men to keep their hair long. That the western "mainstream" seeks shaven and close-cropped men is happenstance in this regard; were it true that a different culture were "mainstream" perhaps keeping hair long and the face unshaven would be required (ie, Afghanistan under the Taliban, etc.)
The point the author makes though is correct in that hair seems to be a really big part of the question of the 'acceptability' of males in a society or within a culture or subculture (Hasidemand conservadox Jews must keep their beards, for example). But it is also true for females in ways, and in the case of Muslim women in countries governed by sharia, they must keep their hair covered, for example, while men must aslo comply with various appearance-oriented sumptuary regulations themselves or be punished.
I am glad the author wrote his essay and it says stuff that needs to be said, for sure. I think what he is approaching is part of an overall pattern found in human societies, that people do/be certain things in unison to show they are 'members of the tribe' (tattoos, piercings, etc. are also part of this scene). This seems to be a recurring theme in societies. It becomes a serious form of repression though when it carries the force of law and retribution for failing to comply. In that regard, men getting sacked/not getting hired for having longer hair/a beard is a more likely phenomenon these days in the western world than a woman not getting a job because she isn't wearing a skirt or has short hair! That's for &*^ sure!
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Good point regarding social norms... in fact... under the Taliban, LONG hair was as much a matter of control as short hair is in the military. You WILL have long hair and a beard... OR ELSE.
The broader conclusion to be made is self-evident... any time society dictates that a particular form of dress, comportment, or grooming is desired, society is applying pressure targeted at controlling/conforming it's members. This applies to us all... men, women, children... and long hair is but a single manifestation of the phenomena, one that seeks to control aspects of our lives. If you think about it you can quickly count dozens of ways that this is done... hundreds maybe.
Dave K - A Radical Moderate
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I shaved and cut my hair after 9/11 because everyone at work kept calling me Osama.
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A man with a short haircut, who shaves every morning, still looks better than a dyke with a moustache.
Bert
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Fighting for men's rights is fighting for children's and women's right's as well.
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