Quote:
Originally Posted by kylejt
Let's jump to the present, shall we?
Name a politician with facial hair. They're few and far between, FOR A REASON. It's a commonly known fact, that present day Americans do not trust folks with facial hair. You can choose to believe it, or not. Some trace it back to Hitler, and others the Cold War, with Stalin. Me, I believe it was Snidley Whiplash that started it all.
Also, that same holds for women with bangs. But to a lesser extent.
Both are considered, again, this is the "masses" talking, to be hiding something.
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BS. Name a [living] politician generally believed by the American electorate to be "trustworthy". Has nothing to do with the presence [or lack of] facial hair. There are many "commonly known facts" that simply aren't. This is one of them.
When I first started a razor-free appearance [after 20 earlier years with a 'stache], I was almost unique among my collegues. Since then, several judges [in my VERY socially-conservative area] have adopted full beards, many mustaches, and facial hair of varied description is now rather common among [male] members of the bar, all of whom's perception of "trustworthiness" among the general American public [from which, you may recall, juries are drawn] is professionally important to them. My own experience with juries [who have indicated they find me very "trustworthy"] supports the proposition that the "masses" don't care about beards, and remember that I represent that least percieved-trustwothy segment of the people - those accused of crime.
NOBODY on any baseball field has ever remarked upon my beard as having any effect on their assessment of my umpiring - trustworthy-ness, or any other way. They care if I know the difference between ball/strike, safe/out: and if I get the call right [actually if I call it the way they "see" it].
As I said before, facial hair on men is a fashion variable; it has and will continue to vary, ACCORDING TO FASHION [style, meaning people's opinions about what looks nice, not opinions about the character of the bearded ones]. People who assign "commonly known" assumptions about the character of others based on their appearance are seeking justification for their own prejudices about how someone "should" look, and those prejudices are no more worthy when based on face furniture than when they are based on skin color or crooked, big ears.
[RANT OFF]