George Washington 1732 - 1799, First President of the United States of America. Perhaps if we encouraged out children to grow their hair long like the Fathers of Our Country, their grades would improve as might their character.
The following letter was submitted to The Clarke County Tribune but was returned because it exceeded the new 300 word limit. The letter is published here so that everyone may enjoy and relish in that gift of gab which many of my readers find amusing.
Do real men use a male barber as Wade C. Bolen proclaims in his editorial in The Clarke County Tribune on Sept. 17, 2009? I think not! Real men, like the Biblical Samson, have strength of character! They may have short hair, long hair, be bald, or not even cut their hair at all!
Times change as do hair styles. Short hair for men may be in vogue, but it certainly is NOT an indicator of manliness. As one who enjoys reading every thing from the Holy Bible and historical fiction to modern biographies, I am always fascinated to learn about interesting characters, both men and women, who built and shaped our world and our country. Anyone who equates short hair with manliness or hair that is too long with being feminine, just hasn’t read very much, perhaps having missed their Sunday schooling, or fallen asleep during American or World History classes.
Hair length has more to do with what is stylish and deemed appropriate by society than it does about manly hood or womanhood. The fathers of our country had long hair for much of their lives and were “real men” if ever their were real men. The same can be said of many of our ancestors who fought in the Civil War, be they those who took up arms for the Confederate States, or those who fought to preserve the Union. Both were courageous and honorable in their own right and their ancestors are today proud citizens of these United States of America.
You only have to look at your money to see what “real men” look like. Certainly Benjamin Franklin, reincarnated, would be a hair stylist’s dream customer, as would be George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. Why should I even mention such American legends and heroes as George Armstrong Custer? Did you know one of the reason Custer was respected as a great warrior by the Indian adversaries he fought, was because of the length of his hair!
If you happen to be of American Indian ancestry, then you probably know that in many tribes long hair was regarded as quite manly. Even in Biblical times long hair was regarded as representing strength. Who does not remember the story of Samson and Delilah where the child Samson is born and given strength through God but that he keep the Nazarite oath, to let his hair grow. It is only after Delilah has a servant cut his hair while he sleeps, that Samson’s strength is lost and the Philistines are able to capture and enslave him, burning out his eyes. Delila’s betrayal ultimately results in the destruction of the Philistines when Samson’s hair regrows. Bounded to pillars Samson prays to God asking to restore his strength; that when his prayer is granted, Samson pulls down the pillars upon himself, so destroying the temple of the Philistines and all who imprisoned him -- one of the greatest acts of both redemption and martyrdom in history!
Quite frankly what defines being a “real man” is not hair length but the quality of one’s character, which includes one’s moral fortitude and faith in God. I’ve seen or heard about too many “real men” who don’t even believe in God and who beat up on their women or children. To me such men are immoral cowards or have some serious mental issues. A man who does not treat a woman with decency and respect, who does not treat her as a gentleman, is NOT a real man, regardless of the length of his hair or his power.
I personally think we would have a stronger military if codes related to the length of hair were dropped, that we let all our soldiers grow their hair long and be as Samson. This would have such a profound psychological effect upon our enemy that they would fade away into their caves and be easily defeated and vanquished, believing that God has graced our soldiers with the strength of Samson. Also I think we should let women do more of the fighting. A woman with an M-16 is every bit as deadly as a man. In fact, now days you can have an intelligent, well educated female officer with her hair down to her back operating a remotely controlled, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone Predator from a ground control station (GCS) at Nellis Air Force Base in the desert of Nevada, and blow way terrorists in Afghanistan with a Hellfire-C laser-guided missile; her team of highly trained soldiers, including women in the field uplinked via a primary satellite communication suite, constitute a fighting force far superior to any the Taliban or al-Qaeda might throw together.
Hair length has nothing to do with manly hood or womanhood -- it is all a matter of hormones and how you were raised. If your parents didn’t teach you to open doors for women and treat them decently, never, ever raising a hand in anger, than you missed out on learning what it means to be not only a “real man,” but a gentleman. Fortunately many of our ancestors were real southern gentlemen and learned proper manners and chivalry from their parents. Unfortunately many children are not learning these same good manners in church, school, or even from their parents. So they grow up being ball headed brutes, bullies and ignorant men who think that there is something unmanly with letting one’s hair grow long like Samson’s.
Having been raised as an Army brat, I had short hair my entire life, as did my father. He hated the fact that when I went away to college I let my hair grow. But one thing he taught me that I will forever respect is to love and cherish my country, and to treat women like they are angels, to be cherished and never abused, bullied or disrespected. And I say his knowing that respect should be earned. But I have always respected the women in my life even if the character of a few was such that they may not deserve it. That is what being a “real man” means. You give women respect and treat them decently, even if they have not earned your respect.
This does not mean that you let others take advantage of you, regardless of their sex. Rather, it means that as a man you recognize the fact that you could probably break a woman’s heart or her will if you let your testosterone control your actions. And if a real man’s wife got cancer and lost all her hair during radiation treatment, he would love her none the less!
The length of one’s hair is NOT a measure of one’s manly hood or womanhood. Yet in our modern culture too often outward appearances result in false values, prejudice and mistreatment of those who are not exactly like us or who dare to be different. This results in everything from racial prejudice to discrimination in the work force. It is a symptom of one aspect of our culture which is, perhaps, ill, suffering and in need of a physician.
I would love to see more ministers grow their hair long and try to do what Jesus would do. In almost every rendering I have seen of Jesus Christ, his hair was long and his face covered with a beard and mustache. This is even true in images of the Shroud of Turin, be it genuine or an early forger’s impression of what Jesus would have looked like. Who would say that Jesus Christ was not a real man? Yet if one really wanted to emulate Jesus, would not they let their hair grow long? I’m not saying let it grow down to your ass, but at least grow a mustache and let your hair dangle down to your shoulders. Try to be a modern day Samson, a leader with courage and strength of character, not a follower who goes along with everything just to fit in or be popular, especially when to do so means hurting others or not going out on a limb to help your fellow man or woman.
I challenge the editor of The Clarke County Tribune and anyone else who has short hair and thinks long hair is unmanly, to a hair growing contest. Let your hair grow until it is twelve inches long; then have it cut and donate it to charity for female cancer victims. Or auction your hair on eBay and donate the proceeds to a charity that helps cancer victims. If you do this then maybe your actions will prove to everyone that you are a real man. But please, stop trying boost that you are a real man without basing this upon your actions or character. Hell, I’d think you are more of a “real man” if you let your hair grow and donated your hair to charity for female cancer victims. Then if you wanted to be really sexy and see “Who loves ya baby,” you could shave your head and be bald like Telly Savalas, Marlin Brando, Bruce Willis or Paul Shaffer.
Quite frankly you don’t need any hair at all to be manly or sexy, be you a man or a woman. There are plenty of sexy men and women who are bald. This fact proves that hair has nothing to do with it; being a man or a woman with sex appeal is a matter of character and perception. Just because in our modern society we associate long hair with being feminine and short hair with being masculine, does NOT mean this makes you who you are. What makes a “real man” or a “real woman” is one’s character and such qualities as being courageous, gracious, virtuous, gallant, charitable, loving, respectful, decent, moral, or even humble. Anyone can get a hair cut or even shave their head; that does NOT make you a man or a woman. It is the quality of your character, how you were raised to behave and treat others which will determine your nature; that, and hormones!
Sincerely,
Terry Lynch
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