Crazy forum debate from 'The Other Side of Hairloss'...

[crazy.irish.celt]

So, the movie 'Radio' came on last night, and since I'd already seen it about six times, I decided to Google some of the actors out of boredom.  I did a search for Ed Harris, sifted through some pictures, and came to one that linked me to a VERY interesting forum debate:

http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=56898

To sum it up, the guy who started this thread is debating whether or not white guys really do look good with a shaved head.  He is responded to by a guy named 'superfrankie' who was apparently once a member of SBG and got kicked from the site.  Although there are numerous other replies, this frankie character seems to really have a dislike for the SBG community and makes some pretty harsh accusations/comments about members and our 'mantra'. 

A lot of the replies in this thread are typical of 'the opposition', which I would define as people who are violently opposed to hair loss or who are 'incapable' of redefining their sense of personal attractiveness to include bald men; people who refuse to be consoled because they feel they are somehow true 'realists' and that their views on the matter are 'just how it is, and if you disagree you're a delusional idiot'.  Not everyone agrees with this, as noted in the reply by Boondock, Page 2 http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=56898&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=10

Anyways, I guess I posted this to be a bit of a Devil's Advocate.  I was kind of offended by a lot of the attitudes express in the posts, but I also had to take pause because some of them ring true.  Should we be be renamed ShavedBaldGuys (as mentioned in one of the posts), or do you feel that there is more to SBG than just telling people to shave their heads?

[tomgallagher]

A lot of venom there from certain posters. Looks like that thread ran out of gas in January of this year.

[Paul]

There certainly is a lot more to this site than "telling people to shave their heads"   This forum provides support for individuals who are struggling with hair loss and want support for a healthier or less damaging approach than drugs and surgical treatments.   It also provides emotional support, friendship, and comradship for men who have decided to be hair free whether by nature or by choice.  Many of the individuals who check us out realize that shaving is a sensible option and personal choice but are concerned about peer or family pressures if they take that step.   What has been created here is a forum for support and information.  As for the former member, I personally don't recall someone calling themselves "superfrankie" (bit egotistical, eh?) but no one is "kicked" off this site without a great deal of discussion between the moderators.  And those who have been removed were generally disruptive not following the agreed upon guidelines for being here.  

[schro]

There certainly is a lot more to this site than "telling people to shave their heads"   This forum provides support for individuals who are struggling with hair loss and want support for a healthier or less damaging approach than drugs and surgical treatments.   It also provides emotional support, friendship, and comradship for men who have decided to be hair free whether by nature or by choice.  Many of the individuals who check us out realize that shaving is a sensible option and personal choice but are concerned about peer or family pressures if they take that step.   What has been created here is a forum for support and information.  As for the former member, I personally don't recall someone calling themselves "superfrankie" (bit egotistical, eh?) but no one is "kicked" off this site without a great deal of discussion between the moderators.  And those who have been removed were generally disruptive not following the agreed upon guidelines for being here. 

+1. 

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Just went to the home page and forums etc at this hairlosstalk site.  Strange, the "store" sells a lot of so called cover up solutions, even $600+ laser combs, yada yada.  But in the general comment area of the forum by the administrators was a quote, "shaving isn't the only option!"  http://www.hairlosstalk.com/interact/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=49322  You don't find shaving advice or products--nada. 

Perhaps I'm a cynic, but when everything they offer other than shaving makes the site money, am I wrong to suspect the only thing they support is their wallet?  When Wikipedia's site on toupees acknowledges that the industry is not gaining market share, when the business news acknowledges that the HT quacks aren't a growth industry anymore, when Bosley sells toupees and every other failed answer to male pattern baldness--is that site at the leading edge or is it aimed at the road kill of the path to baldness? 

Obviously everyone has some baggage left over from the process of mpb, but that site seems to say hold on to it, value it, remember how miserable you can be.  Then to rant against SBG for being positive?  This doesn't compute.  They only make people shop their "store" --http://www.hairlosstalk.com/shop/ by encouraging the worst aspects of the process.  And, although I haven't shopped those items, my horseback guess is that they aren't the cheapest prices for that junk anyway.  Why should a guy trust someone who has such an obvious reason to rip him off. 
I'll get off the soapbox now.  Enjoy the sly life, and hopefully get a chuckle at the knuckleheads ranting over there and paying a high price to do it. 

[schro]

I generally agree with your comments Saint. Plus, the angle of compensation is interesting (given that Tyler created SBG not as a profit center, but based on a desire to help men deal with MPB in a way that didn't involve rugs, plugs, or drugs).

I've looked at the cost associated with hair transplants (only curiousity, never considered) and was floored by the cost!  Do I wish I had a full head of hair? If it meant dealing with my painful scalp condition, hell no ! FYI, I'm completely pain free as a result of shaving my head  .

Do I think a shaved head looks better than a close cropped buzz? For some people, yes. In all honesty, it's a wash for me. However, I can't put a price on being pain free.

I think the criticisms on that other website are mainly a result of a former member throwing a temper tantrum because he was told he couldn't play nicely on SBG (I'd be curious to find out who it was). One point he continually raised was that we blindly say "You look better, dude" to everyone. People are coming to SBG looking for support in their decision to deal with their MPB in a way that doesn't deal with rugs, plugs, or drugs. Does everyone look better? Who am I to say? But personally, if I see someone that looks good with the sly look, I'll let them know. If I see others that may not look as good, I'll tell them "it's a wash, but it's your call".

[Jack21]

wow! When one sees vitriol like that one has to ask what has caused it. We ridicule in others what we loathe about ourselves. The lesson that I have learned here more than anything is acceptance. As long as men like that cling to the pathetic hope of having their back to the way it looked when they were 16, and as long as there is no "solution" to baldness only horribly uncomfortable and lifestyle restricting hair pieces, hair transplants that never deliver on their promises but leave horrendous scars, and medications that in all honesty do nothing but enrich the manufacturers - as long as all of this holds true - these men who cling to an impossible fantasy their self loathing will manifest itself as ridicule of others. We loathe most in others what we desperately try to conceal about ourselves.

[The Noggin]

Imagine: Everyone is doing with his body what he likes without bickering about other peoples preferences --> one step nearer to a perfect world!

[Mikekoz13]

I thought it was very telling that some of them were mocking our avatars and looks but none of them had photos of themselves posted.

Anyway.... I don't waste energy worrying about what pin heads like those guys have to say.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

pin heads

Question--why do pin heads worry about hair, there ain't that much room.  For my money, if your pin is sharp, it's clean and smooth.

[Razor X]

  I was kind of offended by a lot of the attitudes express in the posts, but I also had to take pause because some of them ring true. 

I can't muster up enough give-a-damn to get offended by anything that was said there.