Sly Bald Guys Forum
Discussions About Being Bald => Reactions to being Bald => Topic started by: Vash on March 08, 2007, 01:42:00 AM
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So, I was at work recently. It was the middle of the week, middle of the day and I was the only one in the whole bar/restaurant. We rarely get much business in the middle of the day and I was sort of hanging out behind the bar.
A guy comes in and sits down at the bar. He takes off his hat and his head is shaved. He gives me a nod and orders a burger and a beer. I pour his beer and go to make his food.
When I get back he starts talking about random stuff that’s on the TV. Just small talk, nothing personal or weird or anything, just talk. He starts asking me about what brand of razor I use to shave my head, complaining that he can’t get a really close shave. Now, if you know me, you know that I am always happy to extol the virtues of any product that I really believe in. SO I tell him all about the Headblade (my razor of choice) and their fine line of head shaving accessories. I even give him a business card. We continued to chat while I did the behind the bar, cleaning up and so on that all bartenders do. Not really paying attention to him besides the chit chatting.
After he’s done eating, he pays his tab, asks for direction to highway 26 and thanks me for the conversation and food.
As he’s handing me the $20 to pay his check he says “Always nice to meet a brother†and smiles as I take his money. Now, I am used to guys who shave their heads, or wear kilts, or play bodhrans making references like that to me. We tend to consider ourselves outsiders in a way and so naturally attempt to reach out to others of similar interest with a sense of belonging. Nothing all that weird.
But as I’m at the register getting his change I glance over at him and I notice his hands. His knuckles are tattooed. You’ve all seen the ( L | O | V | E ) ( H | A | T | E ) tattoos across peoples hands before. Well, if this guy had made fists and put them side by side, his hands would read:
( | R | a | H ) ( o | W | a | ) and his pinky knuckles had a little swastika on each one.
For those of you unfamiliar with the acronym RaHoWa , it’s skin head code for “Racial Holy Warâ€.
While I was getting his change he went to the bathroom and as he's coming back out he's putting his coat back on... I look and his arms are covered in crosses, swastikas, and fire image tattoos.
As he left, he’s almost out the door when he looks back at me, rubs his hand over his scalp and says (with a smile) “You picked the right side, brotherâ€. He left his change on the bar for me as a tip.
The right side? WTF?... But I’m not... I never said anything about... what &^%ing “side� dammit... idiot. >:(
Now, this guy never said one, single racial word to me. Never used any slang, never gave any verbal indication of his opinions on the subject of non-white races and I certainly didn’t either. If he hadn’t called me “brother†I doubt I’d have even paid attention to his crappy tats.
I keep running my mind over the whole encounter again and again. I didn’t say or do anything to indicate to anyone that I might be a racist (which I am definitely not) other than to have no hair on my head.
Now, you’d think that someone with opinions that are as widely unpopular and potentially dangerous to talk about as being a freakin’ “skinhead†would want to be certain that he was in like minded company before making such an assumption. You’d expect that it’s the kind of thing you need a secret handshake to identify one another by. But no... apparently because I am Caucasian and I shave my head, I must be his “brother†and on his “sideâ€. Which couldn’t be further from the truth of the matter.
Racism pisses me off and racist groups and their members even more so. I can’t stand those idiots, they make everybody of the same skin color look bad. Hell I’ve gotten into more than one actual FIGHT with those jack asses. I mean, come on, how dumb can you be?
Anyway.... I thought I’d share this little story with you guys. Apparently my haircut makes people think things that simply aren’t true, and they don’t feel the need to find out whether they are or not.
Am I the only one this happens to? Why do people gotta suck? :Xo!
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I hate that crap also! :Xo!
It's been a while since I've had someone thing I'm on their side, but it always pisses me off when it does happen.
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I was asked the day that I went back to school after shaving my head if I was joining the aryan nation. I believe it was a joke, but it was still rather out of place.
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Since being sly I've been lucky to not encounter one of those idiots and hope I never do because I know my reaction would not be a pleasant one. Have in past had skinhead kids in my classes though. Can't figure out how you can learn hate so young. Just means the REAL sly guys have to work harder to dispel that kind of image.
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i agree vash. haven't experienced that one but i will probably piss the dude off if it does happen to me. i have had buddies jokingly say i look like a skinhead but they know better. i don't have time in my life to HATE anyone. you never know who can help you or be there for you in a time of need. regardless of race.
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There will always be those that judge the book by it's cover. It's stupid but there you go. As far as confronting these hard core morons like Aryan Nation watch yourself as they are usually armed.
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That's pretty heavy Vash. I did encounter a young black man one time who didn't like the combo of my shaved head and tattoo on my back, but nothing like what you encountered. It's very frustrating when people jump to conclusions like that.
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I've been shaving my head for over 10 years and I must say when I first did it, I was a young lad and people did stare! In the 90's it was still pretty rare that someone shaved their head at college age. I got a bunch of people thinking I was in some death cult or the K K K
Thankfully in 2007 shaving your head is more commonplace (well at least in the NYC/Jersey metro area)
So, people just think I'm a bad ass or work in security
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Racism pisses me off and racist groups and their members even more so. I can’t stand those idiots, they make everybody of the same skin color look bad.
I couldn't agree more. I live in Texas, so it's VERY common for people to think that I'm a skinhead, which is just absurd. I hate racism, because I hate ignorance. I can understand why that would fire you up, it would do the same to me. I'm sorry that people have to be so closed minded and ignorant and then they make guys like us look bad.
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Dude was definitely an idiot!
It still makes me wonder why there is so much hate in this world between races... The thing that pisses me off most of all when it comes to racism is that it truly is one thing that crosses socio-economic lines... you can be a dirt poor racist or a multimillionaire racist! In all cases, you're ignorant!
I think in different parts of the country, there are different perceptions about the shaved head...
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To B-Rob's point, idiocy (and genius for that matter) comes in all types of packages (skin colors). To assume that someone shares your view based on a common choice in appearance is assinine.
Sorry to hear that happened to you Vash.
Sincerely,
Schro, the Ordinary American.
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dude, That Sucks! I am happy that thank God I am a Minority, I just look like a Athlete... But when people look at me weird, thinking that I am just one of those everyday Assholes, that just pisses me off! But if they wish to, fine, I can put on a Mean Mug :x!... Because if they are that quick to Judge, I am not to interested in letting them know that I am anything different.
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It's interesting because in Los Angeles when people see a bald guy a lot of them think 'Latino Gang banger' because so many latino gang guys shave their heads slick. I don't guess there are that many aryan nation jack asses in south central though. I got pulled over one time coming home from a party by cops who thought I was a gangster because of the sly look.
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It's interesting because in Los Angeles when people see a bald guy a lot of them think 'Latino Gang banger' because so many latino gang guys shave their heads slick. I don't guess there are that many aryan nation jack asses in south central though. I got pulled over one time coming home from a party by cops who thought I was a gangster because of the sly look.
Yeah, not too many in South Central. Though, it's a different story if you head into Venice. I was always shocked that Venice had such a huge, ignorant, group of white pride dumb asses. Especially since the area is so diverse.
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Venice is a trip, man :D
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I've never had a run in with an Aryan Nation idiot..... thank god... cause my cross bred self (grand mother's native) would have a little something to say to him.
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I have never had this happen. Something just occurred to me, though. Do you think people might be more likely to make these assumptions when you've obviously shaved a full head of hair and have a lot of shadow on your scalp, as opposed to someone who's just shaving the fringe around the sides? I'm just thinking that if someone is obviously balding anyway, people will usually assume that's why he shaves his head. But if someone shaves a full head of hair, maybe people think he's trying to make a statement of some kind?
Whatever the reason, it's presumptuous and stupid. No shortage of idiots out there.
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Living in Detroit, I occasionally consider the fact that I MIGHT get mistaken for a racist or skinhead. Michigan (Militiagan) has its share of misguided morons like the KKK and the Aryan Nation. There are times and places here where it would be best to not get lumped in with them. :)
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that is about 7 different kinds of f'ed up...
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And there is yet another side effect of imbreeding. For anyone to have hatred due to someone's looks is nothing but pure ignorance and laziness- stereotypes are just a half a$$ed guess at what a person is really like rather than getting to know them. I just keep reminding myself that even those people are here for a reason...such as discouraging imbreeding and giving the rest of us that bad taste in our mouths that makes them a minority now. Go back fifty years or so and racists were common place...look at what they've done to themselves over time. It's just a matter of time O:O
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Hey Vash, don't sweat it. The guy is obviously numb between the ears and way out of step with the world and behind the times. As said above, 15 or 20 years ago it might have been an assumption one would have to deal with because headshaving was not as common but even up here in the mid latitudes of Canada, headshaving is quite commonplace now.
That being said, skinheads are hardly ever seen or even thought of in my neck of the woods and I never even imagined being wrongly associated with them by the unenlightened (which there are a lot of here).
But anyways forget about it, let it go and just keep on being sly bro...
Ron
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The guy is obviously numb between the ears
DING!!!
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Here's to being positive role models, lets show the world that a guy with a Chrome Dome is no different, its the persons' motive that makes the dome different!
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It sucks there are still people like that.... you figure natural selection would help out?