Stereotypes about dreads

At work and school, I often come across people who call me things such as "pothead", "rastafarian", or "dirty hippie," simply because of my hair. People ignorantly make assumptions about people with dreads when they really have no idea what they're talking about. I politely try to tell them that dreadlocks have been around for thousands of years, and that the association of dreadlocks with Jamaicans, marijuana, and Rastas is a fairly recent phenomenon. I tell them that I have nothing against smoking weed but I just choose not to smoke very much, and some people do not even believe me! Also, I explain to them that properly maintained dreads are actually very clean and healthy, only to be met with cringes and looks of disgust.

I'm just curious how many other people here come across these types of attitudes and how you have dealt with them. Also, how did such an ancient hairstyle develop such irrelevant stereotypes in America?! I would be interested in studying more about this.

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updated by @luke-kwiatkowski: 02/14/15 02:37:54AM

how did pollish people get the reputation of being stupid how did jewish people ghet the reputation of greed how did irish people get the reputation of being drunk

these questions have multi part answers

partialy it starts with teasing and just for laughs jokes at the expense of others as these jokes and jabs become more commonplace they get accepr-=ted as cultural realities which then become racial or cultural biasses..reasons to hate..i hate those drunken irish.. even though they personaly might not know a single irish drinker..

then patriotism and believe it or not sports phanatisism add too it the french are cowards cause they dont want to enfter into a war ,,even though most of your own country apposes it as well

or the same goes for sports rivalries

its all part of the us verses them mentality that makes enemies from neighbours

theres something different about you therefore i am required to hate you i cannot continue to hate you if i understand you so thered=fore i am required to in]gnore all you say in the name of blind hatred

example after 911 on the highway to nyc was a banner hanging over a overpass said operation..dessert gone

next overpass.. kill all muslims

blind hatred aimed at millions of people based on the actions of dozens

so 1 rasta dread smokes weed and they are against it they project that on all drads..

its simple mindedness

its that simplemindedness that keeps curupt governments in power..to protect us from an evl them that would be a freind if we had any small ammount of understanding

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

The ex of my girlfriend i have now texted her and said "have fun with your free spirited hobo ass looking boyfriend" which was referring to me lol

did she reply "at least he knows what fun is"? some people are so afraid of standing out they just become boring..

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

haha she does not reply to him. but yea he is just mad that i dont care about what other people think of me. i love my dreads, my girlfriend loves my dreads, and my real "friends" love my dreads. what else do i need?! and i took free spirited as a compliment haha

i get negative and positive comments on mine, and i like them both. better to be hated than to hate i think. i embrace the hate, and the haters dont get me down like they want me to be. But the pothead comment annoys me, when someone asks me about weed i smile and tell them i prefer crystal meth

if the sterotypes about dreads are true then we will lead the mutant armies of the world post apocolypse

unless its a zombie apocolypse ..then we lead the small gang of chainsaw weilding zombie slayers

--
My new book Ban The Taboo Vol 1

I agree that not every dreadhead is a weed smoking rasta, but sense I fit into that category I can't complain when people say things like that, except it always is said with a negative inflection like there's anything wrong with being a rastafarian or smoking ganja.

Here's some prevalent stereotypes I was exposed to after hearing my mom complain about my dreads yet again (she's from Ghana):

a) Witchcraft/Sorcery ( I think this just means people who follow the traditional religions of the various 'tribes' (don't like that term much; find it Eurocentric) which is funny considering the role Christian missionaries played in colonialism and how they fund oppression in the present day.)

b) Mental illness

c) Marijuana

What I don't understand is that locs as a way of wearing hair (and the religious/spiritual aspects of it) have been around for generations and yet today if you wear locs people think you're crazy or just trying to be counterculture. It's really annoying and shameful.

Soaring Eagle, referring to your first reply, I think you're right. I'll think twice before I make a comment relating to a stereotype, whether it's a good or bad comment.

And Luke, that is an awesome compliment. What is better than being a free spirit??