I have nothing against "artificial" looks for me it is just an other way of expressingoneself( the origins of the word is "of art" )I think your body can be a canvas but the thing is art has become an industry and so has looks so this can cause problems for people who are more "feral".
You always have the mostinterestingstories SE.
Yes that's my point...it's notnecessarilya dread education thing (in most cases) but a fear ofacknowledgingthat we are domesticated and conditioned into accepting ourcommercialized personalities (not 100% but a big piece of it) . It's make me think of the apes and banana test...we repeat the tings others do without really knowing or asking why. Btw I really like what all of you have said so far.
elke.in.alaska said:
Idk. I've already faced the cultural brainwashed norms wrapped around birth, infant feeding and mainstream medicine (used to be a RN) so bring on the ones wrapped up around hair! There's a whole industry there just to figure out how to brainwash you into whatever way of thinking that will get you to do what they want you to do. Change takes time and persistence. But mostly time. My favorite quote of Shopenhauers "All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."
18 months have past so far on my journey and I would like to share the common denominator of all comments: Most people do not understand that dreadlocks form on their own. Not only that but mostpeopleI explained it too could not or would not accept that fact...It seem to "clash" with theirunderstandingof hair care. " No you can't wash them that's why they look like that" "You are going to have all kinds of crap stuck in your hair" "Your hair will always be dirty" "That wont form into dread locks it will just be a big mess" "White people's hair does not dread naturally" "I have a black friend that has 100% natural dreads they grew that way not like yours" and so on...I explained and explained it too them and they just did not want to accept it. This got me asking why? Why is it so difficult for so many to accept? Is it just because of ignoranceof dreadlocks? Or is it something more? If it is just ignorance why did most after explaining still did not understand (or would not accept)?
Myhypotheses is thebasisof this attitude is rooted in the difficulty a lot have with questioning their reality...I know this seems like a long shot and a overkill but Iexperiencethe same kind of attitude when I try explaining other kinds of "non-conventional" ideas. It is something more then just ignorance. Teaching others is not enough to stomp ignorance on dreads IMO. This is something I think most of you are going to face and need to accept if you choose the natural route or you might find it frustrating.
I hope that this did not soundcondescending.
Putting a shirt on wont help his hair dread...
vlad said:
for 1 put a shirt on. for 2 you have like one inch of hair. you couldn't even back comb locks in there if you tried.
This is a life that appeals to me a lot. A life of freedom, scary for most.
I know how you feel. I get labeled a "hippie" (here they called them a "granola") a lot I don't really care any more but it is not who I am...well I think lol. I also like guns (and otherweapons) and hunting and living off the land being off grid. I think we are freedom lovers and that is what we have in common with "hippies". We rather fend for ourselves then be fed and cared for likecattle.
That's my uncle Larry! lol! The guy has cool locks all jokes aside.
Thank you. I wrote this cause I just wanted to use my example to show andrain that no mater how some things seems to be bad it gets better. I appreciate the hugs
Janice said:
Yes, Adrian, you are right to remain above perpetrating any act of violence against another. I'm sure it has been helpful to read some of the situations others have endured in hs. One day you will be out of hs and leave the posers behind. Or at least you will have a much larger pool of potential friends to choose from who are REAL. As we age we realize that what's important is what makes us happy, not making others happy. If your dreads mean a great deal to you, keep them and do like SE says: Wear them proudly and with dignity. I'll bet there are students in your school who WISH they had the guts to be different, just like you!
And JD - omg, I just wanted to cry while reading what you went thru, luv. So sad and unfair. And you are such an interesting, insightful person! The lives we have lead to this point help to shape us into who we are today, even if it just means we decide "I am never parenting my kid that way," or "I will always stand up for myself from this day forward," etc. ((hugs)) from The Great White North, my friend.
It's sucks bad being targeted at school just because your are different. I had it not so well myself in school. I was anEnglishspeakingstrawberryblond Jehovah's Witness with bad acneglassesandsomewhatof a nerd in a french catholic school. All kinds of mean things where done to me, locked in my locker, pants pulled down, in gym class I had my clothes put in the toilet and peed on. Some girls asked me out just to mess with me...it was not a good time. When I got back home my dad would laugh at whathappenedto me when I told him so I stopped talking to him about it. One day I just snapped and I beat the crap out of a guy who humiliated me and after that I got more respect....I'm not telling you to do that ofcoursebut once your are done and over with themutatedversions of adults you will see that life gets much better after the craziness ofhigh-school and always stick to being who you are.
