More Americans growing beard

For most men, shaving is a bother; the natural instinct would be to grow beard.

This is my pure guess, going by some examples; but I think I am not far off the mark.

Al Gore after he lost the 2000 Presidential race to George Bush. (Source: BBC)

Some years back, when I was in Ahmedabad, I got a few extra days off work along with the Diwali holidays. The thought of not going to office was refreshing, but it induced, as it often does, a certain amount of laziness. One result of that — I was reluctant to pick up the razor for a couple of days. But the stubble and the different look added a new freshness, prompting me to dump the razor for ever. The beard became a part of my personality, and it stayed with me for around eight years. Why I picked it up again, will be subject of another post.

The previous occasion when I regularly skipped the daily ritual was during my annual pilgrimage to Sabarimala. That happened for eight consecutive years from when I was in 11th. And, at that age, beard sends many signals — to oneself as well as to peers. I even looked forward to it.

In the college ambiance, the beard also symbolised pangs of lost love. It was not that some of my friends weren’t confused about the actual intent of the beard I sported during those days. But it was always better not to comment or elaborate on it. Even now!

In today’s difficult days, economic downturn is showing up on many an American’s face. The Australian quotes Wall Street Journal to say:

It’s one of those tiny luxuries unleashed by unemployment, a time when people are briefly released from workaday habits and may wish to take stock of their lives before setting out anew.

Al Gore’s beard became big news in 2000-01, after he famously lost to George Bush by the narrowest of margins. Guardian described him thus:

With his full, patchily-grey beard, he looked just like one of those dethroned eastern European monarchs who used to haunt the salons of London or Paris, refusing to comment, out of well-bred politesse, on the excesses of the thugs who had ousted them.

In 2004, BBC’s Paul Reynolds described Al Gore thus, sparking speculation that he may challenge Bush:

He has shaved off his beard and has started wearing white shirts again.

A good web search will provide us with all possible meanings that beard can convey in a variety of contexts.

French filmmaker of 1930s to 1950s, Jean Cocteau said:

There is always a period when a man with a beard shaves it off. This period does not last. He returns headlong to his beard,” probably indicating how much the facial hair is a part of man’s personality.

News is just coming in that the 14 billion bailout package for the American auto industry has fallen through in the Senate, because one of the workers’ unions didn’t agree to a cut in wages to make them on a par with the Japanese workers. So, now many more Americans might well begin sporting the beard: in anger, in disgust, in gloom or just as a cost-cutting device.

Links:

Facing the times, The Australian

US car bailout fails in senate, BBC

Gore: behind the beard, The Guardian

Will it be Gore in 2004, BBC