Ifl Science Article Leads To Cringe And Cope: What It Means For Us.

[That Guy]

I don't really follow IFLScience much and they've posted some real sh*t articles, but recently they had one about how scientists apparently identified over 200 genes that contribute to baldness.

I first became aware of this article on Facebook, where you'll notice (if you view the article on their Facebook Page) that the second most popular "reaction" to the article is the "haha" smiley and many, many comments are of the "just shave it bro" variety and a lot of old bald guys who say things like "why do people want it cured!?" (like the guy in the link.)

I am a firm believer that this kind of mentality, which is existent even among the medical community, is a huge part of the reason that we've not had a superior treatment to finasteride and minoxidil in 20 years; it's all just a huge joke and people are seemingly fine with it, so why should I invest in it, research it, etc?

Meanwhile, how many (young) people, women, children suffering from alopecia don't sink into deep depression, refuse to leave the house, subject to hiring bias etc. and are on the receiving end of cruel jokes, parodied in media and baldness is a dealbreaker for many women. I really do not think there is any other ailment that suffers from this hypocrisy of being seen as a non-issue when so many clearly take issue with it; we're not supposed to judge people for things beyond their control, but it's okay if he's balding.

Technology is supposed to make our lives better and people like these commentators need to be called on their sh*t because they're doing more harm than good by spreading the idea that such technology is of no value.

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

I want to concur that I cannot think of another ailment subject to this level of hypocrisy.

 

[Jimbo5]

Gotta love "Bob Beattie's" comment ... "Hair loss on men is not an illness. Why do people want to 'cure' it?"

Uh, cuz we don't want to end up looking like you, ya fuckin' bald moron...

 

[That Guy]

To be completely honest, I think about this hypothetical scenario all the time. Somewhere, thousands of years ago, there was an intelligent person who realized that one day, the problem of rotting teeth would be solved. But everyone in the castle or whatever just associates it with aging, the progress of time, and due to their own inability to change it and lack of empathy, trivialize it. The amount of empathy, the evolution of biotechnology and the way we think about each other, will always be revolutionized by the ability, the option, to make simple changes. The presence of the solution to a problem will shake the foundation of what that problem even meant.

I'm probably getting the names and finer details wrong, but I believe it was Socrates or someone like him who was commenting on feudal societies where he said that if people were told that God sprinkled gold into the souls of the nobility and less precious metals into the souls of peasants, the peasants would gladly accept their subjugation because they see it as something that is ordained from on high; a destiny determined by a higher power over which they believe they have no control. Thus, they remain submissive.

Just swap "God" with "genetics" in this case. To these people, they see it as no big deal because genetics determined they didn't get the gold (hair) sprinkled into their DNA and other people did.

 

[Gone]

How poetically depressing.

 

[Gone]

Damn now that I think about, Socrates was also one of the first guys to notice the role of male biology in Androgenetic Alopecia. He probably made that divine subjugation analogy the next day. Clearly a scholar in line with the troubles of the common man.

 

[Roberto_72]

Damn now that I think about, Socrates was also one of the first guys to notice the role of male biology in Androgenetic Alopecia. He probably made that divine subjugation analogy the next day. Clearly a scholar in line with the troubles of the common man.

TBH I would see it the other way around: it does not take a Green philosopher to understand how the genetics lottery makes life in this world pretty unfair. A bald man is all it takes.

 

[That Guy]

Gotta love "Bob Beattie's" comment ... "Hair loss on men is not an illness. Why do people want to 'cure' it?"

Uh, cuz we don't want to end up looking like you, ya fuckin' bald moron...

Notice: "Hair loss on men is not an illness"

Yes, hairloss on men is no biggie, Bob. But on women, you'd say it's a problem, right? Guaranteed this is the kind of guy who thinks "women don't care about looks" and other such nonsense.

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

Notice: "Hair loss on men is not an illness"

Yes, hairloss on men is no biggie, Bob. But on women, you'd say it's a problem, right? Guaranteed this is the kind of guy who thinks "women don't care about looks" and other such nonsense.

Men are supposed to suffer in silence, unless they're self deprecating which also is also OK.

 

[Dante92]

As long as this mentality persists, we are probably not going to see an effective treatment for quite some time.

 

[blackg]

As long as this mentality persists, we are probably not going to see an effective treatment for quite some time.

Well said, Dante.

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

Second guy has a beard so he looks hot ;-)

 

[JohnsonDDG]

I figure if something like psoriasis is seen as illness then so is hair loss.

 

[Guzam]

I don't really follow IFLScience much and they've posted some real sh*t articles, but recently they had one about how scientists apparently identified over 200 genes that contribute to baldness.

I first became aware of this article on Facebook, where you'll notice (if you view the article on their Facebook Page) that the second most popular "reaction" to the article is the "haha" smiley and many, many comments are of the "just shave it bro" variety and a lot of old bald guys who say things like "why do people want it cured!?" (like the guy in the link.)

I am a firm believer that this kind of mentality, which is existent even among the medical community, is a huge part of the reason that we've not had a superior treatment to finasteride and minoxidil in 20 years; it's all just a huge joke and people are seemingly fine with it, so why should I invest in it, research it, etc?

Meanwhile, how many (young) people, women, children suffering from alopecia don't sink into deep depression, refuse to leave the house, subject to hiring bias etc. and are on the receiving end of cruel jokes, parodied in media and baldness is a dealbreaker for many women. I really do not think there is any other ailment that suffers from this hypocrisy of being seen as a non-issue when so many clearly take issue with it; we're not supposed to judge people for things beyond their control, but it's okay if he's balding.

Technology is supposed to make our lives better and people like these commentators need to be called on their sh*t because they're doing more harm than good by spreading the idea that such technology is of no value.

Men:

>lol BALD haha so funneh

>just shave it bro muh Jason Statham

Women:

>ewwwww BALD haha

>bald is beautiful just buzz it brad pitt loooks good buzzed haha

 

[SmoothSailing]

Men are in an awkward situation where we have to invest effort into our appearance whilst pretending we don't. We pretty much have to act like we don't care.

A lot of women, with their out of control idealism, likely do believe that most guys would look good bald. "Just have confidence".

Even bald guys who have given up will usually play the "I don't care and you shouldn't" card whenever it's brought up to try and be 'alpha' or whatever.

So in general society does not view it as an important issue. 90% of the time it's brought up it's in jest. My family/friends mock me for using rogaine. Only those who've worried about balding themselves or who are balding take it seriously.

Scientists working on hairloss cures are likely mocked for it. Definitely if they had hairloss themselves. Probably seen as 'vain'. I can imagine "there are worse things in the world than hairloss".

 

[kj6723]

Not usually my way to call someone out for how bad they look, but talk about being f*****g oblivious and ignorant as f***

It's this kind of thinking...And in this case from a fellow sufferer! that is holding our condition back from getting the recognition and treatment we need to raise our quality of lives

 

[Afro_Vacancy]

Is that fat bald f*** actually the guy making the comment?

 

[whatevr]

Is that fat bald f*** actually the guy making the comment?

If he's not, he probably looks reasonably close.

 

[JohnsonDDG]

Men are in an awkward situation where we have to invest effort into our appearance whilst pretending we don't. We pretty much have to act like we don't care.

A lot of women, with their out of control idealism, likely do believe that most guys would look good bald. "Just have confidence".

Even bald guys who have given up will usually play the "I don't care and you shouldn't" card whenever it's brought up to try and be 'alpha' or whatever.

So in general society does not view it as an important issue. 90% of the time it's brought up it's in jest. My family/friends mock me for using rogaine. Only those who've worried about balding themselves or who are balding take it seriously.

Scientists working on hairloss cures are likely mocked for it. Definitely if they had hairloss themselves. Probably seen as 'vain'. I can imagine "there are worse things in the world than hairloss".

I noticed this.

Whenever they complimented my body I always took it at face value but whenever I told them I'm not getting beer or whatever or that I ear 1900 calories on a cut then they think its vain. They like the body but they don't like that I have to work hard to get it.

Makes no sense.

I now pretend not to eat healthy when I first date someone.

 

[whatevr]

I noticed this.

Whenever they complimented my body I always took it at face value but whenever I told them I'm not getting beer or whatever or that I ear 1900 calories on a cut then they think its vain. They like the body but they don't like that I have to work hard to get it.

Makes no sense.

I now pretend not to eat healthy when I first date someone.

Act like you don't even lift.

Don't mention your runs.

Hide your hair loss treatments.

There's no other way for a man to win in this day and age.