Simple misunderstanding
The simplest solution…
I don’t know why – it may be the emergent theme of facial hair in this webcomic – but I’ve been thinking about the ways in which us humans try to distinguish ourselves from animals.
Obviously, we start with behaving differently… talking, reasoning, expressing and all of that nonsense.
Then we change our environment – no nests or dens or sets for us – where nature prefers organic lines, we choose straight.
But our genes belie our origin. We are after all, mostly monkey(~98%). Technically, we’re mostly banana (~60%) or any other fruit too… we’re all very closely related.
And there comes the face hair and the grooming in general. I’m not saying that there aren’t hygienic reasons for cutting hair (that’s why they call a moustache a soup strainer), but you have to admit we’re becoming increasingly vain as a species.
More money gets spent on make-up, shampoo and a variety of dyes, colours and moisturisers than on libraries, common sports facilities and theaters.
The money spent on advertising these illusions alone could support a small, hell, a big third-world country.
But it is necessary. It happens to be the simplest solution.
You see we could just stop acting like animals… that would distinguish us enough, except we can’t because that’s exactly what we are… it’s too difficult and complex to try and work everything out, to stop the massive amounts of killing and cruelty.
And it is all so that we can pretend that we’re better than that, that we paint our faces and shave our fur.
YES. I’ve never made the connection between facial hair and the human delusion, but otherwise I’m totally on board.
And THAT’S why I keep coming back here! Brilliant comic - one of my favourite yet. I can’t believe this isn’t a 200-year-old Dad joke yet! You know those things that are incredibly intelligent and whimsical and wise the first time your dad heard them in 1967 and have been nailed into you at least once a week from birth?
Anyway, speaking of beard themes:
http://buttersafe.com/2008/03/06/the-massive-beard/
The hair on our face is actually not fur, i thought, since it grows continuously. Our eyebrows would be fur, for example. I think poodles have hair and most dogs have fur, incidentally, and we definitely keep and groom poodles in a way that doesn’t look naturally occurring. What if the weird growing patterns of people is the only thing that separates us?
haha, that is brilliantly simple.
I’ve thought about that a lot.
But is it us distinguishing ourselves from animals, or thinking we’re better? I’ve always thought the opposite, actually. I mean, animals survive by being the most attractive of their species. Those are the ones which reproduce most.
The most colourful, the biggest, the one with the biggest mane, plumage or antlers. For the most part it’s about looks and being the best.
By being ambitious, by shaving, wearing make-up we’re offering ourselves up for reproduction and showing how we’re the best choice to continue the species.
Unless that was what you were trying to say and I missed that somehow.
Just my thoughts.
It’s all very closely related. The displays we see in nature and indeed in our own species do more than say look at me I’m pretty. By maintaining territory and an appearance animals also say I am so fit that I can spend time doing this frivolous activity while the lesser of you have to expend energy on survival. My offspring will have this same advantage, pick me. These activities themselves are shaped by natural selection, only the activities that attract a mate will bring success. Mating activities that waste energy, a precious thing in nature, and fail to accomplish the task usually die out. Since female homosapiens desire for the most part a groomed male we will continue to see males reach maturity that have a desire to be well groomed. Much as the idea of an attractive female has changed over time from voluptuous to thin we see women trying to reach this goal of being thin.
that was almost too subtle. i actually had to read it twice before i got it. nice
i’m going to put my game face on now.
I like the theory that we’re mostly fruit. Call that Occam’s raisins.
that’s brilliant. and awesome.
Thanks for your comments folks… I’m sorry I didn’t get to reply to them in a timely fashion. I’ve been having all manner of shenanigans with the site.
…that and the fact that I have, almost obsessively, been checking to see if the assumption in my comic:
1. Is correct
2. Has not been used by someone else before (especially in comic form)
So far, so good…
Yes it is true…my shop is ,and has been Occams Edge Haircutters for many years…..I am very glad that we must cut our hair and shave our faces….but I have worn a beard for forty three years and continue to enjoy the experience….if I could just shorten my jokes….the barber
We are concerned with our appearance just as the selfish genes of the peacock are concerned with ‘their’ phenotype.
I chose to be ~60% related to a passion fruit.