Liberal Dogma and Hair

The Writers' Group had an interesting discussion the other day, one that has been lingering in the back of my mind, over liberalism. RG called it "liberal dogma" that he has begun to question in reference to his own liberal ideas. The whole thing began with a short story we were critiquing. The protagonist, a young female, had decided two years prior, to become (a) vegetarian, (b) animal-rights activist (PAWS), and (c) feminist/naturalist (represented by her deciding not to shave her legs and underarms. She works in an office with other women who seem to regard her in some sense as the rebel leader. Then in comes this man who upsets the status quo. Suddenly everyone in the office is laughing at her, not admiring her, and she begins to believe that maybe they've been laughing at her all along. So she goes home, cries, and then shaves her legs and underarms.

I argued that for her to shave was akin to her going home and deciding to fry up a pan of bacon to eat, but the men argued. This group is hardly representative of the population--all well educated, at least four of them college professors, and writers or would-be writers (hardly a profession known for its conservatism). Because of my blue-collar background, I feel that I have a clearer sense of how "regular" people think. I expressed how often I had discussed the shaving issue with my students, asking them, "Why should women shave their underarms and legs? Men don't, so why do most women?" Always, students react with disgust. The same students who would admire an animal-rights activist and many of whom are already vegetarians will nevertheless boo and hiss hairy-legged women. The men (all well-travelled) said, "Most women in the world don't shave, just American women." I agree. However, we're living in America, and a woman who chooses to wear shorts and skirts (as the woman in the story did) will either shave, wear pantyhose, or expect to be laughed at and criticized. She would not run the same risk with her other "liberal dogmas." To begin with, they would not "show" unless she made some verbal commitment, such as wearing buttons. Leg hair shows.

RG told us that when he met his future wife, she did not shave and only reluctantly (with pressure from her mother) agreed to shave for the wedding. Then she grew out her leg and underarm hair again. He said he likes the hair. One of the women (a college professor who always wears pants) said she had stopped shaving about five years ago. I did not tell the group that I myself only shave when I'm about to go to the doctor. (I gave myself such a razor burn under my left arm this past time that I may consider giving it up for good.) The point is this: These people are liberal because everyone they know is liberal, and they know no other way to think. It's the mainstream ideology for them. I am liberal because I had to consciously reject the philosophies of my upbringing in order to embrace more open-minded philosophies.

My family is about as blue-collar as it gets. They're patriotic without thinking about it or understanding why it's as patriotic to question as it is to accept. They vote Republican (most of the time). They think everyone should own guns. They think everyone should join the military. They regularly blame the victim (i.e., my sister blaming a rape victim for wearing provocative clothing). They're often racist. They're xenophobic. But they are also practical and sensible about certain things that, I confess, most liberals aren't.

It's easy to be liberal when you have enough money. I recall once having a conversation with RG about rising gas prices. He declared that he hoped gas prices would go through the roof so people would stop driving big SUVs and would start riding bicycles and walking more. At the time, I'm sure he thought I agreed with him, but I just thought he was an idiot. Would he feel the same way if he were like my younger sister, too poor to buy gas, but with a child's medical needs forcing her to have to travel out of town on a regular basis? What would RG give up--his car and thus his child's health care, or his ideology? I suspect I know the answer to that question.

Of course, there is also the urban versus rural mentality that plays a role. If one has always lived where it's possible to ride city buses, bike, or walk to most conveniences (banks, stores, libraries, doctors' offices), then the idea of having to drive two hours just to get to a doctor's office does not enter the equation. Every time I think that I would like to live further away from town (so people wouldn't tell me what I could or could not do with my own car on my own property), I recall that when I went into labor with my younger son, we had to drive an hour to get to the hospital. Now that I'm older and have health issues, I don't want to be that far away from medical care. (My brother, four years younger than I, had a heart attack a year ago. If he had lived out in the country, he would probably have died. As it was, he lived near an excellent cardiac care facility.)

In short, it's as stupid to be an unthinking, unquestioning liberal as it is to be an unthinking, unquestioning conservative. Whatever ideology one embraces, it should be arrived at after thought and reflection. And--it should not be assumed that everyone should think and act the same way. I myself dislike guns, would never hunt, get sick at the sight of dead animals on the hoods of trucks or even along the roadside, and could not kill an animal deliberately, but I still eat meat. Like presumably Churchhill once said, "I can't eat an animal I've said good morning to," but I have no problem with chicken, pork chops, and steak that come nicely packaged in plastic. Therefore, when my students write essays about hunting, I don't chastise them. I try not to go overboard when they express views that are contrary to my own. Instead, I do my best to tell them why I feel as I do, while insisting (truthfully, I hope) that I may not agree with what they say, but I defend their right to say it.

So now all that remains for me is this: Will I continue to shave my legs and underarms for the doctor's approval (and for all I know, he is a lover of leg hair), or will I go au naturelle? To be hairy, or not to be hairy--that is the question. Dr. S.