Quinn and Solways 'wise-man beards'

Cory Duchesne · Post by **Cory Duchesne** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 12:50 pm

Is it just a coincidence that you guys are self-proclaimed wise-men 'and' just so happen to have stereotypically wise-man sage beards?

Is there some sort of utilitarian, practical reason why you guys grow your beards to such exaggerated proportions?

Or is it simply a vanity thing?

You know, posting pictures of yourselves with those great beards really creates a powerful impression on us youngsters:

"Wow, these guys really are wise - just look at them beards!"

Ok, ok - - now, in all seriousness....

Quinn and Solway, when you guys first posted those pictures of yourself, were you at all aware at the time of how stereotypical and cliched your pictures looked next the self-proclaimations of your sageliness and wisdom?

If so, great sense of humor.

If not, well, maybe its just a humorous coincidence. Or maybe there is a certain practicality to the big beards.

Anyway, I still think your websites and the genius forum are relatively high quality in relationship to most of the other stuff out there.

It has challenged me, and helped me overall.

Although it still embarasses me to be on the genius forum at work. When my co-workers see the huge bolded genius forum title on my computer screen, It certainly creates a bit of anxiety for them and maybe me a bit.

Anyway, good work Quinn and Solway. Keep those beards growin strong.

sschaula · Post by **sschaula** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:13 pm

I can't seem to vote. Contrary to what's been said in the past about having a beard, I don't think it has any purpose. A person either has a beard or doesn't. The women not liking it idea is absurd in my opinion...some women could definitely find it attractive, so it wouldn't be too effective.

Anyway...I have the feeling this topic is about to drop.

Ryan Rudolph · Post by **Ryan Rudolph** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:15 pm

Cory Patrick, Iâ€™ll admit to you that when I first seen the pictures, I admired the big beards, and envied Quinn and Solway a bit.

You see, Iâ€™m an unfortunate fellow, Iâ€™m rather geeky/baby faced, and unable to grow the big beardâ€¦

But the big beard is something I have yearned for most of my lifeâ€¦

And seeing Quinn and Solway confirmed the aching desire I have carried with me all this time.

Sometimes I wonder about how happy I would be if I had a big beard like that, I imagine that glorious day when I grow a big beard longer than Quinn and Solway put togetherâ€¦

Than maybeâ€¦ just maybe I could be a sage tooâ€¦

But who am I kidding, that is just a pipedream, I can't even grow a mustache, Andrew Cohen probably wouldnâ€™t even respect me with the puny growth I have cultivated thus farâ€¦

Oh the sorrow of being a baby faced geeky manâ€¦

David Quinn · Post by **David Quinn** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 2:23 pm

(B) is closest to the mark for me. I operate on the principle of spending as little time as possible on my appearance. I only have to trim my beard once a month, which is a far better proposition than having to shave every day or two. Similarly, my clothing is mismatched and lacks any kind of style because, again, I give it so little attention.

Having a beard is also good because it is consistent with valuing masculinity. Scraping a blade over one's face in order to make it more hairless and feminine for the sake of vanity isn't a very appealing prospect to me. So, in short, I don't have a compelling enough reason to shave.

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David Quinn · Post by **David Quinn** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 3:01 pm

Scott wrote:

A person either has a beard or doesn't. The women not liking it idea is absurd in my opinion...some women could definitely find it attractive, so it wouldn't be too effective.

It's largely dictated by fashion and ovulation cycles, but in general women prefer a man to be clean-shaven because it suggests to their minds that he is tamer and easier to control. A beardless men is more civilized - that is, more conformist, more feminine, more "sound". He deliberately puts himself through pain for vanity reasons and thus he is more like a woman. Dress him in a suit and tie, and nice shoes, and what you have is the perfect man - part slave, part woman.

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sschaula · Post by **sschaula** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 3:59 pm

Lately (in America at least) the trend has been that women are attracted to a guy who is a few days unshaven. I think to them he seems wild, but not so wild that he's untameable. The process of becoming a man becomes "cute".

I look on TV and see the celebrity Ryan Seacrest, with his boyish face covered in a thin layer of a man's hair. It's "cute". It's not masculine though! On the TV show Lost, the main character is always a few days unshaven. He is a kind of a sex symbol for women in this country.

Perhaps it's subconsciously considered a virtue for a woman to tame a man, and the wilder that man is, the greater a trophy. Yet there is a point where women know their limits...just as a hunter knows that he'll be unable to shoot the elusive 30 point buck. He may spot it...but perhaps out of respect, or just out of humility, he doesn't even aim. Perhaps some hunters do aim, and perhaps some fire and miss...just as some women can become attracted to a masculine man. Perhaps, they also turn out to be ones with little respect or humility.

I operate on the principle of spending as little time as possible on my appearance. I only have to trim my beard once a month, which is a far better proposition than having to shave every day or two. Similarly, my clothing is mismatched and lacks any kind of style because, again, I give it so little attention.

I have the same "problems".

No, they aren't problems at all. I shave every few days because I have to be clean shaven for the National Guard. I also don't like having facial hair...or head hair...for hygenic reasons. I just don't like the way it feels....so I'm close to bald.

I also realized the other day that my clothing is pretty outdated. I've been wearing some of the same clothes from a few years ago...which in this culture and at my age, is kind of odd. I still think I look good enough though.

I don't understand fashion trends for the most part. If I'm curious about what I should be wearing, I either ask my metrosexual friend...or else a girl...or I go to http://www.askmen.com . David, while you may not think it wise to bother even as much as I do about what to wear, I think it's necessary in my culture in order to be taken any bit seriously. A person doesn't have to be on the cutting edge of style, but they at least have to fit into the standards...like not wearing a black belt with brown shoes...or having the waistline of their pants above their belly button or anything ridiculous like that.

avidaloca · Post by **avidaloca** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:51 pm

I can't vote either. I'd vote B.

I'd say the beards just suit their lifestyles. They are not "put on" to attract a certain clientele or whatever.

If you didn't have to go to work or weren't interested in women or how you looked, you'd have a beard too maybe.

Jason · Post by **Jason** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:53 pm

I'd vote B and perhaps a little bit of D. I think it's probably based on their principles, however they are also well into propaganda, which is what this forum, and their website pages with their images on it are about, and image can be a part of that.

I have a beard also.My beard is nowhere near the size of Davids or Kevins however. I operate on some of the same principles David spoke of in his post. My appearance isn't something I'm willing to waste my time, money or comfort on. But I have grown my beard out to be long, and I found that uncomfortable and annoying. So I use an electric beard clipper to cut it back to a thick stubble once every two weeks or so. It doesn't hurt my skin, it's quick, simple and keeps my beard at a comfortably length.

Kevin Solway · Post by **Kevin Solway** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 4:55 pm

sschaula wrote:I think it's necessary in my culture in order to be taken any bit seriously. A person doesn't have to be on the cutting edge of style, but they at least have to fit into the standards...like not wearing a black belt with brown shoes...or having the waistline of their pants above their belly button or anything ridiculous like that.

I regularly wear the very articles of clothing I was wearing more than ten years ago. The shirt I wear when I'm playing squash is twenty-seven years old. These things have probably been in and out of fashion several times already.

I once accidentally bought a new pair of trousers that were about four sizes too big for me [As a rule I by tradesman's trousers, since they are built to last!]. The were huge, but with a belt they were still wearable. I figured that it would be a waste not to wear them, and I don't like taking things back to the shop after I've already paid for them, so I decided to wear them. It got me plenty of attention in public, but the roominess of them was a plus. . . . No chance of fungal infections in the groin area with that much airflow.

Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:20 pm

.

[edit: made an unrude post to improve the coherency of thread]

F) Is this the photo of a person whose image is Truth ?

]

.

David Quinn · Post by **David Quinn** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 5:51 pm

Kevin wrote:

I once accidentally bought a new pair of trousers that were about four sizes too big for me [As a rule I by tradesman's trousers, since they are built to last!]. The were huge, but with a belt they were still wearable. I figured that it would be a waste not to wear them, and I don't like taking things back to the shop after I've already paid for them, so I decided to wear them. It got me plenty of attention in public, but the roominess of them was a plus. . . . No chance of fungal infections in the groin area with that much airflow.

That would look good on a billboard.

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Cory Duchesne · Post by **Cory Duchesne** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 8:52 pm

If you didn't have to go to work or weren't interested in women or how you looked, you'd have a beard too maybe.

I would have a beard, period. But my facial hair doesnt produce hair densely enough. My neck produces these little pubes that, when left to their own devices for a month, don't seem to quite cover over my neck.

I tried to grow a goatee. But there's a space beteen my moustache and my chin hair (right next to the corner of my lips) that doesnt grow pubes at all. So this makes it impossible to grow a goatee. But there's a bit of peach fuzz there - -and so I shave that as much as I can, as often as possible, in order to provoke more wiry hairs -- which I will in turn shave quite readily..........so, there is still hope for a classic sage beard.

Sometimes I fear that my lack of facial hair is an indication that i'm not man-enough to be a sage.

And then I look at Quinn and Solways pictures and I clench my fist tightly and snarl.

DHodges · Post by **DHodges** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:02 pm

Scott wrote:Lately (in America at least) the trend has been that women are attracted to a guy who is a few days unshaven. I think to them he seems wild, but not so wild that he's untameable. The process of becoming a man becomes "cute".

I don't think that's a new trend - I think it dates back to Miami Vice. It has become a sort of stereotypical "bad boy" look.

I've had beards, or moustaches, now and then. I've been clean-shaven for the last two years or so.

One reason I don't have a beard is because it is part of the stereotypical "biker" look, and since I do ride a motorcycle, I try to avoid that. (It's just a vehicle, it's not a 'lifestyle'.)

But, maybe it's good to change it up now and then, so you don't get too attached to looking a certain way. So, no vote from me, other than a vote of sympathy for Cory.

Kelly wrote:I ride a bike, and my helmet fits better with short hair.

This is very true, and you avoid "helmet hair". I'll probably cut my hair very short within the next few weeks, as I did last summer. Short hair is very functional - low maintenance. I left it longer for the winter, 'cause it's warmer.

avidaloca · Post by **avidaloca** » Mon Apr 10, 2006 11:11 pm

Sometimes I fear that my lack of facial hair is an indication that i'm not man-enough to be a sage.

Take a look at the Chinese sage Huang Po's writings: some of the best ever written. A true genius.

As he lived in the ninth century, we can't be sure what he looks like, but you rarely see a Chinaman with anything more than a wispy goatee, and even that's rare. Chances are he was facially almost hairless.

Only awake to the One Mind and there is nothing whatever to be attained.

This pure Mind, the source of everything, shines forever and on all with the brilliance of its own perfection. But the people of the world do not awake to it, regarding only that which sees, hears, feels and knows as mind.... If they would only eliminate all conceptual thought in a flash, that source-substance would manifest itself like a sun....

Greg Shantz · Post by **Greg Shantz** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 12:51 am

I usually like to keep at least some facial hair at all times, whether it be a goatee, moustache or full beard. I recently got my beard trimmed and hair cut by an Italian barber and now my hair and beard are very short. I suspect he was trying to make me look fashionable and/or attractive to women.

Kelly Jones · Post by **Kelly Jones** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 12:23 pm

DH wrote:Kelly: I ride a bike, and my helmet fits better with short hair.

This is very true, and you avoid "helmet hair".

Women don't ride bicycles because they have *hair*. And for some reason, don't like to be seen making an effort at anything. They can't even make an effort at being smelly, it has to be manufactured by someone else. A woman is not lazy. She's "leisurely". Or rather, she has good manners, and beautiful *skin*. Perhaps we could call that "white-washing a tomb". It's odd that women really think that beauty comes from the inside, namely, what you eat.

There is a saying, "The Buddha does not have a beard."

[edit codes].

Blair · Post by **Blair** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 2:48 pm

What about Dan Rowden? His beard looks pretty sagely.

The sage has a uniform, an insignia just as all other 'types' do, it just so happens the sage's is the most perplexing to the average person.

Old, faded, torn worn-out mismatched clothes, an unruly beard, and a lack of cosmetic enhancements is percieved as being a big "fuck you" by society, who will interpret it as vagrancy, rather than sagelyness.

The eye, even belonging to the most deluded, sniffs out in milliseconds what is "going on" with a person, at least on the animal level. Beard or no beard, a sage will still send out signals that cause almost all peoples to recoil in fear. It can only be seen as profoundly amusing in the clear light of understanding.

Leyla Shen · Post by **Leyla Shen** » Tue Apr 11, 2006 11:20 pm

I would have to go with B.

Since I am a female, I would have to shave to grow a beard and then spend money to keep shaving. Couldnâ€™t be fagged with that. So, itâ€™s practical, not egotistical .

Mostly, the fact that I donâ€™t have a penis keeps the women away. Accept for women who think they are men and men who are men and, sometimes, men who are both men and women.

I do have a vaginal beard which I prefer to keep trimmed -- once every couple of months is sufficient. Shaving is just too tricky, and itchy. Waxing works, but itâ€™s costly, and rather time consuming when you do it yourself.

I seldom cut the hair on my head: maybe once every 6-8 months. God damn waste of money. So, itâ€™s up in a ponytail most of the time because I find it annoying on my face. I never blow dry.

My mother still buys me clothes every now and then. Mostly because she wants to see me looking like a doll. My favourite pair of pants cost AU$6. They have a Velcro â€œzipper,â€ are one size too big (so they sag a bit) and are made from a comfortable light canvas.

Ryan Rudolph · Post by **Ryan Rudolph** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 7:30 am

Leyla wrote:

I do have a vaginal beard which I prefer to keep trimmed -- once every couple of months is sufficient. Shaving is just too tricky, and itchy. Waxing works, but itâ€™s costly, and rather time consuming when you do it yourself.

I seldom cut the hair on my head: maybe once every 6-8 months. God damn waste of money. So, itâ€™s up in a ponytail most of the time because I find it annoying on my face. I never blow dry.

My mother still buys me clothes every now and then. Mostly because she wants to see me looking like a doll. My favourite pair of pants cost AU$6. They have a Velcro â€œzipper,â€ are one size too big (so they sag a bit) and are made from a comfortable light canvas.

block it out Ryan, I am an enlightened sage, I am so an enlightened sage, I am above sexual desire, I am not of the flesh...

Wait what the hell is this bulge doing in my pants?

sschaula · Post by **sschaula** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:54 am

Prostitute, that in combination with your picture of Andrew Cohen was hilarious.

Diebert van Rhijn · Post by **Diebert van Rhijn** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 8:58 am

"...the male beard communicates an heroic image of the independent, sturdy, and resourceful pioneer, ready, willing and able to do manly things."

Psychologist Robert J. Pellegrini reported in Psychology, 1973, Volume 10, No. 1, the results of an experiment on the perception of male personality as a function of varying states of beardedness

Read more at Impressions of the male personality as a function of beardedness.

I've myself not any strong opinion on the matter. A beard seems to the most natural thing for a man to develop when not wanting to spend time on tuning a personal appearance. But appearances sometimes do count if we have to deal with this world. Sometimes one just doesn't like the first months of growing because one has to get used to it and it might feel quite uncomfortable at first. Combined with a slight pressure that most societies produce on the matter, most cave in and start shaving although not everyone has to shave daily, some can go days without, others never have to.

Daily shaving might affect the skin as well in a negative way. More irritation, infection and so on. I keep just a short beard or unshaven look. Maintenance is quite fast and easy and it can easily go weeks without. I see no reason to change this currently in this society obsessed with appearances. It might benefit me in practical matters, not to let it grow too large, I don't know.

Matt Gregory · Post by **Matt Gregory** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 10:14 am

I don't have enough face hairs to grow a beard. I shave every week or two. I buzz my hair off every 3 or 4 months. My mom dresses me :-) When she sees me with holes in my clothes, she'll buy me a replacement, which I'll wear. A lot of my clothes are wearing out or have cigarette burns in them.

MKFaizi · Post by **MKFaizi** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:05 pm

Who gives a royal fuck?

What a pissant pussy thread -- with enlightened sages posting, no less.

Faizi

MKFaizi · Post by **MKFaizi** » Wed Apr 12, 2006 1:48 pm

Yes, that is a picture of Andrew Cohen, all right -- some author of bullshit enlightenment -- or whatever.

Never heard of him, myself -- until I saw his photo here.

Seems like a Viagra thing.

Faizi

MKFaizi · Post by **MKFaizi** » Thu Apr 13, 2006 11:36 am

Well, I will say this about that:

I can say, with certainty, that if I had to [expletive deleted] shave my face, I would not. Every damn day of my life? You got to be kidding.

Philosophy, Schmilosophy. I would shave as little as possible to avoid the torture. I can't imagine taking a razor to my face each and every morning.

I may be able to get my cabin soon. Much less torture for me, if I can swing it. Almost as good as not shaving.

Faizi

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Quinn and Solways 'wise-man beards'

When you first seen Quinn and Solways pictures, did you find their beards a little much?

Quinn and Solways 'wise-man beards'