Sex, politics, religion and oil…
In cosmetology school we are taught many things, from perms to foils to graduated bobs. One of the cardinal rules we are taught is to never talk about sex politics or religion. I’ve learned the hard way that this is very true. I lost a client several years ago because I tried to persuade her that her lesbian child was loved by God just as much as her straight child. After a quick exchange the conversation went cold, and she never sat in my chair again. I don’t regret my point of view, just the fact that I had no right to try to change this woman’s world view.
We must be aware of what we say and how we say it, and I try to steer away from hot topics when I realize that my client and I do not share the same point of view. Local recent events, however, have made me realize that this cardinal rule needs to be bent.
We are witnessing an event that is a tragedy on a local level but will have long term global consequences. Of course, I’m talking about the Gulf Oil Disaster. As a Florida resident, I appreciate the severity of how this will affect my property values, the prosperity of my business and all local wildlife and ecological systems. I am sickened every day by the news of how BP and other oil companies have complete disregard for our safety. How our government has not only allowed these behaviors but those assigned to our protection are complicit in their offenses. Some days it’s truly unbearable. I think a lot about how I felt those first few days after 9/11; the depression and anxiety I felt as I watched the towers fall over and over. I speculate that the reason why BP put the pipe on TV was to desensitize us to the true damage that every smoky billow was producing.
So we hairdressers are not supposed to talk about hard subjects. We are supposed to keep it light and polite. But not today, not in Florida.
Anyone that lives in the Gulf, anyone that loves the amazing wildlife that calls it home, anyone who loves the white sands of Pensacola needs to talk about this event. This is going to change my life, the life of my salon staff, my clients and so many more people. It is not just my choice to discuss what I see on the news, it’s my duty to try to get every client involved in protecting our welfare. So my clients will be getting an earful, and hopefully they will pass it on. We all need to talk about this, grumble, shout and get vocal.
It may seem that I’m being overly sensitive, but I’ve been offended too much by this situation. As many of you know we have donated well over 200 pounds of hair to Matter of Trust for the production of hair booms to soak up oil spills over the past 3 years. It has been announced that BP was at first unwilling to use the hair booms. It is now known that BP’s use of the toxic dispersant has made the use of the booms virtually useless. Somehow it decreases the hair’s proficiency in adsorption. I’m offended that so much good intent has been wasted. Let’s make sure that our efforts now are not forgotten by corporate and government neglect.
Senator Bill Nelson: 202-224-5274
Congresswoman Cathy Castor 202-225-3376
The White House 202-456-1111
Governor Charlie Crist 850-448-4441