10:36 a.m.
When I was growing up, I had an Aunt Nancy who was always at me about getting a haircut. “When are you going to get a haircut?” she would complain, often the first thing she would say when she saw me — and while I generally considered her to be a harmless though mildly annoying member of the family cast (especially after she would have one drink too many at the annual Christmas-Eve family party and insist on kissing every male relative within arm’s reach, even the underage ones; or, rather, especially the underage ones), it was fortunate for all involved that she didn’t have the authority to demand that I get a haircut, or to tell me exactly how it needed to be cut.
I think I can now view the government of Iran as my Aunt Nancy run far, far amok. If power corrupts, then absolute religious authority makes people bonkers:
Iran closes barbers offering ‘un-Islamic’ cuts
“Iran has shut down barber shops offering unconventional Western hair styles amid a police crackdown on dress deemed un-Islamic . . . Tehran’s barbers’ union said in April that police had issued a directive forbidding its members from giving men offbeat hairstyles . . . Shoulder-length, spiky or heavily gelled styles for men have long angered Iran’s religious conservatives.”
But then, perhaps they have a point:
Agh! Spiky hair! Rock music! The world is coming to an end!
