Could It Have Been You?

Dearest Rachel –

For all that you into the color purple for most of our life together (for a while while you were at college, it seemed that you favored unicorns and rainbows, but somewhere along the line – I can’t recall when or why – you centered on the one single color, for some reason) you were reluctant to dye your hair to match your preference. Part of the reason, I’m sure was that, being a fairly dark brunette, the dye wouldn’t show up very well against your natural hair color, but there was also the concern that it would remove your natural curl, which you were rather proud of having.

At some point, when your natural hair color started to fade, you decided that whatever risks there might be regarding the loss of your curls (which had already been proven to be overblown, in any event), they were less of a concern than having to sport grey hair – you would rather go purple and have straighter hair than have grey curls. Besides, you thought, grey hair would finally be sufficient for the dye to actually stand out on your head.

You took good care of your dye job, taking pains (somewhat literally, as far as I could tell) to wash it – and yourself – in cold water to allow it to last that much longer between re-dyeings. I usually had to wait until you were done with your hair before joining you in the shower, as I couldn’t take that cold water pouring on you, nor could I relate to your willingness to do so to yourself. But I could admire the commitment.

The other thing about dyeing your hair, though, was the social connotation associated with it. Even back then, there was a… certain type… of person who dyed their hair – especially a color like purple which, while it might somehow seem fairly normal in an anime (and kind of straddled the line of brunette when you first started doing it), is decidedly unnatural-looking in real life – and you tried to make it clear that you weren’t like those people. You were doing it because you loved purple and hated grey in your hair.

But there are times when I wonder if that would always have been the case.

Not too long ago, there was a woman who, with dyed hair and a big grin on her face, suddenly lost her life. Which sounds similar to how you met your end, but there’s so much more to the story than that. It turns out that there were (and are) a lot of political issues going on in her area. She decided to interpose herself between the (federal) police and the people they were in the area to take into custody. Moreover, from the video I could see, she went so far as to drive her car at one of these police, which caused him to use deadly force to stop her and her car… all of which happened in a relative instant.

Now, I’m sure you would say “that would never have been me,” and that probably would be true. Your parents’ political positions, which for the longest time would have aligned with this woman’s, probably chafed you to the point where you would be inoculated against such opinions as she had, let alone conclude that her actions were just and righteous (and were perfectly safe, which proved quite erroneous). I would agree, by and large. But time has passed since then, honey, and I’ve seen people’s attitudes and beliefs have be shaped by the events of the years since. Maybe my opinions would temper yours, or Daniel’s exacerbate them; I don’t know.

I’ve told you in the past about the effect that the Jonestown suicides had on my spiritual journey. What I didn’t know at the time (and still am only barely grasping even now) is that the People’s Temple weren’t just a cult of personality, although they were that. They were very heavily politicized, as well; very much into social justice and communal living as much as their devotion to the leadership of Jim Jones. Without going into too much detail (because I’m sure I’ll get a lot wrong), it was more that than any doctrinal issues that took them off the rails. But, my underlying concern remains the same; if you don’t know what you believe, this kind of fate might still befall you.

Yes, I doubt that you would associate – and agree – with those who are likely to dye their hair and get tattoos and piercings. But there are those who we know, who you would not have guessed at the time, that have drifted into both the actions and the beliefs, and it makes me wonder… could it have been you, too?

Then again…

Just in the last couple of days, I’ve have a character brought to my attention that has made her way into pop culture. Apparently, she was a creation of a government-funded educational visual novel to teach British young people about the evils of extremism and radicalization. And sure, hair dye and body modifications – especially in the goth style that she had been designed with – tend to be associated with radical protest and the like, very much akin to the unfortunate woman in Minneapolis. So you can guess that this character, dubbed ‘Amelia,’ is the archetype of the person one is not supposed to become.

Except… her defining evil is that she wants Britain to be British.

And this, according to the British government, is a Bad Thing.

Of course, it’s not the hair or the fashion that make her the Bad Girl of the story – although dressing her that way identifies her as the Rebel archetype (albeit in real life, those so decorated tend to lean the opposite way, politically) – it’s the opinions she espouses that are not approved by His Majesty’s government that make her so dangerous for the protagonist character to follow.

But as with literally anything any government tries to produce to make its case to its youth, it makes the mistake of making the villain look cool. Certain corners of the internet have had a field day with this character – and the causes she represents. She’s turned into a cross between Julia of 1984 and a British version of Jeanne d’Arc (and yes, I recognize that both of those characters were doomed; draw your own conclusions from that).

The weird thing is, from this side of The Pond, it seems strange that the government would be opposed to those who would support the nation; it’s as if, to be a proper British citizen these days, you have to hate Britain and Britons. Although, once you point out that Parliament is made up of Britons, and the Prime Minister is a Briton, it’s a little bit easier for the average bloke to go along with. In any event, this alleged ‘bad girl’ is turning into a literal poster child for those who would rather love their country and its people instead, purple hair and all.

So maybe your insistence on dyeing your hair purple wouldn’t necessarily turn you to the dark side, politically after all. I suspect you’d be on board with her and her mate Charlie.

But I can’t help wondering.

In any event, keep an eye on us – on both sides of The Pond – and wish us all luck. We’re going to need it.