Comments for Beardtopia http://www.beardtopia.com Denton, TX Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:37:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on On Keeping Denton Beard: A Few Thoughts by William http://www.beardtopia.com/denton/keeping-denton-beard/comment-page-1#comment-105 William Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:37:01 +0000 http://www.beardtopia.com/?p=454#comment-105 When I first discovered Denton about 10 years ago, I felt right at home. I grew up in whitebread Arlington, but also lived in Boulder, CO for a while in the early '90's.   Boulder had a great arts & music scene, festivals etc, but living expenses were way too high, and job opportunities way too limited for a young, poor man like me.  There was the CU student culture, and then there was the Range Rover culture of very rich, very white, and not very welcoming elites who could afford their hillside mcmansions.    Denton seems to have many of the positives (minus the mountains!) of Boulder without the snobbery and enforced exclusivity.  Denton is what I thought Boulder would be until I tried to live there.    For me, having a beard & living in Denton embodies a less self-absorbed, more family-friendly modern interpretation of the '60's hippy. ethos. Its not about dropping out & a total upending of the prevailing American culture, its the slowing down & being friendly of a small town, with the young enthusiasm & inclusivity of a college town.  Denton has a real, thriving downtown where my girlfriend & I feel safe walking around at night (like many small towns used to have) but also all the typical retail & big-box dept stores and civic & social infrastructure most people need to live & shop locally. My girlfriend said it perfectly-"I never need to leave Denton to do anything".  But it is the local arts & music culture, and just the way this place feels that really draws me here & keeps me here.  Having a beard & living in Denton means I'm not struggling in the vast corporate culture of rigid norms and frantic desire to get more & more goods before I die of a heart attack at 50.  Its about slowing down & seeking out the artistic & poetic things that make life worth living, the good things that redeem the human race from all the destuctive, greed-driven things we have done to the Earth & each other.   Its about living in the simpler, more sustainable way that more & more people in this country are longing for.  Its about accepting everyone in a spirit of mutual respect, without looking down on anyone who isn't driving the latest SUV behemoth or isn't conforming to the cultural & social norms of the suburbs.  Having a beard & living in Denton means I have a sense of our cultural history that predates the modern fasion standard that dictates a man must be cleanshaven and in a business suit to be respectable & professional, that the farmer in his old truck & overalls deserves the same respect as the bank president who sneers at him as he comes in the door.  I love Denton. Its not perfect, but God willing, I would like to keep living here from now on.  And growing my beard.                When I first discovered Denton about 10 years ago, I felt right at home. I grew up in whitebread Arlington, but also lived in Boulder, CO for a while in the early ’90′s.  
Boulder had a great arts & music scene, festivals etc, but living expenses were way too high, and job opportunities way too limited for a young, poor man like me.  There was the CU student culture, and then there was the Range Rover culture of very rich, very white, and not very welcoming elites who could afford their hillside mcmansions.   
Denton seems to have many of the positives (minus the mountains!) of Boulder without the snobbery and enforced exclusivity.  Denton is what I thought Boulder would be until I tried to live there.   
For me, having a beard & living in Denton embodies a less self-absorbed, more family-friendly modern interpretation of the ’60′s hippy. ethos. Its not about dropping out & a total upending of the prevailing American culture, its the slowing down & being friendly of a small town, with the young enthusiasm & inclusivity of a college town.  Denton has a real, thriving downtown where my girlfriend & I feel safe walking around at night (like many small towns used to have) but also all the typical retail & big-box dept stores and civic & social infrastructure most people need to live & shop locally. My girlfriend said it perfectly-”I never need to leave Denton to do anything”.  But it is the local arts & music culture, and just the way this place feels that really draws me here & keeps me here. 
Having a beard & living in Denton means I’m not struggling in the vast corporate culture of rigid norms and frantic desire to get more & more goods before I die of a heart attack at 50.  Its about slowing down & seeking out the artistic & poetic things that make life worth living, the good things that redeem the human race from all the destuctive, greed-driven things we have done to the Earth & each other.  
Its about living in the simpler, more sustainable way that more & more people in this country are longing for.  Its about accepting everyone in a spirit of mutual respect, without looking down on anyone who isn’t driving the latest SUV behemoth or isn’t conforming to the cultural & social norms of the suburbs. 
Having a beard & living in Denton means I have a sense of our cultural history that predates the modern fasion standard that dictates a man must be cleanshaven and in a business suit to be respectable & professional, that the farmer in his old truck & overalls deserves the same respect as the bank president who sneers at him as he comes in the door. 
I love Denton. Its not perfect, but God willing, I would like to keep living here from now on.  And growing my beard.               

]]> Comment on Keep Denton Beard by Friendly Dentonista http://www.beardtopia.com/denton/keep-denton-beard/comment-page-1#comment-103 Friendly Dentonista Mon, 13 Jun 2011 16:16:48 +0000 http://www.beardtopia.com/?p=472#comment-103 What a generous offer, and what a truly excellent logo! Very clever design. What a generous offer, and what a truly excellent logo! Very clever design.

]]> Comment on On Keeping Denton Beard: A Few Thoughts by What is “Keep Denton Beard”? « KeepDentonBeard.com http://www.beardtopia.com/denton/keeping-denton-beard/comment-page-1#comment-100 What is “Keep Denton Beard”? « KeepDentonBeard.com Sun, 05 Jun 2011 01:35:01 +0000 http://www.beardtopia.com/?p=454#comment-100 [...] I’d take a stab and defining this nebulous concept. Brad Koehn did a great job articulating his thoughts on the matter. I thought I’d give my slant on the [...] [...] I’d take a stab and defining this nebulous concept. Brad Koehn did a great job articulating his thoughts on the matter. I thought I’d give my slant on the [...]

]]> Comment on On Keeping Denton Beard: A Few Thoughts by KeepDentonBeard.com http://www.beardtopia.com/denton/keeping-denton-beard/comment-page-1#comment-98 KeepDentonBeard.com Fri, 27 May 2011 16:31:27 +0000 http://www.beardtopia.com/?p=454#comment-98 I agree. It's a state of mind and a matter of the heart. It's a family matter too. I like getting the kids involved and such. I dig the tone of things of supporting local businesses, appreciating the unique, preserving the history we have around us and the characteristic locations we have. Thanks for your thoughts and keep'em coming! I agree. It’s a state of mind and a matter of the heart.

It’s a family matter too. I like getting the kids involved and such.

I dig the tone of things of supporting local businesses, appreciating the unique, preserving the history we have around us and the characteristic locations we have.

Thanks for your thoughts and keep’em coming!

]]> Comment on On Keeping Denton Beard: A Few Thoughts by Beardtopia Weighs in on Keeping Denton Beard « KeepDentonBeard.com http://www.beardtopia.com/denton/keeping-denton-beard/comment-page-1#comment-97 Beardtopia Weighs in on Keeping Denton Beard « KeepDentonBeard.com Fri, 27 May 2011 16:25:52 +0000 http://www.beardtopia.com/?p=454#comment-97 [...] Beardtopia has some great thoughts on “keeping Denton beard.” And I agree. [...] [...] Beardtopia has some great thoughts on “keeping Denton beard.” And I agree. [...]

]]> Comment on 35 Conferette Photos by Lately… | Beardtopia : All about Denton, TX : the people, their art, music, food & more... http://www.beardtopia.com/35c/comment-page-1#comment-96 Lately… | Beardtopia : All about Denton, TX : the people, their art, music, food & more... Thu, 26 May 2011 23:32:41 +0000 http://www.beardtopia.com/?page_id=374#comment-96 [...] 35 Conferette 2011 Photos [...] [...] 35 Conferette 2011 Photos [...]

]]> Comment on The Hope Trust – Video @ NX35 by Bear http://www.beardtopia.com/35conferette/nx35/the-hope-trust-video-nx35/comment-page-1#comment-4 Bear Sun, 21 Mar 2010 19:43:28 +0000 http://www.beardtopia.com/?p=153#comment-4 Great job to the band and video crew! Great job to the band and video crew!

]]> Comment on Saturday @ NX35: Midlake & The Flaming Lips by brady http://www.beardtopia.com/35conferette/nx35/midlake-the-flaming-lips/comment-page-1#comment-3 brady Fri, 19 Mar 2010 06:54:33 +0000 http://www.beardtopia.com/?p=88#comment-3 love the honorary beard footnote. love the honorary beard footnote.

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