I've been blogging about my experiences with alopecia and my opinion about certain mindsets within the alopecian community for several years now.  Throughout all of my blogs, the one thing that remains consistent is my approach:  I'm realistic, direct, and whether you love me or hate me for it, I'm fair and impartial.  This approach, and my blunt, straightforward opinions have earned me the names bully, condescending, know-it-all, cold, abrasive, bitter, and mean-spirited.  It's laughable, really; the people who know me best hear these names and they laugh, because the flesh-and-blood me is so far opposite these adjectives that the only logical reaction to them is laughter and amusement.

Perhaps I've become a victim of my own success as a result.  Perhaps there are just too many alopecians out there that demand that they be treated with kid gloves and everything mentioned about alopecia be sugar-coated and cottony-fluffy.  In either case, imagine my surprise when my attempt to post a personal blog post on Alopecia World was met with the message "awaiting approval."  Excuse me?  Awaiting approval from whom?  Since when did I have to get approval from "the masses" to share my opinion?  And then it occurred to me:  Most of the time, I can sympathize with the newly diagnosed, the parents of young children newly diagnosed, and those who, like myself, discovered Alopecia World and considered it to be a haven for us - an oasis of sorts where the newbie and the veteran alike could share common experiences, support each other, and dish out tough love when needed.  However, after a while, it honestly becomes tiring hearing all of the sob stories from those who have lived with alopecia for years who still can't leave the house because they are obsessed with what other people will think of their heads.  Eventually, that sort of negativity and despair is catching, and even the most optimistic person will start to zero in on their flaws, and the seeds of self-doubt are planted.  That kind of thinking is dangerous, even amongst people who DON'T have alopecia.

Being censored and prevented from expressing my opinion merely to protect the feelings and sensibilities of others leaves me with a sense of betrayal that cuts deeper than anything I've experienced to date.  It leaves me hurt, and angry to boot.  In the wake of the Occupy movement across the nation and the ever-increasing erosion personal liberty in this country due to the psychology of fear, I cherish my First Amendment right to free speech more than anything else.  That right has been defended time and again, and protected over and over again, and I don't for a moment take it for granted.  The paradoxical strength in alopecia awareness and perpetual emotional fragility is something that needs to be exposed and eradicated, just like the disease itself.  Yes, alopecians need to accept themselves as they are, because once you receive an alopecia diagnosis, you will NEVER be the same person you once were.  However, with that acceptance comes strength you never knew you had, and that strength is what is needed to attain progress in research, treatment, and the search for a cure.  And as much as it maddens everyone to hear it, I'm sorry, but not everyone feels like their lives have ended because their hair is gone.  There are quite a few alopecians that have moved on with their lives and adapted, simply because as humans, that is what we do - we adapt.  The ability to adapt is what got us through the Ice Ages, the Dark Ages, the Industrial Revolution, and the Technological Revolution.  It's what's going to get us through the Dark Ages of Alopecia, and it's going to get us where we need to be to find a cure for this thing.  Therefore, why censor it?  Why send the message that emotional fragility and self-pity is the only way to deal with this?

Today, I'm not standing up for others as I usually do.  Today, I'm standing up for myself to be heard.  I'm standing up for myself to demonstrate that we, as alopecians, do NOT have to hide under a rock or retreat from society because our distinctive look is not the norm.  I WILL be heard - with or without Alopecia World.

Benjamin Franklin once said, "He who is willing to trade liberty for security deserves to have neither."  Truer words have never been spoken, especially in the alopecian community.  I'm not willing to trade my freedom to say what needs to be said in order to placate the "security" of others or satisfy the dictates of political correctness.  Are you??