I'd noticed the increased tension as well. I mentioned it in a thread a while back, and people were acting like
I was the crazy one, so I'm glad to see others have noticed it. Wrt the debate itself, wow, it's not that serious. It's just hair. I feel weird typing that cuz I'm so (healthy) hair obsessed, but, yeah, it's really just hair. It may help you stay warm, it may help you stay cool; it may help you get a man/job/apt, it may keep you from not getting that man/job/apt. At the end of the day, though, it is simply a means to an end... whichever one you choose.
Now, as to the atmosphere of the board right now, I think there are a few things going on. First of all, naturals
are... I'm looking for the word...
badgered by a good percentage of people on a pretty regular basis. Not white people, that I've noticed, more people of color in general. The people I'm talking about
do tend to view natural, afro-textured hair as unkempt, or unprofessional. Therefore, if you are a woman with natural 4 a/b hair, you may feel as though your very being is devalued by the larger society. So, I can understand their defensiveness (yeah, I said it).
For those of us who have been relaxed too long to remember what their hair was even like, think about it like this: You went to school, you did what you're supposed to do, you're in reasonable shape, you're not unattractive... yet... you don't get the attention, the praise, whatever it is you want (like I said, a means to an end)... all because of a freakin' hair style, and not just any hair style, your natural hair the way it grows out of your head! How demoralizing is that? On a daily basis?
The second wave of sentiment contributing to the crazy atmosphere around here is coming from the relaxed/texlaxed ladies, who, contrary to the wider world, have been supportive to naturals on the board. Ladies, with Walt Disney princess hair, the stuff supposedly
"beloved" by black men, who stop dc'ing, moisturizing, sealing, and just
flowing with those long silky tresses for just long enough to tell a natural sista that she is doing the damn thing with that puff, or those braids, or whatever imaginative style they come up with next.
Yet, everyday, for the past few months, there are at least a handful of fairly popular threads talking about
you (ie, "non-naturals"), and
your personal motivations. It's disheartening. You start to feel like, wow, that's messed up, cuz I don't talk about
them like that. Here I am, even though I'm re/texlaxed, I'm trynna discourage my sister from perming her 5 y.o.'s hair, really researching, showing love and respect to those fly natural ladies, and then Chris Rock makes a movie that blows it all to hell.
At least that's how I see it.