Reconsidering my position on reproducing with the balding gene

[35YrsAfter]

Gave this some thought. It probably is the best argument anyone can make against my OP
However the evidence is still right in front of my face....couples w/ little to no premature balding in their families seem much less likely to have kids w/ premature balding. Whereas when even 1 parent has 1 parent (ie the child has 1 grandparent) w/ premature balding, the chances of the kid balding before 30 are HUGE

Balding is aesthetic death for almost everyone. I can not see how it is moral to have children, if you have a genetic makeup that almost guarantees disfigurement DURING young adulthood
And yes it is disfiguring

Balding doesn't bother every man, but if it does, there are far more options available today than there were when I was young. I remember when I was 17, my friend had a neighbor in his late twenties who was noticeably thinning. There was nothing available at that time but snake oil. I still remember my friend telling me his neighbor used a product available at that time called "Iodets". The name implies the user wasn't nice enough to their hair when they were younger, so the product is one that pays your scalp back with some kind of kindness, or something. Hair gimmicks go back many years.

35YrsAfter also posts as CITNews and works at Dr. Cole's office
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[25 going on 65]

25/65,

The problem with implementing any kind of eugenics in this matter is that all evidence points to AGA being a polygenic trait. Furthermore the gene set involved is still unknown. There is therefore no one "bald gene" to pass down to offspring. Recombinant factors are at play which makes familial history at best a random guess.

Consider my own situation: My father is 73, and is barely at NW2, and doesn't even have any gray. My uncles are in their 60's and are the same way. My mother's side didn't have it either. Yet here I am creeping into NW4 territory. My point is you couldn't make a "safe" determination to have children simply by the absence of the condition. AGA's properties are ubiquitous enough to manifest under even the most unlikely of ancestors.

<<The biggest parenting mistake most people make is reproducing when their genes are not good enough. Do not be selfish>>

And herein lies our dilemma: Under most scenarios, we don't KNOW what that is. Some of the brightest people on the planet come from average parents. The most attractive people typically come from "ho-hum" lookers. Beauty does not always beget beauty. Ugly does not always beget ugly.

Look, I know you're venting, but stop trying to pretend you're going to do mankind a favor by withholding your crap genetics. Because the truth of the matter is you're not smart enough to make a judgement of what is crap and what isn't. None of us are.

Gave this some thought. It probably is the best argument anyone can make against my OP
However the evidence is still right in front of my face....couples w/ little to no premature balding in their families seem much less likely to have kids w/ premature balding. Whereas when even 1 parent has 1 parent (ie the child has 1 grandparent) w/ premature balding, the chances of the kid balding before 30 are HUGE

Balding is aesthetic death for almost everyone. I can not see how it is moral to have children, if you have a genetic makeup that almost guarantees disfigurement DURING young adulthood
And yes it is disfiguring

[PaddyBateman]

It's definitely noticeable. I've got a handful of comments . It's just early enough that it frames my face and when I have a beard it's detracted. Hell, the girl I'm currently seeing on and off likes my mature look and I'm 25.

Trust me, I know I've got it good relative to some. But, even on treatment, my hair is below baseline. The uncertainly is just as troubling. I'm still gonna get married and pump mini-mes. I've spent a lot of time stressing hair loss, but it just ain't worth it anymore. Honestly, reading this thread has made me feel relatively good about my mental state regardless hair loss.

Re: your last line.

That's how I feel. Before reading this forum, I used to think I was being particularly vain, being so bothered by my hair. I thought it was just me.

Now I realise, how upbeat I actually have been.

[BigThinker]

All I'm saying is that hair loss is so much more detrimental to a person's good looks than a big nose or the shape of a person's skull. I've always had a big nose and I couldn't care less about that. Yet hair loss has hit me like a ton of bricks. I see your hair loss is barely noticeable man, and you're really lucky for that. I really wonder if you'd feel differently if you were an NW6.

It's definitely noticeable. I've got a handful of comments . It's just early enough that it frames my face and when I have a beard it's detracted. Hell, the girl I'm currently seeing on and off likes my mature look and I'm 25.

Trust me, I know I've got it good relative to some. But, even on treatment, my hair is below baseline. The uncertainly is just as troubling. I'm still gonna get married and pump mini-mes. I've spent a lot of time stressing hair loss, but it just ain't worth it anymore. Honestly, reading this thread has made me feel relatively good about my mental state regardless hair loss.

[PaddyBateman]

The problem is that baldness screws up a person's attractiveness (and well-being) much more than such things as having a big nose or being short. Having a big nose or a weird skull shape is soooo minimal when compared with baldness. These giddy parents who are just itching at the bit to have a cute little baby should really think things through first and think about what garbage genetics they are passing on to their children.

You're effectively suggesting that your parents shouldn't have had you, and you are calling for yourself not to have been born. Hey, I get the pain of hair loss. It's devastating. But thoughts like this are not in line.

I will make the assumption that you live in a wealthy western free democratic nation, have never starved a day in your life , and always have had a roof over your head. Congrats, you are already doing better than half of humanity.

Also, to take your thoughts literally...a baby born now, will be say 25 in the year 2038. Do you not think there'll be some seriously better treatments for their potential hairloss by then?

[PaddyBateman]

Not being serious. Just trying to lighten it up around here. That's what I do. If we prevented people from having kids based on potential for defects the human race would go extinct.

Normally I'd assume that such a comment was a joke.

But the original poster of this thread was serious (or claims to be), so couldn't rule it out...

[Notcoolanymore]

BTW, I thought my comment about "confronting the guy" was amusing. Silly, but amusing. Confronting random guys on the street can be pretty dangerous.

[Notcoolanymore]

If you're serious, you have a million of men to confront then -- including your dad.

What if you were leaving costco and saw an nw6 holding a hot babes hand?

I would tip my cap to the guy. I hate my hair just as much as the next guy here, but I have learned to deal with it. I don't walk around like its the end of the world. Losing my hair since my early twenties, I get the mentality of most of the guys around here, but we need to put things into perspective. Hair loss sucks, but things can get a lot worse.

[Notcoolanymore]

Unsure if this is a serious comment or not.

Assuming it is - why didn't you just ask him if its a boy or a girl? If you were prepared to "confront" this stranger if you knew it was a boy anyway, then it's nothing to just ask him what sex his baby is, right?

In fact, you must see NW6/7's all the time, with children. What do you plan to say exactly when you confront them?

What about short men..will you confront them for having children?

Not being serious. Just trying to lighten it up around here. That's what I do. If we prevented people from having kids based on potential for defects the human race would go extinct.

[DepressedByHairLoss]

LOL. Yeah, because people with other undesirable physical traits don't let it affect their attractiveness and well-being???

God, this thread makes me want to leave this place.

All I'm saying is that hair loss is so much more detrimental to a person's good looks than a big nose or the shape of a person's skull. I've always had a big nose and I couldn't care less about that. Yet hair loss has hit me like a ton of bricks. I see your hair loss is barely noticeable man, and you're really lucky for that. I really wonder if you'd feel differently if you were an NW6.

[BigThinker]

The problem is that baldness screws up a person's attractiveness (and well-being) much more than such things as having a big nose or being short. Having a big nose or a weird skull shape is soooo minimal when compared with baldness. These giddy parents who are just itching at the bit to have a cute little baby should really think things through first and think about what garbage genetics they are passing on to their children.

LOL. Yeah, because people with other undesirable physical traits don't let it affect their attractiveness and well-being???

God, this thread makes me want to leave this place.

[BigThinker]

As I was leaving costco today I saw a nw6 holding a new born baby. If I knew for a fact that the baby was a boy, I would have confronted the guy.

If you're serious, you have a million of men to confront then -- including your dad.

What if you were leaving costco and saw an nw6 holding a hot babes hand?

[DepressedByHairLoss]

The problem is that baldness screws up a person's attractiveness (and well-being) much more than such things as having a big nose or being short. Having a big nose or a weird skull shape is soooo minimal when compared with baldness. These giddy parents who are just itching at the bit to have a cute little baby should really think things through first and think about what garbage genetics they are passing on to their children.

[PaddyBateman]

As I was leaving costco today I saw a nw6 holding a new born baby. If I knew for a fact that the baby was a boy, I would have confronted the guy.

Unsure if this is a serious comment or not.

Assuming it is - why didn't you just ask him if its a boy or a girl? If you were prepared to "confront" this stranger if you knew it was a boy anyway, then it's nothing to just ask him what sex his baby is, right?

In fact, you must see NW6/7's all the time, with children. What do you plan to say exactly when you confront them?

What about short men..will you confront them for having children?

[25 going on 65]

As I was leaving costco today I saw a nw6 holding a new born baby. If I knew for a fact that the baby was a boy, I would have confronted the guy.

If this forum had signatures, this post would be mine