By Dean Maddox, Public Safety & Government Oversight Columnist

Every year it rolls around like clockwork—No Shave November. A whole month where some dudes toss their razors and act like they’re saving the damn world one beard hair at a time. Hashtags flood the internet, folks slap some meaning on their stubble, and suddenly shaving is political. Cancer awareness, men’s health, whatever the trend is this time. You’d think shaving your damn face was a moral crime.

Well, here’s the thing. I don’t need a month to tell me what to do with my damn face. I live in North Highlands. My morning routine is trying to make it out the door without spilling coffee on my shirt or realizing my truck’s outta gas again. I shave when I feel like it, not because some influencer or HR lady at a desk job decided I’m supposed to let my whiskers grow for a cause they probably don’t even understand.

I’m not anti-cancer. I’m not anti-men’s health. I’m just anti-bullshit. Every time you slap a cause on something normal—like growing a beard or wearing socks with pineapples on ‘em—you water down the real issues. You turn it into a trend. A performance. And I don’t perform.

This world’s gotten real good at playing pretend. Like growing a patchy-ass beard is gonna save lives or make you a better man. Hell, half the guys doing this thing couldn’t grow a real beard if their life depended on it. And the ones that can? They just wanna post about it. But go ahead and look under the hood—how many of ‘em donated a dollar to research? How many checked in on a friend goin’ through chemo? Most of ‘em just wanted an excuse to be lazy.

Meanwhile, I’m over here trying to keep my rent paid and my head on straight. I’ve seen enough struggle to know that a month of not shaving ain’t fixing shit. Real support don’t come with a hashtag. It comes with time, money, and showing up when it counts.

So yeah, I shaved this morning. And I’ll shave again tomorrow if I feel like it. Because I ain’t part of your club, and I don’t need to be. I’m not chasing likes. I’m chasing peace, a steady paycheck, and enough smokes to get me through the week. If that offends you, good. Maybe go take a hard look at what actually matters instead of hiding behind a beard and pretending you’re doing something important.

No Shave November? Miss me with that mess. I don’t need a cause to live my life like a man. I already do.