Dan requested the repost of John Stossel's Mustache, a post from November 3, 2005. It is obvious how my friend is setting me up to eat my words with this timely request.

Here it is, in all it's glory...one of my better posts:

John Stossel's mustache.

Published by matthew @ 17:14 | 7 comments | permalink & email

Let's face it, nothing says "don't trust me" like a mustache on a white guy. Why then, does John Stossel keep his mustache, especially as a prime time news reporter? This has been a beef of mine for a long time, but I have been hesitant to say anything because...well, because my dad has had a mustache for as long as I can remember. Think Major Dad. Anyway, he's moved to the goatee, which is a very fine look for him, and I now feel at liberty to post on such topic. It's 2005, and mustaches on white guys have been out for a long time. Think of recent major prime time television (since this is, of course, where we get our fashion and societal standards from). Dennis Franz had a mustache, but come on - do we really want to model our appearance after Dennis Franz? Jerry Stiller has a mustache...enough said. Probably the coolest guy to where a mustache on television since Tom Selleck's occasional bits on Friends is Jason Lee in My Name is Earl. However, then again, we are talking about a character name "Earl Hickey." No good. Why then the mustache on John Stossel? This is especially puzzling considering he is to represent himself as a person communicating trustworthy and credible information. Let's look at the other prominent news anchormen of recency. Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Peter Jennings, Brian Williams, Matt Lauer, etc. No mustaches.

Let's now think of those who do. Geraldo Rivera. Is this really the man to be associated with in the news media? I would think not. Rivera is like the worst news guy ever. I think Stossel has merely held the mustache too long and now has been forced to wear it as a sad trademark, sort of like Donald Trump's hair. Sure Trump can afford to get a decent hair cut, but he's stuck with the image. I fear that Stossel is trapped in the same way. Poor guy. Not only is it hard to trust him, but I find it difficult to take him really seriously as well. He might be talking about something of major importance, but all I'm thinking is "Hey, how much can this guy really know about what's going on in the world right now? - I mean, he still wears a mustache for crying out loud!" Unfair? Perhaps. Yet, such is the world: we care about image, and we judge people and their message partly based on their presentation, including aesthetic. That's just how it is.