Why Doesn't Carrot Have A Beard?

dev/null

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Jun 29, 2010, 5:06:09 PM6/29/10

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I've always wondered this. While technically human, Carrot culturally
identifies as a dwarf, and most city dwarfs will acknowledge Carrot as
such.

Having a flowing beard is one of the cultural mainstays of Dwarfhood.
Since the other dwarfs in the Watch have been described as having
beards, we can assume that there is no rule against facial hair in the
A-M City Watch (at least if it's part of your ethnic/cultural
heritage).

In almost every Watch-centric book we get a basic description of
Carrot: Very tall (6'6'', although my edition of 'Thud!' seems to
have him at 6'3''), orange-red hair, honest blue eyes, and an utterly
guileless expression. Any mention of a beard or any facial hair is
conspicuously absent.

So...why does Captain Carrot, who was raised as a dwarf, continues to
identify as a dwarf, apparently holds conservatively dwarfish Views
(i.e. the use of Sonkies), and is accepted as a dwarf in the A-M dwarf
community, overlook such an important aspect of dwarf culture?

Reader in Invisible Writings

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Jun 29, 2010, 6:26:58 PM6/29/10

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Probably because the Trope of the "Young - Clean Living - Honest -
Handsome - Healthy - Fit and Clean Shaven : Hero" is just that. A young
bearded hero just does not fit the mental pictures we have grown up with.

If you want a more logical reason, Carrot probably got sent to AM when
he was about 17 years old and probably could not have grown a half
decent beard at that time. Also Mr Versani* would probably advised him
to be clean shaven, even if it is not recorded in the text. Finally, at
the time Carrot joined the Night Watch there were no minority groups...
OK it was all minority groups, AA** , obese*** and Nobby Nobbs.****

*please excuse the spelling 'cause I'm not going to check at this time
on night (for me)
** either type of broken down [UK joke.]
*** rapidly becoming the majority group.
**** you could not get more minority without special grant money that
has just been cut!

--
Reader in Invisible Writings.. Something to Ponder upon!

Kevin Wells

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Jun 29, 2010, 6:17:04 PM6/29/10

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In message <fdb57de3-1afe-4da2...@j4g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>
"dev/null" <sjmc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Perhaps he can't grow beard?

--
Kev Wells http://riscos.kevsoft.co.uk/
http://kevsoft.co.uk/ http://kevsoft.co.uk/AleQuest/
ICQ 238580561
Walk upon England's mountains green?

Chris Zakes

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Jun 29, 2010, 7:49:33 PM6/29/10

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But is there anything (other than some cover art) saying that he
*doesn't* have a beard?

-Chris Zakes
Texas

Knowledge = power = energy = matter = mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel
Black Hole that knows how to read.

-Terry Pratchett, "Guards! Guards!"

Lesley Weston

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Jun 30, 2010, 12:19:16 PM6/30/10

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On 10-06-29 4:49 PM, Chris Zakes wrote:
> On Tue, 29 Jun 2010 14:06:09 -0700 (PDT), an orbital mind-control
> laser caused "dev/null"<sjmc...@gmail.com> to write:
>
>> I've always wondered this. While technically human, Carrot culturally
>> identifies as a dwarf, and most city dwarfs will acknowledge Carrot as
>> such.
>>
>> Having a flowing beard is one of the cultural mainstays of Dwarfhood.
>> Since the other dwarfs in the Watch have been described as having
>> beards, we can assume that there is no rule against facial hair in the
>> A-M City Watch (at least if it's part of your ethnic/cultural
>> heritage).
>>
>> In almost every Watch-centric book we get a basic description of
>> Carrot: Very tall (6'6'', although my edition of 'Thud!' seems to
>> have him at 6'3''), orange-red hair, honest blue eyes, and an utterly
>> guileless expression. Any mention of a beard or any facial hair is
>> conspicuously absent.
>>
>> So...why does Captain Carrot, who was raised as a dwarf, continues to
>> identify as a dwarf, apparently holds conservatively dwarfish Views
>> (i.e. the use of Sonkies), and is accepted as a dwarf in the A-M dwarf
>> community, overlook such an important aspect of dwarf culture?
>
> But is there anything (other than some cover art) saying that he
> *doesn't* have a beard?

Bearded until proven cleanshaven? Seems reasonable.

Lesley.

GaryN

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Jun 30, 2010, 1:48:23 PM6/30/10

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Lesley Weston <brightly_co...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote in
news:88KWn.3365$OU6...@newsfe20.iad:

Oddly enough, although possibly relevant in an odd sort of way, my
solicitor has suggested that I should shave before appearing in court.

"It would look better and the guy who says you look like someone who
would carry a knife will look wrong"

How exactly do you look like someone who would carry a knife?

Admittedly I do usually have a small pocket knife about my person. Have
since I was about 8. Don't remember ever threatening anyone or causing
harm except to my self.

But apparently I look like someone who would be carrying a knife. Note
the use of the word "carrying" - the connotations are different to
"having".

Now I've got to shave my beard to satisfy a London court that I'm not a
danger to the public[1].

gary

[1]The bit of the public that resides in London that is. I'm banned
from there but free to roam the rest of the country being a threat to
honest citizens - if I can find any!

Rgemini

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Jun 30, 2010, 2:54:13 PM6/30/10

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On 30/06/2010 18:48, GaryN wrote:

>
> [1]The bit of the public that resides in London that is. I'm banned
> from there but free to roam the rest of the country being a threat to
> honest citizens - if I can find any!

So what are you supposed to do if you have to travel to, say, Kent by
train? Or by road if you don't fancy the Dartford tunnel/bridge?

Rgemini

Stacie

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Jul 1, 2010, 12:38:21 AM7/1/10

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Sort of. There's Terry's comment under a definitely beardless Carrot
in The Art of Discworld where he says Paul Kidby gets him just right.
I'm guessing omitting a beard that really should be there would have
been considered not quite right.

If you're looking for something from the novels... if you kind of
squint and turn your head you might leap to the conclusion that the
bit in MAA where Edward compares the line of Carrot's chin to one of
Ankh's queens hints at lack of the usual gorse bush beard that most
dwarfs seem to sport, at least. I guess that still leaves room for a
neatly trimmed goatee or something small and tasteful, though.

If he's totally beardless, maybe it's a hygiene, clean in thought,
word and deed style of thing? Carrot's father clips the hair on his
head short for "reasons of hygiene" and Varneshi talks up how
"upright" you need to be for the Watch, so maybe Carrot really takes
that to heart. Being clean-shaven may have been part of the
regulations of the Watch in its loftier days. Well, its more ancient
loftier days, anyway. It would be just like Carrot to adhere to some
obscure Watch regulation from fifteen-something-or-other that requires
a Watchman to be shaven.

I always figured his youth might excuse a lack of beard early on. He's
only "nearly sixteen" when his father breaks the news to him that he's
"the wrong species". That's practically toddlerhood to a dwarf.
Probably he's sixteen by the time he arrives in Ankh-Morpork. He might
not have been able to muster a beard at the time. He's repeatedly
described as "boyish", and beards don't really fit into that
description for most people. It's possible he still can't grow a
beard, I've heard some gents in their 20s and 30s claim they never or
rarely shave.

In MAA when Carrot's strolling with Angua, he points out "I'm a dwarf,
too, but the dwarfs here don't believe it." Could be his eventual
acceptance by the dwarf community in Ankh-Morpork is more down to his
knowing and respecting the culture and traditions and his natural
"krisma". Maybe by the time Carrot can muster a beard, he regards the
beard as a mostly cosmetic thing like being of a smaller stature? He
does point out that height isn't what makes a dwarf in several of the
books. Maybe he thinks the beard doesn't make the dwarf, either, and
the dwarfs just don't bring it up because Carrot's so earnest and
likable and whatnot.

Lots of possible explanations, I suppose. Wonder if anyone's ever
asked for the official line on it?