Dreaming Of A Post-Diversity World

In his 2012 documentary, Mansome, Morgan Spurlock decided to shave off his iconic handlebar moustache. 

It was not a popular idea. 

Fellow moustache wearer, Tim Nordwind, mourned the loss of the "particular sort of energy" that Spurlock's moustache exuded. Paul Rudd claimed Spurlock's commitment to the moustache gave him an air of authenticity. And three separate professional barbers warned him that shaving his moustache was a mistake.

But none of them was as emphatic as Spurlock's son, Laken.

The morning after the shave, Morgan makes the mistake of asking for his son's opinion on the new look. At this point, they've been watching cartoons and playing with LEGOs for hours. Laken doesn't even seem to have noticed the moustache is gone. But when he does notice, oof, that kid melts down. 

In between consoling his hysterical son and digging out a bright orange novelty moustache as a replacement, Morgan offers us an insight into his son's thought process. 

There hasn't been a lot stuffed into that brain yet as a little kid. So the things that are in there are like, LEGOs, toys, playgrounds, moustaches. OH MY GOD! THE MOUSTACHE IS GONE!! AAAARRGH!!!

A child's world is small and confusing and occasionally frightening. Any change to its reference points is disorienting. Heck, even as adults, we rely on these touchstones to keep us grounded. 

A smile, a hairstyle, a moustache or lack thereof, when you think about it, these, as much as anything else, are the building blocks our lives are made of.

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I can't help thinking about Spurlock Jr. as I watch the ongoing drama about representation in the media. 

The Little Mermaid is black now. Thor is a woman. Superboy is bisexual. 

And whether it's Matt Walsh claiming that the idea that mermaids could have black skin is “unscientific” (as we all know, the science of mermaids is watertight in every other way), Tolkien “scholars” freaking out at the idea that elves could be black, or the veritable outpouring of misogyny at the possibility that the next 007 might be a woman, a lot of people reacted with some version of "OH MY GOD! THE CHARACTER IS DIFFERENT! AAAARGH!" 

And interestingly enough, this transcends the traditional lines of identity politics.