I met with a good friend ~and MLWT colleague~ a few days ago who introduced the “Green Beard Effect” (or theory) to me. I didn’t recall hearing about it and immediately came home to do some researching. The reason? This theory or effect focuses on the concept of “kinship” or altruistic behavior shown to others in the same species that share commonalities and I was curious about how it might apply to living with lupus.
First, I’ll give you my understanding of what this Green Beard theory is suggesting, then apply it to my observations. Remember, I’m not an evolutionary biologist or psychologist, so be tolerant and correct me at will, if necessary.
The Green Beard Effect/Theory.
The way I understand it, the idea of a green beard “gene” was proposed by William D. Hamilton in his articles (1964) and the term “green beard” was applied by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene (1976). Depending on which school of thought you focus on, the premise of altruistic behaviors throughout evolution, biology, sociology, psychology, etc. is that, generally:
There are certain “markers” or social cues (e.g. green beards) that trigger us in identifying others who are “kin” and lead us to behave altruistically towards those we share ‘things’ in common with (e.g. genes, beards).
Darwinian-based theories, or evolution in general, provide us with plenty of opportunities for controversy. What I am looking at here is merely the concept of altruism itself and don’t imply any right or wrong – this isn’t the place for that and I’ll leave that discussion to you.
Another story circulating around this theory describes the use of green beards among a group of people years ago who would discreetly meet and associate with each other as a means of ensuring that they would know who they could rely on through this ‘membership’. They were only identifiable to each other by wearing green beards and the general public was unaware of what these beards actually meant…for awhile.
Altruism is defined by Merriam-Webster as: “unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others”. As this beard concept ‘evolved’, so, too, did the realization that maybe it isn’t just the ‘green beard’ that identifies the altruism in humans – perhaps it’s really the value of the person wearing (or bearing) the ‘beard’ itself. What if everyone started wearing green beards and then one person with different intentions wore one, also? The whole concept of being able to identify those we know to care about us (before or at the expense of themselves) would dissolve and this would then cause trouble in finding reliable sources of people to trust or cooperate with (Core Dilemma of cooperation).
Also, how do we know that only a green beard offers altruism – what if a red one has altruistic benefits, too? If a green someone isn’t offering anything we want or keeps a particular company of people we choose not to join, does that mean we aren’t looking for a ‘kinship’ resource to be available to us when we are in need? Is there a different color of beard that would be more suitable to us if the green ‘lupus’ beard isn’t? To address this multi-colored question is a term called chromodynamics introduced by Vincent A. A. Jansen and Minus van Baalen in their article Altruism through beard chromodynamics (2006).
Here’s the place I’m going to insert my lupus tangent – and hopefully stay out of trouble with those more knowledgeable about this biological/sociological stuff.
The point I want to bring up is: How do we know that people working on behalf of ”lupus awareness” are acting altruistically?
- Is it certain that their green beards mean that they either have lupus, know someone who has it and really acting on our behalf?
- Is it possible that having a green beard has lead ‘members’ to become exclusionary or competitive toward other green-bearded individuals to be “the” green beard of choice?
Most importantly, I think, is the question:
What are the differences between those who seek out green beards of lupus and those who mainly follow the beard chromodynamic model of viewing altruism from lots of different places rather than just green?
For the most part, I suspect those of us with lupus say “ it isn’t easy being green ”. In fact, when I have asked the question of “How much of your day do you spend thinking about lupus?”, the answer I heard back most frequently was “as little as possible.” Overall, the focus is less on lupus and more on paying attention to our bodies and what they’re telling us. So, if that is true, no matter how many invitations are out there to join the local green beard organizations or foundations working on lupus awareness or other ‘altruistic’ endeavors, it appears that we here really aren’t looking to join in. Basically, we have other beard colors that cover things just fine without being specifically green and about lupus.
As the local groups continue to offer their green beards looking for ‘members’, those of us here with lupus seem to prefer going our own way in finding those personally-defined kinship ‘tags’ rather than joining in with these green beards.
Does this mean, then, that wearing the green beard of lupus outreach or awareness has actually become a marker to repel rather than attract others who we share lupus with?
The MLWT mission, is simple: Seek all the colors of beards out there and coordinate the information as if it were a one-stop check in for kinship of choice.
For those who are green, I am opening up this blog to you as local “guests” to tell people what you offer those living with lupus. This includes businesses, agencies, organizations, foundations, individual efforts and events. It is also open to other health-related chapters and organizations who have Oregon and SW Washington health news to share. We can get all kinds of information about lupus on the internet, but we need to learn more about what is available here.
For those who would prefer a connection without the green, MLWT recognizes that interest in toning the lupus green down or going with a color that fits better. Personally, I may write about and live with lupus, but I would rather develop my network of many colors. Lupus isn’t me – it’s just a part of me and there are other colors out there that have a lot to offer, too.
For those green beards who compete with other greens, then they are showing their true colors. The only winners in lupus are those who are supported and inspired to live with their illness well. One beard color doesn’t fit all and MLWT isn’t about developing a kinship based on cliques. We offer Oregonians a connection hub to find your beard color of choice – when you’re ready.
