Suburban Panic!

10 March 2003

I've got a new question.
  So, out of the little, bald, and bastard, which are herditary and which are by choice?
-Slightly Taller Man with Hair
Dear Slightly,
  The "little" is genetic, and it's all my mother's fault. The "bald" is elective, although I'm sure that one day the natural attrition of my hair will advance far enough that I'll be bald without the aid of mechanical devices. The "bastard" part is a toss-up. Although we tend to assume that personality is a learned behavior, I wouldn't be at all surprised if surliness like mine was genetically expressed.