I like my beard though, and I'm not bending over backwards to conform to some security agent's bigoted views. Fuck 'em. My mom called me frantically when I was in college once and told me to shave my beard because she didn't want me to be targeted (I'm brown) -- I didn't do it then, and I'm sure as hell not doing it now.
Anecdote: A student and their professor were flying abroad to present at a conference, where the student was presenting and the professor was there to network. As such, the student was suited and booted to present later that day.
A flight attendant approaches the student in economy class and offers them a free upgrade, presumably because he is perceived to be of an important profession. Completely ignoring the ridiculously qualified, well-traveled, multiple language speaking, highly cited professor. They were quite salty but it made for a good story over some beers!
In my opinion, we can accept that reality is very severely non-optimal while still trying our best to avoid the problems that reality causes. Or in the words of Hunter S. Thompson (maybe misattributed): 'Pray to God, but row away from the rocks.'