you east-coasters are all the same. you see something that is perfectly normal for the midwest and type-cast it into one of your non-sensical jump-to-conclusions cookie-cutter categories. i'll have you know that a lot of people out here have a beard similar to mine. mine is very full compared to many, but that still doesnt make me amish or abe lincoln.
and actually, i dont mind the lincoln comparisons, i consider him to be a good guy. but here i will show you a comparison since you insist.
in figure A, you will see me. I'm the one with the beard. this style is commonly referred to as "a chin-strappy kind of thing" and is typical found among men who don't want to hide their entire beautiful faces but still want to show off some masculine power to grow a beard. or they simply cannot grow abundant facial hair above the jaw line.
Figure A
in figure B, you will see Abraham Lincoln. notice the fullness and shaginess. this beard style is known simply as the abe lincoln. most people who copy this exact style of beard these days are not around mirrors very often. unkempt and haggard, this beard fits lincoln's apparent chronic depression of a life. no, i'm not knockin the man, he really was depressed his entire life and spoke of suicide often.
Figure B
and in figure C, you will see a typical amish beard. notice how the throat hairs are allowed to grow out of control. this is also sometimes known as a goat beard for obvious reasons. amish men may grow a beard as a sign of being married. a moustache, however, is seen as militaristic.
Figure C
I hope that you can see the distinguishing differences in these three variations on a non moustache-inclusive beard.
