Reuters reports that practitioners of the art of tattoo are beginning to sense a sea change.
Tattooing just isn’t as fun as it used to be. It seems like every suburban kid wants a tattoo as soon as they are out of braces. And worse, it has become a staple among soccer moms and cubicle jockeys across the country. The town where I live (republican territory, dry county, population around 30,000) now has several large tattoo parlors. Tattoos have become mainstream, which poses a problem. Part of the allure of tattoos, at least in the U.S., has always been that they were seen as non-conformist, a little dangerous and always cool. They are now so commonplace that it is no surprise to see one on your babysitter.
Long-time tattoo photographer Charles Gatewood of San Francisco said:
"It (tattooing) is so popular that it has lost some of its magic. It
was like a club, a secret society and family. Now it’s gotten
commercialized, co-opted and watered down … in the opinion of some
people."
You can almost hear the sadness, the disillusionment. This state of affairs has also led to a kind of one-upsmanship among tattoo-ees. To get even a second glance nowadays, your tattoo must be exceptionally; large, vulgar, psychotic, stupid, so-cryptic-that-even-you-forget-what-it-means (pick one). It’s basically the same thing that’s happened to music.
My problem with tattooing (for me personally) is that there is no "undo" command in the drop-down menu.
Imagine going into a store and seeing a hat you really like. It’s a great hat, a bejewelled and richly embroidered skullcap. You go to try it on and the sales-guy informs you that this is no ordinary hat. If you put this hat on your head, it will never come off. Ever. You love the hat. It’s the coolest hat you have ever seen. The inner conflict is almost palpable, ain’t it? And for good reason. What if this hat doesn’t look as cool to me in thirty years? How will I explain it to my grandkids? My employer? Sure, I can always cover it with another, bigger hat, but what if I just want to stroll bare-headed in the park?
This is my tattoo conundrum: Anything important enough to have permanently engraved on my skin turns out to be too important to trivialize by reducing it to a fashion statement. If Jesus is important to me, then I will try to imitate his behavior, not have him drawn on my calf. And besides, it’s really not fair to the true fringe element in society. The "mainstream" keeps getting wider and wider, pushing the real fashion rebels farther and farther out into the jungle. To get noticed now you need a face full of hardware, or implants on yor forehead, or any number of other absurd "modifications".
So, in sympathy with frustrated bikers everywhere, I beg you, please don’t get that Tweety-Bird on your ankle. Refrain from purchasing that tribal butterfly back piece. And definitely take a pass on anything written in a language that you can’t read yourself. You could be getting someone’s shopping list permanently embroidered on your flesh.
This “mainstreaming” of Tatooing came up with me a few years ago. I was doing some moonlighting (helping with the nurse shortage while earning extra cash) in a Nursing home and Myself and one of the other staff realized that I was the only staff member present without a tatoo. The staff member mocked me in front of everyone else and wanted to know why I didn’t have a tatoo! I said, ” I am sort of a counter culture rebel and I just want to be different!” I got a very puzzled look with that reply.
I’ve never understood the allure of tattoos. What will the pretty rose tattoo over a young woman’s heart look like when that woman is 80 and the “canvas has shifted”?
‘thann
Now just how could anyone working in a Nursing Home even consider a tatoo. Didn’t they look around and project just what their tat would look like when they reached that Nursing Home age. That butterfly will be streatched so far out of shape and that rose on the ankle will be truly wilted and sagging.
I’d have thought that seeing the future state of their bodies would give second thoughts to tatooing.
The piercings are getting absolutely ridiculous now, too.
Fortunately, tatooing in Oklahoma is still illegal. Of course, that hasn’t stopped anybody who really wants one to get one. They go across the border to Wichita Falls, Texas to get one. I hear the legistors are thinking about changing the law. They are missing out on all that money. (you realize that Oklahoma is about 10-15 years behind everyone else). *sigh*
Speaking as an Arkansawyer, there are advantages to being “behind” in this culture. It’s just fine with me if people want to think of us as hicks.
To put things in perspective, a (female) friend of mine once explained why she wouldn’t necessarily rule out dating someone with a tatoo. Sometimes, she said, “a tattoo is a mistake you made ten years ago, while a pinky ring is a mistake you made this morning.”
I’ll take the opposing view. I agree that tattoos have lost some of their outlaw appeal and become more mainstream. I also agree that many (most?) tattoos are both silly and shortsided in what they depict. With that said, I disagree with Jimmy’s statement “Anything important enough to have permanently engraved on my skin turns out to be too important to trivialize by reducing it to a fashion statement.” That logic can be carried forward to exclude religious art or jewelry (if Jesus is important to me, I will imitate His behavior and not have a picture of Him on my wall or His corpus hanging around my neck). I have a very well done Chi Rho tattoo that serves several functions: (1) it draws my mind to Christ throughout the day when I see it (2) is a great toolfor evangelism, as I am constantly asked what it is, which has generated many very interesting conversations, and (3) it looks really cool. Unless I fall into apostasy (which I don’t plan on doing anytime soon!), I do not think my Chi Rho tattoo is something I will regret. God bless.
Jimmy,
A friend had a psalm tatooed on his lower back, in Latin! A really radical selection, no?
When I see the photo above, I think, Reason No. xxx not to go to Hell, cuz that’s what everybody’s gonna look like. Yuck.
I simply hate tatoos. I’ve been to weddings and seen wedding pictures where the bride will have a large tatoo on her shoulder/upper back, and it just looks obnoxious. Some people I just think have an unnatural yearning for attention upon themselves. Before you know it people will tatooing advertisements on their heads. Oh wait, this has already been done.
Doug,
I understand that some people may be in a position to use tattoos as a witness, but the same could be accomplished with jewelry or T-shirts, though I think these can be overdone, also. The in-your-face Christian tees that can be seen on some are of dubious help, IMHO.
Using a tattoo to remind yourself of Christ throughout the day is very commendable, and is one of the reasons I have even considered getting one, but this could also be accomplished with jewelry or by some other means. I sometimes wear a crucifix to accomplish the same thing, or a carry a special nail in my pocket (made to resemble the kind of nail that might have been used on Jesus’ cross).
Getting a cross tattoo unfortunately, would be almost meaningless, because it is an image that has been so thoroughly co-opted by the fashion industry that it says nothing about the person actually wearing it (except that you can maybe safely assume they are not Muslim or Jewish, or something).
It is the permanence of the tattoo that has made me hesitate all these years, and now what makes me pause is the fact that the novelty (and therefore, some of the witness value) of a tattoo has dropped considerably. What if some day they just flat go out of style, like leisure suits, mood rings or afros? Then keeping them covered will spawn a whole new fashion trend; the opaque body stocking!
Not to mention that for the price of a small tattoo I can take my sweet wife on a couple of nice dates.
In short, when I face my judgement, I don’t think it will help to say, “Look, Lord… I loved you so much that I got this nifty tat!”
“Not that there’s anything wrong with that!…”
Tim J.,
I agree with essentially every thing you said in your post. All of my reasons for getting my tattoo could be accomplished in another way (though I, too, tend to dislike “in your face” Christian t-shirts etc.). I simply chose to do it with a tattoo. I am absoltely not a relativist; however, some issues are not right or wrong, but involve opinion, judgement and prudence on which reasonable people can disagree. I believe this is one of those issues. I certainly agree regarding your comments on judgment day. I will not point to my tattoo. I won’t point to anything that I have done. I will point solely to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ at Calvary and the graces He dispenses through Holy Mother Church. 🙂 Take care.
Doug
Great post, Tim J. I’m tat-less &, as was mentioned above, it sometimes seems as if I’m in the minority. Frankly, I think tattoos are just one more reason to disgard modesty & put one’s self on display, these days. And maybe it’s because I notice them more, but this seems more prevalent in women, in my experience. The rose & thorn or dragon tats that span 6-8 inches in the small of the back that necessitate the wearing of low-rise jeans & crop-tops (or, worse, skirts & camisoles in the workplace), a look I’ve never found attractive, seem like they’re everywhere these days. And I just don’t get the tribal arm bands so many fellas are sportin’. How much thought went into that? It’s so very *of the times* it’s sorta like someone having surgically covered their skin in burnt orange shag carpet in the 70s.
Doug,
I do want to make clear that I do not judge anyone that has a tattoo. It is a matter of prudence, as you say. There’s not anything wrong with it, but right now (for me) there is just not enough right with it.
If I remember right, Angelina Jolie has a huge cross tattooed on her hip. She also had to get some serious laser treatment to remove her Billy Bob tattoo when that match made in heaven broke up.
I don’t like tattoos at all and the very idea of them makes me shudder. I saw a man once who had facial tattoos and that gave me nightmares. I don’t like piercings, but since I work on a college campus, I see some sights I would prefer not to see.
I did NOT need to see that picture right before lunch…
I thought it was one of Jimmy’s Photo Caption pic’s.
A chunk of my teen years were spent with ‘decorated’ long haired people of both sexes, so I really have no disdain for those who choose to ornament their body and paint it permanently. Personally, however, I only ever wanted it done to be a rebellious little snot, and when I discovered that the nice girls in High School were having tatoos of butterflies and roses on their butt-cheeks, I thought it was positively mediocre unless you were going to go for a pretty substantial work of art. After some consideration, I imagined my body, in an aged state with ‘I love Adrian’ tatooed up my arm or a mammoth depiction of Ozzy Osbourne bat-head biting…and opted to go for real rebellion, hence, I’m a tatoo free zone 🙂
God Bless.
Well, I’m the only one in my immediate family who DOESN’T have a tattoo (as in bro with 3, sis with 4, dad with 2, Ma with 1.)
Yeah. I’m busting my buttons over those decisions!! But on the personal side, I did design my dad’s original Marine Corps bulldog tattoo on his right bicep when I was 14.
Tim J. and Doug oughtta check out an old story by Flannery O’Connor called “Parker’s Back.” At the time, it was thought of as a good example of her grasp of “grotesquerie.” Now, it would probably just seem commonplace.
Hello, Octber 8 2005
When I was 15 years old(Am now 57years old) I got a Tattoo on each forearm, and within a week or so I realised the mistake. The years of cover up in some ways deprived me of quality summer time, and people do react to you in certain ways if you have a tattoo, and in my life it did exclude me from some work and social situations.
I live in the Highlands of Scotland and I travel 300 mile return trip to visit the Clinic and get the Tattoos removed(laser)so far one arm is just about clear(could live with it as it is, but I can afford to get it done perfectly)the other arm has some residual green, which should go in another two sessions . If you are thinking of getting your Tattoo taken off by Laser,make sure they use the Laser appropiate to the colours, if they use the wrong one it could cost you a fortune as it would take ages to do, if at all.
There is bound to be dishonest removers out there so take care. (please excuse spelling etc)
To those people who are thinking of removing Tattoos DO IT! cannot quatify the feeings I have, but it is great!
And to those people who are thinking about getting a Tattoo, wait a year , read about Tattoos, the experiances of long term Tattooed people, just about all the people that I have met of my age regret getting them done, and after a year if you still want to go ahead ,do it. But remember that fashion can change in a year ,you can develop, but your Tattoo is a constant.
All the Best
William Grant
You can look at getting a Tattoo like getting married.You can get a divorce and you can get the tat removed.Both cost a lot of money.
But really there are many tattoos that you can get that you wont mind having after many years.If you get one that is on your back for example you can go months forgetting you even have it.Hands,forarms etc that you see all the time is a different story.
Im not sure why people worry what it will look like when they are 80.If you are so concerned about that you had better also eat right every day,sleep 8 to 9 hours everyday,do Yoga every day,Don’t stress,don’t have kids(if your a woman) etc.I mean it’s only a big deal if you make it out to be one.Bottom line take time to think about what you want,where you want it,if you really want it.Any doubt don’t do it other wise your body your choice!
Pictures Of Butterfly Tattoo
and High Color Small Butterfly Tattoo Designs 1.0 by TattoosByDesign.Net
This rant has made the rounds about every forty years for the past 5080 or so – with more ferocity [and confused mishmash] of argument in cultures with sumptuary laws, when the common folk are denied the rights of ownership of their own skin, and so the practice becomes more powerful, and so common, and so uncouth, and so hardcore that those with wealth who aspire to the power of the Other co-opt is, et voila: there’s Britney dropping trou for yet another pseudo naga on her labia.
So I’m just going to go ahead and assume it’s a personal choice. The Church doesn’t condemn it. Am I right? We’re not going to hell for getting one.
Right… though we are prohibited from mutilating our bodies, so a lot of what they now call “body modification” would be out.
Decoration is a different thing, as long as the tattoos themselves are not obscene or blasphemous, or something.
Just reread this post due to new comments, and was struck by this:
Nice!
Tim J it’s a pity u didn’t read the next comment about how that logic doesn’t follow through.
It obviously suits some people to look down at people who have a tattoo. It really appears that you are indulging in a little intellectual snobbery – ‘too important to trivialize’ – Well it certainly isn’t my opinion that getting a tattoo was trivilasing anything I belive in (assumption no.1)and having a tattoo doesn’t mean it is neccesariy a fashion statement (assumption no.2).
I just think it’s funny that you so many assumptions can be made in something that ‘struck you’.
To tell you the truth I do have a tattoo on my back. I love it. It’s big but I would be wary of getting anything visible in an office enviroment.
I do agree it is more mainstream but I fail to see how that takes away from the enjoyment of having something that is of ur own choosing.
The only people I imagine complaining about tattoo’s being too mainstream is people that felt the need to be different. I would want to ask them why what other people do would decrease their enjoyment. It is the same type of intellectual snobbery where the ‘alternative’ people look down on the mainstream.
If we stopped thinking in terms of catergories and realsied we are individuals and not boxes you might appreciate it more.
Ben, I don’t look down on anyone who has a tattoo. I considered getting one, myself. My reasons for not getting one are MINE, and I don’t assume that they apply to anyone else.
Did you read my entire post?
Would Our Lord get a tattoo?
Would any saint get it?
I know the Indians (from India) have a tradition of tattoing a cross on their hand, a small one.
But that is understandable.
But everyone else…
I would argue it constitutes a sin because we modding our bodies in a way contrary to the way God intended us to.
Now earrings (FOR WOMEN ONLY WIERDOS) are acceptable because it does not change the body, it ornaments it.
I would first-off like to say that I think anyone can get tattoos if they want and they should not be judged upon their decision. However, I have noticed that many people do have tattoos that seem to mean absolutely nothing to them and they are just part of the mainstream mass. I have a friend who just recently got his first tattoo and he plans to get more, but he is not doing this just to be cool, he has many valid and legitimate reasons. But when he and I are in a crowd of people conversing about tattoos, every single person speaks up and says what tattoo they’re going to get. I listen to each person and I see in their eyes that they’re just saying this to fit in with he and I (he because he is not mainstream about getting tattooed, and me, I am going to tattoo as my career). I do not have any tattoos yet, although I do plan to get them when I am of legal age so I don’t have to get my parents into it. I am an artist and I plan to start a new job in the next month as an apprentice at a tattoo parlor so that I can learn. I believe it is a beautiful form of art that should be appreciated, not because of the people who decided to get it done, but because of the amount of skill these tattoo artists have and how gorgeous the art on these people’s bodies is (yes, even the mainstream tattoos). For my first tattoo I am going to shave the back of the bottom of my hair and get two words tattooed there and let my hair grow back. My friends ask me why I would get something tattooed where no one can see it. The reason I am making this my first tattoo is because I am making a point that tattooing is such an incredibly personal thing, and I am not doing it for other people. I’m doing it for myself and to know that artwork is on my body will give me comfort. I also plan to get full sleeves of tattoos and have potentially my entire back covered as I get older. As an artist I appreciate many art forms and tattooing is definitely one of them. The only people I question about getting tattoos are the people that don’t have a story or reason behind why they are getting them. I think most people aren’t thinking of the actual art and how incredible it is that it is actually possible to have a masterpiece permanently on a body. They are just all caught up on how they want to be rebellious. I would also like to say: so what? You get a tattoo when you are young that looks good and when you’re old you stretch out and get saggy. You’re old, saggy and no one’s going to want to see that anyway so why not have artwork drawn all over you?
“…they should not be judged upon their decision.”
And why shouldn’t people be judged for their decisions? Come to think of it, how does anyone *not* make judgments about others’ decisions?
I believe the Filipinos are very fond of getting religious tattoos and have been getting them for hundreds of years now.
Many Ethiopians also tattoo a Cross on themselves as a sign of their devotion. I believe that the Copts do so as well. I remember a tragic story of a Coptic girl who was slain by a Muslim and the Muslim cut the Cross off of her skin.
“Would Our Lord get a tattoo?”
Our Lord created us as individuals invested with the capacity for personal expression. Rightly emulating the perfect work of Christ’s ministry does not necessarily mean curtailing one’s capacity for self-determinacy in matters that have no moral content.
“Would any saint get it?”
Any answer to that question is likely to be presumptuous.
“I know the Indians (from India) have a tradition of tattoing a cross on their hand, a small one.
But that is understandable.
But everyone else…”
Why should everyone else be held to a different standard than the Indians? I’m really neither here nor there on the advisability of tatooing in general, but it seems to me that one might get a tatoo in acknowledgement of their tradition even if one is not Indian.
“I would argue it constitutes a sin because we modding our bodies in a way contrary to the way God intended us to.”
Here’s another inherently presumptuous statement. Who are you to know the Lord God’s intention apart from the aspects thereof that he has most graciously imparted to us through His Holy Scripture and, less directly, through the teachings of His Church?
“Now earrings (FOR WOMEN ONLY WIERDOS) are acceptable because it does not change the body, it ornaments it.”
Objectively, it does change the body (well, the piercing which is necessary for the earrings). Namely, it puts a hole where there wasn’t one previously. In terms of mathematical topology, that’s the most radical change possible.
I got a tattoo at 17. I went with my mother. I researched tattoos (differeint inks, art styles, artists in towns, parlors in town, prices, after-care, possibility of problems and what to do, etc) prior to getting the tattoo. I had the design chosen for 5 years before getting it, and had known since i was 2.5 years old that Iwanted one. No one in my family had one, none of my friends had one, but I saw one as a toddler and was hooked on the idea. I choose a sun after battling with depression. It represented that I had beaten this battle and could do it again. I got it in a spot that is less likely to suffer from aging (another thing I looked in to). Did I care that when I was pregnant my sun looked as if it was about to explode due to swelling? No. It still had meaning to me, no matter how it looked. I went through a very difficult time, and my sun was a beautiful reward to myself to help remind me of how strong I can be and what I can make it through.
When my daughter was born I got her name, inside a heart, tattooed on my other ankle. WIll I ever regret that? I don’t see how I could ever regret my daughter, so I don’t see how I could ever regret my tattoo. I am now considering getting a chi-rho to show I am a Christian. This is somethign that takes a lot of thought, and I have only just come up with this idea. This is not somethign to rush in to, and any tattoo should be symbolic. (Tweeties, roses, and names of significant others are NOT good tattoo designs.)
I wish the people who don’t have tattoos would refrain from viewing the inked as people who were young and stupid and made poor decisions without considering the consequences. This is usually thecase (my husband’s friend has skulls all over his body. I know not everything thinks things through.) But I am proud of my tattoos, and will be forever. Even when they get old and faded and covered in wrinkles I still love tattoos. DOes a person become ugly when they age? Is an elderly citizen something our society should be ashamed of? No. Age is unimportant in tattoos and people. The inside story is the important part.
Yes, tattoos are becoming increasingly more of a fashion statement with a lot of people. And yes, some tattoos are not thought through very well and you end up with an ex’s name scripted over your left butt-cheek.
For others however, tattooing is still a passion and, in my opinion, a beautiful artform. I am 19 and, as of now, want to get 3+ tattoos sometime in the near future. I have been researching tattoos for a year and a half now and have begun saving up for my planned out tats. All the designs in my head have such a strong meaning to me, I feel that when I get them I will truely feel more complete as a person. I also plan to one day open up my own tattoo place of sorts. Yeah, look out.
And as A. Nonymous said, who cares how they look when you get older? Old people aren’t ugly. Everyone ages. If you got your tattoos for the right reasons, they should always be beautiful to you. Who cares what anyone else thinks.
right on mal. right on.
Hi, tattooing has been around since pre history so it is not like anybody is breaking new ground here. Tattooing got “trendy” about five thousand years ago, so if your tattoo is newer than that you are a poser I guess. Who cares if your tattoo sags when you are old. How do you know you are going to get old? Sieze the day, it is your body decorate it how you like. Who cares what you look like to others, that is the whole point of taking a permanent oath to art. If you like it, get it. If other people don’t understand, you win. P.S. I think tattooed soccer moms are cool.
P.P.S. It is spelled “tattoo” that is a lot of “Ts” but that is how it is spelled folks. hanks for your ime in reading his ran. (see, “Ts” are important)
while i agree that tattooing has become mainstream and has lost some of it’s true potency, i don’t agree with the “what will it look like when you’re 80” arguement. none of us will look as fresh, young, wrinkle-free and healthy as we did when we were in our twenties. i’d find it pretty bizarre if i was old, wrinkled and haggard, yet my tattoos remained smooth and as crisp as the day they were inked. while we see tattoos as being a very permanent fixture, they are as transient and changing as the skin they inhabit. and whether or not someone else sees my tattoos as ugly if and when i reach a grand old age, so be it. they are mine.
i see my tattoos as being a documentary of my experiences, a visual diary of my life on my skin. i have a tattoo on my forearm from when i finished art college. i have two self-inked tattoos on my ankle from a time when i was in a negative frame of mind for a time. i have a traditionally hand-inked tattoo on my shoulder which is based on traditional northen thai artwork. i plan to get a tattoo done in the traditional style of every country i visit long enough to enjoy. i also plan on getting a tattoo to commemorate graduating. i don’t plan on getting any text, language, or tattoos with any literal meaning other than a reminder to myself of the time and place i was in at that time. i think that tattooing yourself as a visual record of your acheivements and experiences is a very positive thing.
the native aborigines of australia choose a name for themselves when they are old enough to do so. they change their name every time they accomplish something, every time they see that they have progressed somehow. why not do the same with tattoos?
Hello….I have just read some of the most small-minded comments EVER! If you guys don’t like tattoos, then don’t get them! Why would you chastise others for descisions they make. THANK GOD IM NOT YOU.
I THINK YOUR WAY WRONG. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH TATTOOING OR PIERCING. ITS A TRIBAL THING FOR ME. AND YOU WOULDNT UNDERSTAND.
I THINK YOUR WAY WRONG. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH TATTOOING OR PIERCING. ITS A TRIBAL THING FOR ME. AND YOU WOULDNT UNDERSTAND.
“THANK GOD IM(sic)NOT YOU.”
That’s telling ’em!
its amazing how many cant spell TATTOO! It is realy not that hard to spell. It is interesting some of the arguments on here…some are good, some are mindless rants of conservative christians and people of the older gererations. Tattooing is a personal decision from the religious side. I have 2 tattoos, both in latin, saying truth (veritas) and faith (fides). they are impotant aspect of my faith, they constantly remind me of the two most important things in my faith, the saving truth of Christs blood from the cross, and the simple faith that it takes to be saved. If you do not like people who are non religious and say tattooing is bad cuz i said so, and yet these same people say its not right to push religous views on people, well if it is wrong for us, in your opinion to push our views on you, then it must be wrong for you to push your views on us, so that makes one of us a hypocrate, and that would be you. We all have the right to believe and do as we wish, that means religious people can evangalise others, and that also means that non religous people can decline religous views, but there is no need to attack the person, attack their philosophy, not their person, everyone can act according to their own desires within the law, if you dont like it…SHUT UP!
Who is “pushing” any views on you? Or are you one of those who is against freedom of speech if that speech is something you don’t want to hear? Everyone can express an opinion according to his own desires within the law. “…if you dont(sic) like it…SHUT UP!
Speaking of people who “cant” spell:
“cant”
“impotant”
“Christs”
“non religious”
“cuz”
“religous”
“non religous”
And then there are run-on sentences, incorrect punctuation, and not capitalizing the first word in sentences.
To the person that made the comment about the native aboriginals of Australia changing their names. Comment ONLY on what you know about. I get so annoyed when people make remarks about my race wheather for good or bad reasons and they dont know what they are talking about. We are given “Skin Names” from our mother mine is Tjaprula the “T” is silent and to anyone been through aboriginal “LORE” they will know from my name that I am a Luritua (tribe) male and was born in 1972. The only time our name changes is when a parent dies or someone else with the same name in our family dies and it only changes for up to a year then goes back to the name inherited through our mother this shows respect and mourning. And yes I have tattoo’s and I work in a nursing home for war veterans and all the oldies that have tattoo’s (there are quite a few about 60 out of 200) not one regrets getting them done and some are so well done they still look amazing. And about earrings on men Dr Eric this is a very old custom to show slavery (as biblical slavery not modern slavery)I have 3 earrings in my left ear to show my choice of slavery or surrender of my will to my God, Country and Family and as history shows men were pierced before women were. I suggest people study history they might learn something tattooing is not a counter culture it is older than the culture we have today and tattoos depicting Christ or the Cross were common among the convicts sent to Australia as they were done on their backs so the guards wouldn’t whip them in fear of whipping Christ himself.
I wish to take back the comment I made to Dr Eric unfortunately the way this page is structured it appears on my screen as if he made the comment about earings. He did not, it is my error and I apologize.
Would Our Lord get a tattoo?
Well, maybe. Think about who he hung out with. If he was around now and in America, he’d probably live in a ghetto somewhere and hang out with druggies and unwed mothers.
And there’s nothing morally wrong with ghetto dress (baggy clothes, bling, tattoos, etc.), it just looks sloppy – and only to us good, law-abiding, pharisaic, middle-class, white, voting citizens. It’s arrogant to assume that our standards our objective.
He’d probably hang out with druggies, but he wouldn’t shoot heroin. He’d probably hang out with unwed mothers but he wouldn’t get them pregnant. Shooting heroin and extra-marital sex are morally wrong.
There’s nothing morally wrong with getting a tattoo. It’s entirely possible that he might have gotten one.
This is Jesus the poor Jewish carpenter we’re talking about, the guy who hung out with tax collectors (ewww!!). This isn’t blue-eyed, British-accented Jesus walking wistfully along the shores of Galilee with a slightly pained expression on his face, as if he had an annoying pebble in his right sandal.
I absolutly hate when people get on the whole whats its gonna look like in 50 years kick. I go with a love the skin youre in attitude. I will still love my sleeves when im nintey, kids gettin little things here and there is no worry, its just havin fun. As far as piercings are concerned, i feel that some people are afraid of heavily modified individuals cause we exercise complete and total control over our bodys and feelings without worrying about the veiws of society at large. I saw a comment on here about tattooing being illegal in oaklahoma, fourtunatly? Come f**kin on, why is it so fortunate that a whole lifestyle is illegal, thats like saying, fortunatly, christianity is illegal in so and so. If im not mistaken, its now legal, but its people like that who scare me into thinking that someday, on the wrong side of the fence, ill be chased out by torch and pitchfork wielding rednecks.
In the bible it does say that our bodies are a temple of God.It also says that no man has the right to judge any man based on there appearence. so as far as the bible is concernd we dont have the right to judge others! our world needs to stop worrying about other people and start worrying about them selves!
“…we dont(sic) have the right to judge others!”
Then what does “By their fruits you will know them” mean?
“…people are afraid of heavily modified individuals cause we exercise complete and total control over our bodys and feelings without worrying about the veiws of society at large.”
Umm… no. I’m not afraid of “highly modified” individuals. Let me just say that “afraid” isn’t at all the word I would use, and leave it at that.
If you’re not worried about the views of society at large, what was the purpose of your comment?
Do what you like, but excuse me if I find the spikes sticking out of your head an occasion to stare. Sorry, this look weird to me. But I know you don’t care about that, so we’re all cool, right?
Tim, the key words are the three that come immediately before the part you quoted: “I *feel* that…”
You seem to be encouraging him to *think*. How hateful of you! Just because feelings don’t have IQs is no reason to discourage people from allowing their feelings to do their thinking for them.
And stop being judgmental. It’s wrong to be judgmental, as many on this thread have judged others to be.
(Now excuse me; I gotta pry my tongue outa my cheek).
soo as you all know i like to use the bible as a refrence for all that i dont know. although i dont know much about tattoos and peircings i do have a tattoo. And for people to juuge you by your outward appearence is going against the bible. the “By there fruits we will know them…” does not meen judge them but to ecsept them and get to know them for who they are. Who are we to judge a peson who just as equal as us! theere is only one high judge and that is the lord my God…Jesus crist…who died for you and your sins. The bible sais that we are all created equell in the eyes of the almighty God.
“‘By there(sic) fruits we(sic) will know them…’ does not meen(sic) judge them but to ecsept(sic) them and get to know them for who they are.”
Uh-huh.
the key words are the three that come immediately before the part you quoted: “I *feel* that…”
To “feel” can have many meanings, including to think, to reason, to perceive by the mind, to believe. In the cited example, the person expressed his reasoning.
Just because feelings don’t have IQs
No thought has an IQ either.
“To ‘feel’ can have many meanings, including to think, to reason, to perceive by the mind, to believe.”
Nope. Words mean things. “To feel” means just that: to feel.
Look – again, I don’t have any moral problem with tattoos, as such. I considered getting one, and I know a number of people who do have them. I don’t make any blanket judgments of people with tattoos. But a lack of moderation in any aspect of life can be a sign of underlying problems.
Call it a cry for help.
The guy pictured at the top of the post just looks extremely weird. As Dave Barry put it, for most people a lip ring is the answer to the question “What can I do to make myself even less employable?”.
If these folks (the extreme ones) don’t care what the world thinks of them, that’s fine and all for the best, because if they DID care what people thought, they would live a life of constant bitterness and disappointment.
They have every right to modify themselves however they want, and I have every right to say “Ewww”.
Hey, that guy in the picture is kinda cool. I’m just forgetting if his race was from Farscape, Star Trek, Stargate, or Babylon 5. 😉
Words mean things. “To feel” means just that: to feel.
Yes, and dictionaries of the English language say it can mean to think, to reason, to perceive by the mind, to believe.
I have every right to say “Ewww”.
So do people who look at your paintings.
“So do people who look at your paintings.”
A very intellectual response. But I think it illustrates the point I was trying to make.
“So do people who look at your paintings.”
Absolutely.
Call it a cry for help.
“Ewww” can be a cry for help.
i don’t understand how anyone can think that getting or having a tattoo is a problem for society. It is just people choosing to express themselves in that way. Isn’t that how it all started? It was people trying to find an outlet to express themselves? Just because it is more popular today then ever before is no reason for some people going around saying that it is a cry for help.
I don’t understand how anyone can think that being against tattoos is a problem for society. It is just people choosing to express themselves.
Wow, you think tattoos are for the special club of people who want to “get noticed?” It’s too bad if that’s what a tattoo is to you. Some sort of “mark of a rebel.” I can’t believe you feel so threatened by people wanting their own. THEIR tattoos have nothing to do with YOU and your attention-whore need to “get noticed.”
Everyone has the right to a personal piece of inkage.
I can’t believe you feel so threatened by people who disagree with you. THEIR opinions have nothing to do with YOU and your insecurities.
Everyone has the right to a personal piece of inkage.
Wow, you think people who don’t like tattoos are a special club of people who want to “get noticed?” It’s too bad if that’s what people against tattoos are to you. Some sort of “mark of an anti-rebel.” I can’t believe you feel so threatened by people NOT wanting their own. THEIR opinions of tattoos have nothing to do with YOU and your attention-whore need to “get noticed.”
Everyone has a right to disagree that ‘everyone has the right to a personal piece of inkage’.
Luckily, the tattooed people of the world are outgrowing the untattooed. The only difference between us and the Christian coallition is that, we truly are accepting of everyone, even the narrow minded.
How condescending of you!
I just learned new term: Inked People.
And since they soon to outnumber “normal” population, as a “normal” person I declare myself a minority and waiting for Federal Assistance Programs.
We (the plain skenned) need a NAAPS (National Association for Advancement of Plain Skins).
I have a dream…………(Really after this Pic a Nightmare!)
“Beam me up Scotty..Scotty?!….Scotty!!!!
He’s in tattoo parlor , Jim.”
for me getting a tattoo is no about gettin knowtised its about making a personal statement. its not about getting attention, the olny ones who want to get attention are fake. they have no real outlook on how other people voice their opinion. if the way they voice their opinion is in a tattoo or in wrighting, a pic, or thier attutedes, its all good.
one more thing, for the people who started the comments, sure when your young you dont think about how you will look when your 80 but who gives? i mean its not like its a beauty contest, unless your some old peron in denyle.
hey kimberly (up top) i loved the way you voiced your opinion. any yea its a native thing with alot of tattoo’s. i know where you are coming from. 🙂
lol im lovin the comments about how God will punish us. God says he loves us, right??? well if he does then i think he has the heart to forgive us and also i think if Jesus really loves us he wouldnt send us to hell for doing this. but idk, its your choice… im just voicing my opinion. you dont have to read it. after all….. life is full of choices.
LIKE A TATTOO FOR INSTANCE!!
“lol(sic) im(sic) lovin(sic) the comments about how God will punish us.”
Please point out one such comment.
This thread is apparently where Grammar shot Spelling before his execution at the hands of Run-On Sentence.
Top 10 Spelling Bloopers:
10. gettin knowtised = getting noticed
9. wrighting = writing
8. attutedes = attitudes
7. denyle = denial
6. juuge = judge
5. fourtunatly = fortunately
4. ecsept = accept
3. equell = equal
2. hypocrate = hypocrit
1. i = I
It’s actually kind of impressive how our minds can compensate for extremely unusual misspellings based upon the context of the sentence.
I read in a book on linguistics once that as long as communication occurs, spelling is unimportant — that’s how language evolves! 🙂
I naturally disagree, snob that I am.
2. hypocrate = hypocrit
*cough*
2. hypocrate = hypocrite
Ha ha! How ironic! Thanks for catching that, Esau.
It’s called the Phenom Restoration Effect!
DUH!
Spelling bloopers apply to writing, not to be confused with “wrighting”.
Re-Post:
It’s actually kind of impressive how our minds can compensate for extremely unusual misspellings based upon the context of the sentence.
It’s called the Phenom Restoration Effect!
DUH!
It’s called the Phenom Restoration Effect!
Clarify?
“wrighting”.
Wrighting refers to the verb to describe what the Wright brothers did.
Clarify?
See my ‘Re-Post’.
Apologies for that.
I see. Though you mean phoneme. Cheers.
Wrighting refers to the verb to describe what the Wright brothers did.
http://www.thewrighttattoo.com
lol this is great, and all the ones about God, and what not…are at the top.
i think tattoos are the shit.
lol the shit?
its slang for cool or wat you take it as
i take it as school yard bull shit. lol jk don’t i know you.
“chica”
yea you do we use to go to school together
oh yea, i remember but anyway… this hole thing on tattoos. whats your say in this???
i think they are cool and they bring out your personality
ya me to. and if you don’t like them, DON’T GET THEM its as easy as that, don’t you think??
yea thats true
“Please point out one such comment.”
A: ” ”
That’s what I figured.
why don’t you look for your self. instead of being an ass hole about it.
why don’t you look for your self
He did look and didn’t find any such comment. That’s his point.
i did its at the top. if your so interested then you can look to.
people have their own oppinion no matter how much people b*tch over things nothing will get acomplished out of it!!!!!!! anyway whats the point of telling people off..who cares what kind of tats they get, its their body, its their money, its their stupitity if they need to get a cover-up……my point, stay out of their business, if they get tats let them…its their life let them do what they must…..
also my point *I EFFIN LUV TATS!!!!!!NO PAIN NO GAIN*
“if they get tats let them”
Somebody stopping them?
“its(sic) their life(sic) let them do what they must”
Must? I thought it was a choice, not an obligation.
bill912,
Why do you waste time with folks who not only can’t spell or write a decent sentence but can’t reason as well?
You’re far too charitable for my taste, brutha!
It just amazes me how this post keeps coming back. It’s like the Death of Rasputin.
Or Jimmy’s Cyclops Kitty.
“The Post That Wouldn’t Leave”…
nobody is stopping them but they b*tch like they are stopping it or somehow preventing it…..
Boy, that asterisk really helps.
this blog started back in 2005. i’ve ready every post. i came here from a google search for tattoo pictures. several posts mention God. then you turned into spelling nazis. i liked the one post who mentioned
tattoos depicting Christ or the Cross were common among the convicts sent to Australia as they were done on their backs so the guards wouldn’t whip them in fear of whipping Christ himself.
if you want a tattoo, get it. i don’t think st. peter is going to be at the gate saying you can’t get into heaven for somthing you did in kindergarten
then i went up and looked at the picture. disturbing. when God wants you with Him, six minutes from now, or sixty years from now- He’s going to be looking at your heart
Thank you Godfather!!!! i have been reading these comments for a long time now and never really wanted to comment. now i say thank you! why? because you finally said what that native girl wanted to say. she just couldn’t find the right words, i guess…
I dont think the objective of the pro tattoo people is to tilt your view into thinking its cool and all, personally, I would love to make more people aware of the reasons why people get work done so that I can go to a local eating establishment and not have the whole place stareing at me while i try to eat. Im heavily tattooed and pierced and will some day be getting my face tattooed, its not a call for help or any underlying sadness about myself, all I would ask for is the decency to not be stared at or ostrasized(sp)for the way I look.
On a side note, those who have nothing productive to add, make comments about grammer and become the 3rd grade teacher that no one cares about.
“Im heavily tattooed and pierced and will some day be getting my face tattooed…” but you don’t want people to notice you. Interesting.
Sorta like:
I want to set myself on fire and not get burned.
I want to drink a gallon of gin and not get drunk.
I want to stab someone in the heart with Crocodile Dundee’s toadsticker and not have him be harmed in any way.
Are such mental gymnastics good aerobic exercise?
Bil912,
you should find another way to be an ass hole. Your also being a dick. People have diffrent ways of voicing their opinions like you being an ass hole for instice, and people getting tattoos. The world is filled with tattooed people, and always will be. Just like the world is filled with ass holes like you. If it is not on your body then why do you care???? You should stop trying to bring people down just because they have something on their body that you don’t approve of. There are many things that society sees as being taboo.
P.S.
post another comment,
i wanna see you be an ass hole
in more ways than just one.
you don’t want people to notice you
I don’t think he wants to be invisible. The poster said he didn’t want to “be stared at or ostrasized(sp).”
If it is not on your body then why do you care????
Is his post tattooed on your body?
“People have diffrent(sic)ways of voicing their opinions” without resorting to vulgarity.
“The world is filled with (non-)tattoed people and always will be….If it (isn’t) not on your body, why do you care????”
“You should stop trying to bring people down just because they (don’t) have something on their body that you…approve of.”
P.S.
“post(sic) another comment,
i(sic) wanna(sic) see you” let us know again how little it takes to get your goat.
Someone should tell Jimmy about the vulgarity from ‘some girl.’
This blog isn’t for people who are unable to speak without using filthy language.
So Bill912 Would you ever get a tattoo??? Cause i wouldnt, i think people who get tattoos JUST WANT ATTENCION. I may not be the smartest person in the world but i know that if i ever got a tattoo (AND I WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A HORRID THING)it would be for attencion or to rebel.
Well”i_like_fun-people” if you read any of his quotes then you would know he would probably never get one couse he is BORING!!!!!!!!!!
You are fucking gay u are an uptight puss who takes things to seriously. Relax its just a tattoo. You act like its a its a sex change or something major. I have tats and they all mean something to me but ya know what thirty years from know every body will have them and something new will come along.
Wow, you think people who don’t like tattoos are a special club of people who want to “get noticed?” It’s too bad if that’s what people against tattoos are to you. Some sort of “mark of an anti-rebel.” I can’t believe you feel so threatened by people NOT wanting their own. THEIR opinions of tattoos have nothing to do with YOU and your attention-whore need to “get noticed.”
Everyone has a right to disagree that ‘everyone has the right to a personal piece of inkage’.
“THEIR opinions of tattoos have nothing to do with YOU” thats just like how people with the opinion that they like tattoos has nothing to do with you either Esau.
Is there some point this guy’s trying to make that hasn’t already been blown away above?
Hi, I stumbled onto this site while searching for a something to awaken an idea for a design for an upcoming tattoo (ironically). I decided to read on and, not that I feel as though EVERYONE must hear what I have to say, I just thought i’d kick in my two cents as well. I agree with SDG, but only to a point. While I do feel as though you’re indulging in a little “intellectual snobbery”, I don’t believe that you’re really trying to single us “tattoo-ees’ out as bad people. Though your point is entirely clear, I think that it’s wrong of you to assume that tattoos are simply a fad or a fashion statement. Though for most surburbanite teens it simply is a fashion statement, for the rest of us, there are a form of expression, or simply a way to pay hommage to someone or something. I have 4 tattoos presently and as I stated before I am planning to get another, and probably more after that. The four I currently have are all easily hidden by wearing a t-shirt and all 4 mean something to me. Nothing Cryptic, just something special, for example; At the age of 16 my grandmother was exiled from Ireland and sent to Canada, where she met my grandfather and started my branch of the family tree, she took care of me for many years in my turbulent youth, and passed away when I was 17. As a result, I spent 3 and a half months designing a tattoo in her memory. It is a 7 inch tall and 3 inch wide celtic cross bearing her name, birth year and death year. Every day I see this and think of how hard she worked to make the family that would later create me. Every time anyone sees it and asks what it is, I tell them her story.
But as I said, I don’t think everyone needs to hear what I say, I just wanted to leave my two cents, not point fingers.
I think anyone that says ‘when you are 80 what do you think it will look like then when everything has ‘shifted’?’ is just plain ignorant. um… at 80 who cares. if you are that conservative what are you even bothering yourself with reading and ultimately commenting on topics such as these? oh, I see the people who are abnormally obsessed with garnering attention through art just happen to be the subject of your abnonormal obsession with grandstanding. We all have issues but the ones yelling the loudest about other peoples issues are the ones I have a problem with.
Got a problem with yourself, do you?
bare skets have tatoos enit bllod but me still an blud on got a cross on ma neck to show restepa to my god peace every1 and tatoos rule bludclarts
sAFE SAFE JAMACIAN MAN GEN BLUD JUST GETTIN A NEXT 1 ENIT SAYING BLAACKPOO F C
They have gotten a bit trendy, yes, but advising people not to get tattoos anymore because they won’t stand out among other people is completely missing the reason why people love and get tattoos in the first place. It’s an art form. It’s putting beauty into your skin. It’s not about standing out. It’s not about being a rebel. It’s a love and passion for art. And I have to disagree with you when you say that nobody pays attention to people with tattoos anymore. I get stared at all the time. And I HATE it. I get people asking me questions about it or saying rude things to me because they don’t like tattoos. I may not like what somebody is wearing or the way they look, but I have manners, and do not approach them just to put them down. Also, jobs are very discriminate against tattooed people. It’s shallow and very sad when you are judged for the colorS of your skin. If you want to stand out so badly, move to the south of of U.S. I, however, think that people not giving me a second look because of my tattoos would be absolutely wonderful. To be able to run regular errands without being stared at or commented upon. But I will still pursue my passion for art, tattoos, and body modification, and when I move out of the South, I really hope that people will be like how you say they are. Also, tattoos are a commitment. You seem to lack the passion for them, and sound like the kind of person that will get a tattoo just for attention and to feel “unique”, not because of your appreciation for this certain art form.
I really don’t get why Christians feel so inclined in these times to constantly take the position that they don’t want to judge anything. For the sake of this lost and depraved world start judging!! Tatoos have been around since the beggining of civilization. Marking your body has always been a practice of pagan nations, The old testament forbids it. I know that doesn’t matter because Jesus died on the cross so we could be free under grace to get tatoos, watch mtv, dress immodest, and pierce our bodies in a way that makes us indistinguishable from the sexually deviant groups who started the movement. Unless you’ve been in the military and have your battalion or something tatooed on your forearm you have no reason to do defame your body. I’m not saying military service is a valid reason, but it’s a lot more defensable than it’s an artistic expression. Hey Christian knuckehead what happened to the notion of living in a way that was seperate from the world, and in a way that’s not an offense or stumbling block to other people. Your tatoo of Jesus could very well turn someone off to the message of Christ. This is going to long so I’ll try to wrap this up. For the young man it makes you feel manly to get a tatoo–it’s not tough–your grandpa was tougher at your age without the tat. Young lady please don’t defame your body it makes you look cheap–translate slut; I know that’s shocking since parents, parents, priest, etc. have lost the fortitude to just say something is sinful. Honestly if Christians can’t stand up to this kind of garbage they will never be able to die for their faith. Oh I almost forgot, the reason my post will rub so many Christians the wrong way is modern western Christians are completely and totally NARCISSISTIC(& wimpy). I know,I know, you’re going to do whatever you want, and it doesn’t matter what other people think…just like the world.
geee, i dont know where to start. xcept i wont capitalize certain letters, use “‘” marks either. im 67 now,..I got 4 tattoos in the Navy when i was 20. now in the last 10years ive had 2 of those on my biceps covered up with larger and more colorfull tattoos.(one is a large Anerican flag),. recently got my 4 grandkids names on one wrist, then had to ‘even things up’, so got another bracelet type on other wrist. iguess im done , but ya never know, i do have a Harley,(and the Harley Davidson emblem tattoo,), and might just get full sleeves some day., like, what the heck, my wife of 45 years will still love me, as will my 2 kids. after all,, IT WONT CHANGE ME.
Wow, this post is amazing. I’m not sure if anyone realizes this, but the man in the picture has tribal tattoos, perhaps for sacred reasons and I think is is a very cruel comment to say people in hell will look like him. I’m not going to put the exact quote because I’m sure if you’ve made it this far you’ve read it. What if all the people in hell look like mormons? Maybe clowns? Maybe that’s why so many people are instinctually afraid of clowns? Why wear a suit? You we’re told from a young age that it was proper attire and dressing nice was a way to show respect for others and yourself? Perhaps this man was told from infancy that adorning his body would bestow honor upon his family and show his unflinching love for them and his religion. I don’t know if that is the case or not but I bet no one else on this post does either. Someone meet this guy? I’d really like to know his story. Maybe get to know who he is and why he got his tats. Maybe he would tell me he was 15 and made the decision to tattoo his body and regretted it. Maybe he would tell me something amazing that would inspire me to get more tattoos. Almost everyone here through one post or another has agreed, It’s an individual choice. DUH. If you’re going to make any permanent choice in your life, be sure it’s well thought out and it’s what’s best for you. When you start living for other people you will lose yourself. Some people like tattoos, some people don’t. Christianity has been stretched across so many continents that is may be ok for some to get tattooed, possibly religious, and blasphemous for others. It’s almost like a dialect in a language. I know religious and nonreligious persons who are and aren’t tattooed. No one is going to know what happens until it happens. Maybe tattooed persons will go to hell or contaminating their perfect beings. Maybe non tattooed persons haven’t figured out that’s the way to purify your soul and they will go to hell. Maybe there is no hell and when we die we’re all forced to sit down, eat, talk, and stare at each other and debate whether anyone else on Earth is going to get it before they die. I DON’T KNOW. Wow, I’m not even sure where to go with this. I have had so many opinions reading through all of this. So many rude comments from both sides. As far as looking at people that have any type of modification and it giving you night mares, I’ve seen many a blue eyeshadow wearing upright makeup freaks that give me nightmares. They can take makeup off, sure, but they get up every morning and make the decision to put it right back on their face. Might as well be tattooed makeup. They do that too. Bet you’ve seen it and didn’t even realize it. But, I just choose to look the other way. If I don’t appreciate Blue from lash to brow, there are 359 degrees I can look and probably find something I do appreciate. (But I’d assume that lady is wearing all that eyeshadow to get attention, but perhaps it is her own special way each morning to remind her of…….exactly, who am I or anyone else to judge why she does it until I ask her)But I can assure you, I’m not going to hurt her feelings (whether they have IQ’s or not) and stare, point, laugh, or waste hours of my friends time discussing how she’s not all the woman she could be because she makes a decision in her life that makes her happy. What about tummy tucks and face lifts? Seems pretty vain and radically changes your body. I don’t know how this post didn’t run along that tangent. And for the spelling bees and grammar hounds, do your worst. I’m not getting graded and it’s not going on my record. Night all and I wish you all well with your life decisions. Live long and happy. Tattooed or not.
Are you Kat? Oh wait, yup, you’re Kat.
Wow, so many comments. People spend so much time being critical of those with tattoos , i didnt realize folks like us meant so much to you. Actually im rather impressed. I have fifteen tattoos and no i am not complete as of yet but i defiantly feel more inspired to do so much more Art on my body that the good lord has blessed me with. Thank you for your in direct encouragement. Mom says when the people stop talking then i shall be concerned. I love you all but i must go now i do have other important things to do.
Peace and blessings
The world would be a much better place if we could just all love each other no matter our differences.
It is so sad , disturbing and ignorant… but if this is what makes you happy so be it.
love yah all…. thank you
“I have fifteen tattoos and no i am not complete as of yet”
You make it sound like an accomplishment.
“i didnt realize folks like us meant so much to you.”
I was thinking the same thing. I appreciate that our thoughts mean enough for you to read them and respond by leaving a comment.
“Thank you for your in direct encouragement.”
You’re welcome. Thanks for yours, too.
[Post deleted due to rule violations – please see Da Rulz]
I do not sport any tattoos but I’ve thought about getting one on the inside of each forearm. I’ve thought about it for a very long time. They would, for me, be representative and remind me, of approximately 35 years of martial arts training. My 2 cents would tend to be on the side of those who get inked. A couple of points:
Permanence and self-expression – Unless everyone of us is wearing the exact same type of clothing, same hairstyles, etc. we are all self-expressing. But, what about permanence? Barring “clothes-less” societies, we are pretty much going to be wearing our self-expressive wardrobe selections permanently in society. Many people even have a selection picked out for the final repose. “Oh, but Jesus would never be so self conscious.” Obviously not in a negative way. He did have a garment so well-crafted that those who crucified Him cast lots for it rather than tear it up. He made it a point to mention that the joyful father of the prodigal son placed a ring on the repentant son’s finger. He also felt He should mention looking good during fasting; yes to distinguish oneself from the hypocrites, but it is a reference to keeping up appearances.
I’m also confused about the “philosophy” and “physiology” of Some Day. Tattooing is not ok and wearing earrings for women is ok. Is he or she non-judgemental or not? I laughed when I learned that according to Some Day, I’m a weirdo. I had to share that news with my wonderful wife. (She’s not a weirdo. Or is she? Some Day, will you please pass a judgement on this for us?) We always suspected I was weird but now we’re certain. Thanks! Ad hominem arguments rarely impress anyone despite the frequency with which they are used. But you said it so well.
Now about his or her physiology; ear piercings don’t change the human body!?!? I don’t remember being born with a hole in my earlobe. Oops, forgot. I’m a weirdo. So I checked with my wife. She doesn’t remember her earlobes with holes strategically placed to receive her earrings either. She “changed the body”. She didn’t just ornament herself. Of course, ad hominem arguments and hypocrisy tend to go together.
And it is impossible to take someone like Some Day seriously; the original WEIRDOS comment poster. The self-righteous tone of his or her post bites back as it does to every such author/speaker. “Would our Lord get a tattoo?” Who knows? But would He call someone a weirdo. Who among us is without flaw? Did any saints have tattoos? You can guess no and you can guess yes. Who would be correct? Perhaps a person who preaches Christianity and then insults his or her brothers and sisters and imposes views on others needs to spend a little more time with a spiritual director or the Blessed Sacrament. Preferably both.
I don’t know if I’ll ever get my tattoos and that’s ok. I will continue to try to live, as closely as I can, the life that Christ wants me to live. What would He say if I wanted to get a tattoo? I don’t know. When I sin, He says, “Go thy way, and from now on sin no more.” John 8:11. If The Church comes out with a statement making tattoos a sin, then I won’t even have to think about it. But since it looks like there is no such prohibition in scripture or Church teaching, I’ll still be thinking about it.
Pax Vobiscum et vivat il Papa
I’m going to go put my old earring in before the hole closes up! 😉
So, basically, there are tattoo’s that in one treatment go away. Theres two different brands of ink, but they both go away after one laser treatment because they’re really tiny bits of pigment encased in a plastic membrane that looks the same as traditional tattoo’s, but it better for you because the ink is biodegradable after the plastic ruptures from the heat, and non toxic which some common tattoo ink cannot claim.
It’s pretty new, so not a lot of tattoo artists use it, but if you call ahead and request it, many artists would be interested in using it, I know my friends are having fun experimenting.
Nice site, I have added it to my favourites, greetings. What do You think about this mystrious tribal film with tribal music
Mystrious tribal tattoos & tribal music