Found an interesting discussion about tattoos over at Objectivism Online. I have always been somewhat repulsed by tattoos — they baffle me…it is so hard to understand why someone would choose to permanently “brand” himself. But the last couple of years, I have tried to understand WHY I feel this way, and have come up with a few thoughts: first, the design of the vast majority of tattoos are just hideous. Can we just all agree that the ‘mystical’ symbols (Japanese? Chinese? whatever…) are pretty stupid and mean probably absolutely nothing to anyone, and are, quite frankly, ugly? And the standard-issue rose on the ankle, or butterfly on the back, etc, are so completely overdone as to be laughable. And did you ever wonder why the term “tramp stamp” was created?
But. A friend that I greatly respect revealed several months into our friendship that she had a tattoo. I was shocked; she seemed so conservative, so “normal,” that it never occurred to me. Then she explained: she had a small tattooed heart right in the center of her chest, to symbolize her love for her brother who had passed away at a very early age. Now THAT struck me as a very reasonable explanation for having a tattoo. So lately I have become somewhat less judgmental about tattoos, and continue to weigh the reasons and explanations.
civics family Personally tattoo
February 5th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
You know, I also must admit that I have a tattoo, and it just so happens to be one of the ones you targeted in your blog…I think that if people do it for no other reason than just to do it, I agree it is silly and not worth it; however, I got the japanese symbols for “Guardian Angel” in between my shoulder blades on my back for 2 reasons…1) I’ve had a lot of “near death experiences” in which I should not have made it (including a lightning striking) and 2) I’ve studied Eastern philosophies and religions since I was 12. I think understanding is the key before judgement can be passed.
Just my 2 cents
Tyler Knott
February 5th, 2006 at 9:18 pm
While I agree that Westerners often misuse Chinese characters when it comes to tattoos, referring to them as “mystical symbols” is pretty far off the mark, David. Kanji are the basic character set for written text in the Chinese and Japanese languages. There’s nothing “mystical” about them whatsoever.
February 5th, 2006 at 9:48 pm
As someone once said, I wonder if the Chinese get English words tatooed on their body.
February 5th, 2006 at 10:17 pm
I swore off asking about tattoos and other bodily adornments due to a conversation I had earlier today. I was standing in the grocery line waiting for my purchases to be bagged. The bagger had some sort of metal-rod thingie transfixing her earlobe and the upper rim of the ear (ouch).
There being not much else to talk about, I asked her how long it took for that piercing to heal. She brightly announced that she had over 25 piercings, and she really didn’t notice things like that.
With only eight piercings visible, I quickly deduced where the rest might be, blushed, and took my purchases out the door.
No more tattoo and piercing conversations, ever.
February 6th, 2006 at 6:24 am
Jeff, when I referred to the symbols as “mystical,” I meant that they appear so to the Americans who sport such symbols. I understand that they are not mystical in the true sense.
February 6th, 2006 at 7:15 am
I will be the first to say my tattoo was done when I was young and stupid and had no meaning when I got it. I did it to spite someone more than anything.
I do want more and I spend time thinking about what I want to be permanently part of me. (Kids names, special symbols, etc.)
Of course I am too chicken to do it anytime soon.
February 6th, 2006 at 8:41 am
i have four tattoo my self, and they all have a meaning to me. i have them to remember a part of my life that i changed. i have one of those butterflies on my back. what that means to me is how free spirted i’ll always be. and man do i shock many people when they see it. but it is something that took 2 years looking and thinking alot about. i didn’t judge people who have them because they have meaning to them in some way. self expression is a great thing makes us our own.
February 6th, 2006 at 9:48 am
I got mine right after my fiancee left to spend a year in Turkey — it seemed like a way to keep him close — which is why it includes a heart(not laughable in my book — 13 years later, I still look at it and think of how far away he was for that year and how far we’ve come.
February 6th, 2006 at 1:57 pm
As someone with two of those “icky Japanese/Chinese” tattoos…
Mine represent two things I believe in within the context of martial arts and philosphy, and as such, have great meaning to me.
The Chinese kanji I have means Chaos, but not in the traditional Westernized sense. The quote that goes with the print inspiring my tattoo says it all:
“Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must first be Chaos. Before a person does something brilliant, they must first look foolish to the crowd.”
To me that is the essence of personal growth, and of what it means to be a creative person at heart.
February 10th, 2006 at 2:57 pm Hey David, I am a successful and respected grad student at a prominent University in Canada. I research mites, and I am a major insect enthusiast. I have being tattooed eight times, and have six tattoos (two were re-done). When people see me they think that I am a straight laced academic. I do not know a single person who would say I ‘look’ like the ‘typical’ tattooed person. I think you make a mistake here by thinking of the ‘typical’ tattooed person. I agree with you, people that get Chinese or Japanese lettering and they are not Chinese or Japanese, are just silly. My tattoos have some animals, and a lot of tribal patterns, all beneath a T-shirt. Also, the Chinese or Japanese tattoo is highly trendy. Getting a tattoo because it is trendy is silly.
Now to make things odder for you, you say that you respect your friend’s tattoo because it means something profound to her. Well, my tattoos don’t really mean anything to me. There is nothing that special in my life that I would want it immortalized on my body. My tattoos were done spontaneously, I have even gone so far to meet with an artist tell them what I want, and a week later see what they have drawn and getting it tattooed. What they drew was not like what we discussed at all. I got it because I like it. I like the look of ink on skin, I view my body as a canvas, and I will paint it anyway I like. My tattoos are aesthetic. But they become a part of you. Some are not that perfect, and all their imperfections become a part of you. So many people get tattoos because they mean something to them, I am one of the few who have a lot of tattos because they simply like them. Don’t forget, respectable scientific researcher.
February 10th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
Wayne, if you’re smart enough to state that you got tattoos because you simply like them, then I wholeheartedly endorse your decision. I appreciate such a straightforward and honest explanation.
February 17th, 2006 at 6:10 pm
Hey, David! I remembered what I wrote about why I’d get a tattoo back in the day (you know - before my blog broke into a zillion pieces?)
It was along these lines: I am proud and happy with pretty much everything that I am today. I’d only ever get a tattoo that celebrated somethig that I was happy with and proud of. Even if someday I’d be of a different mind regarding the advisability of tattoos, I’d still want the one I got because it would be a reminder to myself of the things I was proud of - like a snapshot of my state of mind.
Like Montana for you.
Best!
Erica