How do you feel about tattooed people?

I have one, kept out of view beneath my shirt sleeve, and it's a daily reminder of my service to my country and my fallen brothers and sisters who paid the highest price. I couldn't give one iota of a concern if someone thinks differently of me because of it. It doesn't change my character or what I stand for, and it's my personal reminder every time I step in front of a mirror or choose to go shirtless at my home that people matter, service matters, character matters, as do dignity, honesty and care for my fellow man. That someone thinks I'm in some way trying to be cool or draw attention is just an opinion. Few know I even have it. I don't hide it, but I too don't try to show it off. It's part of me and I waited until I was 40 to get it. It's sad that I would be judged negatively just for the ink, judging first and probably caring nothing about the message it evokes, but like I said, I really don't care. I'm respectful of others until they aren't respectful to me, and my tattoo's message is profound and personal in nature.

 

Perfectly fine though if it would interfere with a persons Business. Oh,,Hi cen.....LOL

Many of these facial buffs would possibly make for a pretty bad waiter choice.....or sales person for that matter. I would imagine they have that all thought out though..

 

Actually I have no problem with them at all, might even get one if I had a reason. It's the extreme with me, that always gets me with anything. Somebody wants to make a statement fine, just don't scream at me with your Body

 

That's the thing,,''It's popular right now'',,,but what about later? Would I want Bell Bottoms stapled to my Hips?, they were popular too.
The service thing is always fine with me.....

Unless,,,it's a Air Craft Carrier on your entire back, may be a bit much....LOL

 

you and i are both old enough to recall a time where that same justification was applied to not hiring colour or ethinicity and even women...we have call it what it is, bigotry/prejudice. ...and if you dig a little deeper most of those who have strong issues with tattoos also still have issuses with those other differences as well...

There are exceptions where the tattoos are making a antisocial racist statement, that isn't tolerable...but for that vast majority of people tattoos have a personal meaning or are merely a fashion choice and they shouldn't be disciminated against for either, how is tattooed skin really any different than coloured skin?

 

I get your point, and it's a valid one. I am talking fairly extreme though and if I were a owner of a Restaurant no way would I hire them. Remember we are not talking about if you are comfortable, we are talking about the mans clients, and if they are not comfortable they wont come back.
I just could not blame the man,,appearance counts...We are not talking about a prejudice to a race of people, we are talking about a mindset of a person that would disfigure their face.

To me that's different, and to many others as well.

 

but that applied before as well with race, ethnicity or gender, as a society we said that wasn't acceptable and we changed...billions of women paint up their faces everyday before they leave home, how is that any different?...some women permanently tattoo on eyebrows and eyeliner, disfigurement?...nose and ear piercings for male and females have been with us for thousands of years, its not disfigurement it's fashion, it comes into and out of fashion over time...

 

You're inventing ghosts where none exist, not all tattoo art has meaning many are just art for the sake of art...

 

and you believe your tattoos are art. Go figure.

 

I look at tattoos as the equivalent to permanent bumper stickers on a car. Ultimately it lowers the value.

 

I'm 47 and am considering getting my 1st tattoo. I won't consider it until my weight is below 200 lbs. I have ideas, but they may change by then. It will include my squadron from my military service, but it will be unique to me.

In general, I don't like cheap or trendy tattoos.(prison looking or tribal bands, etc...) I would definitely not have a tattoo that shows when wearing a t-shirt. I think people who have full sleeves or facial tattoos are nuts. The good part of those tattoos is that I won't have to compete with them for a job. It's a personal decision and as long as they live with it, it's their problem, not mine.

 

I'm 47 and am considering getting my 1st tattoo. I won't consider it until my weight is below 200 lbs. I have ideas, but they may change by then. It will include my squadron from my military service, but it will be unique to me.

In general, I don't like cheap or trendy tattoos.(prison looking or tribal bands, etc...) I would definitely not have a tattoo that shows when wearing a t-shirt. I think people who have full sleeves or facial tattoos are nuts. The good part of those tattoos is that I won't have to compete with them for a job. It's a personal decision and as long as they live with it, it's their problem, not mine. To each his own.

 

Why do you want a tattoo?

I'm 58, retired military, but no tattoos. I've considered them before; once when I was in my 20s and drunk. The lady did me a favor by asking an absurdly high price resulting in me becoming pissed and leaving in a huff. I always regret never thanking her for that. Lots of people in my gym have them and, due to "peer pressure", I even considered one myself but the idea faded. Now I don't even consider it.

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They certainly depreciate in value as the "car" ages and the bumper sticker sags into a faded, blurry blob.

 

Same here, I'm former military, and I feel no need to emblazon my body parts with momentos, dedications or memorials to the service. I'll leave this World with what I brought with me when I entered it...a clean canvas.

 

Stained teeth from coffee or cigarettes. Scars from life adventures. Hard skin from working with your hands or being on your feet. Sun kissed from life outdoors. Complexion from lifestyle. 100s of layers of skin from a normal life. A bit more hair (or maybe not). A normal body hardly leaves the world as clean as it came in. Life etches a story on to your being. Physical form moulded and swept along with the years to show a unique story of joy and pain and adventures we have lived. As is my tattoo. A verse in my life of that story.
If by clean you simply mean no ink I am happy you have found your story. Tell it well.

 

The motivation for getting a tattoo as somehow reflective of life's struggles or some sort of memorial...is new agey mumbo jumbo to me.

Why must everything be externalized?

It's a fad is what it is....there are certain Pacific island cultures that incorporate tattoos into their culture...I can actually understand that...but there is most certainly not any sort of historical basis in Western civilization outside of sailors, bikers and ex-convicts. The tattoo in Western culture was seen as a form of rebellion...

It is no longer a symbol of rebellion, I can tell you that. it's a symbol of succumbing to peer pressure, to be seen by the "cool" people as "cool".

So the tattooed can carry on about the symbolism and the deep spiritual meaning behind injecting ink under their epidermis...

You want a momento...take a picture. I carry my Mom and Dad's mass cards with me in my wallet from their respective funeral services. What do I want an ink stain on my body to remember them by for? So after a shower when I dry off in the mirror...oh yeah, there's the tattoo reminding me about Dad..I forgot about him. Oh there's my kid's name, I forogot what his name was, good thing I have it tattooed on my forearm.

I do not feel the need to externalize every facet or event in my life. Frankly I think any tattoo is indicative of poor judgment, but to each their own.

 

Agreed that living leaves marks, but the main point is that there is a clear difference between the marks of living a long, active life and deliberately marking oneself. It's the same difference between a rancher who has scars from accidents in working and a Goth teenager who deliberately cuts him/herself with a razor.

 

I have a few tattoos. Some can be seen, some not.

I have a rather large one on my left forearm.

I have had the same corporate job for 10+ years...handling Federal contracts. I travel to DC often for meetings. I also work as a waitress in a nice restaurant.

Never did a drug in my life, rarely drink and have never been arrested.

Soccer Mom.

 

I don't know. I may never act on the urge, but for some reason, I'm considering it. As long as it won't affect my employability, I'm kind of neutral on tattoos in general. It's the tattoos that would effect employment that I don't like. I'd hate to think that some idiot got himself tatted up and now I have to pay his welfare because nobody will hire him.

 

I think we're Pterodactyls amongst newly hatched chicks in terms of our mindsets. I can remember a business associate of my Dads, this would be in the early 70s. He always had a bandage on his forearm whenever he wore short sleeves.

I finally asked, how did you hurt yourself, seems like it never heals. Well, he pulls back the bandage to reveal an anchor tattoo. He was in the Navy at one point and got the tattoo on shore leave probably as a 19 or 20 year old. He was embarrassed to display it in a busness environment or around anyone. He thought of it as a mistake from his youth. I of course thought it was very cool...this was real rebellion, becuase most of society veiwed them negatively. Fast forward 30 - 35 years, now about 37% of those under 45 have at least one tattoo. They are no longer a symbol of rebellion to that extent. Yet having grown up in an environment that an adult I knew was ashamed of his...so that stuck in my mind that tattoos are not acceptable in business or for a mature adult.

I'm willing to concede, I was raised in a different era which gives me a bias against tattoos.

 

There's that aspect too, but I was curious about the psychological aspect of why someone would want a tattoo in the first place.

There's the novelty of it, of course, and also the "everyone is doing it" aspect. There's also the "act of rebellion" aspect Herk just mentioned that is a driving factor for young people just stretching their wings. Like his story, some may come to regret it. I was curious on why YOU wanted a tattoo.

 

I'm still not sure. There may be some rebellion in the decision. I've lived my whole life doing what was best for my family. I've lived my life preparing for the next better job that will both satisfy me and pay my family's bills. Other than slight speeding, I obey the laws to the letter. I have been a near perfect example for my 3 sons. (no drinking, smoking, cussing, faithful to the lovely Mrs. Texan, take my family to church, etc.......) The lovely Mrs. Texan always gets the newest car because I want her to be safe while I travel. At work, I am absolutely dependable and respond to calls for work immediately. I've always gotten good reviews and do my paperwork promptly. In some ways, I'm a pincushion. I let the lovely Mrs. Texan run the day to day affairs of the household, since I'm out working to pay for everything for 50-60 hrs/week. I only demand veto authority on big decisions. Maybe this is my chance to be a rebel. Maybe I should get a motorcycle like everybody else, but it doesn't fit into my "take care of myself so I can be there for my family" role. The only thing that has stopped me is that there are other things I'd rather spend the money on when I have it available.

I know it's a bunch of confused ramblings, but unless I see something as right or wrong, I have trouble expressing myself. I'm not a very social person by nature. Maybe it comes from working by myself for the last 20 years. My family is my channel to the outside world but I'm content to read the news and post on internet forums when I'm not working or fixing something around the house. It's better than TV. I have a lot of friends, but I usually only see them when the lovely Mrs. Texan wants to go out and do something with them. As much as the lovely Mrs. Texan needs me to pay for everything, keep the family safe, and introduce some logic and common sense into her life, I need her as much as she needs me to keep me from being a lonely hermit. We are a good match.

 

Fair enough. So out of curiousity what squadron do you want a tattoo of?

 

You're expressing yourself just fine, sir. Not saying you're experiencing some tugs of a "mid-life crisis", but it's a common enough thing for American men in their 40s and 50s to have a similar story; did all the right things as expected of them, were good workers/husbands/fathers and now they see their life is over half over and they want something for themselves. That's completely normal.

IMHO, a motorcycle is a better decision than a tattoo. Obviously the latter is cheaper, but you can always sell the motorcycle.

Something less perilous, but still adventurous is sailing (a good used 14' sailboat is <$1200), mountain biking (<$300), a pop-up camper or even a trailer for hiking and fishing trips with A/C!, paintball, zip lines, sport shooting (anything from black powder to an AK-47 <$200 - $1500), archery (good used compound bow <$300). Ultralight lessons are about $150/hour, but you would solo in about 10-15 hours. A used single-seat UL goes anywhere from $5000 to $1500. You do your own maintenance.

Kayaking is a lot of fun. Cheap too. Paddling in a lake or stream is peaceful. No white water for me, just the enjoyment of listening to the waves slap the hull and some fishing every once in awhile. A one or two-man kayak can be bought used for <$500. I have a 9.5 foot single-seat fishing kayak ($300) and a two-seat sit-on-top ($350), both bought off Craigslist. No need to register, I can put them in the water anywere (i.e. no ramp needed) and they are cheap enough that if I only go once or twice a year, it's worth having them.

 

I just sold my motorcycle. I turn 50 in a few months and my mid-life crisis is risk aversion. Seems to me like Texan has thought this through pretty well, I'm not sure if a couple strangers on the internet are going to change his mind, but you give some good advice for sure.