tattoos

Like it or not Tats say something about you that isn't always positive to the people meet. This makes a difference in who you get to hang with, what jobs you get, whether you or the next guy gets the promotion, etc., etc.

Plus there is NOTHING you can put on your body that you won't get tired of later in life. Priorities change and styles change. Get nothing permanent, not even eyebrows as sooner or later you won't want it.

It is a rare business that doesn't care about tats. Freebirds is one that comes to mind that is pro tats, but I was talking to my health officials just last week (I had a complaint about a restaurant) and they said the complaints were 3-4 times higher for Freebirds as Chipotle (very similar restaurants and in this case located very close together) because people feel the people with Tats are dirty.

Many if not most of the complaints are baseless, but still the complaint is made and business is lost. Having lived a long time I've gotten to see the long term effects of many things and see the error of my youthful ways. I have yet to have a friend or acquaintance that feels the same way about his/her tats years down line.

I don't have any and won't be getting any.

My theory is, everyone has them now, so their kids think "oh, it's just a tattoo"

In forty years, when all the old guys my age have tattoos, kids will look at me and go "he has no tattoos, he must be a psychopath or something!" because they're so used to seeing them

As for girls with tattoos...

Not too long ago I'd have had to pay $0.50 and go into a tent to see a girl with tattoos.

Ear-loops freak the hell out of me though.

I have the star of life and my life-threatening allergies tattooed on my wrist, instead of a MedicAlert bracelet.

I never lose it, and it's not dangling into fan belts and the like.

It's on the inside of the wrist, which is where you should check for information like that, or, if you're a health care provider, you check there for a pulse.

I think it's a useful tattoo. It could save my life.

I have a scar down the middle of my ring finger and the tendon is like a string of pearls under the skin, no wedding rings allowed. I got one inked on for my 20th anniversary.

Dan

Trans_Maro wrote: Ear-loops freak the hell out of me though.

My favorite cashier at the local Harbor Freight has lightly gauged ears.

carguy123 wrote: Like it or not Tats say something about you that isn't always positive to the people meet. This makes a difference in who you get to hang with, what jobs you get, whether you or the next guy gets the promotion, etc., etc. Plus there is NOTHING you can put on your body that you won't get tired of later in life. Priorities change and styles change. Get nothing permanent, not even eyebrows as sooner or later you won't want it. It is a rare business that doesn't care about tats. Freebirds is one that comes to mind that is pro tats, but I was talking to my health officials just last week (I had a complaint about a restaurant) and they said the complaints were 3-4 times higher for Freebirds as Chipotle (very similar restaurants and in this case located very close together) because people feel the people with Tats are dirty. Many if not most of the complaints are baseless, but still the complaint is made and business is lost. Having lived a long time I've gotten to see the long term effects of many things and see the error of my youthful ways. I have yet to have a friend or acquaintance that feels the same way about his/her tats years down line.

Don't get me wrong- this is NOT about you. BUT-

That's what's wrong with the masses at large. I've known several doctors/other professionals that you'd never expect, and are fully sleeved. It's a matter of personal expression, and I kinda find it frightening that in this day and age, we as a society can still pidgeonhole people based on their looks... it almost goes back to outright discrimination. Just because someone doesn't look how you want them to look, it doesn't give you ( not YOU you) the right to sit and make accusations about a person. I've been accused of plenty of things plenty of times, and it always shocks the hell out of people when I pull a Dee Snyder (If anyone remembers the congressional hearings that Twisted Sister was dealing with back in the 80's, Dee came in to do his deposition or whatever in some ratty jeans, and a beat up t-shirt, and ending up being the most intelligent guy in a room of like 200 people). Think what you want about tattoos/piercings/whatever, I got no problems with you not liking what I like. But for god sakes, keep your opinions offa me, k?

/rant.

Jimmie Buffet said it well- "A permanent reminder of a temporary feeling".

It's not just about the look, it's what it says about the person.

As someone mentioned earlier they hit on girls with tats because it says they make decisions without thinking it through. Tats are a very short sighted decision. Those of us who've lived a full life can recognize that and that gives us an advantage over those of you just starting out. We've all made (and will continue to make) wrong decisions, you learn from your misteaks and hopefully go on to make new stupid misteaks. The problem with Tats is you can't easily undo that misteak.

Would you want to be forever like stuck in the 80's with your hairstyle, clothes, shoes and whatnot? That's what a Tat does for you.

I've seen some decent looking tats and I like the idea of the medical tat on your wrist, but the majority are on stupid people who will never get anywhere with their lives. Look at the peopleofwalmart.com site and just count the tats. Is that who you want to be identified with?

That's the problem when you grow up and want to get on with your life, it affects where you can work, how far you (and how quickly) you can advance. It even affects which jobs you can get. It affects who'll be your friends and who'll end up being your wife. It affects your life in ways you can't even imagine.

Your kids will also be affected by it. In school kids will pick on your kids because of how you look.

There's no way to "keep your opinions offa me". Everyone has an opinion and everybody acts upon them. Tats limit you.

you learn from your misteak and hopefully go on to make new stupid misteak. The problem with Tats is you can't easily undo that misteak.

Mmmmm. Steak. I'm pretty happy with my tats, btw.

carguy123 wrote: It's not just about the look, it's what it says about the person. As someone mentioned earlier they hit on girls with tats because it says they make decisions without thinking it through. Tats are a very short sighted decision. Those of us who've lived a full life can recognize that and that gives us an advantage over those of you just starting out. We've all made (and will continue to make) wrong decisions, you learn from your misteaks and hopefully go on to make new stupid misteaks. The problem with Tats is you can't easily undo that misteak. Would you want to be forever like stuck in the 80's with your hairstyle, clothes, shoes and whatnot? That's what a Tat does for you. I've seen some decent looking tats and I like the idea of the medical tat on your wrist, but the majority are on stupid people who will never get anywhere with their lives. Look at the peopleofwalmart.com site and just count the tats. Is that who you want to be identified with? That's the problem when you grow up and want to get on with your life, it affects where you can work, how far you (and how quickly) you can advance. It even affects which jobs you can get. It affects who'll be your friends and who'll end up being your wife. It affects your life in ways you can't even imagine. Your kids will also be affected by it. In school kids will pick on your kids because of how you look. There's no way to "keep your opinions offa me". Everyone has an opinion and everybody acts upon them. Tats limit you.

I think you've been hanging around the wrong kind of tattooed people. A two year old article stating 24% of people 18 to 50 have tattoos. I'm not saying that 1 out of 4 people aren't stupid, just that tattoos have nothing to do with it.

I'm not worried about my son getting made fun of when he goes to school because: a) How often do random kids see each others parents? b) Odds are most other parents my age will have tattoos themselves.

Like it or not it's a generational thing. Most of my friends (and my own) parents have no tattoos, most of my friends do. Eventually the whole tattoos being taboo thing will pass, just like everyone's fear of skimpy clothing, sex on tv, women voting, insert "fad" that became socially accepted over time.

For the record, I've had cartoon characters tattooed on my arms for about 5 years now, I'm still completely happy with my decision.

I like my tattoos as well. No regrets yet, and some of them are 18 years old. (Although I did have one covered due to poor execution.)

My first was a USMC tattoo that I got the day after boot camp graduation. The rest have been slow to come, but I have an overall plan for what I'll have when I'm much older. For retirement, I'm planning to get "dumb luck" put on my knuckles. For now, I'll just start working (slowly) on my left sleeve.

Maybe for my 40th birthday the tattoo police will come and take my wife, kids, and all my assets. Otherwise, I'd say a bad attitude is far more limiting than the color(s) of my skin.

I have the Tazmanian Devil pulling a bong with my Greek Fraternity letters underneath a big "Party On" tattooed on my neck. It is classy and all the ladies love it.

All of my tattoos feature Taz, as he is the coolest.

ok, I lied

What happened to the naked VW chick who was apparently conspiring to get me fired while I look at this forum at work?

carguy123 wrote: It's not just about the look, it's what it says about the person. As someone mentioned earlier they hit on girls with tats because it says they make decisions without thinking it through. Tats are a very short sighted decision. Those of us who've lived a full life can recognize that and that gives us an advantage over those of you just starting out. We've all made (and will continue to make) wrong decisions, you learn from your misteaks and hopefully go on to make new stupid misteaks. The problem with Tats is you can't easily undo that misteak. Would you want to be forever like stuck in the 80's with your hairstyle, clothes, shoes and whatnot? That's what a Tat does for you. I've seen some decent looking tats and I like the idea of the medical tat on your wrist, but the majority are on stupid people who will never get anywhere with their lives. Look at the peopleofwalmart.com site and just count the tats. Is that who you want to be identified with? That's the problem when you grow up and want to get on with your life, it affects where you can work, how far you (and how quickly) you can advance. It even affects which jobs you can get. It affects who'll be your friends and who'll end up being your wife. It affects your life in ways you can't even imagine. Your kids will also be affected by it. In school kids will pick on your kids because of how you look. There's no way to "keep your opinions offa me". Everyone has an opinion and everybody acts upon them. Tats limit you.

Huh, my tats have never limited me. Then again, I don't have zombies/skulls/etc all over my arms/neck.

Wait, so is that demonstrating the ability to think through an idea and make a decision based on the consequences of said action?

No, couldn't be, I must just be another dumb, uneducated low-life who works at Wal-Mart with no future.

Otto Maddox wrote: What happened to the naked VW chick who was apparently conspiring to get me fired while I look at this forum at work?

What the hell did I miss?

Otto Maddox wrote: What happened to the naked VW chick who was apparently conspiring to get me fired while I look at this forum at work?

Yeah...about that.

In reply to carguy123:

The fact that you are dismissive of people with tattoos does prove your point that there are people who are dismissive of people with tattoos.

However, I take issue with your apparent impressions that:

A) it's always a bad idea and you'll always regret it. I'm about to turn 40, and was never much of a reckless youth to begin with. It's certainly possible to get tattoos you regret, but a tattoo is regrettable because it was poorly chosen or executed, or the decision to get one was not well considered, not because it is a tattoo.

B) the fact that some people will dismiss you based on your tattoos is a deal-breaker. That asserts that tattoos have no value, and that nobody who gets tattoos makes a careful decision about how they will affect their lives. I thought very hard about it, and have decided that the happiness I get from my tattoos outweighs the particular likelihood of lost opportunities in my personal and professional environments, in this age, in my location and locations I'm contemplating.

C) that despite several people have noted that they've made particular consideration of placing tattoos so that they don't have to be shown, that it's still going to limit you.

I have an excellent career as a software developer. While it's conceivable that at some point it will cost me an opportunity, it's an opportunity cost I've taken into account; and given the ink I've seen on tech workers and managers in my neck of the woods, I don't think it'll happen often.

You can be dismissive. And you're right that folks should think very hard about tattoos. If in doubt, don't do it. But the assertion that it's a bad idea for everyone seems to me to be over the edge. People differ.

carguy123 wrote: Tats limit you.

They also allow for opportunities you elsewise wouldn't have. Just like any other thing people discriminate (literal definition) on.

poopshovel wrote:

you learn from your misteak and hopefully go on to make new stupid misteak. The problem with Tats is you can't easily undo that misteak.

Mmmmm. Steak. I'm pretty happy with my tats, btw.

My misteak was on purpose. And it appeared to have served the point, at least with you.

I'm not religious, but the phrase "when god closes a door, he opens a window" seems appropriate here.

And the rev (assuming I can call you that without getting a kick to the cash and prizes) is right. Sure, it might limit me from say, being a car salesman. But given my current look (Long hair, long beard, sorta like Jim morrison towards the end) I've actually had MORE conversation directed towards me. People generally LOVE the beard, even though it's not "corporate". The hair is the same... especially the wife. She's REALLY into it. Now has it limited me? Yeah. I can't really get too far at my job right now, but I hate it and I don't really care anyhow. Granted, it's not permanent so it's not the same as a tattoo, but it's the same concept. A lot of tattoos are chose for VERY poor reasons, and some of them are unspeakably disgusting, and not something I would ever consider. But- I'm not neccesarily going to hold that to the person that chose them. There could be an interesting story, you never know.

The moral is- Can't really judge a book by it's cover. I'd bet ANYTHING none of you would suspect me for a GRM'er in person, unless I had one of my shirts on.

Tats are not a generational thing, some in every generation get them.

And the issue I'm trying to point out is that Tats limit you in so many ways you might not be aware of. People judge!

They always have and they always will. One day you'll be on the wrong side of that judgemental line due to your tats.You don't know where and you don't know when. You don't even know if it will be a time that really matters to you, but it's going to happen. If you're gonna get them then at least get them in places that won't show unless you want them to.

My personal experience with tats from H.S. all the way up to present day is that people with tats aren't someone I'd like my daughter to marry. Even after getting to know people with tats I have found all of them to be lacking something. I do have friends who have tats, and that day to day exposure to them just reinforces my impressions.

That's MY personal experience. Yours may be different. I can only go by what I see and experience. It's a truism that you can't please everyone all the time, but you also shouldn't artificially limit yourself.

We all have choices to make in life, make the best choices you can.

As someone currently working in big corporate america...

I have:

A big nasty fauxhawk.
4 earrings.
1 cartilage ring.

It has not affected me one bit. I overperform at my job, and that's what's important, that's what lets me move up the corporate ladder. NOT my outward appearance. (To a point. I do shower and shave occasionally, so that helps things)

Tats are in my future. And you know what? They will have NO meaning. Tattoos to me are art, and that's all mine will be. In my mind (and not passing judgement on anyone else), if there's something in my life important enough to get a tat to commemorate it, i'm pretty sure i'll be able to remember it in my mind years down the road without the tat.

I just like the idea of my body as a canvas for art. Art doesn't have to mean a damn thing.

I don't want to be around people who pre-judge based on trivial things like body modifications. It works out nicely for both of us.

carguy123 wrote: My misteak was on purpose. And it appeared to have served the point, at least with you.

Sorry, I chose to ignore your "misteak" as I try not to judge people when they don't know how to spell. Wouldn't I look silly if I started writing people off based on one little thing they did that has no bearing on anyone else's life.

Tattoos becoming so commonplace is a generational thing. I'm willing to bet the percentage of people under 30 with tattoos is higher than it's ever been.

PubBurgers wrote: Tattoos becoming so commonplace is a generational thing. I'm willing to bet the percentage of people under 30 with tattoos is higher than it's ever been.

I think you could go a step further and say the percentage of all people with tattoos is at an all-time high.

Who will fill all those desirable, high-paying positions when everyone is inked?