# An odd tattoo I saw today **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 2, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845 "2013-01-02T17:22:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/21 "2013-01-03T01:21:33Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, that’s how I’ve always interpreted it. While I wouldn’t call it common, it’s not exactly a novel tattoo, either. Just google “barcode tattoo” to see many, many versions of it. I remember them first becoming really popularized on the TV show Dark Angel when Jessica Alba and all her fellow mutants had bar codes tattooed on the back of their necks. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/22 "2013-01-03T02:01:36Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > My favorite all-time tattoo was on a guy I saw in WalMart - he had a barcode on his neck. > [@tdn](#): > > At least that might have some meaning. It might be his way of saying that he feels like a victim of consumerism or society or whatever. Or maybe the barcode itself means something. Probably a reference to the hero … well, the _protagonist_, of the Hitman games. > **[Agent 47](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_47)** > > Agent 47 is a fictional character and the player character of the Hitman video game franchise, created and developed by IO Interactive. He has been featured in all games of the series, as well as various spin-off media, including two theatrically released films, a series of comics, and two novels. He has been voiced by actor David Bateson in every main entry in the series since its inception in 2000. > The player controls 47, a monotone contract killer without empathy, as he travels around the wor... ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/23 "2013-01-03T02:05:45Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > Probably a reference to the hero … well, the _protagonist_, of the Hitman games. > [Agent 47 - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_47) Possibly, but that tattoo idea has been around for a long time. I remember coming up with it with some friends in junior high, when we were convinced it was the Coolest. Tattoo idea. Ever. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/24 "2013-01-03T02:20:50Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Saw a guy with a tattoo of an ATM on his arm. See if it was on his middle leg, it would make more sense: “The next time my wife wants to blow a $100” “I like to watch my money grow.” “I like to play with my money.” But on an arm it isn’t nearly as witty. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/25 "2013-01-03T02:45:34Z")
Didn’t Henry Rollins have a bar code tattoo on the back of his neck? The only reference I can find of it is here. Anyone got a photo? I swear I remember this. [Search “bar code” on this site](http://pointlessbanter.net/2007/03/26/bad-ink-aka-what-the-suicide-girls-have/) ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/26 "2013-01-03T03:08:20Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > So, did you try to buy him? Were I an employee there and equipped with a scanner-gun, I’d be sorely tempted to try to ring him up. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/27 "2013-01-03T03:30:08Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Didn’t Henry Rollins have a bar code tattoo on the back of his neck? > > The only reference I can find of it is here. Anyone got a photo? I swear I remember this. > > [Search “bar code” on this site](http://pointlessbanter.net/2007/03/26/bad-ink-aka-what-the-suicide-girls-have/) [This is the tattoo on his neck](http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Henry+Rollins/2011+NAMM+Show+Day+3/SEjd7ajnXe2). Image search “Henry Rollins tattoo” for various other views. ---
**Author:** ![Suil\_Dubh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Suil\_Dubh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suil_Dubh)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/28 "2013-01-03T11:20:45Z")
I had a friend who had a barcode tattooed on the side of his head back in 1992 or '93, so the idea has been around for awhile, especially among punks. Sort of a protest against being treated as a number and not a free individual. Speaking of which… > [@pulykamell](#): > > [This is the tattoo on his neck](http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Henry+Rollins/2011+NAMM+Show+Day+3/SEjd7ajnXe2). Image search “Henry Rollins tattoo” for various other views. That’s not a barcode, that’s the logo for the hardcore band “Black Flag”. (The logo is a stylized flag.) Rollins used to sing for them. > **[Black Flag (band) | Iconography](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Flag_(band)#Iconography)** > > Black Flag's visual imagery and artwork complemented the themes found in the band's music. Greg Ginn's brother Raymond Ginn, under the pseudonym Raymond Pettibon, created the artwork for all of the band's studio releases with the exceptions of Damaged and the "TV Party" single, as well as providing artwork for the band members to transform into merchandise and gig flyers. When the band found it necessary to change their name from Panic in 1978, it was Pettibon who suggested the new name Black As ... > [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I do also have a patient with the word Clybourn tattooed on him. It’s a street in his home town. > > I always misread it as “Glyburide”, a diabetes medication. I am constantly making the exact same mistake! ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/29 "2013-01-03T13:58:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I spoke with someone at a New Years Eve party who swears he knows someone with a readable QR code tattoo. I’m wondering about the veracity, [but am looking into it.](http://www.bitrebels.com/technology/scan-yourself-geeky-barcode-qr-code-tattoos/) If you have an Android smartphone, QR code readers are available. If you can manage to meet the person with the tattoo and have such an app, it’s easy enough to verify if it’s readable. 😉 I remember one I saw on “World’s Dumbest Criminals”. Car burglar who had his last name and date of birth tattooed on his neck. IIRC, he’d picked a car to burgle that had some sort of surveillance camera in it that got a lovely view of the tattoo, his face, his thieving, etc. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/30 "2013-01-03T14:11:11Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > If you have an Android smartphone, QR code readers are available. If you can manage to meet the person with the tattoo and have such an app, it’s easy enough to verify if it’s readable. 😉 I am so equipped. Bought a new TV the other day and the manual had QR codes that took me to videos showing set-up. Whatacountry! ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/31 "2013-01-03T14:12:26Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > I remember one I saw on “World’s Dumbest Criminals”. Car burglar who had his last name and date of birth tattooed on his neck. IIRC, he’d picked a car to burgle that had some sort of surveillance camera in it that got a lovely view of the tattoo, his face, his thieving, etc. 😃 Stupid as it is, it still doesn’t take the prize. [Meet the guy](http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tattoo-20110422,0,1399043.story) who had the scene of the murder he committed inked in great detail on his torso. You can’t make that shit up. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/32 "2013-01-03T14:16:16Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Saw a guy with a tattoo of an ATM on his arm. > > I asked if it had any special meaning, he said “no.” If you’d palpated the right spot, money would have come rolling out of the appropriate orifice to pay your fee. Obviously you don’t collect fees from your patients, but still… ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/33 "2013-01-03T14:26:39Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] I do also have a patient with the word Clybourn tattooed on him. It’s a street in his home town. I always misread it as “Glyburide”, a diabetes medication. [/QUOTE] > [@Suil\_Dubh](#): > > I am constantly making the exact same mistake! The Clybourn Conspiracy. ---
**Author:** ![polar\_bear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@polar\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/polar_bear)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/34 "2013-01-03T14:33:44Z")
The barcode thing was supposedly pretty ‘hip’, not too long ago. Though the fun is sort of out of it given how some (very stupid and disgusting) [people](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/25/bar-code-pimps-prostitute-tattoos-spain_n_1378270.html) use it:(. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/35 "2013-01-03T14:51:52Z")
Next time you see him, see if it’s in working condition. Be careful he doesn’t eat your card, tho. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/36 "2013-01-03T14:59:18Z")
What gets me- did the guy walk into a tattoo parlour and ask for a tattoo of an ATM? If not, are there sort of scrap books you can pick something from and he chose an ATM? (Anyone with the imagination of a stale turd could have come up with something better I would have thought). ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/37 "2013-01-03T15:16:23Z")
A tattoo of a stale turd itself would even be better. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/38 "2013-01-03T15:17:22Z")
Like with my full back tattoo… Tattoo Artist: "Eagle? I thought you said ‘beagle’ " Me: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/39 "2013-01-03T15:35:02Z")
> [@Kobal2](#): > > Stupid as it is, it still doesn’t take the prize. [Meet the guy](http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tattoo-20110422,0,1399043.story) who had the scene of the murder he committed inked in great detail on his torso. You can’t make that shit up. I don’t think I have adequate vocabulary to comment on this level of stupid arrogance. Did this sorry excuse for a man really not think someone would figure out that tattoo, or that it would wind up with him getting busted? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2013, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845/40 "2013-01-03T15:36:30Z")
> [@Suil\_Dubh](#): > > That’s not a barcode, that’s the logo for the hardcore band “Black Flag”. (The logo is a stylized flag.) Rollins used to sing for them. Yeah, I didn’t think it was a barcode, either, but didn’t know what it was exactly. I know Black Flag, but apparently have never actually seen their album covers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-odd-tattoo-i-saw-today/645845.md?page=3)