# Another good reason not to get a tattoo **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 24, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823 "2014-04-24T00:46:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/1 "2014-04-24T00:46:31Z")
[Because a jury might be more likely to convict you of murder.](http://www.kansascity.com/2014/04/22/4975493/kansas-man-seeks-to-hide-murder.html) A Great Bend, KS man who goes on trial next week for murder would like to have his giant neck tattoo of the word “MURDER” removed before the trial. > [@](#): > > Chapman’s attorney says in a motion the tattoo would be extremely prejudicial if seen by a jury. Ya think? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/2 "2014-04-24T00:50:18Z")
I never realized people would judge other people on the presence or absence of tattoos. We’ve certainly never discussed that here on the SDMB before. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/3 "2014-04-24T01:10:04Z")
I think he should replace it with an “Innocent” tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/4 "2014-04-24T01:13:55Z")
So a good reason not to get a little dog paw on the inside of my wrist, or my nieces names on my ankle, or a flower on my shoulder is because a jury might be prejudiced against me in a murder case? Or do you mean “Another good reason not to get the word MURDER tattooed on your neck”? Cuz that makes more sense. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/5 "2014-04-24T01:19:06Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > So a good reason not to get a little dog paw on the inside of my wrist, or my nieces names on my ankle, or a flower on my shoulder is because a jury might be prejudiced against me in a murder case? > > Or do you mean “Another good reason not to get the word MURDER tattooed on your neck”? Cuz that makes more sense. Hey, just pray that you’re never on trial for murdering your dog by dropping a flower pot on it from your niece’s balcony. All’s I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/6 "2014-04-24T01:19:45Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I think he should replace it with an “Innocent” tattoo. Removing a tattoo takes a long time, like months. In just a few hours he could get “DIDN’T” tattooed right next to MURDER or “I HATE” or “I WOULD NEVER”. That would be a lot more efficient. I remember a few years ago there was someone up for murder/life sentence and the picture of him in the newspaper showed his neck tattoo which read “Nothing To Lose” He may have injured a bailiff in the courtroom. I remember my dad sarcastically saying something like “He murders someone, stabs the bailiff, he has ‘nothing to lose’, yeah, this is someone we need back out on the streets”. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/7 "2014-04-24T01:27:51Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/8 "2014-04-24T01:31:28Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I think he should replace it with an “Innocent” tattoo. Maybe have the letters formed by posing kittens? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/9 "2014-04-24T01:40:02Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > So a good reason not to get a little dog paw on the inside of my wrist, or my nieces names on my ankle, or a flower on my shoulder is because a jury might be prejudiced against me in a murder case? > > Or do you mean “Another good reason not to get the word MURDER tattooed on your neck”? Cuz that makes more sense. If I’m on a jury in a murder trial, I’m not going to care if someone has a flower or puppy or heart tattoo. But “MURDER” tattooed in huge letters across the throat? Yeah, that might sway me a bit. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/10 "2014-04-24T01:57:48Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > If I’m on a jury in a murder trial, I’m not going to care if someone has a flower or puppy or heart tattoo. But “MURDER” tattooed in huge letters across the throat? Yeah, that might sway me a bit. So why did you title this thread “Another good reason not to get a tattoo”? What does this have to do with getting a tattoo that is not on one’s neck and does not say “MURDER”? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/11 "2014-04-24T02:57:32Z")
I can at least think of a good reason to consult someone with good sense before geting a tattoo. Recently, I saw a bargirl with a large English-language tattoo across her belly. It was a real tattoo, not fake. In BIG letters, it read: “SEX … NO … BABY”. Granted, a jury in a murder case probably would not see that. But spare a thought for another bargirl with a remarkably ugly tattoo on her upper arm. It was LARGE, some comically drawn goldfish and these weird lines crisscrossed over them, extremely poor workmanship. Trying to be sociable, I mentioned: “Oh, that’s a, um, nice tattoo you’ve got there.” She: “I hate it.” “Oh? Then why’d you get it?” “I was drunk.” It turns out that she’d been drunk AND 14 years old at the time she’d gotten it. It looked as if the tattoo artist had also been drunk. I can certainly understand the laws in some countries that require the receiver to be sober and an adult when getting a tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/12 "2014-04-24T03:00:37Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I think he should replace it with an “Innocent” tattoo. > [@sparky\_1](#): > > Maybe have the letters formed by posing kittens? An talented tattoo artist might be able to morph MURDER into MOTHER…now that would be a winner. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/13 "2014-04-24T03:02:17Z")
ETA: Wrote this in response to **Siam Sam** ’s post above. Alcohol thins the blood and too much in a person’s system can affect how the dye sets and you can bleed more than normal, affecting how well the artist can work. Plus, if you were getting a huge tattoo on your back, you could bleed out while the needle buzzes. Alcohol & tattoos are a bad combo in a number of ways, is my point. ---
**Author:** ![nevadaexile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb8c5e/32.png) [@nevadaexile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nevadaexile)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/14 "2014-04-24T03:05:18Z")
He should have it changed from reading “MURDER” to “MARTYR”. That might help in the eyes of the jury as who wants to make one of those? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/15 "2014-04-24T03:29:38Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > So a good reason not to get a little dog paw on the inside of my wrist, or my nieces names on my ankle, or a flower on my shoulder is because a jury might be prejudiced against me in a murder case? No. _That Good Reason_ is so you don’t look like a Kindergarten Dry-Erase Board. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/16 "2014-04-24T03:30:18Z")
Maybe he could tell them it’s actually supposed to be “Redrum”? I guess it’s just me, but it seems like there’s a big difference between a small butterfly on one’s ankle and the word “MURDER” spelled out in big letters on a person’s neck. (His lawyers will probably have him wear a turtleneck during the trial, or something like that) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/17 "2014-04-24T03:40:27Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > No. _That Good Reason_ is so you don’t look like a Kindergarten Dry-Erase Board. You guessed my theme! ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/18 "2014-04-24T04:35:14Z")
Just put a noose around his neck to hide the tattoo when he enters the courtroom. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/19 "2014-04-24T06:03:33Z")
> [@sparky\_1](#): > > Maybe have the letters formed by posing kittens? Yes, the ole “associate the client with murdering kittens” defense strategy. That should move the trial along quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_York](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_York](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_York)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2014, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823/20 "2014-04-24T07:34:29Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > So a good reason not to get a little dog paw on the inside of my wrist, or my nieces names on my ankle, or a flower on my shoulder is because a jury might be prejudiced against me in a murder case? > > . Maybe if you were charged with murder and you entered the court wearing a sleeveless, off the shoulder top, and no shoes or socks, the jury may think,“what a nice person” and find you not guilty. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-good-reason-not-to-get-a-tattoo/686823.md?page=2)