Defacing Beautiful Bodies With Tattoos.

[Joey_P]

@Boozahol_Squid_P.I

People tattooing themselves is almost as much of a travesty as someone allowing themselves to get fat or scarred or old

Except tattoos don’t cause any health issues, so that’s a pretty terrible comparison.

Imagine how silly you’d look like at forty if you didn’t keep yourself in prime shape with a well regimented skin care system.

I…I’m not even sure what that means.

I’m constantly amazed at how offended people get by things that have nothing to do with them in any way shape or form. People are pretty bugged by tattoos for some unknown reason. What I hear is that they’re marring or defacing or ruining their skin, but if it bothers you that someone elses skin isn’t perfect that seems like a you problem.

I’m currently sporting a somewhat longish, well groomed, full beard. I constantly hear about it. Being told I need to go get it cut, or ‘shave that nasty thing off’ is the nicest (mean) thing I hear. But the insults go all the way to being, regularly, called a terrorist (FTR, I’m white, it’s just a Muslim racist comment).

Again, if you don’t like my beard, just don’t say anything, I’m not sure why you have to lob insults at me. And these are from people I know. I find it works well to say “I’m sorry it bothers you so much” When they respond with ‘well, it doesn’t bother me’ I can come back with ‘the shut the hell up about it, you’ve mentioned it like 30 times’. That or (to girls), if I told you how much I didn’t like your new haircut…but I told you every time I saw you…be kind of annoying, huh.

Anyways, to get back on track, so you don’t like tattoos, why do you feel the need to be nasty to people that have them. Why do people feel the need to go out of their way to tell someone how much they don’t like a fashion choice they’ve made.
TL;DR I’m sorry my tattoos/beard/haircut etc offends you, luckily I didn’t do for you so you don’t need to worry about it.
But seriously, I just don’t understand why people get so offended by tattoos. That just seems like a stupid way to add a lot of stress to your life.

[bucketybuck]

@Joey_P

But seriously, I just don’t understand why people get so offended by tattoos. That just seems like a stupid way to add a lot of stress to your life.

Why do people in these discussions keep using the word “offended”?

[SeaDragonTattoo]

@bucketybuck

I can find out for you if you want but really you should be doing your own homework.

What are you on about with this? “Opinion” and “belief” are synonyms. Go back to your own posts and replace one for the other. Thanks for making this the buckety show.

[Joey_P]

@bucketybuck

Why do people in these discussions keep using the word “offended”?

Jim B, in the OP said his humble opinion was that tattoos are a bad idea and that they deface an otherwise beautiful body.

Boozahol called it a travesty

Waxwinged made the odd comment that he/she is “blessedly” tattoo free, I’m not sure what that qualifier means.

We can dig into other threads and find many, many more examples. Anyways, ‘offended’ means to cause dislike/anger/discomfort.

When someone goes out of their way to start a thread, make a nasty comment to someone about their tattoos, call them mentally unstable etc, ISTM, there’s some dislike, anger or discomfort involved there. I feel ‘offended’ is a good word and it works nicely for when some asshole tells me that they don’t like (all of these have happened) my tattoos or my haircut or my beard and I quickly come back with “I’m sorry you’re offended by my hair/beard/tattoo”. Sometimes it shuts them down, sometimes it gets them to reply that they’re not offended and gives me the chance to ask them why, then, if they’re not offended or if it doesn’t bother them did they feel the need to say something so nasty?

I don’t think it’s wrong to call people out when they say things that are so insanely insulting about thing that have exactly zero impact on their lives. I’m sorry your precious eyes had to look in my direction.

Bucketybuck, I’m not directing this at you, just answering your question. I use the word offended because people say some vile stuff to people that anything different going on (tattoos, beards, haircuts that aren’t totally standard, piercings etc). I don’t get it. No one is doing anything at you, so if you’re randomly insulting someone that’s walking past you, I can only assume you’re insulted. I mean, I was literally, like within the past few minutes, called a terrorist. No reason, a customer was making a joke about my beard. Another one told me I need to shave it off.

It gets old, if you don’t have anything nice to say, keep your fucking yapper shut. The worst part is, if we were to start saying things back, we’d be the jerks. Funny how that doesn’t work both ways.

[actualliberalnotoneofthose]

I’m 37. I don’t know if that makes me old for this discussion or not. Personally, I have no interest in ever getting a tattoo. Part of it is - I can’t really think of anything THAT awesome that I would just have to have it permanently inked on my body. I can’t think of any symbol I would want on my body, or where I would put it. I don’t really wear clothing with logos, either. I wonder if there’s any relation.

Also, during my lifetime getting a tattoo is so common that it seems like a trendy/follower thing to me. Like, everyone does it. I feel like it might have been “cooler” (not that I care about being cool) when not everyone and his mother had tattoos.

A slight followup and disagreement on the “cool” thing - there certainly ARE people with tattoos who act like they are better than people without. It’s all rather juvenile and probably shouldn’t affect anyone older than 12 or so, but it exists. There is some bullying and peer pressure involved, just like anything else that’s seen as “edgy” versus more “square” behavior.

[Johnny_Bravo]

@Jim_B

Now he has tattoos on almost every part of his body, including a Mickey Mouse tattoo on his leg. A Mickey Mouse tattoo on his leg! Try explaining that one, when you’re forty.

“Hey, what’s with the Mickey Mouse tattoo?”

“I like Mickey Mouse.”

Awwwwkwarrrrrrrddd!

[bucketybuck]

@Joey_P

I feel ‘offended’ is a good word and it works nicely

Honestly, I think people use it because it helps make this an emotive issue, because if people who dislike tattoos are labelled as actively offended then people who want to defend tattoos can be more strident in their language.

But for all you say people on the streets are calling you a terrorist, I think the reality is that the vast, vast majority of people who don’t like tattoos aren’t actually offended by them in the slightest. They have opinions on them, just as people have opinions on any amount of random things, but they don’t actually give a crap whether somebody has a tattoo or not.

Threads like these devolve partly due to all the people exclaiming “Well why do you care!!! Who are you to tell me what I find attractive!!! Why are you offended by my choices!!!”

But nobody is offended, nobody is bothered by tattoos or laying awake at night angry about them, they just don’t like them and think they are a bad choice to make.Perhaps a discussion about tattoos might even be possible if some people could remember that instead of jumping in with reasoned offerings like “nobody gives a fuck about your opinion”.

[Ukulele_Ike]

I have my name and address tattooed on my forehead, so I can be dragged to my doorstep when I drink too much.

…Oh yeah, and the “Wreck of the Hesperus” across my chest, almost forgot that.

[Guinastasia]

@Jim_B

Why do otherwise beautiful people have to deface their otherwise beautiful bodies, with graffiti? I am talking about tattoos.

Take NBA star John Wall as just one example. Here is a picture of him without tattoos. Just look at the smooth, beautiful physique.

Now he has tattoos on almost every part of his body, including a Mickey Mouse tattoo on his leg. A Mickey Mouse tattoo on his leg! Try explaining that one, when you’re forty.

Surely I am not alone in thinking this. Does anyone agree with me on this one? And does anyone else agree that tattoos are a bad idea in general, for the reasons I just gave, and more?

These at least are my humble opinions. What are yours?

:):)

Mine? I think this speaks for itself. (No, that’s not me, but if I went through a similar experience, I’d seriously consider it)
Note: someday I’d love to get this on my ankle.

[Guinastasia]

@Joey_P

Except tattoos don’t cause any health issues, so that’s a pretty terrible comparison.
I…I’m not even sure what that means.

It means you’ve been whooshed.

[Ambivalid]

@Guinastasia

It means you’ve been whooshed.

Could you explain this? I don’t get it either, apparently.

[Boozahol_Squid_P.I]

@Joey_P

Except tattoos don’t cause any health issues, so that’s a pretty terrible comparison.
I…I’m not even sure what that means.

Woosh.

[ZipperJJ]

@Trancephalic

The only reason I don’t have a tatoo is 'cause I donate blood. Otherwise, I’d have this done, so at least some part of my physicality reflected my heritage.

You can donate blood with a tattoo. If you got the tattoo in a state licensed parlor you can donate at any time. If you get one outside of such an establishment (including a parlor in a state that doesn’t license) you can donate after 12 months. I got a tattoo in my home a year and a half ago, told the Red Cross the next time they called, and they called me back in a year to start back up.

Here’s an article from the Red Cross site about a blood drive at a tattoo parlor and it has some info on the rules: Blood Donation Eligibility Requirements | Red Cross Blood Services

Anyway, I’m glad my body is so gross that my tattoos don’t ruin it for anyone. They all look away in horror before they get that close.

[Boozahol_Squid_P.I]

@Ambivalid

Could you explain this? I don’t get it either, apparently.

Woosh (or whoosh, I’m not sure) is an onomatopoeic word for the sound of air rushing (in this case) over the head of someone. As in, I said something tongue in cheek, and Joey P took it seriously.

I don’t expect Jim B. to have the rest of the aspects of John Wall’s physique that he finds attractive, so he’s not really in a good position to castigate someone for failing to live up to certain standards of beauty while he doesn’t live up to the ones that he finds in them.

It’s irrelevant here, but I have a bit of ink, and I don’t give a rat’s ass if anyone (other than Mrs. Squid, P.I.) doesn’t find it attractive. In 15 years, I expect most of the world will find diagrams of proofs from Euclid’s Elements about as interesting as they do now; and I don’t care.

[TokyoBayer]

Don’t have a tat myself, but I really don’t care if my waiter has ink or not. Now if he forgets my order, see me in the pit.

@actualliberalnotoneofthose

A slight followup and disagreement on the “cool” thing - there certainly ARE people with tattoos who act like they are better than people without. It’s all rather juvenile and probably shouldn’t affect anyone older than 12 or so, but it exists. There is some bullying and peer pressure involved, just like anything else that’s seen as “edgy” versus more “square” behavior.

My WAG is that for every person who acts better because of it, there are a dozen people without who are offended by what someone else does with their own body.

[Rushgeekgirl]

In my opinion this is a touchy subject.

I am repulsed by tattoos. I can’t help the way I feel. I have never seen a body that looked better to me with a tattoo. I get that they’re an art form and they’re not intended for anyone but the person wearing it. I just don’t like the way they look. I wouldn’t judge anyone by them though. I also feel this way about multiple piercings on the ear. One, two isn’t so bad but when there’s a whole row and your ear is sagging down or there’s giant rings in them, it’s icky to me. Worse to me is in the nose, between the nostrils. All I can think is boogers. I know, this is a totally uncool OLD PERSON opinion but there it is.

What baffles me is why some people are offended that not everyone appreciates tattoos or get angry when people ask questions other people have asked in the past. If you’ve answered before and grown tired of repeating yourself I think the title contains enough (if not the teaser) information that you could just move on to the next topic.

[Joey_P]

@bucketybuck

Honestly, I think people use it because it helps make this an emotive issue, because if people who dislike tattoos are labelled as actively offended then people who want to defend tattoos can be more strident in their language.

But for all you say people on the streets are calling you a terrorist, I think the reality is that the vast, vast majority of people who don’t like tattoos aren’t actually offended by them in the slightest.

Don’t get me wrong, I agree that most people that don’t like them aren’t offended by them. I talking specifically about people that feel the need to come up to you and make a random [negative] comment about them. That’s being offended.
You know how when you’re at the store and someone approaches you and tells you that they like your shirt or you get a totally out of the blue compliment on your haircut, like that, but the opposite. My tattoos are mostly covered so I don’t hear much about them, but the beard comments are just part of my life.

But nobody is offended, nobody is bothered by tattoos or laying awake at night angry about them, they just don’t like them and think they are a bad choice to make.Perhaps a discussion about tattoos might even be possible if some people could remember that instead of jumping in with reasoned offerings like “nobody gives a fuck about your opinion”.

Yes, yes people are. Maybe not many, but there are people that sit at home and stew over the stupidest crap.

And if you really think no one is offended by tattoos we’ll just have to wait a little longer and see if our resident anti-tattoo poster shows up. The only person to kick someone out of bed for having a tramp stamp.

@Rushgeekgirl

What baffles me is why some people are offended that not everyone appreciates tattoos or get angry when people ask questions other people have asked in the past. If you’ve answered before and grown tired of repeating yourself I think the title contains enough (if not the teaser) information that you could just move on to the next topic.

I think you’ll find that not many tattooed people care that you don’t like tattoos, they don’t understand why it bothers you [you in general, not you specifically] that they have them. That’s like me saying that I don’t like red cars and making sure that when I saw people with red cars I told them how much I hated their car. It’s possible for me to not like red cars AND not confront everyone that happens to have one. People spend so much energy telling people all these reasons not to get them, ‘do you know how they’ll look in 50 years’, ‘you’ll never get a job’, ‘you’d look so much better without them’, ‘you’re going to regret that’. and on and on and on…and why are you so concerned about what I’m doing with my skin? As I said earlier, what if I did the same thing? “You’d look so much better with out them” “And your dye job looks awful”. Funny how I’d be the jerk in the situation, right.

[Dr_Paprika]

I’m not a big fan of tattoos – often unoriginal, conspicuous, regretted.

But “deface” is a strong word. I don’t have to love your taste in clothing, piercings, tattoos or anything else. Knock yourself out.

A few tattoos are cool – these tend to be original, small, easily covered and highly meaningful to the person on a permanent way.

[gaffa]

@bucketybuck

People can do what they want with their bodies, no doubt about that.

I still get to have the opinion that there has never been a human body improved by the addition of a tattoo.

Tattoos have pretty much ruined recent porn for me. I have to search for “vintage” to find unmarked skin.

[monstro]

@Rushgeekgirl

What baffles me is why some people are offended that not everyone appreciates tattoos or get angry when people ask questions other people have asked in the past. If you’ve answered before and grown tired of repeating yourself I think the title contains enough (if not the teaser) information that you could just move on to the next topic.

What baffles me is why people think the answer will NOT be some version of “People like different things, obviously.”

Personally, when I see someone covered in tattoos and I’m not close enough to discern what I’m looking at, I automatically think “unfortunate skin disease.” I don’t feel ashamed for having this thought. But I guess I don’t see the point of starting a thread to express this prejudice when I know good and well what the reaction will be. It would be like me starting a thread like “Why do people debase themselves by dating and having relationships?!” and not expecting to draw a bunch of rolly-eyes from the audience. People usually don’t take unsolicited criticism about their personal preferences very well.