I had so much luck with "crowdsourcing" last week—I received an education in response to a question about search engine optimization—that it occurred to me to put to the Boots brethren a few questions that have been nagging me for years, but to which I can't find any answers.
The questions aren't communication-related, because as everybody knows, I know everything there is to know about that.
The questions also seem kind of basic on their face, and maybe even dumb. But why can't I find satisfying answers?
Today, we'll commence Dumb Question Week at Writing Boots. I'll pose one question per day—today, tomorrow and Thursday. I'll hope to get answers from you, and if I get no answers, I suppose that'll be an insight of its own.
And in case you'd like to send me your own Dumb Questions for some crowdsourcing help, e-mail them to me at dmurrayil at earthlink dot net, and I'll post them (along with my own stabs at their answers) on Friday.
But first things first:
Dumb Question Number One: What's up with all the tattoos?
When I was a boy, tattoos were strictly for truck drivers and sailors.
I wasn't a boy that long ago!
Now, it seems everybody under 40 has a tattoo, along with a lot of people over 40, including my wife! And we won't even get into piercings, except to remember that Garrison Keillor once said that kids today look like they fell face-first into a tackle box. (And my 80-something dad once confessed that when a waiter or waitress came to the table with a pierced nose or lip, "I just can't help it. I think of cannibals.")
Ten years ago we might have called this body decoration a fad. No such thing. In a few years we're going to have nursing homes chock full very nice, little old doddering tattoo-covered ladies.
My question: In a society that generally seems to make even the most inevitable change with the alacrity of molasses—just ask gays in the military—how does such a basic social more transform itself, apparently permanently, over a decade or two?
In short: What's up with all the tattoos?
Well I can only speak for myself, and tell you that the two that I have were obtained after a number of years of thoughtful consideration, and are intended to be a permanent reflection and reminder of something that is important to me, and something I want to be cognizant of and try to bring into my life on a consistent basis.
However, because that “something” is personal to me and is not intended or necessary to be shouted to the world 24/7, both my tattoos are intentionally located in what I like to call the “semi-private real estate” meaning that 98% of the time they are covered by clothing and not on display to the general public.
But Kirsten, if this were 1981 instead of 2001, it is unlikely you would have a tattoo, semi-private or not, anywhere on your body, is it not? It would never have occurred to you to wear a tattoo, any more than it would occur to you to chew Red Man tobacco. You disagree with that?
Ah. So your ACTUAL question isn’t “why do so many people have tattoos” but rather: “How has society evolved to the point where so many people now feel comfortable having tattoos when I still think it’s weird?” is that correct?
No, that’s not correct. I’d say my question is, “How has society evolved so quickly from five percent of the population wearing tattoos to 50 percent? (Ish.) How has the marginalized become the norm? And why?”
Well, first, it doesn’t seem that the evolution is all that fast to me.
I mean when you look at how much a lot of things have changed over the past 20 years – largely due to the access and exposure to the larger world the internet has allowed everyone that we never had before – it actually seems like a realistic result in a natural time-line evolution.
As far as why, things like environmental issues, international terrorism, the spotlight on human rights violations in places like China, natural disasters, and so many other things tend to make you feel some days like Armageddon is virtually imminent. When you feel like that [i.e. helpless] getting a tattoo or a piercing can be your way of thumbing your nose at fate and saying “up yours!”.
Or, they could just be doing it because all their friends are, and right now it’s the “cool” thing to do.
So, Ridley, your analysis boils down to: Either defiant nihilism, or peer pressure. (Or peer pressure to be defiantly nihilistic!)
All right, who can beat that, or build on it?
I thought once about getting a tattoo when I was younger. But here’s why I don’t have one: because both of my older brothers have several.
They’re good guys in a lot of ways, but I’m very different from my brothers. I’m the one with the university degree, the short hair and the government job for starters. There’s a joke that I’m the white sheep in the family.
Some people have older brothers in whose footsteps they try to follow. I always say that my oldest brother was a particularly good negative role model, meaning I learned by watching him what I didn’t want to do with my life. I’ve spent a good part of mmy life consciously and subconsciously choosing a different path. And being the white sheep (relatively speaking) hasn’t always been an easy choice.
So when I thought about getting a tattoo, for me the choice not to do it was another small act of rebellion, if only in the context of my family life. Maybe if the trend you see continues, David, we’ll soon get to a weird point where not having ink or a piercing in odd places becomes the choice of rebels.
Rueben, thanks for that. I think many of us have a hard time admitting that we do what we do very much in relation and reaction to what other people do. Being aware of that is a sign of mental health. (I wonder if your big-brother the black sheep has come to operate in opposition to you.)
As for your vision of inklessness-as-rebellion, I think we’re close to already being there. I’ve been in circles where I’ve had to answer for not having a tattoo.
(What, you just can’t think of an image or message you want to commit to for the rest of your life? You got some commitment issues, man!)
And here’s my suggested response for the next time someone challenges you with that goofiness:
“It’s not a commitment issue. It’s a self-awareness that tells me that my passions and interests evolve as I age, and they will hopefully continue to do so until I die. So I’d rather not bind myself to an image or a message that defined me at a moment in time when I was 25 (and possibly drunk and in love with someone I’d now rather forget). All my memories, loves, cares, ideals, burdens, philosophies, rebellions and triumphs reach well beneath my skin and are engraved in the very bones of who I am as an individual. The scars I carry on my body and my soul tell the story of how committed I was and am to the life I have lived. Some of those scars you can see, some you can’t. But they are all the adornment I need.”
As for my brother – that’s something we can chat about over cocktails in Vancouver.
I think everone really would like to have one. Some just do it and some just write about it.
Very funny, skb. I prefer to think of it as “some whore themselves to short term fads in ways they’ll later regret, and others have brains in their heads.”
Kidding!
But seriously, sometimes, David, I think our generation (the Baby Boomers and a few stragglers like you) is the exception when it comes to tattoos. My father-in-law had a tattoo of a maple leaf on his arm. Lots of working class guys and military men of his generation had tattoos. But the Baby Boomers were an “aspirational” generation. They/we all wanted to rise above our working class/immigrant roots and join the middle class, and the middle class of North America did not have tattoos. My Three Sons did not have tattoos. Mr. Rogers did not have tattoos. Even Gypsy Rose Lee didn’t have tattoos. In the 60s, 70s and 80s, having a tattoo meant you were a biker, an ex-con, a circus performer or Tommy Lee. Generally speaking, even punk rockers and porn stars didn’t have tattoos in those days.
Feminism is a big reason for the modern phenomenon. In the old days, if a woman wanted to prove she was independent, all she had to do was smoke cigarettes and take the pill. These days, I think women are more tattooed than men and it’s seen as an expression of independence, style and sexuality. Getting a tattoo or a piercing is a way of literally taking control of your body.
These days, with all the tramp stamps, pop star tattoos and more than one reality show about tattoo culture, it has become completely accepted as a way of using one’s body as a personal wall of fame — a way of commemorating events or signifying things of meaning in one’s life, like Kristen, and my teenage daughter, have done.
Yes, skb, even I would like to have one. A rack of ribs tattooed on my arm. Some grill marks tattooed on my ass. But I resist the urge because I always imagine how that tattoo will look in 30 years. It wouldn’t even take that long for the ribs to look way overcooked and the grill marks to look like dead snakes.
Ron, that is truly thoughtful, and I can’t argue with a single word. Thanks.
Tell the truth Ron! You’re really just afraid Kate would skewer you in a column if you got grill marks on your butt . . . and honestly, I can’t blame you – I’ve already come to the conclusion that I don’t EVER want Kate mad at me, because when she skewers something/someone, she doesn’t fool around!
I can see how you would think that, Kristen, but I’ve always enjoyed her skewerings. Her sense of humour serves as a powerful anesthetic!
Agreed, Ron! I have a standing Sunday evening date with my computer for the newest edition of Kate of Late!
I got my ear pierced 10 years ago, New Year’s Day 2000, because my wife at the time dared me to. I was remarking about a guy at work who had an earring but always took it off when he came to work and I suggested that if I had an earring I’d wear it all the time. “But you wouldn’t have an earring,” she said. I had to prove her wrong.
But once I started wearing an earring, it became an interesting sociological experiment. I noticed people who previously wouldn’t have given me the time of day suddenly engaged me in conversation — total strangers like retail clerks and or the bank teller. It was as if the earring suddenly made an otherwise geeky guy kind of cool.
I no longer wear the earring. I kind of miss those conversations with random strangers.
A tattoo is a marking made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons
“…if this were 1981 instead of 2001, it is unlikely you would have a tattoo, semi-private or not, anywhere on your body, is it not? It would never have occurred to you to wear a tattoo, any more than it would occur to you to chew Red Man tobacco.”
I personally have always wanted tattoos. I’m a 33 y/o white female, educated, professional w/ 2 tattoos (1 on my hip & 1 in white ink on the inside of my left forearm) 1 ears pierced (standard), & nose pierced. I grew up looking at then reading National Geographic and since I was at least 5 (per my Mom) I’ve wanted tattoos and piercings. Not trying to be a rebel, but I do remember always wanting it as well. I always wanted to travel and go to all those places, so for me if I was of age in 1981 I would have had a tattoo & piercing. I will say it was probably harder to get then, outside of a navy town or biker-type place, but for as long as I can remember I’ve wanted it, and am very happy to have them. I’m done at this point, because it’s for me, not to make a point or prove anything, or be a badass, but because I like it.
Hello there : )
Why do people (society in general) still pre-judge people who have tats. girls commonly?
I am a twenty six year old F, have got 9 tats, most of which can not be spotted on my daily travels. Five To Six in the summer are pretty much constantly on display. I do not aim for notice and I have a loving boyfriend Without TATTOOS .I get the impression that many people believe that tattooed people are blind, as we get stared at, even when we return a glance people keep on staring. When will society change?
I’m late to the party. But this question is easy. Tattoos correlate with the resurgence of paganism in America. I just went to an annual event in a teensy town in north central Arkansas. This used to be a gathering of farmers, families and old folks. Now? You could not look anywhere and not see tattoos. All but the old timers had them. I’d say close to 99% were awful, ugly, and seemed randomly splotched here and there upon the body. Yeah, sure, there’s one or two people out there who love and adore their precious tat, people who spent years contemplating the style and art and location. This ain’t what I saw last Saturday. It was disgusting. People no longer have any respect for their bodies. Again, this coincides with America’s movement from the Bible and into the arms of paganism, vampirism, witchcraft, and all other forms of mysticism and eastern mystery cultism. Don’t like the Bible thumping? Enjoy your new pagan America. It is only now dawning. Wait a few mores years. The wickedness is only getting started.
I am not a bible thumper, nor am I a witch, vampire or LDS. I purely and simply think that tattoos disrupt the natural aesthetic of the body and disrupts the flow of the eye. Imagine the statue David with a pec tattoo. Yuk!
Plus, most tattoos look like mold under the skin.
I “like” you on Facebook. Would love these for my oldest boy!
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Writing Boots: Dumb Question: What’s up with all the tattoos?