Commentary
I learned today that a mark that I’ve had since childhood is actually considered to be a traumatic or accidental tattoo. It’s on my knee and is the result of getting stabbed with a sharp pencil, and that’s the only way I’d ever get a tattoo – accidentally.
Another example of such accidental tattoos is the result of a deliberate or accidental stabbing with a pencil or pen, leaving graphite or ink beneath the skin. (Wikipedia)
I think Karen and I notice people with tattoos more when we travel, probably simply because we are around more people then.
We see all kinds of tattoos, from very fancy, intricate ones to simple but pretty tats; from poorly done art to art that is downright crude — and, sometimes, rude; from beautiful art on beautiful bodies to art that’s not so beautiful on not so beautiful bods – a wide variety of tats on a wide variety of people.
The closest I ever came to getting a tattoo was when I was in boot camp. We had a one day liberty in town and the bus from the base dropped us off in an area that had tattoo parlors. I was tempted, but spent my limited money on going to the San Diego Zoo and Sea World, instead. Very adventuresome young swabbie, wasn’t I?
Looking back at it, though, among the sailors I knew, there were actually very few that got tattoos. There were a few here and there, but very few among those of us that worked in nuclear power.
While I do find some of the art fascinating, I really am not a fan of tattoos. I think it’s probably because I have a hard time understanding why one would want to permanently mark up their body, not matter how pretty the “art” is – and most of it doesn’t seem to age well from what I can tell.
For some over-the-top tattoos, we’ve wondered if the person wearing them considered the potential impact that their art will have on future job prospects. We decided probably not, if I recall correctly.
Perception is not necessarily reality and tattoos are not necessarily the person wearing the tattoos.
However, do they affect the way that the person with tattoos is viewed?
Image is of Lucky Diamond Rich, the most tattooed man in the world.
