Reply to S/O people who think tattoos are trashy (or not)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Tattoos = instant street cred. Automatically memorable. My large tattoos live under my suit in stuffy business meetings, and are out whenever I'm in short sleeves or shirtless. I understand tattoos aren't for everyone, and some folks find them trashy (placement, design, and frankly physique are key), but they certainly demonstrate you've got other interests besides bland UMC white DC culture. In no meaningful way have they hindered my life. My HHI is ~$300k and I run the mosh pit. I can walk with rich, middle, and poor and look the part. 
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So, you're saying that tattoos allow you be perceived in an edgy lower/blue collar way, and this helps you escape your privileged boring UMC white life, but you can still cover yours which allows you to make a living so you're not actually a poor. Got it.[/quote]

More or less, yeah. And I do get a kick out of the cultural contradiction - someone who is UMC, disciplined and good at their job, but who also rocks several tattoos. And the truth is that they do make some social connections a lot easier, depending on who you're trying to connect with. Honestly, the only drawback is that people are so curious when they see them. I'm sure some folks don't like them, but they keep their opinions to themselves. And I'm cool with that - I am rather deliberately not out to please everyone, especially people who would automatically look down on others for non-outrageous tattoos.

This isn't just about class or being edgy or whatever, though. I first got tattoos waaaaay before becoming UMC. I have always wanted tattoos - even decorated dolls with them as a child. At the time I got my first tattoos, I really had no idea life would work out for me and I'd be in this privileged position. I'm very lucky, and worked hard, but like the saying goes - I don't forget where I came from. I did get tattooed since becoming UMC too, so it's not just something I did back when I was younger. As you can tell, I have a few. And I will probably get a couple more when I can find the time to design them.

For what it's worth, I design my own and I think through carefully how I want it to look. I also work out and I ain't bad looking, and let's face it, that helps here. I am not so sanguine about every tattoo in every location on every body - there are plenty of bad tattoos out there - I am speaking mostly about my own experience. 
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You can think whatever you’d like but please know that when i look at you I don’t see edgy or cool, I see trailer park, pit bull, unwed mother and a long string of bad decisions.[/quote]

Oh I understand, but the funny thing is that I'm not actually those things. That makes you the one with the perception problem. And it should be quite obvious that tattoos are a symbol of rejection - or at least skepticism - of the precise cultural values that drive you to that judgement. In simpler terms, they say: "Take your superficial judgments and shove it." That's actually a fundamental appeal of tattoos for many inked people, whether they articulate it or not.

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What the what?

So in this iteration, you’re saying that tattoos are about having an iconoclastic image. Because you’ve made a lot of superficial judgements about other lifestyles and you want to wear your rejection of those lifestyles on your sleeve, so to speak. Well, keep telling yourself this and go back to thinking those poor people at the dive bar really appreciate you dropping in from UMC world to hang out with them. And, as a judgemental person yourself, you’ll just have to accept that the rest of the world doesn’t buy your cosplay and thinks they’re trendy/short-sighted/whatever.[/quote]

Where does the post judge a lifestyle? Although it's true that I am judgmental about some lifestyles - laziness, for example - the post speaks to rejection of cultural values that lead the other poster to conclude a tattoo means someone is trailer trash. I will happily own that.

And no, I would never claim people in the dive bar don't appreciate you just for your tattoos. If you expect tattoos alone to be your social gel, you will be disappointed. In the dive bar or the executive meeting, only things like character, gravitas, and empathy will truly carry you forward. But looking the part certainly helps.

Isn't it interesting that you claim to speak on behalf of "the rest of the world" ? 
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Do you truly think the rest of the world loves tattoos? It doesn’t. What’s wrong with that statement, then?

You sound judgy and smug. You didn’t get a tattoo to protest against laziness in others, nobody would read your earlier post like that. We have no way of knowing whether the smugness is warranted, blowing smoke or self-delusion.[/quote]

You're not making much sense here, honestly. So this is hard to respond to. But your hatred of tattoos is kinda over-the-top, and I've got no problem with failing to convince you. I will say it's weird & hilarious to be called judgy & smug by someone that says "[i]please know that when i look at you I don’t see edgy or cool, I see trailer park, pit bull, unwed mother and a long string of bad decisions[/i]." You're really not the best representative for your cause. 
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You’re talking to multiple posters here, not just to a single, obsessive hater with a thing against pit bulls. The negative judgements run all through this thread and many seem to be from unique posters. That’s why some of us do think we can speak for the greater world on the subject of tats.,Cue “but DCUM is only representative of pearl clutchers” but that’s only partially true. If anything, people in a big metropolitan area are likely to be more open to stuff like this than elsewhere in the country.[/quote]

Nevertheless, I would be very careful about generalizing on behalf of an entire city, country, or the world just because the opinion on this particular DCUM thread has been so uniform. My own experience has taught me that there is much greater diversity of opinion on this issue, both in and out of metro areas. 
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I’d be very careful about generalizing from your anecdotal experiences to conclude that there’s widespread acceptance anywhere.[/quote]

Acceptance is not the goal.
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