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The question to ask is "What is it about people that have tattoos that makes them so taboo?"
That question is not aimed directly at you Milt but asked as a broader social question. Certainly historically there have been groups that have used tattoos as means of distancing themselves from mainstream society ("bikers", Yakuza, neo-nazi's) and used the tatoos as warning plumage; Don't mess with me or else! The message is one of a law-less person that is to be avoided.
At the same time, I would hazard that most of the people we see daily with tatoos are probably no more defiant or dangerous than we are. Why do we use the same "DANGER" filter for the guy working an espresso stand that has a few tattoos? Especially as in the last decade, there has been a tremendous swing in cultural acceptance of tattoos.
Yet perhaps the somewhat negative feelings voiced towards foks with tattos has nothing to do with the law-lessness aspect but more to do with the perception of them as what I would call "slackers". People that just seem to hang out at the coffee shop, are listless and undirected, that bounce from job to job (if they even have one).
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gary
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