as I am always fond to say, to each his own...
HOWEVER, (and this is where the proverbial sh&& hits the fan so fill in the sound of needle being dragged across record here) the problem I have with tatoos and other body art fads is not that I see people that have them as some type of reprobate, but rather that I see them as simply exercising their right to engage in the current version of "monkey see, monkey do" what's-in-this-weekism. this is actually not that recent of a phenomenon as it did get a boost about ten years ago with the emergence of the 'grunge' scene, when suddenly it became all the rage to have every orifice and appendage pierced with the latest in metallurgy.
from those involved in the scene, it was supposedly under the guise of people wanting to be 'different' and therefore enabling them to declare themselves as individuals. well, I must declare that this social experiment has ended in abject failure. never before have those that are so hell-bent on individualism made themselves look so much like their compatriots. although piercing and tattoing cross over between the sexes, there are certain stereotypes that have developed over the last decade. for example, the girls have done a great job of discovering the fine art of nose piercing with posts that, from any distance greater than five feet, look so convincingly like a wart. followed by the oh so original tradition of cramming as many earrings on each lobe as it can physically hold. even better yet, piercing with a ring that part of the nose which has historically been reserved for the yoke of an ox has also become de rigeur. oh, baby that's soo hot!
the gents on the other hand have decided to take it on themselves to go off on the latest tribal tangent. it has become fashionable to sport tatoos that emulate the latest in tribal designs first made popular in films such as the recent Moby Dick with Patrick Stewart and TV shows such as Star Trek Voyager. can you say pretentious? go ahead pretzelboy, tell me what the fu## you think you know about tribalism. let's leave the tribal tatoos to those that are doing their best to preserve their own cultural heritage. what impresses me is when I see someone from perhaps New Zealand, Borneo, or the Samoas wearing a well-researched tatoo that traces their own family ancestry and heritage. not some suburbanite schmuck that thinks his tat is "cool man, and the chicks really dig it!"
if you want to do something original and set yourself apart, create something! go paint a picture, start a company that provides a livelihood for a family or two, climb a mountain by a new route or travel the world to help those less fortunate than you. do anything but fall into the trap of following what's weak this week.
I suppose the real irony is that all trends start with a genuine and sincere attempt at individualism that subsequently degenerates into a race to not be the last on the block to join in the fray. as someone once said (I think it was me
) if one or two people do something, it's just considered bad taste, but if the rest of society joins in, suddenly it's sociology. go figure.
just my 2 centavos
(gawd I hope there's no one on the board that goes by the name of pretzelboy)
next post: (as he tries to sneak out of the room on tippy toes) hey ronin, DUCK!!