Was in the Military when I was really young and dumb....then rode Harleys for years...Still NO tat's.

I'm right in the age group for getting ink.

I don't have any, I'm not opposed but there isn't much I'd like to have like that, forever.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
My grade-school kids say that tattoos are for really old people.

I have long believed that at some time in the future tattoos will be a reliable indication of how old someone is, like white hair, wrinkles and sags, or those big plastic sunglasses that cover one’s seeing spectacles. Not being inked will become a common source of personal pride like being trim and fit. The fad has lasted longer and spread more than I would have predicted 20 years ago, but fad it is, and sooner or later the fad (but not the ink) will fade like all fads.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
My grade-school kids say that tattoos are for really old people.

I have long believed that at some time in the future tattoos will be a reliable indication of how old someone is, like white hair, wrinkles and sags, or those big plastic sunglasses that cover one’s seeing spectacles. Not being inked will become a common source of personal pride like being trim and fit. The fad has lasted longer and spread more than I would have predicted 20 years ago, but fad it is, and sooner or later the fad (but not the ink) will fade like all fads.

This. I have no tattoo's and do not like them. I would never put anything permanent that then degrades on my body. I see young 20's girls with tattoo's from wrists to elbow or even shoulder lately and it's just gross. I really think it's a sign of insecurity for a lot of them, so it gives people a reason to give them attention by commenting on them.

Don’t need tattoos. I have scars. Surgeries. Injuries. My body has been mutilated enough.

They asked me why I have no tats.
I replied, "Have you ever seen a Ferrari with a bumper sticker?"

I got one when I got divorced to remind me of my kid, it’s a gecko. Which was his favorite creature when he was little, my newest little one wants me to get an elephant to hold the tail of the gecko.

Often indicative of poor decision making skills.
I had a room mate who couldn't pay me his rent on time. When he came home with a new tat, i kicked him out.

quote:

Originally posted by Spokane228:
Don’t need tattoos. I have scars. Surgeries. Injuries. My body has been mutilated enough.

Same here. Most can be associated with memorable events, or life lessons.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Young people have always been like that - they like to think of themselves as individualists, unique, and even a bit rebellious. But this is only in contrast to those they see as the out group (usually us old geezers), and they conform very strongly to the norms of their own group.

So they all get tattoos. It is what all the cool kids do to show how unique they are.

If you got a tattoo in 1980, you might have been a tough guy or a rebel. Not for about the last twenty years, though.

Isn't that what I said?

I suppose there are a lot of reasons one may get a tat. Many aren't getting them to show the world who they are but rather to display that what comes tomorrow is meaningless, pure nihilism. Hating our particular world -- Western Civ in this case -- is systemic. That message is rammed home daily. That's my junior sociologist story and I'm sticking to it.

Short term decision with long term consequences.

Why would we expect folks to do better in that arena just because it also involves ink and needles?

I don't feel stupid. But I guess stupid people rarely do. Tattoos. Yup, some.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
They asked me why I have no tats.
I replied, "Have you ever seen a Ferrari with a bumper sticker?"

Well put! I have no use for tattoos and feel pity for women that think these actually enhance whatever natural beauty they may have been born with.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
They asked me why I have no tats.
I replied, "Have you ever seen a Ferrari with a bumper sticker?"

I'm going to have to remember that one

I think of the 20-40 year olds with full sleeve tats and wonder how many employers have said "no" to job opportunities because of tat bias. You may be brilliant, but if the person hiring doesn't like tattoos, you haven't done yourself any favors.

I don't this is the case most of the time, but it I'd imagine it happens.

My wife has talked about kids coming to school with holes in their shoes, or old, dirty clothes, or hungry, or without their meds. She has asked her boss, “Is there some way I can just go buy him a pair of shoes?” No.

Then she sees the boy’s mother with hundreds of dollars in fukkin’ tattoos. Assholes

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Shugart:
They asked me why I have no tats.
I replied, "Have you ever seen a Ferrari with a bumper sticker?"

This.

No matter how tight the budget, there’s always money for booze, cigs and one more tat.

I recall (and my memory ain't what it used to be, so bear with me) reading/hearing that Maori tribesmen, or at least AsiaPac peoples tattooed their faces with their "rank" in the tribe. The shaman had a particular tat, the priest another, the chief another, warriors another, and so on. Usually these tats were on their face, so that when they came across other tribes, identification of who's who was simply done by interpreting the tattoo.

It could be that merchant mariners and navy types did much the same thing, but on their arms. Walk through a port of call with "USMC" on your arm told a whole lot about who you were...