General Discussion Tattoo

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What is your opinion on tattoo? When I was young, the tattoo is the exclusive dominion of convicts. Only convicted criminals sport a tattoo because they get it inside the jail. So when you sport a tattoo, the people would think that you are an ex-convict. Now that tattoo is getting popular, that stigma still remains in some parts of the country and in some sectors particularly the older generation. That is reason enough why I wouldn’t have a tattoo on my body. How about you, do you think tattoo is good?
 
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In the USA, tattoos have become a bandwagon trend like beards. Therefore, they don't really mean that much. Having one doesn't always show a tough and free spirit, but rather just an annoying desire to fit in.
 
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Since my childhood, I always wanted to have tattoo, I thought tattoo makes a man cool. However, when I became an adult I understood tattoo does not make a person cool, it is his attitudeand behavior that make him cool. However, my love for tattoo has not faded yet. I will one day have tattoo on my skin.
 
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What is your opinion on tattoo? When I was young, the tattoo is the exclusive dominion of convicts. Only convicted criminals sport a tattoo because they get it inside the jail. So when you sport a tattoo, the people would think that you are an ex-convict. Now that tattoo is getting popular, that stigma still remains in some parts of the country and in some sectors particularly the older generation. That is reason enough why I wouldn’t have a tattoo on my body. How about you, do you think tattoo is good?
Really it has baffled me to know about this tattoo craze. Of all my possible guesses never thought in this line. Thank you for the info, I can reason this is where the idea of tattoo came from. A negative development I'd argue.
 
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Just to add, a tattoo is a permanent thing and although it can be erased, it is not that easy. I was in Bangkok earlier this year. In one street boutique, I noticed the attendant who has a tattoo on her arm – 2 Chinese characters. When I asked about the meaning of the tattoo, her reply was indirect, that she had wanted the tattoo to be erased but it is expensive so the tattoo remains for now. That permanent tattoo will be a problem someday. We have here an actor named Mark and an actress named Claudine who fell in love. Claudine had the name of Mark tattooed on her leg. When they broke up, you can guess what happened next.
 
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All the time we see trends. For instance, in the 70s, all the guys wanted long hair. In the 80s all the guys who played rock wanted long hair. In the 2000s beards were scary and associated with terrorism, but now they are a cool trend. Anyhow, my point is when does a look signify a real rebel and not a conformist?

However, it could be said that getting a tattoo is always a challenge even if it's a bandwagon thing. For instance, it's normally painful, so perhaps people see it as some test of manhood.
 
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Tattoos are really cool especially when done in the right way. I would go for one if I didn't have to face the stigma in our country. People not only think you are an ex convict, they also think you are a thug. You can't apply for some jobs in our country. A friend of mine was declined a chance to join the military just because he had a tattoo.
 
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Tattoos are really cool especially when done in the right way. I would go for one if I didn't have to face the stigma in our country. People not only think you are an ex convict, they also think you are a thug. You can't apply for some jobs in our country. A friend of mine was declined a chance to join the military just because he had a tattoo.

That's strange cause in the US everyone is getting tattoos, not just ex-convicts. In fact, if businesses quit hiring people because of tattoos, then they'd be out of a workforce. For sure, the US military allows some tattoos for that reason, but I know that certain tattoos can keep you out and possibly the presence of too many of them.

However, it all seems like a recent trend, as when I was in high school in the 90s, tattoos were still seen as being for rock stars or convicts. Possibly it was also normal for military guys to have one or two.
 
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Looking at it from the health angle is tattoo safe for the skin. I don't quite think so. I'm still trying to find out why people actually go for tattoos, sad enough it's thought origin is horrible, from the prison. Some people just follow what seems to be trending how it affects their health or reputation is not a thinking to them.
 
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When I was younger, I wanted to have a tattoo because I liked drawing on my skin with a pen and they looked cool. But now that I think about it, I only wanted a tattoo because I was in my rebellious teen phase, I wanted to be different and mostly, I wanted to piss off my mom because she's super religious and like some of you already mentioned, thinks only thugs and murderers have tattoos. Nowadays, I'm not that big on having a tattoo. But if I ever did get one, I'd get it for the symbolism more than anything else. Like if I had a personal victory in my life (e.g. beating cancer) and wanted a constant reminder (e.g. a positive quotation or picture symbolising my personal victory), then a tattoo would be great for that purpose.

But it is funny that there is still so much of a stigma with getting a tattoo, even though they have been widely accepted into our modern culture. I taught English in South Korea for two years and knew an American teacher there who had a lot of tattoos on his body. But whenever he had to go teach in a classroom, he had to cover up his tattoos with a long-sleeved dress shirt because his employers didn't deem it appropriate. And I think it's because tattoos are viewed as something not fitting for the workplace and could be construed as unprofessional and might make you seem like you're a social deviant, even if you're not. It really depends on the country you're living in and how traditional their viewpoints are about your public appearance. I guess it's hard to let go of preconceived notions when it comes to tattoos simply because of their origins and the reasons people used to wear them before. But in my opinion, if you have a tattoo, I don't think you and your personality should be judged because of it. Everyone gets tattoos for different reasons and it's certainly not up to me to judge them or put my prejudices on their shoulders.
 
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