On Dec 22, 2:56*pm, Doug Freyburger > wrote:
> Cheryl wrote:
> > Doug Freyburger wrote:
>
> >> The popularity of tattoos is a sign or weaking religious hold on
> >> society ...
>
> > I don't agree.
>
> Note that tattoos are explicitly forbidden by the holy book of the
> majority religion of western civilization. *You just disagreed that an
> increasing population of people who flagrantly ignore such a religious
> mandate is a sign of weaking religious hold on society. This strikes me
> as a matter of logic and population counts not as a matter of opinion.
>
> > Tats are just ...
>
> The fact that you can view it that way says you do not acknowledge the
> power of the holy book of the majority religion to forbid you from
> having a tattoo.
>
> > a way to express yourself with color and
> > an image. Like jewelry. Or acrylic nails. Or makeup.
>
> Being permanent they are more important than transient decorations, or
> should be viewed as such. *Tattoos are definitely a way to express your
> personality through decorations. Because I can take jewelry off I
> think that should give tattoos a larger import. I almost never take off
> my wedding ring but I can do so and it does come off every so often
> even if it's only to confirm that I can still take it off. With a
> tattoo it takes a medical procedure with a recovery healing time to
> remove it.
>
> The reasons for getting a tattoo range from viewing them as lightly as
> jewelry to viewing them as acts of heritage, devotion, personal
> transistion.

I have come across positive people who are tattooed. They are in a
minority though. It seems to me that they are just playing around
with youth and 'fashion.' The one fellow is very good at what he does
and is a decent chap. He even has these large black earrings which
are meant to stretch the earlobe so he can get even larger earrings in
there. As soon as I met him, I warmed up to him tats, earrings and
all. He was for the most part genuine. Most people I talk to with
tats aren't . They proclaim that because they have 'sleeves', they
are somehow cool. This fellow was a person first. That's what counts.