History Chanel

I was recently watching the history channel and they had a program on called Ancient Ink. I thought it was pretty neat to really find out about the history of tattooing. Of course it can be said that tattoo's don't have a specific history, just that several different cultures over human existence have experimented with forms of permanant body modification. I was told recently that in the bible it even has a passage against tattooing or permanantly marking the body. The person that provided me with that information was a self-proclaimed Jahova's Witness that I was asking to assist me in getting my website designed. That being said, he informed me that he believed the reason that it was in the bible was that people used to tattoo their body in order to show allegience to their God and that while he understood it's not like that anymore, he believes in a very literal interpretation of the bible.

It occurs to me however, that in today's society, Tattoo's are truly looked at like an artform more and more. Now that there are shows like Miamai Ink, LA Ink, Inked, etc., that more and more people are getting tattoo's and getting them as an outlet for self expression. I mean, having a tattoo in someways saves me some steps when I meet a person. First of all, if you're going to judge me as a lesser person simply because I have a tattoo, then you aren't the kind of person I want to spend my time with anyways, we just saved potentially HOURS of awkward conversation! YEAH! If you ask me (which you didn't but if you're reading this then you get to read the author's opinion on the topic...!) I think that I am more likely to befriend someone that has a tattoo. I mean, for one thing they've made a commitment and they can handle pain! Those are two characteristics that I admire. Also, that person will probably have a reasonable measure of self confidence because if you have tattoo's, you probably know that people ask you about them all the time.

I get the most compliments from sweet old ladies that I meet on the floral tattoo I have on my forearm and they always seem so cute when I tell them I got it in rememberance of my grandmother, I wonder if they secretly with their granddaughter would get one when they die? Or on the inside are they thinking that they'd better go and have a long talk with the youth in their lives to reiterate there conservative beliefs against tattoo's? Who really knows?!

I think that a lot of the negativity that still surrounds the tattoo culture is the "freaks" out there. And I put that in quotation marks simply because I'm pretty open to the fact that people are going to live their life in a matter that suits them and makes them happy, and that manner isn't always condusive to "normal" people but that doesn't make it WRONG. For example, the lizard man on the History Channel program, I wonder what he's really like? He's probably a lot of fun, silly, a little crazy...and I would think somewhat lonely or maybe not? Who knows why people still join the circus? Because then their "freak-dom" isn't so freaky? They can still get paid for doing things the way they want to?

I have no desire to join the circus, and I only briefly considered having my tongue forked (it would totally freak out my kids!!!) and tattooing in the eyeball is too scary for me (but more power to ya man!) I just wonder how far body modification is going to go? How long before the people who's bodies look exactly the way that they were "intended" to are the "freaks"?

Between plastic surgery and tattoo's and piercings and implants, maybe because it's all becoming so common place now it really makes me wonder what the future is going to hold....it could be that I watched all three back to the future movies on monday too?

Oh well, random ramblings.....!