Changing stereotypes

[k man]

aplogys for the poor photos and the scabby bandage on the top right shoulder I had a full shoulder reco on Tuesday , bit hard to take a decent shot when my arm is in a sling and lame by the way love that coloured hairdo that takes guts

 

[Goldtarget]

Hard to see many sit on the fence. I myself have given the rough end of the pineapple to a bloke with tattoo before even though I have more than a few myself. Mostly I won't judge on ink but I couldn't help but come down on this guy. He was going on and on about tattoos and his liberation from regular society. He had a few in very cover able spots and was carrying on about getting sleeves.

I was trying to steer the (18 year old) guy in the right direction trying to explain that a tradie with full arm sleeves was a big decision, that he would be judged every moment he was on a job or out in public. Suffice to say things got heated and a bit of a dust up occurred. Fortnight later proud as punch he strolls in fully inked.

The boss put him on notice, and a few weeks later out of work. He struggled to get his own work. We got into a few fights while working away with locals during that time. All tattoo and perception related. The trouble is not the ink but the perception. Thankfully 10 years on things are a little better and society is more accepting.

I myself have gone back and forth on getting a single sleeve (at least) for countless years based on what I see this outdated attitude of deciding character based on ink. Even now i still get a few surprised looks from people i work with or know that discover my ink. It's a bit crazy though some of the smartest, respectful and successful people I know are heavily tattooed. But like one of my guys that I work with character will almost always shine through in the end right up there with honesty integrity and work ethic. Plenty of clean skinned violent deviants out there too.

 

[Redfin]

Very interesting discussion, and I agree that it is all about perception.

I wonder tho, what these young women will be thought of
when they are standing in line for an ice cream with their grandchildren.

 

[k man]

Well said gold target.but your right! The taboo of tattoos and full arm sleeves is slowly starting to wash off in society. with the younger gen. Its almost spot the person without ink imagine if they all get discriminated at a job interview? In 25 years there will be no one left to work

 

[k man]

Redfin where did u find the photos of my gf

 

[yobskin]

Wow what a response thanks guys..
All my tatts are top shelf won heaps of comps and been in every mag. You might have seen them?
There not offensive they dont give me super powers i dont expect special treatment because i have them they are my story for when im old and decrepet and i cant remember shite....hahaha seriously when ya start falling apart ya sorta stop caring about what ya look like and are more inclinded in surviving the year out.

 

[k man]

Not a problem yobskin would love to see a couple

 

[The Green Wanderer]

Give everyone the benefit of being a decent person until proven otherwise. Thats the way I deal with the individuality of people, save for an exception or two it has proven itself a reliable way to see someones true colours. As far as tatts go, personally I dont have any but nor do I judge anyone by theirs. My soon to be wife has tattoos and has plans for more, doesnt bother me in the least. She has them because she has an artists eye and thats the way she wants her body to look.
Yobskin just keep up the acts of random kindness and soon youll have a rep as a top bloke with the townsfolk, small towns take a while to become a part of but soon you will just be one of them. Once that happens you have the advantage of extending a hand the next time someone new is in your shoes.

 

[Ned kellys not dead]

Bahahahahahahaha ,k man your a crackup brother, I got all my tattoos when I was 16, too young to make an informed decision, but following the traditions and peer pressures of the older guys around me in the R.A.N. if I was making that decision today, I would still like tattoos, but would be a little more selective about where and what I got, not that I have offensive tattoos !

 

[Grounded]

Well said gold target.but your right! The taboo of tattoos and full arm sleeves is slowly starting to wash off in society. with the younger gen. Its almost spot the person without ink imagine if they all get discriminated at a job interview? In 25 years there will be no one left to work

I do see this discussion very interesting - and would like to share from another viewpoint.

Firstly the disclaimer - Personally I do not mind what people look like - I have moved past that many years ago.....

I used to work in an industry that was conservative and safety critical. Generally it would involve leading a group of like minded people that you have never met before. You would meet these people for the first time when you turned up for work.

In doing so - critical decisions needed to be made in the first 5-15 minutes that would effect the whole days events and the net result was making sure you ended up alive at the end of the day. So naturally, to make the best decisions, one needs to form an effective team - and very very quickly (note I do not use committee). So how do you do that......

Unfortunately - as we all do in life - it comes down to sterotypes. We all do it. It is subconscious thinking. We make a perception based on cultural influence, be it a haircut style, physical stature, eye contact, posture etc etc. We make this sterotype association within around the first 30 seconds of meeting someone.

When someone forms an opinion within around the first 30 seconds - it is can be difficult to change that perception. Again it is natural to think we are right (even subconsciously). So, by inference it can be seen, that it is difficult to prove ourselves wrong until the evidence leads that way......perhaps helping put that mower back on the trailer etc....

So we use this sterotype to form a team, and make critical decisions. I guess it is the old saying "...first impressions count".

I submit that for these reasons, people with "visible" tatoos were not selected in the industry I used to work in. Never saw 1 out of thousands of people. Likewise, people selected for the position usually were of similar nature, sometimes even similar looks - generally conservative and goal orientated. The technical skills of an individual were a given. The personality profile of the individuals could not be open to any adverse scrutiny due to the close proximity of meeting for the first time and making decisions. If one was seen to be "different" - it was difficult to form a team quickly and easily.

Although it is obviously a false assumption - if someone had have had a visible tatoo, it would be considered outside the normal profile, open themselves to individual scrutiny, and information they provided in the decision making process would be considered tainted or possibly corrupt.....open to question because they were different? Silly - yes! But I believe it is fair to say it is culturally an accurate description of how society acts. Is it changing - definitely not in that industry! Not even for the young ones. I don't believe it will in the future either. Other areas - I don't have the insight or experience to be able to share.

However, I also submit that outside our area of domestic life - some cultures in various countries see tatoos as the norm eg those in the highlands on Papua New Guinea, or the Maori in NZ. If you did not have appropriate tatoo markings, one might be seen as different and outcast from their society. Yet when you travel to such places as Japan, tatoos can be associated with organised crime and have the possibility of being ejected or refused entry to various places of business. In some countries, depending on the tatoo, one may be even be refused entry to that country.

Which brings me around to the question of what is the value of a tatoo? Is it a sign of belonging - to a family, club, team or other association? It is a sign to be different? Can a tatoo be used as sign of grief, or even of celebration? Or could it be recognition of achievement? Does it provide comfort or purpose? Is it a sign at all? When does it cross over to an expression or art? Is it superfluous to life's events? Will I buy a Mazda or a Honda? Drink VB or a Guiness? One thing is certain - it is an individual choice!

Never the less - what ever is its purpose, origin or meaning - it is an intentional and deliberate marking.

So - I believe there is no right or wrong answer for tatoos. However - what I do feel is that should one decide to have "visible" tatoos that it is for the right reasons. It is a deliberate act that has meaning. One needs to be aware that others around may not have the same understanding or conception of that meaning - particularly when wandering off into another culture or another country.

Some of the best blokes I have come across have had big chunky tats. Some of the biggest wanker losers have also had tats. What discriminates between the top bloke and the loser - not the tatoo!