Ethnically Speaking by Larry Meeks

I still can't get over how quick some people are to find a reason to be offended before they look for a reason to let it go. The bumper sticker was edgy, but most tattoo parlors WANT to be seen as edgy and pushing convention. And did it occur to anyone that the bumper sticker is an advertisement for tattooing services, therefore by definition it is stating that it is preferable to be a "colored" person? Andrea's statement: "I concluded that the most degrading part is the assumption that white people who get "inked" are the lowest form of white person and the only way they can improve their status is via a tattoo." Is it just me, or is this an awfully big leap? While I can agree that discretion is necessary with a bumper sticker that is sure to draw this type of attention, I think it's about time we stop looking for insult wherever we can pry it out, and this goes for everyone. It's natural to respond to a percieved dig, but it doesn't have to mean that since we initally saw it MIGHT be insulting, we should automatically keep the fire burning without giving the actual statement any more thought. For the record, I'm "colored" in both senses: I'm biracial and inked, and I thought the sticker was cute and would consider going to that parlor. My husband, who is white, blue, red, yellow, and charcoal, agreed, and said it was probably a black owned business, because a white owner may like the slogan, but would probably be afraid to go there, while a black owner wouldn't worry about offending as much. Either way, the shop is making fun of themselves, something more of us need to do. While my tattoo is positioned so it can only be seen by those I want to see it, I find it insulting that it is still assumed that anyone with ink is incapable of any social function. Ink tells about a person in the same way clothing or accessories do, it just usually says something about that person's core and not a passing mood. Would a bank teller with large bangle bracelets be any less capable than one with little stars tattooed on her wrist? Both may be saying the same thing: "I'm trendy." So why is one worse than the other?

Larry, I found your comment interesting in regards to giving a double tip, for penitence. I too, find tattoos to be very distasteful; but the person, of their own volition, chooses to become tattooed, sending a statement about themselves. Just as they're entitled to their "statement" on their lives in choosing to be tattooed, I am also allowed my viewpoint on tattooing in disliking them and forming a negative opinion of the social and business appropriateness of those choosing to be tattooed. If one didn't want a mix of varied reactions to one's tattoos, then why would one even have them, at least where visible?

My apologies if this ends up posting more than one time. I tried to post it and after waiting a reasonable time it still wasn't up. Maybe this time :)
I live outside of a military base and have been involved with the military in one way or another from the time I graduated from high school. Perhaps my reactions to tattoos have been shaped by this environment. It is not uncommon to go through a unit formation and find that the vast majority of the men and women there have at least one tattoo. Many of these people have them as a marker of their time in combat or in honor of a fallen friend and teammate. If you ever seen someone wearing a tattoo that has combat boots, an upside down weapon with a helmet on it and a pair of dog tags do not recoil in disgust, instead thank them for their sacrifice. This symbol is used in the military to honor the fallen. I also know of many Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who have their personal information tattooed on their upper torso, under the arm so that they can be identified no matter what the state of their body.
I have to agree that tattoo's make a statement about the person who has them. I currently have nine of them and they all are a statement about a part of my life and who I am. I won't detail all of them, but will expand on three.
The band of arabic writing on my arm is my three sons names. It states that I am a Mother who was in Iraq . The artwork was drawn by one of our Iraqi interpreters and I had it placed on my body between the times I was there.
The band of celtic knot work on my other arm represents my anglo heritage. The dreamcatcher I'll be getting on my ankle in the future will represent my Blackfoot and Cherokee heritage. This states that I am proud of my family and where we came from.
The army lady on my leg states that I am an Army vet. The EOD badge on her uniform states that I was an explosives tech. The Betty Page hair she has is to honor the women of WWII. The Vietnam uniform she wears is to honor the women who served during that conflict.
If I go back to Iraq or Afghanistan I will be getting my personal information tattooed on my body this time. I had way to many close calls last time and want to make sure I get home no matter what.
I feel sorry for anyone who would react with disgust at another person simply because they have tattoo's. Perhaps you should take a minute and remember that old adage about a book and its cover.

Thank you for sharing all of this, Michelle. It's a good lesson in how meaningful tattoos can be.

I don't have any problem with tattoos. I kind of like them. I like the concept of ornamenting the body with pictures or emblems that have a lot of meaning for the individual.

The best teller at my bank had multiple piercings. Gave me the willies but I put up with it because she's sharp.

Michelle, speak for yourself. As a proud veteran and military retiree I rarely saw tattoos, but then, of course, I am from a different generation. I have nothing against 1 or 2 meaningful tattoos in discreet places, but not the over-bearing "artwork" you see every where today.

There used to be a saying that should be recalled more often in today's society. "Everything in moderation..."

I'm with Amelia. I find tattoos repulsive for the most part, and am disgusted at how common they've become - and how many people seem to have entire limbs covered in ink. That said, I probably have more tolerance for tattoos on military veterans than on other people, for the reasons Michelle outlined. Of course, Larry Meeks is correct to point out that people are wrong to stereotype and judge people by their appearance, but the mere observation that it's wrong is not going to stop that from happening. The fact is that people WILL judge you by your appearance - and some of those people will be in a position to help you, hurt you, or otherwise wield some kind of authority over your life. People who judge in this way sometimes don't even do this intentionally, it just "happens." It's part of our nature as human beings, as visual creatures. I think people would be better-served to simply accept this reality than spend a lot of time whining about it. It's not a fact of life that's going to change or go away.

Gawd, how I wish "B"'s bank manager had rolled up a sleeve (or a skirt) and showed his or her own tattoo! Oh well, I spent a heck of a lot of time swimming and see LOTS of folks in bathing suits -- if we're not the majority yet, we soon will be. All ages, too. And the more of us there are, the more of us will be in a position to hire & fire (plenty already are.)
I can't remember a time, from earliest childhood, when I didn't love tattoos and find them absolutely gorgeous. I still waited till I was 42 to take the plunge, and didn't get my 2nd till I was 50. The 3rd is still in the planning stages; probably next winter after I hit the 5-gallon mark for lifetime blood donations (I hate sitting out that one-year deferral, but what can ya do?)
Oh yeah, I thought the bumper sticker was hilarious.

I'm having good luck today with my posts actually posting!

I have no problem with tatoos either way. Its a personal choice. I personally don't want one.

I have read everyone's comments and personally I find the bumper sticker tacky. We all know what they are trying to say and how they are trying to be clever by using words to play on. Personally I find that type of advertising stupid on a lot of different levels. They think maybe they are being clever but I think they may lose more business by trying to be witty and provactative when in fact they are using racial slurs on so many different levels. A business wants to bring people in, not make them think and rethink what kind of morals that they the customer may have to deal with while having a permanent piece of ink on their body.

To Nicole post #1, I like your comment and your observation on it. But I think you are right on a white vs black. Being a white person, you can get into a lot of trouble if you say something racial even in a joke. Its one of those we have to watch what we say or we are labeled as racist even over a small joke. Black people can make cracker jokes all day on stage but when have you seen the opposite?

I also like your take on how you see the bumper sticker. Yes others will see it differently and its not that huge of a jump when you read the words "white trash". Ya it seems like one but think on how the words are put together to be provacative. When someone puts something so provactive together they must also think there is going to be a backlash of some sort.

All this talk about being judged based on appearance makes me laugh. Yes, unfortunately we are all judged for it. My mother loves to talk about how important appearances are and makes comments about how "rough" someone looks. My reply is always this: remember that Ted Bundy was described as handsome, charming, and articulate. Dennis Rader was a church deacon and a Cub Scout leader. Appearances really can be deceiving. People are rarely wary of someone who meets society's standard of what is considered acceptable.

First, can we get over the bumper sticker already? The tattoo parlor knows its audience (or knows who it is trying to attract), and clearly people offended by that bumper sticker aren't going to do business at that tattoo shop. I got the play on the words, and it was just stupid, to be honest, and hardly worth this much discussion. But the tattoo discussion is interesting. I was 37 when I got my one and only tattoo on the inside of one of my ankles. I work for a national, financial trade magazine, so when I attend business events or other events where I believe the tattoo will be to my detriment, I wear pants and/or boots. Of course, my tattoo is quite small, and therefore easy to hide -- indeed, even when I wear skirts, it would be easy to miss. Like so many others, my tattoo isn't merely "decoration" -- it stands for something. It is the Iron Man logo and stands for the fact that I completed an Iron Man race. That means I swam 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles and ran 26.2 miles (yes, on the same day, no stopping to rest). I trained long and hard for it and it was a very long and difficult day, and I am extremely proud of my accomplishment.
But I actually mention my tattoo simply as "full disclosure." What I really wanted to to comment on was Larry Meeks' "guilty conscience" about judging the tattooed waiter that led him to double his tip and be extra courteous. This is a ridiculous response. There is nothing wrong with not liking tattoos. But refusing to be served by someone with a tattoo (as one person who commented on this topic did at his bank) is petty and ridiculous. But similarly, tipping double out of guilt is ridiculous. When you are at a bank, you expect to have your transaction dealt with efficiently and courteously -- if the teller is efficient and courteous, then you have no valid complaint. When you eat out at a restaurant, you expect your waiter to be efficient and courteous -- if the waiter is efficient and courteous, you tip him or her fairly. Save your double tips for someone who really goes out of their way to make your experience excellent.

Re: Lisa
Congratulations on the Ironman Competition. You have a right to be proud.

Dear Larry,

This is in regards to your open discussion about the bumper sticker, “Turning White Trash into Coloured People.”
This day and age we are supposed to be working to eradicate racism and yet, with the statements made on your open discussion towards our bumper stickers, everyone is taking us back to when we had separate drinking fountains. We are supposed to be moving forward not backward. For one thing, my sticker was misspelled in the article. I used the word “Coloured” as to color something in. The misspelling implemented racism. There are many things in everyday life that can be turned and twisted to be interpreted as racism. People use the sticker as an outlet to openly talk about race and tattoos. Also, People used my stickers in the open discussion as an excuse to be negative about tattoos because they don't have the balls to do it themselves.
Many have said in your open discussion, tattoos are tacky and tattooed people don't belong in industries such as banks, restaurants, etc. What makes people with tattoos any less hard working or qualified for a job? I am the owner of the tattoo shop in question and I have many color tattoos. Does that make me white trash or coloured? Or am I just tattooed? A lot of people look at me and turn the other way not knowing who I am as a person, tattoos don't change the person I am today. I am a hard working father of four that tries to raise my kids with an open mind and a decent set of morals. However, I am treated like a low life because of the color in my skin. Which weather you like it or not for lack of a better term its being racist. I am tax paying member of society that abides by the law and I would be the same person with or without tattoos. Many of my clients liked my bumper sticker because they are open minded and understood the play on words.
The way some people have taken the sticker is off base from its meaning. Racism in society made it all about a color barrier. Anyone who has tattoos knows what it is like to be deemed trashy or tacky by people who don't agree with tattoos. We are therefore considered “White Trash”. White trash is not a racial slur it is a term used by many to describe someone lower then themselves. A stereotype passed down through society. My sticker was a stab at being politically correct and what society thinks about people with tattoos. However, it was taken as racist. If the sticker was meant to be racist there are many other words I could have used other than “White trash”, and “Coloured.” The sticker is for a tattoo shop; hence, you come out “coloured“. It was a play on words and was taken too far by people who are worried about racism. Who are in fact the ones being racist with those thoughts. People just need to let it go, it's the only way the racial barrier will come down and we can finally over come it. Open your mind and learn to take a joke; life is too short. So get tattooed and live a little.

Thank you
Inflictions Tattoos