Matthew Gilchrest wrote:Joe Baker wrote:It's all freedom baby; you're free to get the ugly thing, but I'm free to decide that getting it shows bad judgment.
Honestly, Joe, this shows that you're also free to be narrow-minded and pass judgement.
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I reserve the right to pass judgement to only one Person. He has the final say.
So if someone you THOUGHT was a friend invited you to join them at the KKK rally, you'd not pass judgment? If he beat the hell out of his wife, again no judgment? I don't understand that.
But that has nothing to do with what I have said. What I've said is that society doesn't welcome tats & piercing. Maybe someday, but not now. I'd stand in the face of society when it is "wrong" (like racial bigotry, for example). But when its decisions are no worse than arbitrary, and people overtly act out against it, that is by definition antisocial behavior. That doesn't mean I think the person is scum, or that I hate them. It just means I think they've made a really bad choice. Shoot, I've had many friends with tattoos (piercings -- not so much). But I wouldn't hire them to interact with my customers. That's not MY judgment, it is my awareness of society's judgment. It is what it is. You want to incur society's wrath to make a point, go right ahead; I'd rather fight battles that mean something. And I'll encourage young people not to waste their time on this fight, too, because it's foolish.
In the interest of complete truth, I do have to admit to this, though: like everyone else, I make judgments about people based on their appearance. That's just common sense; when you see the clothing, hairstyle, makeup -- whatever a person uses to make themselves look the way they do, you know they made conscious choices. Those choices tell you something about the character and the priorities of the person. My first instinct when I see a young person with a tattoo or a piercing is "this guy doesn't mind offending people." That brings them down a notch in my estimation. There are plenty of other positives that may well overcome that one -- and very often do -- but make no mistake, I DO perceive that negatively. So do most people over the age of about 30, to greater degrees with older people. And its also true that the older the tattooed person is, the more likely they are to now regret the tattoo, which tells me they've learned. That immediately negates the tattoo in my mind; but alas it doesn't remove it from their bodies.
I should also say that there are definitely degrees in this whole issue. The fact that you had the foresight to put yours where they can be hidden says you were thinking more clearly than the idiots that get them on their forearms or necks.
Anyhow, to imply that I only like people who agree with me on everything -- sorry, that won't fly. I can name people I love dearly who have made every one of the mistakes you named. I'd never judge a person based upon what they've done in the past, assuming they've seen the error of their ways, repented, and when called for made the best restitution they can. In the case of a tattoo, though, it just keeps offending -- even when the wearer no longer wishes to offend.
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Joe Baker, who is speaking tough truths, but hates no one.
