Tuesday, June 24, 2014

A permanent reminder of a temporary feeling...


As I pulled into the parking space at the gym I was mildly irritated by the bumper sticker on the car in front of me.  It was a blue Bush – Cheney bumper sticker (circa year 2000).  Giving the owner of this vehicle the benefit of the doubt, I thought, maybe it just won’t come off.  It’s a “carttoo” – a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling, as Jimmy Buffett described in his song of that title.  At least that “carttoo” was valid for 8 years.  The Romney/Ryan “carttoo” I saw recently represented a ship that had long sailed (and eventually sunk.) I’d use some duct tape to cover that one up if it would not come off!  In the spirit of bipartisanship, I would also suggest that all Obama “carttoos” be removed by 2016 as well.  



There is no doubt that the profusion and acceptability of “body art”, (including piercing), has been steadily increasing over the years.  In our celebrity driven society, we only to have look as far as our sports figures and rock star role models to see how “ink” has been embraced.   Arms, legs, backs, chests and shoulders are now seen as canvases for increasingly intricate artistic designs.

 “She was no Marine back from the Philippines
She was their pride and joy, their incarnation.
Her parents viewed the chief
With shock and disbelief
Looking for some other explanation……

It's a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling.”
Jimmy Buffett

Remember when the only people who had tattoos were your grizzled old uncle who had been in the Navy who proudly sported an anchor on his forearm,  black leather clad bikers or prison inmates, showing their gang  affiliations? 



At the gym, I contemplated the proliferation of “body art” as it was on full display.  Three young dudes attached to iPhones and ear buds next to me all had colorful calf tattoos that looked like they might have been replicas of the ceiling at the Sistine Chapel. Then there were a number of young women with  “roses on shoulders and kittens with whiskers”, (sung to the tune of My Favorite Things) and the obligatory “tramp stamps”.  (Sorry, though I was at the “Judgement Free Zone,” that’s the moniker that has become part of our modern lexicon.) Despite the new innovations in laser tattoo removal, tattoos are permanent reminders in everlasting Technicolor.


It may seem that Americans can be separated into the  “haves” (tattoos) and the  “havenots” (tattoos) but age, gender and economics don’t seem to figure in the equation.   Like many things these days, parents only have so much influence or control over their children’s wardrobe or their dermatological presentation.  I recently heard a father of a 19-year-old girl say, “ I tried everything to convince my daughter not to get a tattoo.  I even offered her $500 if she would forgo the ink.” Nice try, Dad.   Instead of her being $500 richer, she was out $500 bucks and sporting a fresh, new colorful leg design. 

My wife and I were walking downtown on a warm summer day and we passed a “mature” woman of a certain age who had too many sagging and wrinkly tattoos on her too exposed areas.  We each had the same thought.  We wished we could have taken a picture of this to illustrate (no pun intended) why one might think twice about their youthful decision to get tattoos.  What was once (maybe) a rose had become a wilted head of cabbage that was destined for the compost heap and what was once (perhaps) a whimsical butterfly was now a horrific dragon-like vision in black and blue, from in a bad dream.   Like with carpentry, it’s a good idea to “think twice and ink once.”  You don’t want to have “tattoo regret” as in this tattoo:  “No Regerts”  




Many of us tolerant and evolved types accept body art as “Live and Let Life” (as I saw on one tattoo fail.) However, unless you are Mike Tyson, the neck, head and face seem to be the final  frontier of socially acceptable  permanent designs. Call me old fashioned, but I have yet to see a neck tattoo that I would call “tasteful” no matter how artistic it was.   A tasteful neck tattoo might be considered an oxymoron.  Here's one I like:




One word of caution before getting that tattoo:  Be sure to check spelling and grammar. 

 I “belive” they were going for “Believe”.












"Never is an awefully long time.”  (This Awe inspiring bad spelling is forever.)










“My mom is my angle”  (90 degrees of separation?)









Why fight it, I might as well jump on the “ink bandwagon” and get a tattoo.  After all,
“you only live ones!”  Oops, let me rephrase that; ” you only life once.” 


   








Steve E. Reno


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