I'm a good bit older and can remember when tattoos came with a cool story. One of the marksmanship instructors at RRDet Stone Bay, for instance, had been a "China Marine" and had acquired a tiger's head on his chest. On black flag days he was allowed to take off his shirt and we all admired it. One of the men in my father's unit on Okinawa had gone on to be a member of the Japan occupation force and had the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor tattooed over his heart in Atsugi. We could see it when he mowed the lawn outside his quarters. That ink was proof, as you say, that they had gone somewhere dangerous and did their jobs.
I saw the other side of the coin in Iraq. There was an Australian unit on our compound and I became friends with a number of them including a Maori named Dez who had several tattoos which he explained had significance - tribal initiation as a man, marriage, birth of his kids, and so on. Occasionally we would go into town and if we were lucky we could visit the pool in the Green Zone. And we usually saw Americans with copies of those tattoos. Dez would only say he thought it was "stupid" but I could tell he found it offensive - stolen valor in a sense.
Great post, pretty much sums up my take on the subject.
Oh no doubt about the cool story … the WW2 vets I knew with tattoos all had something behind it. And the ex-cons, I’m sure, did as well. But I wasn’t about to ask.
Adding to that …. Like Dez, I find the idea of people getting tattooed like soldiers, ex-cons, someone from a South Pacific tribe, or bikers to be distasteful. Offensive, even.
I'm the same age as you and I completely agree with and understand your point. I have 1 tattoo and what I think is a pretty good story to go with it. My SO, with whom I've been for 30 yrs, comes from a similar background as you. He was a naval aviator and did important things in the Navy. He has not and will not get a tattoo. About 5 yrs ago, I had a melanoma and the surgery to remove it left a 7 inch scar on my back shoulder. I mentioned to him my idea to get a tattoo to cover my cancer scar, and he was all into it! So I have 1 tattoo -- and will only ever have 1 tattoo -- and it is of a piece of an embroidery sampler that was in my great-grandfather's store in Hungary in the early 20th century. I don't know where that puts me in the spectrum of people getting tattoos, but that was the only stiuation that could compell me to get one.
I should have mentioned tattoos to deal with significant scars or other visible physical traumas. That has existed for a long time, also, and is certainly not something I would ever want to look at in a bad way. I knew a lady that had been burned fairly badly and couldn’t grow eyebrows. She had eyebrows tattooed on. I get it.
It is kind of interesting because, if not for the scar, I might have toyed with the idea of a tattoo, but wouldn’t have followed through. I will also say that the guy who did it for me did a really good job and its just beautiful. I’m very happy with my tattoo.
On point. Montgomery Gentry had a great song that I liked came out in early 2000's called "Tattoos and Scars". I thought of it while reading this because to your point? the basis and meanings changed
Thank you for this! I don’t have a tattoo. My 90 year old husband doesn’t have a tattoo, but the kids all have them. Now I can tell them that they are all the same.
The only Tattoo I have is the one I carry around in my brain...the Deutsche Bundeswehr Großer Zapfenstreich...which is an ancient German military ceremonial custom, but let explain it auf Deutsch: Der Große Zapfenstreich ist die höchste zeremonielle militärische Tradition der deutschen Bundeswehr und zeichnet sich durch eine besondere, traditionelle Abfolge von Musikstücken aus, die von einem Musikkorps und einem Wachbataillon aufgeführt werden.
As for the physical rendering of a design on human skin with an inked needle, when everyone has one, it becomes rather passe. Not only that but when one is old and frayed, what used to look like a screaming eagle descending upon prey ends up looking like someone with Parkinson's spilled a pen full of indelible ink on some part of themself. A behavioral psychologist nailed it precisely when he observed that when everyone wants to stand out from the herd and be unique and distinct...they all end up looking exactly like everyone else in the herd. Human nature is a barrel of endless laughs, isn't it?
Then there was Mr. Roarke and 'Tattoo' on television's 'FANTASY ISLAND.' Who could ever forget pint-sized Herve Villechaize dunning over to Roarke, screaming 'Look Boss! Da plane! Da plane! Da plane! Funny, though..."Tattoo" himself never had a tattoo, either!
Problem is they now all look about the same. When you get enough of them it looks like someone took a pot of black ink and smeared it over their arm or leg. Another problem is as you age and loose fat and muscle the tats don't look very good on saggy skin, as well as fading from exposer to sunlight. I guy I worked with was an old Navy guy who had lots of tats. His favorite joke was to ask someone if they wanted to see a little cock. He'd raise his pant leg and there was a rooster tat on his ankle.
“Ink is one of the last cheap ways to look like a person instead of a template.” Clearly you’ve never been to Richmond, Va. Every other dude here has stick arms covered with sleeves and a ridiculous mustache that makes them look like retarded ringmasters from defunct circuses. Here, that IS the template.
this is not meant, in any way, to be a knock on people doing the work of tattooing. One thing that is certain, actually, is that tattooing generally is safer, higher quality, and more accessible. Which makes sense considering the dramatic change in the clientele.
Great piece and so true. This is one of my favorites of your work.
Thank you
I'm a good bit older and can remember when tattoos came with a cool story. One of the marksmanship instructors at RRDet Stone Bay, for instance, had been a "China Marine" and had acquired a tiger's head on his chest. On black flag days he was allowed to take off his shirt and we all admired it. One of the men in my father's unit on Okinawa had gone on to be a member of the Japan occupation force and had the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor tattooed over his heart in Atsugi. We could see it when he mowed the lawn outside his quarters. That ink was proof, as you say, that they had gone somewhere dangerous and did their jobs.
I saw the other side of the coin in Iraq. There was an Australian unit on our compound and I became friends with a number of them including a Maori named Dez who had several tattoos which he explained had significance - tribal initiation as a man, marriage, birth of his kids, and so on. Occasionally we would go into town and if we were lucky we could visit the pool in the Green Zone. And we usually saw Americans with copies of those tattoos. Dez would only say he thought it was "stupid" but I could tell he found it offensive - stolen valor in a sense.
Great post, pretty much sums up my take on the subject.
Oh no doubt about the cool story … the WW2 vets I knew with tattoos all had something behind it. And the ex-cons, I’m sure, did as well. But I wasn’t about to ask.
Adding to that …. Like Dez, I find the idea of people getting tattooed like soldiers, ex-cons, someone from a South Pacific tribe, or bikers to be distasteful. Offensive, even.
Amen brother!
I'm the same age as you and I completely agree with and understand your point. I have 1 tattoo and what I think is a pretty good story to go with it. My SO, with whom I've been for 30 yrs, comes from a similar background as you. He was a naval aviator and did important things in the Navy. He has not and will not get a tattoo. About 5 yrs ago, I had a melanoma and the surgery to remove it left a 7 inch scar on my back shoulder. I mentioned to him my idea to get a tattoo to cover my cancer scar, and he was all into it! So I have 1 tattoo -- and will only ever have 1 tattoo -- and it is of a piece of an embroidery sampler that was in my great-grandfather's store in Hungary in the early 20th century. I don't know where that puts me in the spectrum of people getting tattoos, but that was the only stiuation that could compell me to get one.
I should have mentioned tattoos to deal with significant scars or other visible physical traumas. That has existed for a long time, also, and is certainly not something I would ever want to look at in a bad way. I knew a lady that had been burned fairly badly and couldn’t grow eyebrows. She had eyebrows tattooed on. I get it.
It is kind of interesting because, if not for the scar, I might have toyed with the idea of a tattoo, but wouldn’t have followed through. I will also say that the guy who did it for me did a really good job and its just beautiful. I’m very happy with my tattoo.
On point. Montgomery Gentry had a great song that I liked came out in early 2000's called "Tattoos and Scars". I thought of it while reading this because to your point? the basis and meanings changed
that’s a good one Joe …. heck, even tattoo parlors have changed.
Thank you for this! I don’t have a tattoo. My 90 year old husband doesn’t have a tattoo, but the kids all have them. Now I can tell them that they are all the same.
Tell them that a tattooed combat veteran says so ;-)
For myself, I don't want a tattoo.
The only Tattoo I have is the one I carry around in my brain...the Deutsche Bundeswehr Großer Zapfenstreich...which is an ancient German military ceremonial custom, but let explain it auf Deutsch: Der Große Zapfenstreich ist die höchste zeremonielle militärische Tradition der deutschen Bundeswehr und zeichnet sich durch eine besondere, traditionelle Abfolge von Musikstücken aus, die von einem Musikkorps und einem Wachbataillon aufgeführt werden.
As for the physical rendering of a design on human skin with an inked needle, when everyone has one, it becomes rather passe. Not only that but when one is old and frayed, what used to look like a screaming eagle descending upon prey ends up looking like someone with Parkinson's spilled a pen full of indelible ink on some part of themself. A behavioral psychologist nailed it precisely when he observed that when everyone wants to stand out from the herd and be unique and distinct...they all end up looking exactly like everyone else in the herd. Human nature is a barrel of endless laughs, isn't it?
Then there was Mr. Roarke and 'Tattoo' on television's 'FANTASY ISLAND.' Who could ever forget pint-sized Herve Villechaize dunning over to Roarke, screaming 'Look Boss! Da plane! Da plane! Da plane! Funny, though..."Tattoo" himself never had a tattoo, either!
Problem is they now all look about the same. When you get enough of them it looks like someone took a pot of black ink and smeared it over their arm or leg. Another problem is as you age and loose fat and muscle the tats don't look very good on saggy skin, as well as fading from exposer to sunlight. I guy I worked with was an old Navy guy who had lots of tats. His favorite joke was to ask someone if they wanted to see a little cock. He'd raise his pant leg and there was a rooster tat on his ankle.
“Ink is one of the last cheap ways to look like a person instead of a template.” Clearly you’ve never been to Richmond, Va. Every other dude here has stick arms covered with sleeves and a ridiculous mustache that makes them look like retarded ringmasters from defunct circuses. Here, that IS the template.
As a relatively new tattoo artist, born in ‘90, this was an interesting read. I can definitely appreciate this perspective — thanks for sharing.
this is not meant, in any way, to be a knock on people doing the work of tattooing. One thing that is certain, actually, is that tattooing generally is safer, higher quality, and more accessible. Which makes sense considering the dramatic change in the clientele.