Tattoo

No, this is not a post about my short, plane spotting sidekick.  Rather it is a personal attempt to understand a modern day phenomenon of an ancient practice.  As a Baby Boomer (the generation born to the veterans of World War II circa 1946 to 1964) I have been somewhat baffled by the explosion in skin art among American persons.  Now don’t get defensive if you are a tattoo bearer; it is not my intention to judge, classify, psycho analyze or lampoon.  I am just curious about what I see happening in society.  And this seems to be a growing trend among the members of generations succeeding mine.

My father had a tattoo.  But then he was a sailor.  Not the kind spiriting about the bay in a sloop on Sunday afternoon but a real career Navy veteran of twenty years.  He sported a single fouled anchor on the inside of his arm.  Forgive me, but I cannot remember which arm.  Per his explanation, which was grudgingly surrendered, it was part of the tradition of overseas service.  He got the tattoo in Japan or China (yes, his service predated the communist takeover of Tsingtao); never offering any other explanation.  But I suspect the event was quite probably lubricated by copious amounts of alcohol. There may be something to the aphorism, “A tattoo is a permanent memento to a temporary feeling.”

It is not uncommon to see tattoos on members of my generation.  Although the bearer will most likely be a Viet Nam veteran or the owner of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle which delineates some type of cultural affinity.  But younger generations seem to be drawn to the practice at an accelerating rate without deference or attachment to some societal sub-strata.  I have many acquaintances and a few friends who do sport tattoos.  I have been somewhat disappointed that they seem reluctant to delve deeply into the mindset which triggered their action.  However, their choice to hold these thoughts close to the vest is as sacred to me as is my own reluctance to expound on my various scars (some physical, others emotional); but for the most part my body markings were not voluntary.

So in my personal research, which never seems to go nearly as deep as it should, I have stumbled across the learned opinions of the esteemed J. Cheever Loophole, Esq. presented here in a video recording of his commencement address presented to the 2014 graduating class of Whatsamatta U.