Ok, let's see if I can kick this anthill over one more time.
At the top of the order, Germans are second class Dutchmen, or more likely just criminals whose Dutch citizenship was revoked like the Aussies (only not as cool). Being Dutch is to be at the top of the food chain.
Secondly, while to those of you who tattoos are in the cool catagory, to the rest of the world it places you squarely in the Not To Be Trusted catagory. That may not matter to you. Fine. Whatever. But don't come crying to me when you don't get that job, get passed over for that promotion you desire, or the loan officer turns down your application for money, because whether you like it or not, placing ink on your body means something to the rest of the world who is not inclined to engage in aboriginal behavior. And that is what this amounts to: Tribalism. The piercing, marking, and disfigurement are all hallmarks of, "Me in this tribe, you not one of us, unk!" While that may not be what comes to mind when you see a tat, the rest of us (read bankers, bosses, etc here) see rebel, person who does not like team play, nonconformist, does not play well with others.
Scream all you want about this being a stereotype, but the fact remains this is what a tattoo or piercing signifies. Prior to this fad only blue collar sailors or members of biker gangs got tats-- both of whom were frowned upon by the rest of "respectable" society. As an analogy, think of the word "f**k." It was always the language of the undesirables, from the people who came from the wrong side of the tracks. It has become more prevalent in everyday usage, but that doesn't take away from the fact that if you say it-- especially in polite company or in a business setting--it speaks volumes about you and what type of person you are: specifically a low brow, low class individual.
Don't blame me for these perceptions. It's just the way it is.
I can go so far as to say that prior to tattooing and piercing becoming popular, that if a person were to get one it would possibly --possibly-- be a testament to their individuality or originality, because it would be done regardless the consequences. Particularly if it were visible.
But now it just reflects a vapidness of spirit, the desire to be original without the effort to actually create something original, a shortcut, if you will, to being avant gard. And that's the problem-- there are no shortcuts to being creative. It's a laborious process, and one that is intensely personal, not something which you wake up one day and think, "Huh. A tattoo is cool, not to mention highly original. I think I'll get one." That would be, to paraphrase Dr. Evil, "Creative Lite." The velvet painting of acrylic oil painting. The Mr. Bill of sculptures.
If you truly want to folow in the footsteps of someone truly creative and still be tribalistic, cut your ear off like Van Gogh. That, at least, would be modeled after someone with true vision. To get a tat is just ********
Totem