Thread: Straight razor tattoo

i think its still illegal in south carolina, last i saw.

-micah

Sorry... South Carolina repealed it in 2004.

Originally Posted by FUD

So stabbing your flesh hundreds or thousands of times per minute with a metal rod until you shove enough colored poison in between skin layers to create an image of something is "civilized"? .

(Edited)

It depends. If done tastefully, why not?

Cultures have been tattooing for hundreds, if not thousands of years. When performed by a professional in a proper environment I don't see the problem. Getting a tat with a guitar string & ink from a ball-point pen won't cut it. Women get "permanent cosmetics" in the form of eyeliner, etc., and it's nothing more than tattooing.

Not all inks contain poisons. Though some reds do contain mercury in small levels. Boy, good thing Mercury isn't poison, EH?!

Originally Posted by sensei_kyle

When performed by a professional in a proper environment I don't see the problem.

That makes it cultural or culturally accepted, not civilized . Besides. I doubt many of my old friends would let you walk out of the bar for calling their tattoos "civilized".

Originally Posted by shavethebadger

Not all inks contain poisons. Though some reds do contain mercury in small levels. Boy, good thing Mercury isn't poison, EH?!

When's the last time you drank a cup of indian ink and felt good afterwards? .

According to world history class, societies used body art to signify warrior status, kills, religious rank or office, etc. In "civilized" societies it was used to mark slaves and outlaws of different genres. All of the "barbaric" manly mystiques that so many are drawn to today. The minute a tattoo becomes "civilized" it loses something critical.

Calling tattoos "civilized" seems like calling a bar room brawl a "tea party".

On the serious side but not to hijack the thread, if anyone has some cool history references on body art I'd love to get them. I'm a geek for interesting knowledge.

FUD, there's tons of info on the origins of tattooing out there. I did a lot of research before getting my first tattoo and the inks that are used have come a long way. IIRC, they all have to be FDA approved and I don't think India ink is used by professional tattoo artists anymore.

Originally Posted by hardline_42

FUD, there's tons of info on the origins of tattooing out there. I did a lot of research before getting my first tattoo and the inks that are used have come a long way. IIRC, they all have to be FDA approved and I don't think India ink is used by professional tattoo artists anymore.

Man, thats smart. I did a lot of research before getting my first, too.
Wait . . . did I say research? I meant drinking.

When I got my tat they refused to ink anyone that had even a whiff of alcohol about them. The guy warned me not to even have a beer before I came down to get inked because they'd turn me away.

-- Gary F.

Originally Posted by FUD

Calling tattoos "civilized" seems like calling a bar room brawl a "tea party".

If we can call an act of rebellion against the lawful authority a tea party, then why not a barroom brawl? (nationalism and latter events aside, the Crown WAS the lawful authority at the time)
As for civilized cultures and body art. The Chinese have been practicing body art for thousands of years and they were civilized before our ancestors discovered bronze. However, if you're so eurocentric that you don't consider other cultures civilized, then think of the Romans. They used tattoos to mark their legionnaires. They were worn like badges of honor.