Tattoos? We Can Go Either Way

A reader has contacted us about a post on our personal page that she either intentionally or unintentionally misunderstood. Why the remark about the handcuffs tattoo?

We had been attempting to contact Tony Logan. For those who don't know, Tony is a long-time police officer and the current chief in Tuscumbia. The first "Tony Logan" we found was apparently a tattoo artist, but since the tattoo icon was a pair of hands in cuffs, we had to do a double take on it. That's called serendipitous humor, or more colloquially "what are the odds?" Our remark was not an indictment of tattoos.

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We will comment on a negative side of tattoos. Having the word "Crip" written out numerically on your abdomen, with Adolph Hitler above it, might just make people think you were not mainstream society material.

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On another note: Over the years we've been blamed for posts on OB's Corner, Left in Alabama, Pen-N-Sword, and the Quad-Cities Daily...and probably a few on the ShoalsInsider, but we're not totally sure about the last one.

Again we ask that you send your criticisms of any links to the proper site. Again, we remind you that ANY posts with profanity or vulgarity will be deleted and you will be banned. No one has the automatic right to post vulgar comments, threats, etc., on a site belonging to anyone else no matter what any uneducated person may think.

Similarly, while we feel certain articles about murder victims may have gone too far, hindsight being 20-20, libel is making false statements--not true ones. Also, while we hope all news outlets have spoken truthfully, a dead person cannot be legally libeled in Alabama or any other state.

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Murder is a horrible crime. Earlier today we discussed this with a former police officer. He affirms the position that some murders are justified and the world is better off. We take the position that this is not the case, but we can understand why some murders are not prosecuted. We also, as we've stated many times, understand why a family who's hurting wants to strike out.

If your family member needs help, it's wonderful to pray about it. We do suggest you also try to get that family member help.



Shoalanda

Tattoos & Violence and Judgment?

Two recent murder cases have provoked discussion on tattoos, and judging from some Facebook postings this is something everyone feels strongly about. Two men involved in local murder cases have proudly shown off new tats on their FB pages; do tattoos correlate with violent behavior? We found an interesting study that says yes, but if you have a tat, don't yell just yet. This is a synopsis of the study:

Results. Participants with tattoos and/or body piercings were more likely to have engaged in risk-taking behaviors and at greater degrees of involvement than those without either. These included disordered eating behavior, gateway drug use, hard drug use, sexual activity, and suicide. Violence was associated with males having tattoos and with females having body piercings. Gateway drug use was associated with younger age of both tattooing and body piercing. Hard drug use was associated with number of body piercings. Suicide was associated with females having tattoos and younger age of both tattooing and body piercing. Tattoos and body piercings were found to be more common in females than males.

The study doesn't contend that those with tattoos are more violent by nature. What it does present is that those guilty of violent acts are more likely to be tattooed than not. We have also been surprised by some comments on our own FB page concerning today's topic. One poster who owns a thriving business stated he would not hire anyone with visible tats since these techs go into people's homes. This surprised us, but we do see the rationale. Would a tech with a tattoo on his arm be unwelcome in our home? No, it wouldn't bother us in the least (We haven't checked with other bloggers in our group). What about piercings and scarifications? No, but since these types of body "art" carry inherent dangers of infection, we do wonder why anyone would choose them.

Pardon the digression and back on the subject of tats, here's some pics of two very young men recently accused of violent acts:

Tuscumbia Youth Arrested for Domestic Violence

Elijah Graham Accused of Complicity in Murder of David Andrasik

In closing, we hope everyone remembers that tattoos are usually pretty permanent. We suggest you think long and hard before getting that ink. If you decide you can't live without one, then check out the artist before you've said yes to that needle. Oh, we do hear it's painful...

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The arrest of one of two men accused of murdering David Andrasik has prompted the usual onslaught of "Judge not..." remarks. Are we as Christians, or any discerning individual, not to judge when a crime has taken place? If the answer is no, then there is no need for police or courts. Everyone from Charles Manson to Adolph Hitler is innocent by reason of (fill in the blank). No, we are most certainly to judge in many cases. Here's a quote that sums it up admirably:

F.F. Bruce: "Judgment is an ambiguous word, in Greek as in English: it may mean sitting in judgment on people (or even condemning them), or it may mean exercising a proper discrimination. In the former sense judgment is depreciated; in the latter sense it is recommended.



Shoalanda