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Tattoo You?

(Here is a re-post of an article I wrote five or so years ago now, partly in response to Father Michael Schmitz’ public declaration that he got ‘inked’ while on a recent pilgrimage to Jerusalem, as Aleteia gushes. Alas. They are in ‘in thing’ with this article declaring that with regard to office attire, ‘tattoos are in, ties are out…’, signifying a growing acceptance of this practice, formerly frowned upon. Here, I make an argument that such mutilation of the body is, in and of itself, wrong, regardless of intent, religious or otherwise. My advice, as the saying goes, is to think before you ink, for it ain’t coming ever coming off, at least not easily, and not without a scar, on more than one level…Editor)

An interesting factoid I recently came across, one borne out by anecdotal evidence, is that 3 out of 10 Americans now have tattoos, and I presume that number to be at least as high in Canada, signifying widespread acceptance of a practice that was once relegated to 19th century British sailors, who in turn adopted it from Polynesian South Pacific Islanders. Eventually, tattooing spread through the ranks of the military, biker and other types of gangs, mobsters, Russian and otherwise, and, now, quite literally, everybody and their granny is getting their body stamped with permanent images, fair or foul. And not just one: Once begun, tattooing seems addictive, with people getting their arms, torsos, face, neck, back and wherever else, coloured and etched.

Ponder Rick Genest’s body, if you will, which is mostly covered in permanent ink drawings, embedded in the lower layers of his dermis.  Mr. Genest has parlayed his tattoo-ness, mysteriously, into some kind of successful renown; his fifteen minutes of fame derive largely from his appearance in a 2011 Lady Gaga video. (Update: Mr. Genest died in 2018, in a fall from a balcony, which was first attributed to suicide, but later deemed accidental. Requiescat in pace)

Praise the Lord

Read the Whole Article at https://catholicinsight.com/