Transcript
Q. Why did you decide to get this tattoo?
Answer: I decided to get this tattoo because a group of my
part’nahs was rappers and they had this label called Green up Ent. Since we
were all so close and on the same mission to get money and see better days I
got the tattoo to support the movement they were on and become a part of
something that might be great.
Q. When did you get the tattoo?
Answer: I got the tattoo when I was 15. I rode my bike to a
tattoo polar near my house on imperial and main and got Green Up on the left
side of my hand for about 40 dollars
Q. How old were you when you got the tattoo?
Answer: I was 15
Q: How old were your friends that was in this group “Green
up Ent”
Answer: everyone was grown in their twenties or above.
Q: Were you peer pressured into getting the tattoo?
Answer: No I was not peer pressured because I went and got
the tattoo myself. on my own, it was something I wanted to do
Q. 15 getting at tattoo, you were still a minor… Were your
parents upset?
A: Yes, my mom was very upset but my father didn’t find out
until I was 18 and by than he couldn’t even get mad about it.
Q. What does it mean to you?
Answer: It means me
supporting my friends and getting money by any means
Q. What is the significance of your tattoo?
Answer: To show loyalty and that I stand for this group.
Q. Does your tattoo reflect the person you are?
Answer: No not at all, but the reason why I got it does to
always support my friends.
Q. Are you religious? If so, what is your religion?
Answer: Yes I am Christian, but around the time I got my
tattoo I was not.
Q. Does your tattoo conflict with your religious beliefs?
Answer: Yes they do, but like I said earlier at first I
wasn’t religious so the tattoo didn’t conflict with anything I believed in.
Q. How does your tattoo conflict with your religion?
A. What? Know ye not
that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have
of God, and ye are not your own? 1Corinthians 6:19 it’s a sin in my religion.
My body is a temple
Q. Why did you get the tattoo in that particular place?
Answer: It’s the place every one of the group has it at. It’s
just the designated spot for everyone to see the left side of the hand.
Q: Does this tattoo give you the urge to want to get more
tattoos?
Answer: Yes it does, but I will not get any more tattoos
because of my religious beliefs now.
Q. What is others reaction to your tattoo?
Answer: Why you get
that on your hand? , Its gone be hard to get a job! Everyone says that when
they see the tattoo on my hand and especially when it’s the only one I have.
Q. Do you have any regrets of your tattoo?
Answer: I have no regrets.
Q. Do you think your tattoo will affect your future job
opportunities?
Answer: No it will not
What
know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own. – 1 Corinthians 6:19
Most tattoos often are portrayed as a
negative thing, because of the stereotypical views. Although tattoos are
against my religious beliefs, I still don’t have the power to judge someone
with tattoos. I believe that my body is a temple and also that it belongs to
God, so I have no right to put anything on it that’s contrary to my bible. I
don’t judge or look down on people for what they believe, because God is the
only one who can judge. But that doesn’t mean that I condone or agree with
someone when they get a tattoo. I don’t agree with a person who gets a tattoo
and say that they are christian and believe that they’re body is a temple,
because if so, they would not have gotten the tattoo. You can’t get a tattoo
and because you have a meaningful story behind it, it automatically makes the
tattoo acceptable, a meaningful story or a person who was very close to you
doesn’t justify the fact that you’re not suppose to scar your body. I look at
it as a person who puts graffity on the wall, it might be for a good cause and
saying a inspirational message, but it’s still against the law and considered
as vandalism doesn’t matter what it says or the reason behind it.
When I first saw that tattoo I thought it
was just some tattoo on the side of his hand, maybe a design or something. When
I saw the word “Green Up” I immediately
thought a typical gang member that robs people to get money. I also thought the
tattoo was maybe the name of an actual gang. I thought to myself that it’s not
good to judge this person based on the tattoo that they have. But it’s pretty
clear that it has to do with getting money.
“It means me supporting my friends and getting money by any
means”
The interviewee explains that he got the tattoo when he was
around the age of fifteen. The tattoo symbolized a label called “Green Up”. The
group stood for getting money and “seeing better days”. The guys that were a
part of this group were well in their twenties and over, so I thought that for
him being so young he was peer pressured into getting the tattoo and becoming a
“Green Up” member. “No I was not peer pressured I went and got the tattoo
myself, it was something I wanted to do”. To him this tattoo was a sign of
loyalty to his group and it also meant supporting his friend’s movement. The
tattoo does not reflect the person who he is or was. He is now nineteen and he
doesn’t regret the tattoo because at the time it meant something to him, but he
will never get another one because it is against his religious beliefs. I asked
the interviewee how the tattoo conflicts with his religious beliefs and he
quotes 1 Corinthians 6:19 –What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of
the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own.”
Meaning that your body is sacred and belongs to God, you have no right to put
markings on it.
“Why
you get that on your hand? It’s gone be hard to get a job”
This is the reaction he got from people who saw the tattoo
on his hand. This is the way it is in society, having tattoos makes it more
complicated for you to get a high standard job. The interviewee is a college
student pursuing his degree in business and planning to become an entrepreneur;
although he got the tattoo when he was younger and it’s now fading away, he
still gets the same reaction from when he first got it. His actual tattoo is
barely noticeable and he is a completely different person from when he first
got the tattoo, but still deals with the stereotypes and people judging him for
his past decisions.
Societal views on
tattoos conflicts with some cultural beliefs because in some cultures tattoos
are a tradition, as in the Samoan race, there is a particular tattoo a boy has
to get when he is fifteen as a sign of coming into manhood; not getting this
tattoo because of how it might affect him getting a job in the future would go
against his cultural beliefs. As mentioned earlier I respect people who get
tattoos, but I don’t agree with the decision.
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