Tattoos

One of the things that I've noticed over the last while, probably due to the warmer weather and skimpier clothing, is the high percentage of people who are tattooed. Maybe I just never saw it in Canada, but it seems that just about every other person has a tattoo down here.

Now I'm not saying that there is anything wrong with tattoos, if there is something that you like enough to permanently mark yourself with, that's cool with me. Though personally there isn't anything that I feel that strongly about, and I have enough scars from cycling accidents to claim as my own unique body modification art. But here it seems that everyone has them, and I mean everyone from the counter culture people (though if everyone has them is it counter culture?) to the wannabe cool inorganic chemists.

Depending on the person of course the tattoos vary, from tasteful (i.e. subtle ankle tattoo) to those that you wonder what they were on when they got it done (i.e. life size boa constrictor coming from the back over the shoulder and facing down the girl's cleavage).

What I wonder though is why do so many people feel the need to get tattoos? It crosses far too many social/cultural/racial divides to be attributed to any of those factors, it must be something larger, maybe it is being American. I'm beginning to believe that the reason for the tattoos is an attempt to feel like an individual in a country that is considered to be a melting pot, whatever goes in it becomes the same as all the rest. This is something that can be seen even in the way Americans think, it's often in absolutes (i.e. Support the war in Iraq or you are un-patriotic.). So if everyone becomes the same a logical course of action to differentiate yourself is to change what you can, your appearance being one of the easiest and most distinctive forms of change you can find. Thus you have business people, scientists, punks, artists, everyone with tattoos, because in the end the human mind seems rather limited in its ability to be uniquely creative (just listen to modern pop music, see how many remakes you hear from the 80's in an hour or two).

In the end though are these people actually achieving the individuality that they desire? In the end to me it would seem that they are not. Though they now have different coloured skin they still think the same, and act the same, evidenced by the tattoos. But perhaps I'm off the mark, perhaps the tattoos mean something different? But I wonder about it, for the way I see it now it's almost a badge, part of being American includes your very own "unique" tattoo.

At the very least though it does add another aspect to people watching.