Tattoos....Is It Still a Social Deviant??

Angelina Jolie

Tattooing has been a practice since the Neolithic times in Europe and Asia. It's a permanent marking or design made on the body by the introduction of pigment through ruptures in the skin.

Do you have a tattoo? Actually, I have two. You wouldn't notice when you first meet me, for I've kept my tattoos very discrete. When I first went to the tattoo parlor to get a tattoo, my thought was not just about what I wanted, but where I wanted it, for it possibly could affect how others may perceive of you.

Now, as a college student, this is a time where we may find ourselves as individuals breaking away from the shelters created by our parents and into the real world. In addition, the real world is highly judgmental and not pretty. I don't believe anyone wants to go outside and be discriminated in any shape or form, even for body art, but it's happening. It's not right to be underestimated of your abilities because of tattoos or anything for that matter. I know we advocate not be judgmental, but we all do it towards a group or at least someone.

Many of the negative perceptions of tattoos in the United States comes from prison inmates and criminal gangs known for getting distinctive tattoos to show their affiliations. On the other hand, soldiers of the U.S. military have a longstanding history of tattoos, which would indicate military units, battles and/or kills.

The business world is a place known to be socially conservative and would frown upon tattoos and piercing. However, many modern-day celebrities are known to have and sport their tattoos. With television shows such as LA Ink and Miami Ink, there's a huge presence of tattoos in pop culture. Most likely people in the corporate world have tattoos and we wouldn't know. We'll see as time goes, how the professional world would adapt to this.

I'm proud of the tattoos I have because they truly mean something to me. I thought about the tattoo I wanted for years prior to going to the tattoo parlor, so when I was of age, I knew exactly what to ask for. I believe, if anyone is interested in getting a tattoo, be absolutely positive about what you want because it's permanent. Even with laser removal, it has been said that using laser removal is way more painful than when you first got the tattoo, plus it's expensive. So, BE SURE about your decision.

What's the Issue With Our Media?

There’s something wrong with our media. I know that may be interesting to hear this from a student pursuing a career that involves the use of media. However, I believe it’s true. There are biases that exist in our society’s media outlets.

On television, we may go to a certain station to hear what’s going on in the world and find out what’s being done to solve the many issues that exist. Is that what’s really happening? We turn on to channels such as FOX News channel and MSNBC and it’s a back and forth argument about different interpretation of stories.

FOX News has more of a conservative outlook of the news. This may be seen when you watch shows such as the O’Reilly Factor or Hannity and Colmes. When we were in the Bush administration, people who disagreed with the presidents’ views and/or decisions were seen as dim-witted and unpatriotic. Now that we're in the Obama administration, it has been a total switch in tune. Now, they claim the White House is trying to shut down the station for always criticizing the president’s decisions when it comes to domestic and foreign policies.

MSNBC is considered to be a more liberal news channel.  There are shows such as Countdown w/ Keith Olbermann and the Rachel Maddow Show, which is the complete opposite from the shows that are on the FOX News Network. They are highly critical of the correspondents that are on FOX News and were unfavorable towards President Bush. You may even read the comments Keith Olbermann had for the former governor of Alaska Sarah Palin, which is a response to Mrs. Palin's comments towards the president's health care reform. (Read - MSNBC). He practically made Mrs. Palin responsible for any violent actions that would be caused by people's anger towards the president's views on health care. It is quite harsh. 

Lately in most of my communication classes, there's a consensus about the decline in television ratings and newspaper reading. Now there's a more online use for the source of gathering information. I believe that's a good thing because we have more individual power in our hands and we don't have to go through a certain middle man to receive our information. However, there will still be a type of bias that'll exist. Even as you're reading this post right now, could you identify the bias? Do I favor an administration and news channel over the other? At times, we may try to be as impartial as possible, but it's still there. As individuals, it's our responsibility to seek out the truth and see what's the real issue. 

"The media's the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses."       -Malcolm X

"The news media are, for the most part, the bringers of bad news... and it's not entirely the media fault, bad news gets higher ratings and sells more papers than good news."    

- Peter McWilliams