Old writing

So I feel the need to update this since it's been a few days, but I also kinda want to go to sleep...  Thankfully, I recently came across the first piece of writing I did in post-secondary, and will share it here, after which I will go to sleep.  A few things to keep in mind before reading this:

• This was written two weeks into my first semester at Langara (which means a 7 month period between graduating high school and starting at Langara - I took the first fall semester off - during which I did no writing whatsoever.
• The topic to write on was taboos.  
• Following up on that, this was written about a month after I had gotten my first tattoos, ergo it was something that was on my mind quite a bit
• The instructor for this English course was big on 'catchy' titles
• She gave me a B+ on this, although when I read it now, I neither think it particularly good or agree with parts of the premise of my topic.  But more on that later.

And so, I present to you, a hastily written in-class essay.

In S'ink': The Right Reasons to Get a Tattoo

Tattoos have been around for generations, but only recently have gained an immense popularity.  For every person getting 'inked', there is another who protests the practice.  However, as long as you don't see anything wrong with tattoos, go about it safely, and have a good reason for your tattoo, by all means do so.

"You'll regret that when you're older."*  So says the most common argument against getting tattoos.  Simply put, if you think that you may, in fact, regret getting a tattoo, don't do it.  Stick with ones of the rub-on variety.  If you're worried that it will affect employment opportunities for you, make sure you don't get any work done in an easily visible spot; stick to the back.  The arguments against the practice of getting tattooed apply only to matters of personal preference, so long as one is aware about what one is getting into, there is no logical reason for them to not.

*This is the exception.  This will be regretted, not only when older, but almost immediately.  Or so I hope.

Getting a tattoo done involves an artist's using multiple needles to permanently place ink under the first few layers of the skin.  The matter of utmost importance in any act of body modification is safety.  If a tattoo is done in a safe, controlled environment, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it.  Make sure that the needles are sterile, and the environment around you is clean, as well.  That means that when your friend asks if he can tattoo your arm for fun in his bathroom, the answer is no (*I feel I should mention that I received a smiley face directly after this sentence in the evaluation*).  Find a local tattoo shop; they are licensed, regulated, and regularly inspected for hygienic cleanliness.

Now that you've got the green light from the health board, it's time to get it from yourself.  Have an idea in mind and discuss it with friends before getting it done.  Tattoos should mean something to you.  If there is a deep, personal, or philosophical reason for your tattoo, no one can take that away from you, or tell you it's wrong.  But unless you are absolutely sure that this is, for a fact, the Chinese symbol for 'peace'*, find another way to represent it.

*Using my level of knowledge of Chinese, this has an equal chance of meaning 'peace' as it does 'I am a moron.'  (I have no clue what this actually means.)

As someone with tattoos, I encourage people who want one, do get it done.  Hobbes, of Calvin and Hobbes comes everywhere with me, on each forearm, both as a tiger, and as a stuffed animal.  In my case, emplyment was not a factor, as my place of work okay-ed it; as long as they're covered, there's no problem (*Even that isn't an issue for me; they are fully visible and no problems have ever arisen.  In fact, I have lovely conversations with customers about tattoos on a regular basis because they notice Hobbes.).  They were done safely, and symbolize the ways in which people view the same things differently.  If you can be confident about not regretting a tattoo, go about it safely, and if it truly means something to you, by all means, have ink done.  Whether you like it or not, tattoos are here to stay.  They are permanent, after all.

.... So there you go; first piece of writing for marks in post-secondary.  I have issues with it, but I'm tired, so I'll make another post later addressing said issues.  In any case, I was glad to have stumbled across this so that I could read it, and subsequently shared it here.  And now, goodnight.