THIS ONE IS NOT FOR YOU

THIS ONE IS NOT FOR YOU

MY RESPONSE:

Okay, I'm a non-Jew. I was in the military for over 10 years. I've been around people with tats my whole life. I can admire some of the artwork, but never have I been drawn to get a tattoo. It just doesn't appeal to my nefesh or my neshamah.

Maybe I saw one too many Holocaust films of Jews being marked like cattle. Who wants to be regarded as chattel? Why would anyone want to brand themselves with ink or by cutting their own flesh?

I have no idea why any Jew would want to mark his/her body like the Nations. People claim it's all about individuality, but to me it seems to be more about conformity to a misguided spirit of rebellion &/or an aboriginal desire to display one's status &/or affiliation. The latter I can understand where non-Jews are concerned, but the former seems like a very poor excuse for marring one's appearance.

Frankly, I'll go even further than R' Locks! Call me a P'rushi - because the X-tians certainly do! - but I rank most tats in the same category as wearing clothes bearing a company's logo or a sports team's trademark. They promote a cliquish, fanatical, partisan or sectarian worldview and behaviors, which more often than not are divisive &/or self-serving.

And why do people wear clothes strewn with images of skulls and other death related symbols? Is it their subconscious telling them, "You know that you number among the walking dead!"

And why all the advertisements on clothing!? Isn't it bad enough that we have to suffer with the "in your face" approach of the garbage & sex mongers that dominate this commericalistic society (here in the US)? Are people walking billboards!? IMO, it's just another sad commentary on the insanity of a world that has separated itself from HaShem.

Honestly, if you've got to wear something with a little color to it, then why not a Hawaiin-esque nature print or a floral design? (BTW, what's the halakah on this?) Better a tropical hibiscus or a palm tree, than the words Coca-Cola or an image of Homer Simpson, no?

I just can't picture that a Baalei Mussar would want to wear a Pepsi T-Shirt, a pair of Nike shoes, a New York Yankees baseball cap and display a tattoo of a Magen David, Mickey Mouse &/or a tribal dragon design on his body.

And people wonder why I loathe being stuck in and constantly subjected to Goyishkeit!? I don't know.... Maybe I'm just crazy....