Grafitti and Tattoos Love Them or Hate Them

Grafitti has always had an agenda and for the most part a political one. However today it may often tell a story of gang turf and boundaries, which in its own way is street politics, not really the kind that most of us would want to get into. For gang members tattoos are often used to define themselves as belonging to a particular gang. This practice is not new by any means. Over history tattoos have been used to distinguish tribal belonging, rites of passage and members of authority. Today tattoos are not exclusive to Gang banga's and tribes or secret sects, they often link normal everyday family members.

There is however one very important and fundamental difference between Grafitti and Tattoos! Grafitti is fleeting, it can be removed with a lick of paint, whereas Tattoos are pretty much permanent! For this reason, it is extremely important that a lot of thought and understanding is put into what this means in the long term before getting a tattoo.

We humans are susceptable to finding empowerment in thoughts, ideas and symbols both good and bad. It is therefore really important not to have anything with negative connotations permanently inked into the skin. Grafitti and Tattoos share a common problem when they deface the canvass they are placed upon and skin is just another canvass for tattoos. Random Grafitti that has little or no meaning on top of a beautiful canvass is despised by most of us, and quality grafitti on the right canvass is therefore often tarred by the same brush. The very same goes for tattoos. Randomly placed tattoos and bad artists deface and demean the human canvass and can blight the life of the person carrying it. In this respect our gangs of kids need good understanding and guidance about tattooing as well as grafitti.

The power of the tattoo to heal, give closure, strengthen resolve, or rememberance, can be further enhanced by the artists ability to capture and transfer these sentiments to the skin in a way that embraces the personal ideals and feelings of the person being inked. Because of this it is very important to pick a really good tattoo artist.
The fact is, as it stands today, bad tattoos and badly placed tattoos, can still make or break a career as well as limit choices of social circle mixtures. This may seem unfair to the individual and maybe it is, but social and cultural norms do not disappear when we would like them to. Culture, being probably the hardest thing of all to change. However there has been a noticeable shift over the last decade or so, in acceptance of tattoos. This is probably due to sports heroes and movie stars now displaying tattoos in more obvious areas of the body. It is important to note however, that a lot of these people already had booming careers before they got themselves tattooed. Young aspiring models, or corporate climbers would probably not be given the same unbiased treatment. It is best in these instances to have tattoos that can easily be hidden. Only those persons in the music industry and tattoo artists themselves can be assured of immediate acceptance by a good portion of the public and even this is fairly recent.
The shift toward acceptance in many circles means our young gang members may well be tempted to sneak off, and get tattooed. And even though it is not permissable under the age of 18 in some places, there are a few lesser beings that will do it for the money and ask no questions. A better approach than condemning tattoos, and grafitti outright, is to rather investigate it with your teen. Explain in a calm manner, (shouting generally just leads to bloody mindedness), that anything as permanent as a tattoo should be thought out very carefully. And preferrably at an age when they are able to see the bigger picture. Show interest in what and where your teen wants to put it. Take care to look at the area, consider the idea and the reasoning behind it. No reason means no thought, just a 'want', which will inevitably lead to the awful body mistake of random tattoos that have no rhyme, reason or beauty. I have seen a lot of tragic teen home-made tattoos, (usually on the hands for obvious reasons), that are deeply regretted. I have also seen a lot of tattoos that were done at the right age, for the right reason, by the right artist, that are beautiful! These tattoos are usually well thought out and carry a story or a message that is personal to the individual. Let your teen investigate the meanings of tattooes, how they will look in certain outfits that may reveal them and whether they think it will bring something positive to their lives. Tattoos cannot hide or mask self hate and low self esteem. If they are being used for this purpose then no amount of tattooing is ever going to do it for a self loathing person.

It is very important to find out what the tattoo means for any individual. If you have a very determined teen and you can get him/her to consider all these things and to wait until they are of age and more informed, consider yourself as a good and successful parent! Bear in mind, that once 18, our teens can pretty much do anything they want if they are working and have the money for it. (No parent should gift a tattoo to a young teen, this is something that they must pay for from their own earnings, that is if it is to have any real meaning and thought behind it).

When all of this is considered, make sure that you keep the boundaries of what is, and what is not acceptable to you as a parent and guardian of an underage teen. Allowing an impressionable underage teen to go and get tattooed is simply lazy parenting. It is the path of least resistance and one that can get teens into more trouble in many other ways. Always keep in mind that as your family's gang leader that even when a member rebels, it is up to you/us to set the boundaries that make him/her feel safe even when they are turning purple and screaming that they hate you! They will get over it.

last words on Grafitti and Tattoos:

never tattoo girl/boyfriends names on your body! In most instances it is truly the kiss of death to a relationship; Under-investigated and unconsidered tattoos become a type of jewelry that cannot be removed. And the only way to get around this conunndrum is to get another equally under-investigated random tattoo that stands a good chance of becoming one of a collection.

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