Introduction:
What is the point of being born, if later on we find emptiness? I guess being an evolved human being is the worst thing to become. Life is a difficult topic to fully understand and planning it is even harder. In life, nothing always goes the way we ourselves want it to go. Why? Well because nothing is perfect, nothing in life is perfect even if we subconsciously believe it is. Our own personal lives hinder our own interpretation of what "Life" is because no two people are the same, so not everyone has the same motive. Now it is possible for people to have similar motives but how we get to it, is completely on our own. Is that how we fill emptiness then? Do we fill emptiness with our own individual quest or goal? I believe it is, and there are many ways of doing so. Our basic human social needs are Conformity, Desire and Popularity . We fill these needs by directing our attention to popular demand of "coolness" to help our selves fill a void of emptiness.
Argument #1:
The first way many of us seek to fill emptiness, is finding an answer to it. In many ways finding the answer to our emptiness could be on a superficial level of the popular "Coolness." We fill this void of emptiness with what being cool is, such as; being the rebel, the wealthiest, most popular, lots of friends, etc. With all these different criteria of cool, then that void of emptiness should be filled. Its many of the roles in society we try to be to fit in with every ones needs. This is where I believe being the conformist is one ultimate way of filling the empty and finding a meaning. Viktor Frankl, a theorists said that "If meaning is what we desire, then meaninglessness is a hole, an emptiness, in our lives."(Dr. C. George Boeree) People's seek out a desire to answer this meaninglessness hole that we attempt to fill in our empty lives and by the popular demand of "coolness" in our society we do this accordingly. One of Frankl's favorite metaphors to describe our consumption of finding "stuff" to fill our emptiness accurately describes conformity. "The Existential Vacuum." He explains this metaphor as "whenever you have a vacuum, of course things rush in to fill it... People go into a tailspin when they retire; students get drunk every weekend; we submerge ourselves in passive entertainment..."(Dr. C. George Boeree) We become bored with the old and so we find ourselves finding a new by focusing on something else that we find satisfaction in. Now there are downsides to becoming a full-on conformist, people will believe you are fake. People will categorize you as fake for being a conformist because you, yourself does not have a self of your own. In the "cool" societies this looked down upon because you do not bring fourth a unique and individual trait, which in the cool societies everyone wants to duplicate. So if you would like to conform, do it in a moderate fashion because almost everyone is.
Argument #2:
Another way I look at how we fill emptiness is to be desirable. To be everywhere, with everyone, doing everything. The answer to that is creating something everyone can relate too. Heroes are great examples of these characteristics because everyone idolizes them. Heroes are the type of people that are perfect and nothing could be wrong with them because everyone likes him/her. For example in the 1960's when blacks were segregated from whites, Martin Luther King Jr., a famous black activist stood up for what he and millions of other black males and females believed was right. In the black culture, they looked to Martin Luther King as a hero for ending segregation. Not all would agree, but majority would believe and even for Hitler, his near-accomplishment of taking over the world in the 1940's might of been heroic in the eyes of most Germans. Both these two individuals created a movement that captured the eyes of many, which would categorize them under heroic(depending on your belief). So I feel that they had filled most of their emptiness being the desirable ones.
Argument #3:
Popularity relates to the demand of "coolness" in our society because it is another focus we put our bodies and minds in to, to fill this entity of meaninglessness; another way to fill a void of emptiness. Popularity has always been about how an individual represents him/herself in a fashion that everyone gets some sort of pleasure or likability out of it. The many roles and characters we perform to please everyone has many identities that everyone is pleased by which gives the performer a meaning because he/she is finding popularity in it. Goffman, a great theorist said that "Everyone of us is consciously always playing a role on a daily basis. We are always presenting a personal front which is either behavioral and material...As performers we want to create the most positive impression possible to the point of being ideal."(Goffman'sPresentationofSelfinEverydayLife) This idea of being ideal is great way to fill a emptiness and by being the most popular, in every one's eyes you have accomplished being ideal.
Opposing Viewpoint:
Finding an emptiness is a question that happens early in our lives when we find our trends, desires and anything else that we can relate to "cool." So is cool the answer to why we have emptiness? The void of emptiness that we passionately fill with "stuff" as said by Viktor Frankl is the reason to why we are drawn to making these quest(s) or goal(s) so often. Do we want to abandon the thought of "cool" then because it certainly has taken over our society like a plague? No. And that is a good thing because "cool" has become a drive to create success, pleasure and happiness. "The word Emptiness or Void should not scare us. To be empty does not mean non-existent. Emptiness is the ground of everything, thanks to it, everything is possible."(TheVoidorEmptiness) We should embrace the void of emptiness that we've acquired because we use it as a map or "vacuum" to help us understand our lives. Which in the end is shaped by our interpretation of what is "cool."
Conclusion:
In conclusion, filling a void of emptiness is endless and frustrating, but there are many methods use to surface or fill it because it is something we need. Being the most desirable, the absolute conformist and the popular ideal person has all led ways to fill a void of emptiness through the social need of being "Cool." So. How are you cool?
Sites used:
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/frankl.html
Read more at Suite101: Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life: Our Understanding of the Idea of Self http://languagebooks.suite101.com/article.cfm/goffmans_presentation_of_self_in_everyday_life#ixzz0dCsgSPjF
http://www.plotinus.com/void_copy.htm
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Hw- 36
Comment to KianaC's Blog:
Thesis: Cool is shaped and formed in various ways because "cool" has become a tool to build and structure the many differentiations in society.
Introduction:
In our society, we have come to abide by the popular trend of "how to be cool?" There are various ways on how to be cool because all "cools" are opinionated. One cool could be better than another person's cool as vice versa. These trends of cool are taken advantage of to build large corporations such as Sprite, Levi's and any other corporation that spams television directed to teens and children.[Insert Thesis I have provided here].
Race has a lot to do with the many differentiations in our society. A Black man's cool may be different then a White man's or a Latin-American to an Asians only because we all come from a different culture. Are all these different forms of cool equal though? No. Only because some cultures are viewed to dominate another. A black male who grows up in the projects typically tends to find his cool lurking the block he's grown up in and for an Asian who grew up under the pressure of parents telling him to study everyday would find his cool in school. Which one is more dominant? In reality the Asians cool would be more dominant because of our societies praise to "Success" but in the black Male's eyes, he's just another Asian who does homework with no social life. A superficial criteria of "how to be cool" is built on how well you present a social life, so the more dominant cool may be directed toward the Black male.
SHORT LIST:
If you choose to stay with my thesis or change it around to fit you, make sure to always explain after your evidence why it is connected to the thesis.
If you choose to stay with your thesis, I had some trouble finding it and then applying it to the rest of your paper. Re-phrase introduction.
Evidence you could use for Race:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/opinion/26patterson.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all
Comment to YurelisR.'s blog:
Thesis: People see cool as an answer to critique a way of living to fill a void of emptiness made by desires.
Desires are made in every culture and race. They are all different and all mean something significant to that person. Most desires in our society are structured around the thought of "coolness." Being cool has been a way to shape a person's mind set to fulfill that individuals needs because of this open void of emptiness we tend to fill every so often. How we fill this void is completely different then the next person because of the many different cultures and backgrounds we are built upon. The motives we assign ourselves are made by the "cultural map" we are given thanks to setting and impact we have had in our lives.
SHORT LIST:
Yurelis, if you decide to stick with your thesis, PLEASE make sure to analyze your evidence and how it relates to your thesis (In a show-don't tell manner.)
If you decide to stay with my thesis I have provided, evidence you could use are my blogs,(Hw 30,31,32,33,34)
Theorists that would go great with my thesis provided would be Viktor Frankl and Goffman (Presentation's of self and Everyday Life)
*Little things you should be aware of:
Grammar mistakes.
Structure of your arguments(You want it to flow and not sound choppy and all over the place)
For your thesis, Please try to end it as a powerful statement and not question.
Good Luck, This is the end of 1st semester. =)
Christian
Thesis: Cool is shaped and formed in various ways because "cool" has become a tool to build and structure the many differentiations in society.
Introduction:
In our society, we have come to abide by the popular trend of "how to be cool?" There are various ways on how to be cool because all "cools" are opinionated. One cool could be better than another person's cool as vice versa. These trends of cool are taken advantage of to build large corporations such as Sprite, Levi's and any other corporation that spams television directed to teens and children.[Insert Thesis I have provided here].
Race has a lot to do with the many differentiations in our society. A Black man's cool may be different then a White man's or a Latin-American to an Asians only because we all come from a different culture. Are all these different forms of cool equal though? No. Only because some cultures are viewed to dominate another. A black male who grows up in the projects typically tends to find his cool lurking the block he's grown up in and for an Asian who grew up under the pressure of parents telling him to study everyday would find his cool in school. Which one is more dominant? In reality the Asians cool would be more dominant because of our societies praise to "Success" but in the black Male's eyes, he's just another Asian who does homework with no social life. A superficial criteria of "how to be cool" is built on how well you present a social life, so the more dominant cool may be directed toward the Black male.
SHORT LIST:
If you choose to stay with my thesis or change it around to fit you, make sure to always explain after your evidence why it is connected to the thesis.
If you choose to stay with your thesis, I had some trouble finding it and then applying it to the rest of your paper. Re-phrase introduction.
Evidence you could use for Race:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/opinion/26patterson.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all
Comment to YurelisR.'s blog:
Thesis: People see cool as an answer to critique a way of living to fill a void of emptiness made by desires.
Desires are made in every culture and race. They are all different and all mean something significant to that person. Most desires in our society are structured around the thought of "coolness." Being cool has been a way to shape a person's mind set to fulfill that individuals needs because of this open void of emptiness we tend to fill every so often. How we fill this void is completely different then the next person because of the many different cultures and backgrounds we are built upon. The motives we assign ourselves are made by the "cultural map" we are given thanks to setting and impact we have had in our lives.
SHORT LIST:
Yurelis, if you decide to stick with your thesis, PLEASE make sure to analyze your evidence and how it relates to your thesis (In a show-don't tell manner.)
If you decide to stay with my thesis I have provided, evidence you could use are my blogs,(Hw 30,31,32,33,34)
Theorists that would go great with my thesis provided would be Viktor Frankl and Goffman (Presentation's of self and Everyday Life)
*Little things you should be aware of:
Grammar mistakes.
Structure of your arguments(You want it to flow and not sound choppy and all over the place)
For your thesis, Please try to end it as a powerful statement and not question.
Good Luck, This is the end of 1st semester. =)
Christian
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Hw- 35 Rough Draft
"How are you Cool?"
Introduction:
What is the point of being born, if later on we find emptiness? I guess being an evolved human being is the worst thing to become. Life is a difficult topic to fully understand and planning it is even harder. In life, nothing always goes the way we ourselves want it to go. Why? Well because nothing is perfect, nothing in life is perfect even if we subconsciously believe it is. Our own personal lives hinder our own interpretation of what "Life" is because no two people are the same, so not everyone has the same motive. Now it is possible for people to have similar motives but how we get to it, is completely on our own. Is that how we fill emptiness then? Do we fill emptiness with our own individual quest or goal? I believe it is, and there are many ways of doing so. Our basic human social needs are Conformity, Desire and popularity . We fill these needs by directing our attention to popular demand of "coolness" to help our selves fill a void of emptiness.
Argument #1:
The first way many of us seek to fill emptiness, is finding an answer to it. In many ways finding the answer to our emptiness could be on a superficial level of the popular "Coolness." We fill this void of emptiness with what being cool is, such as; being the rebel, the wealthiest, most popular, lots of friends, etc. With all these different criteria of cool, then that void of emptiness should be filled. Its many of the roles in society we try to be to fit in with every ones needs. This is where I believe being the conformist is one ultimate way of filling the empty and finding a meaning. Viktor Frankl, a theorists said that "If meaning is what we desire, then meaninglessness is a hole, an emptiness, in our lives."(Dr. C. George Boeree) People's seek out a desire to answer this meaninglessness hole that we attempt to fill in our empty lives and by the popular demand of "coolness" in our society we do this accordingly. One of Frankl's favorite metaphors to describe our consumption of finding "stuff" to fill our emptiness accurately describes conformity. "The Existential Vacuum." He explains this metaphor as "whenever you have a vacuum, of course things rush in to fill it... People go into a tailspin when they retire; students get drunk every weekend; we submerge ourselves in passive entertainment..."(Dr. C. George Boeree) We become bored with the old and so we find ourselves finding a new by focusing on something else that we find satisfaction in. Now there are downsides to becoming a full-on conformist, people will believe you are fake. People will categorize you as fake for being a conformist because you, yourself does not have a self of your own. In the "cool" societies this looked down upon because you do not bring fourth a unique and individual trait, which in the cool societies everyone wants to duplicate. So if you would like to conform, do it in a moderate fashion because almost everyone is.
Argument #2:
Another way I look at how we fill emptiness is to be desirable. To be everywhere, with everyone, doing everything. The answer to that is creating something everyone can relate too. Heroes are great examples of these characteristics because everyone idolizes them. Heroes are the type of people that are perfect and nothing could be wrong with them because everyone likes him/her. For example in the 1960's when blacks were segregated from whites, Martin Luther King Jr., a famous black activist stood up for what he and millions of other black males and females believed was right. In the black culture, they looked to Martin Luther King as a hero for ending segregation. Not all would agree, but majority would believe and even for Hitler, his near-accomplishment of taking over the world in the 1940's might of been heroic in the eyes of most Germans. Both these two individuals created a movement that captured the eyes of many, which would categorize them under heroic(depending on your belief). So I feel that they had filled most of their emptiness being the desirable ones.
Argument #3:
Popularity relates to the demand of "coolness" in our society because it is another focus we put our bodies and minds in to, to fill this entity of meaninglessness; another way to fill a void of emptiness. Popularity has always been about how an individual represents him/herself in a fashion that everyone gets some sort of pleasure or likability out of it. The many roles and characters we perform to please everyone has many identities that everyone is pleased by which gives the performer a meaning because he/she is finding popularity in it. Goffman, a great theorist said that "Everyone of us is consciously always playing a role on a daily basis. We are always presenting a personal front which is either behavioral and material...As performers we want to create the most positive impression possible to the point of being ideal."(Goffman'sPresentationofSelfinEverydayLife) This idea of being ideal is great way to fill a emptiness and by being the most popular, in every one's eyes you have accomplished being ideal.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, filling a void of emptiness is endless and frustrating, but there are many methods use to surface or fill it because it is something we need. Being the most desirable, the absolute conformist and the popular ideal person has all led ways to fill a void of emptiness through the social need of being "Cool." So. How are you cool?
Sites used:
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/frankl.html
Read more at Suite101: Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life: Our Understanding of the Idea of Self http://languagebooks.suite101.com/article.cfm/goffmans_presentation_of_self_in_everyday_life#ixzz0dCsgSPjF
Introduction:
What is the point of being born, if later on we find emptiness? I guess being an evolved human being is the worst thing to become. Life is a difficult topic to fully understand and planning it is even harder. In life, nothing always goes the way we ourselves want it to go. Why? Well because nothing is perfect, nothing in life is perfect even if we subconsciously believe it is. Our own personal lives hinder our own interpretation of what "Life" is because no two people are the same, so not everyone has the same motive. Now it is possible for people to have similar motives but how we get to it, is completely on our own. Is that how we fill emptiness then? Do we fill emptiness with our own individual quest or goal? I believe it is, and there are many ways of doing so. Our basic human social needs are Conformity, Desire and popularity . We fill these needs by directing our attention to popular demand of "coolness" to help our selves fill a void of emptiness.
Argument #1:
The first way many of us seek to fill emptiness, is finding an answer to it. In many ways finding the answer to our emptiness could be on a superficial level of the popular "Coolness." We fill this void of emptiness with what being cool is, such as; being the rebel, the wealthiest, most popular, lots of friends, etc. With all these different criteria of cool, then that void of emptiness should be filled. Its many of the roles in society we try to be to fit in with every ones needs. This is where I believe being the conformist is one ultimate way of filling the empty and finding a meaning. Viktor Frankl, a theorists said that "If meaning is what we desire, then meaninglessness is a hole, an emptiness, in our lives."(Dr. C. George Boeree) People's seek out a desire to answer this meaninglessness hole that we attempt to fill in our empty lives and by the popular demand of "coolness" in our society we do this accordingly. One of Frankl's favorite metaphors to describe our consumption of finding "stuff" to fill our emptiness accurately describes conformity. "The Existential Vacuum." He explains this metaphor as "whenever you have a vacuum, of course things rush in to fill it... People go into a tailspin when they retire; students get drunk every weekend; we submerge ourselves in passive entertainment..."(Dr. C. George Boeree) We become bored with the old and so we find ourselves finding a new by focusing on something else that we find satisfaction in. Now there are downsides to becoming a full-on conformist, people will believe you are fake. People will categorize you as fake for being a conformist because you, yourself does not have a self of your own. In the "cool" societies this looked down upon because you do not bring fourth a unique and individual trait, which in the cool societies everyone wants to duplicate. So if you would like to conform, do it in a moderate fashion because almost everyone is.
Argument #2:
Another way I look at how we fill emptiness is to be desirable. To be everywhere, with everyone, doing everything. The answer to that is creating something everyone can relate too. Heroes are great examples of these characteristics because everyone idolizes them. Heroes are the type of people that are perfect and nothing could be wrong with them because everyone likes him/her. For example in the 1960's when blacks were segregated from whites, Martin Luther King Jr., a famous black activist stood up for what he and millions of other black males and females believed was right. In the black culture, they looked to Martin Luther King as a hero for ending segregation. Not all would agree, but majority would believe and even for Hitler, his near-accomplishment of taking over the world in the 1940's might of been heroic in the eyes of most Germans. Both these two individuals created a movement that captured the eyes of many, which would categorize them under heroic(depending on your belief). So I feel that they had filled most of their emptiness being the desirable ones.
Argument #3:
Popularity relates to the demand of "coolness" in our society because it is another focus we put our bodies and minds in to, to fill this entity of meaninglessness; another way to fill a void of emptiness. Popularity has always been about how an individual represents him/herself in a fashion that everyone gets some sort of pleasure or likability out of it. The many roles and characters we perform to please everyone has many identities that everyone is pleased by which gives the performer a meaning because he/she is finding popularity in it. Goffman, a great theorist said that "Everyone of us is consciously always playing a role on a daily basis. We are always presenting a personal front which is either behavioral and material...As performers we want to create the most positive impression possible to the point of being ideal."(Goffman'sPresentationofSelfinEverydayLife) This idea of being ideal is great way to fill a emptiness and by being the most popular, in every one's eyes you have accomplished being ideal.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, filling a void of emptiness is endless and frustrating, but there are many methods use to surface or fill it because it is something we need. Being the most desirable, the absolute conformist and the popular ideal person has all led ways to fill a void of emptiness through the social need of being "Cool." So. How are you cool?
Sites used:
http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/frankl.html
Read more at Suite101: Goffman's Presentation of Self in Everyday Life: Our Understanding of the Idea of Self http://languagebooks.suite101.com/article.cfm/goffmans_presentation_of_self_in_everyday_life#ixzz0dCsgSPjF
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Hw- 34 The Cool Pose and Various Approaches to Life Rooted in Class, Race, Gender, Age, etc.
Our life is made out of decisions and choices. How we choose is up to us. Is it really? We make decisions based on the type of background we have, the culture/sub-culture that we are most conformtable in, which are all influences. So are we really making our own decision, or is it that our influences make it for us.
A huge influence in our americanized culture is your status level of "cool" and how we get to it. There are various amounts of "cool" in our culture because of the many different cultures, religions and ethnicities that exist in our society. In each different culture we have "cultural maps" that we follow to guide us. Usually most cultures follow their route on being "cool" but the "cools" are entirely different because of the environment and background that that person grew up in. The different "cools" could be bad when looked through a lens of a dominant culture, such as a "cool" that garentee success, for others though it does not. For example, Blacks in housing projects mainly tend to feel comfortable with being on the corner, hanging out on the block, etc. because of the type of environment and what is exposed to them daily as a "cool thing." Through the lens of a dominant culture, this cool is looked down upon because it does not fit its criteria. But can you really blame the children or adults for looking at their cultural map for "their cool." No. Because the given oppertunities that these children and adults get are the only and easy oppertunities that they can have, so in that case, they direct themselves towards it. My own personal experience of being black in this society is totally different because of the type of environment and oppertunity that I was born into. I live in a good neighborhood, I go to a good school, so my "cool" is good. They way I was raised and environments I grew up in are my influences that help structure my "cultural map" of cool in a good way.
Do you call this situation luck? Is it unlucky then for these teens and children who are born into poverty having a lower chance of becoming successfull? Is it lucky for those who are born into wealth and better oppertunity? In our society we have this thing of blaming those for our loses. We look to see who we can blame for our aversions, but instead we should look to it in another light. Such as "How I can help? What can I do to make it better?" If cultures looked to it in this light, maybe there wouldn't be things such as racism or class because everyone would be looking out for each other, but we don't.
A huge influence in our americanized culture is your status level of "cool" and how we get to it. There are various amounts of "cool" in our culture because of the many different cultures, religions and ethnicities that exist in our society. In each different culture we have "cultural maps" that we follow to guide us. Usually most cultures follow their route on being "cool" but the "cools" are entirely different because of the environment and background that that person grew up in. The different "cools" could be bad when looked through a lens of a dominant culture, such as a "cool" that garentee success, for others though it does not. For example, Blacks in housing projects mainly tend to feel comfortable with being on the corner, hanging out on the block, etc. because of the type of environment and what is exposed to them daily as a "cool thing." Through the lens of a dominant culture, this cool is looked down upon because it does not fit its criteria. But can you really blame the children or adults for looking at their cultural map for "their cool." No. Because the given oppertunities that these children and adults get are the only and easy oppertunities that they can have, so in that case, they direct themselves towards it. My own personal experience of being black in this society is totally different because of the type of environment and oppertunity that I was born into. I live in a good neighborhood, I go to a good school, so my "cool" is good. They way I was raised and environments I grew up in are my influences that help structure my "cultural map" of cool in a good way.
Do you call this situation luck? Is it unlucky then for these teens and children who are born into poverty having a lower chance of becoming successfull? Is it lucky for those who are born into wealth and better oppertunity? In our society we have this thing of blaming those for our loses. We look to see who we can blame for our aversions, but instead we should look to it in another light. Such as "How I can help? What can I do to make it better?" If cultures looked to it in this light, maybe there wouldn't be things such as racism or class because everyone would be looking out for each other, but we don't.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Hw 33- Paper Outline
Thesis:Our basic human social needs are desire, Conformity and popularity . We fill these needs by directing our attention to popular demand of "coolness" to help our selves fill a void of emptiness.
Argument #1: Desire
"To be wanted and want others."
Argument #2: Conformity
"Our need to be everything, everywhere, everyone"
Argument #3: Popularity
Conclusion:
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Hw- 32 Tattoos & The Presentation of the Self
Tattoos in our culture vary because of the many styles and meanings people choose to permanently scar their body with. Usually we associate tattoo's with hardened criminals or low life's because of the tough external feature it gives someone. Many of the teen cultures are drawn to tattoos because of the unique individualism it gives them, basically a visual representation of individuality. This unique individuality is mostly accepted in the "cool" scene because it represents rebellion,(you know, fighting against the norm).
My school director who has up to at least 35 hours of tattoo work done on his arms and chest was his way of breaking the normal, right-wing private school base in Maine that almost everyone followed. Joining the punk-rock scene of the 80's, a rising sub-culture caught my school director's attention(also a popular place where tattoos are accepted). It was interesting to know that he called his tattoo's armour as he described it as a way to shield himself from the oncoming attacks made by the "normal" societies and a basic way of telling them "F U". He also talked about how tattoo's can have many different meanings depending on the person, but it can also be used to show the map of some one's life. The tattoos that he gained all meant something different and all had a significant representation of what he felt during that time of year. He also said that getting a tattoo is a painful process but an empowering one when its finished. You, your body and the tattoo become one and gives you emotional strength which is visually represented.
It's interesting to note that many people get tattoos as a method of revolting against government and religion, but what about how tattooing started. Tattooing started with cultures signifying a right of passage or a sign of religion that a society accepted. And after many decades of tattoos being copied we have gotten to a point where now tattoos have come to rebel against government or religion.
Of course not all tattoos mean to rebel against the power society is controlled by, but for the remembrance of a significant other that a lot of people get such as a "heart with the words MOM" written in it, etc but just a external way of showcasing their love and emotion towards something. Even for tattoos that do not have a meaning behind it have a high value of meaning. A student in my class who had written a great analogy of what tattoos mean in our society is much like a window, and I agree. He explains that "tattoos are like windows into a house. If the person is crying in their house, and doesn't want people outside to see them, they will close the window. If the person is sitting on the couch watching TV, they may leave the window open, but either way, the window still exists." This meaning that those who do get tattoo's are only publicly and externally showing their emotions as towards those who don't.
My school director who has up to at least 35 hours of tattoo work done on his arms and chest was his way of breaking the normal, right-wing private school base in Maine that almost everyone followed. Joining the punk-rock scene of the 80's, a rising sub-culture caught my school director's attention(also a popular place where tattoos are accepted). It was interesting to know that he called his tattoo's armour as he described it as a way to shield himself from the oncoming attacks made by the "normal" societies and a basic way of telling them "F U". He also talked about how tattoo's can have many different meanings depending on the person, but it can also be used to show the map of some one's life. The tattoos that he gained all meant something different and all had a significant representation of what he felt during that time of year. He also said that getting a tattoo is a painful process but an empowering one when its finished. You, your body and the tattoo become one and gives you emotional strength which is visually represented.
It's interesting to note that many people get tattoos as a method of revolting against government and religion, but what about how tattooing started. Tattooing started with cultures signifying a right of passage or a sign of religion that a society accepted. And after many decades of tattoos being copied we have gotten to a point where now tattoos have come to rebel against government or religion.
Of course not all tattoos mean to rebel against the power society is controlled by, but for the remembrance of a significant other that a lot of people get such as a "heart with the words MOM" written in it, etc but just a external way of showcasing their love and emotion towards something. Even for tattoos that do not have a meaning behind it have a high value of meaning. A student in my class who had written a great analogy of what tattoos mean in our society is much like a window, and I agree. He explains that "tattoos are like windows into a house. If the person is crying in their house, and doesn't want people outside to see them, they will close the window. If the person is sitting on the couch watching TV, they may leave the window open, but either way, the window still exists." This meaning that those who do get tattoo's are only publicly and externally showing their emotions as towards those who don't.
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