Tattoos: Reasons, Risk, and Sin

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Tattoos: Reasons, Risk, and Sin Nicklaus Todd Gilbertson University of Phoenix Effective Essay Writing Com/150 February 12, 2009 Tattooing is done for many reasons. Some are good, some bad, some just plain dumb. Following, I will discuss a few ideas to help people make decisions when getting a tattoo. Reasons and Risks and the Religion aspects of the choosing process will also be discussed. Although tattoos may pose a health risk, people have many reasons for getting one; tattoos can be beautiful, safe, and not as sinful as some people may think. According to (Schwarz, 2008) there are four main reasons people get tattooed. There may be more reasons for getting a tattoo than put forth in the following; however we will stick with the four. Inclusion and Exclusion Tattooing Inclusion tattoos are done so that persons can show that they are part of a group. Two examples of this would team logos and military insignia. A very important inclusion form of tattooing lies in some tribal communities. In these communities when children go through the process of youth to adulthood; one can receive a specific tribal tattoo. This example would be a form of ritual tattooing. Each of these examples is to show pride in the groups people belong to or the transition from childhood to adulthood. The most basic reason for this type of tattooing is to stand out of the crowd. Some people may get a tattoo to just be different or make a statement. There are still some cultures that frown upon tattoos, so one would get tattooed to shake things up. The United States has had a turnaround over the last 20 years or so, to that now “Getting Inked” is culturally acceptable. (Schwarz, 2008) Although it is important to discuss the different types of tattooing, it is also important to discuss position and rank are important as well. Position and Rank Tattooing (Schwarz,
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