Favorite/least favorite part of tattoo's? - Page 2

EndWinterRomance · 08-13-2008, 02:22 AM

at this website.... Speak Up › Warning: Pop Culture Appropriates Warning i quoted this....

Quote:

But wait... In an inspired and somewhat macabre turn, a biohazard tattoo on a gay man has come to mean: "I am HIV positive." One would think that the disclosure of seropositive status is usually a discrete matter, but some are intent on doing away with the hush and mutter that can result from diagnosis. Asymptomatic patients with this kind of tattoo have made clear the facts not evident on cursory inspection. Furthermore, the shocked awareness raised by this remarkable gesture goes a little deeper into one's consciousness than something a common red ribbon might trigger.
It's a tricky move. Back in '86 William F. Buckley Jr. thought it would be a good idea to mark HIV positive individuals for easy social identification. Should we think nothing of the potential for discrimination, harassment and surveillance?
However, this is what the original mark was designed for: a warning. Who's being more responsible, more true to the intent of Baldwin's symbol? The trinket makers or the voluntarily tattooed? The biohazard symbol serves to alarm that the material in this container presents a "risk or potential risk to the well being of man, either directly through his infection or indirectly through disruption of his environment."
In light of this twist, perhaps the unmotivated significance of a pop cultural icon will be replaced and returned to the motivated significance of a potential danger. To paraphrase Baldwin: this is not simply a cool design to be taken lightly.

just saying as a warning to everyone... i understand thats not what you meant for your tattoo to represent, but thats what it does. so research before getting a tattoo what it possibly means

PhillyLikwid · 08-13-2008, 03:27 AM

Research, be for real for a few moments here. Dude 'paraphrase' Baldwin, which in most cases, means to take what anyone says completely out of context.

From Baldwin who designed the symbol in the 60's.

First of all aids didn't hit America until the 80's. I see this symbol in labs and hospitals all the time. Again, I never heard of any such thing until reading your post, so since when does a pop culture reference, as far as I know little known, trump what the symbol was originally designed for? No one I have ever met got one because they had aids, in fact, when I first got it people used to always assume I got it because of the band. And I got it 9 years ago, so while that was still after '86, I'd never heard of that then or now. I mean seriously, you know people with aids who really do this? The government certainly isn't inking aids patients with bio-hazard tattoos using tax dollars. Sounds like some urban legend bs to me. Even the link you provided says this 'pop culture' reference exists in the male gay community. That would make it pretty non-existent in my world.

Oooh_snap · 08-13-2008, 11:37 AM

You always do have to be careful with what your tattoo may mean. I would always research the meaning before getting it done.. Although I have never heard once that the biohazard symbol means you are HIV positive, but that is interesting...

Oh well, though no worries unless you are in the gay community? It's kind of like the whole getting a certain ear pierced and not the other meaning you are gay... It only means as much as you take it to mean.. It is most likely just something that someone started because they hated someone.. and this person only had their right ear pierced.. so they started rumors that if you have your right ear pierced and not your left then a person must be gay.. (even though it SUPPOSEDLY originated that only having 1 ear pierced, either side, meant a person is gay, just depending on the ear showed whether this person is the dominant or submissive one.)

So no worries... You got a tattoo that you wanted. I googled just in general, Biohazard symbol tattoo meanings, and not once did anything pop up about it meaning one has aids.. I think that is something you would have to search for to find...

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okay that was really random and I am in a rush at work so I don't really have time to make sure that made any sense at all... so I hope it did.. sorry?

EndWinterRomance · 08-13-2008, 01:31 PM

i just googled biohazard tattoo meanings and that was the second link but to each his own...... it may be based on reigon cause here in oregon everyone knows this meaning for that particular tattoo..... so either we have more gays here or something but i was just saying people need to check into the meanings of their tattoos before getting them..... even if it isnt a common thought, some people will think things of you based on your tattoos and we dont want tobe giving the wrong impression do we?

PhillyLikwid · 08-13-2008, 01:46 PM

Well if a gay man wants to think I have aids that's his business and his own ignorance. Just like Snap said, if homosexual men have their own code language with tattoos or ear piercings on one side (though that is another wide spread false label if you are using it as a general sign of homosexuality), that's their thing. I don't speak in baseball signs or gay pick up code, so it doesn't phase me. I went off what the symbol actually means and was designed for. It seemed like you saying "research" things, came off as if I got my tattoo on a whim randomly, when in fact I did research it, and sat on the idea for a year. So while you may live in an area with a high gay male population and be more aware of what they talk about, that's why I originally said that I have no idea what goes on in the gay aids community. Nor do I consider that popular culture by any means. Nor do I believe it is a 'popular' practice amongst gay men with aids. They would have adopted it for it's original meaning and usage for that anyway, my point being that because they may have a specific plague to use it for, doesn't change the definition of the symbol to what they want. It is a warning for all human effecting viruses. It doesn't work that way. 28 days later uses the symbol and the movie isn't about aids. Bio-hazard
It's a bacterial warning label with different levels or grades of danger. It isn't aids specific to the mainstream.

Oooh_snap · 08-13-2008, 02:07 PM

Yeah, I googled it and in the second link I found something of the sort on Yahoo answers.. where 4 out of the 5 people have never heard anything about this meaning. but I don't ever take things from there as a justification for anything. Obviously there isn't going to be any scientific proof that this is what the symbol means.

I mean anyone can make up any meaning for a tattoo.. For example (as someone else said in some various link that I am not going to find and provide as it is essentially useless) you can get a tattoo of an apple core and say that it means you are left handed.. and that is what it means because you say so.

I am not arguing that in places it does mean that the person sporting it is HIV positive, but as it says up there "a biohazard tattoo on a gay man has come to mean: "I am HIV positive."
Which reading too deeply into it, it says on a gay man, so this has nothing to do with it being on a straight man..
Essentially, you would have to know the guy is gay to come to the assumption that he is HIV positive, or its just profiling lol. I can see that getting one in a place with a high gay population would be not such a smart move.

Besides, who really cares what it means to other people. I'd get whatever it was I wanted put on my body despite what other people thought of it... It wouldn't matter to me if it meant I kick babies and long as I enjoyed it on my body. Even if he had searched it 9 years ago he probably never would have found anything about it meaning such a thing..

Maybe all of the articles are just wrong and really the gay community is trying to say I stole PhillyLikwid's tattoo because I wish I was as cool as him.. Either way.. He has his meaning for his tattoo and no one can tell him otherwise.

R1pperZ · 08-13-2008, 03:06 PM

This sounds just as credible as the tramp stamp BS... What guy would tattoo something that means "don't touch me I have aids" on them? Or even wear a shirt or necklace?

If they are respectable enough to inform their partners, that's one thing but I can't understand why someone would wear an AIDS marker as a symbol of pride.

Some of the dumbest things I have ever heard.

LadyPinky · 08-13-2008, 04:42 PM

I would have to agree the healing itchy healing part is the worst. My newest one just finished healing last week,I'm so glad it finally stopped itching.

I love going to the tattoo parlor its always so much fun there. Also showing your new one off to everyone makes me so happy.

EndWinterRomance · 08-13-2008, 05:52 PM

i know this is weird but does anyone else like the smell of the tattoo parlors? it's green soap (the stuff they use to clean the ink and blood off the unfinished tattoo so they can see where they are supposed to go next..... i love that smell