Mod 3: podcast

Podcast Event EssayPodcast Event Essay
Tattoos are a remarkable thing. Permanent, live changing symbols embedded into your body and in your soul for your lifetime. Yet, they have such a negative and controversial background. Personally, I have no tattoos but a majority of my family and friends do; I always ask the meaning behind each inked artwork and each one tells a story. My sister has “hope” in Japanese on her right shoulder; she says it gave her strength when her biologically father left her stranded. My other sister’s favorite tattoo is a grenade in the shape of a heart exploding, this is to give her guts to know that guys, love, and relationships are not what makes you and that you control your heart and destiny. If these personal decisions on body modification are a reflection of who you are, then why are they looked down upon? Why do we grow up in a country that strives off of expression, personality, and individualism, but we cannot get jobs or respect with a symbol on our bodies? People need to be mature and accepting because it is not our duty to judge others, we need to learn how to respect their self-expression.
In Michigan, we all know the economy is bad. But I wonder if it plays a role in the profits and use of tattoos and piercings. In no matter what economical condition, beauty parlors, tanning salons, and weight loss centers will be open, does the same thing apply for tattoos? This year, the annual tattoo expo show in Kentucky reported that up to 60% of those who attended got a tattoo (Hall). Hall reports that the nation’s bad economy plays no superior role in tattoos. He adds that people will invest money into their bodies no matter what, tattoos are no different. He says that most people get tattoos “on special occasions,” and they are always willing to invest money in their bodies, tattoos are no exception. The owner of Lost and Found Tattoos, P!nhead said himself that the economy is not affecting his business and he and Jeremy believe that Michigan can be broke as ever, and people will always want to modify themselves physically. P!nhead wonders that in a few years the economy will change, however. Being so close to a college campus, will Lost and Found Tattoos feel a drought as younger people try and save money, or are you always young and dumb? I’m sure a majority of people with tattoos got them done and a younger age, so maybe the economy won’t play a role at all. A blog user from the site everytattoo.com asks this very question, will the economy effect tattoo and piecing sales. He personally feels that some tattoos will be modified for money reasons, big ones minimized smaller and some customers just not coming in anymore. But his responses say otherwise. The television show Miami Ink has a new season coming; everytattoo.com reports on it saying that now tattoos are “mainstream, more and more people are flocking to the shop to get ink” (Miami Ink.) Personally, I do not think the economy state will ever directly affect the tattoo industry because people will do what they want with their bodies at any cost. Another personal opinion I have on the economy’s relationship to tattoos is the fact that tattoos and piercings have been taking place throughout the course of history; they will not simply stop or suffer because a few states are not making secure bank.
As I mentioned, people will always waste money on selfish, self-modifying things. However, tattoos are a lifelong commitment. They can represent something; give you hope and faith; and they can remind you of your past and your future. If this is truly the case, why would the economy effect tattoo’s sales. You can morph your body into anything you want, and you have control of your body. Do what you want with it, and not what others want. Personally, I cannot wait to get my tattoo; I want my dad and my grandpa’s name. I want to honor them for the rest of my life. People often don’t look deep enough to realize that tattoos can be positive. Tattoos and piercings are an art form; they are personal reflection of whom they are on.

I have two very good friends, “big brothers” if you will, who own and work at a very successful tattoo shop in Ysipilanti. P!nhead is the owner and main tattoo artist. He has several employees and interns, Jeremy is one of them. I interviewed both of them and asked them numerous questions pertaining to their industry. The first interview was with P!nhead, then with Jeremy.
Me: How long have you been in this industry and what made you want to get into it?
P!nhead: I started about November 1998 and I really wanted to get into tattoos and piercings for the groupies. Just kidding, I wanted to express people in ways that they normally cannot, I wanted to make art and to make a difference in someone’s life unconventionally.
Me: What are the pros and cons to doing this every day?
P!nhead: Well for starters, what I make in a day some people make in a week or a paycheck. But every day is different; some days I come home short of a profit. Also, this is a field that is always growing and expanding once you get into it there are jobs everywhere. It is all expressive, no one can say “that’s not good enough,” or “this is not up to our standards “because everything is self-reflective. The cons are this job is not for everyone, sure the hours can be great, like sleeping in every day, but it is demanding on time. You have to deal with people who think they know what they want or exactly how to do it, but I am the professional and sometimes they aren’t right.
Me: Tattoos and piercings usually have negative stereotypes, what are some that you see, and how do you want to change them?
P!nhead: The most common stereotypes I think of is that everyone with tattoos are bikers, pirates, criminals and druggies. Some think we are “wierdos,” people who live off of pain, torture, and violence. Or that we are sadistic and Satan worshipers. My favorite stereotype is that we are all social outcasts, who isn’t a social outcast? They think that we tattooist are just junkies who couldn’t make it in the real world. Most of my friends in the business have been in school for years and have degrees in arts, graphic designing and similar areas. But I do want to change the way people look at us. I want them to think positively and respect our art-
Me: How does the location of your shop influence what types and “sterotypes” of people that come in?
P!nhead: Well, since we are off of Eastern Michigan we get a lot of younger people coming in.
Me: Does Michigan’s economy play a role in the amount of business coming through?
P!nhead: No, not at all. A tattoo isn’t like getting a new shirt, you either really want one, or you don’t. People will always pursue what they want.
Me: Finally, what do you want to get off your chest about tattooing and piecing?
P!nhead: I want people to stop asking me what I want to do in twenty years. I have a wife, children and a successful business. I am an artist. They look at this as a hobby but it is my life.


Me: You are a new intern at the shop. Why did you want to get into this field?
Jeremy: Well, originally I just needed a job. I moved back to Michigan and the economy, well, sucks. P!nhead’s a great friend and I soon realized this is what I want to do forever.
Me: What are your goals and dreams for tattooing?
Jeremy: I want to become different and always evolve. I want to do crazy things with this art and not be so conventional.
Me: Are they any pros and cons to the job?
Jeremy: Well I could make lists about pros; they people I work and deal with, the hours, the money, and the personal expression. But as far as cons go, I really have nothing. I love doing piercings and can’t wait to start tattooing.




Work Cited
Garcia Sr., Justin"P!nhead". Personal Interview. 15 November 2008.
Hall, Gregory A. “Expo shows the draw of tattoos doesn't fade in tight times” Draw of tattoos doesn't fade in tight times (24 November 2008) 24 November 2008.

TylerDurden. Online Posting. 17 October 2008. 24 November 2008.
Miami Ink Season 3. THE TATTOO PARLOR IS OPEN: MIAMI INK RETURNS FOR A THIRD SEASON ON JUNE 12 25 November 2008. < http://www.everytattoo.com/miamiinkseason3.html>

ism

mod3

Jordan Lapetz
Anne-Marie Yerks
Composition 106
3 November 2008
Libraries: Social or Educational?
I remember when I was around seven or eight years old and my older sister had to go the local library after school so she could get her school research done. Now, just ten years later, I am sitting on my couch doing this paper. It almost seems unfair that I can do the same, if not more research, in less time and much easier. However, when I was assigned this paper I did put in an effort to go to our college’s library and went through some journals to see the different types of media on social networking relating to libraries; yet again, my internet at home was more helpful in getting things done. Even when I was at the library, I did not get much done in terms of raw data. Along with everybody else on the second floor, I was bouncing back and forth with Facebook, MySpace, and an Encyclopedia or two. I realized I could not get any real work sitting here because everyone around me was doing the same thing I was doing. So the next time I went over to the library I took my laptop and my research tools up to the fourth floor; I got some work done. Then it popped into my head, everyone on the fourth floor wants to get things done. They are not here to waste time; they are here to get their homework done and go home. The majority of the people on the floor were older than twenty-four it seemed, and they also seemed to take school more seriously. Thinking back on it, it is slightly sad that in a high rated university there is little real educational work being done in the library that we students pay for. In theory, a library should be used to higher our educational standards, enlighten our minds, and enrich our culture, not sitting in a group of classmates on social networks gossiping; along with our social networks, it shows that our age plays a role in our priorities and the way we carry ourselves. With age comes maturity and with maturity comes professionalism.
My thought is this, how does age relate to what we do in our classrooms and libraries. An undergraduate seems more likely not to study or go to class than a graduate student, in my opinion. Mark-Shane E. Scale’s article states in Table 2 that the largest percentage of social networking users are students, 98%, followed by graduate students with 46% (the not viewable group represented 48%). This data alone makes my theory correct. The reasons may be due to the fact of students have more free time and they are still very socially connected to their peers, whereas graduate students are more focused and determined in their education and professional lifestyles.
This drags me to another thought: how do the two groups, students and graduate students, represent themselves on their online profiles? Looking at the same article, it breaks down the personal information the two groups share online. As I read the data, the graduate students seem to be more protective and secure on what they display, and who can see it (Scale). In the PDF file we were given in class it defined age differences under “The literature on online social networks”. The section quotes a Golden Rule from Cornell University; it states
“Don’t say anything about someone else that you world not want said about yourself. And be gentle with yourself too! What might seem fun or spontaneous at 18, given caching technologies, might prove to be a liability to an on-going sense your identity over the longer course of history.”
The paragraph spells out to me a very good moral: do not say things that you do not want to be repeated or brought back to you five years later. This is why graduate students have more professional and private social networking profiles. Those students realize what can be done and how any information either about them, or what they say, may come back to haunt them. These days the younger culture does not realize that what they say verbally and what they write, or type, has consequences. It is a foolish notion that things they post when they are 18-23 will suddenly disappear in five years. David Epstein states that a lot of these people on social networks “lack judgment” which is over 100 percent correct. Many personal, stream of consciousness blogs often go over the limit. Most people do not connect the point of what you say on the internet will be with you forever. Just try Goggling your peers and I promise social network sites will come up.


“Charnigo, Laurie and Paula Barnett-Ellis” March 2007. 3 November 2008. -40d7-a919-af47a38b9258/Assignments/6df91329-0a40-45a0-bb06-
“Epstein, David” 3 October 2005. 3 November 2008.

“Scale, Mark-Shane E.” 2008. 3 November 2008.