Got tattoos? Sorry, you're not allowed to work for us

reply to post by windwaker

I would like to know how many people here of the tattoo culture hang out with people who DON'T have tattoos. Anyone?

I would honestly say 90% of my friends have ZERO tattoos. All seem to love mine, but for whatever reason, just cannot get past the stigma associated with them. Most of the excuses I hear consist of "My parents would disown me" to "I just cant think of anything that I would want so bad that it would be with me forever"

reply to post by windwaker

So, it is true that people who get tattoos must have a tolerance to extreme self-inflicted pain

I think the term "extreme self inflicted pain" is a little....well extreme. Not one time during any tattoo that I have received have I thought "Oh my god this hurts so bad I want to stop." Never. Pain is of little consequence when getting one. Obviously certain areas are more sensitive than others. The most painful one I received was on the inside of my elbow, and thats only because Im pretty bony. It was nothing unbearable. Its not so much a pain as it is a burning sensation. So dont think that in some case the pain is so brutal that people pass out and die. When your being tattooed your body actually releases endorphins, which obviously have the effect of calming you down. There have been a few times when I went to get a tattoo i was irritated about something, and once the process begin, calmed down and relaxed quite a bit.

Its almost therapeutic in a way that shooting a gun is as well. Unless of course, you are against guns, than i really must seem disturbed to you with all my tattoos and guns

reply to post by pajoly

Sigh. See OP? That's a kind of "me against the world," silly, ignorant, immature comment that only shows Valvoline made the CORRECT decision not to hire you. You DO have a chip on your shoulder. You do REJECT the "regular" world.

Maybe I should apologize for a comment made in jest. Sarcasm doesn't seem to translate well over a keyboard.

I do not REJECT the "regular" world, I just dont agree with it. Im sure there are plenty of things that people don't agree with, but that doesn't mean they reject it all together. I understand regardless of MY personal feelings toward the "regular" world, there is no changing it. Thats just the way that some things work, I, and everyone else, will just have to deal with it. I accept that, but again, I dont necessarily agree with it.

Anything I said to put down the job was probably said due to me being bitter. That's not an excuse, but have you been more than thrilled about any potential jobs that have turned you down? Rejection hurts, and while I may not necessarily be hurt, I'm a little bitter about it. I feel that Valvoline lost a hell of a worker, they feel they made the right decision. Stripes and Solids I guess.

The hard truth is that people like you may very well be afraid to succeed and you need to learn to battle that inferiority complex, to learn what triggered your lack of self-worth.

I have never once been afraid to succeed in my lifetime. If anything, with the limited opportunities I have had in my life to succeed, I have taken full advantage of them. I do not fear success or anything that comes with it, I actually welcome the challenge of being successful. As for your comment about my "lack of self worth", without getting to personal, I think I perceive myself very accurately. I know what I am, and what I am not, and I can tell you right now that I am worth more than some crummy job that wouldn't have appreciated me anyways. If i truly felt I was worthless, I could have crawled into the cave of "Woe is Me" and never applied for a job again.

Instead I continue my search for employment, EVERYDAY, until something comes along.

Do you feel secretly inferior to those who can buckle down and get those corporate jobs and do well in them?

No, just my personal feelings, but if you want to sit locked at a desk all day, have at it. I would much rather have a job that requires my sweat and blood (in some cases) and where I can be proud of knowing I busted my hump to get it done. Humps are busted differently I suppose, but Im more than willing to bet a farmer bust's his hump more than a financial analyst any day. I would just rather have the pride associated with doing hard work than work that maybe isn't so difficult.

Originally posted by windwaker
I would like to know how many people here of the tattoo culture hang out with people who DON'T have tattoos. Anyone?

Sorry, people aren't as easy to pigeonhole as that. What is tattoo culture? 3 ore more? Sleeves? And why is it important to define people on that basis? Kind of a narrow viewpoint.
To answer the question...some family and friends have tats...some don't. Neither scenario causes any of us to lose any sleep.

Originally posted by ignorant_ape
reply to post by kyleisboss

 

and a swastika tattooed on my hands,

i would not employ you either - can you guess why ?

Ummm...if you actually READ what he said, he actually said he DIDN'T have a swastika or anything else commonly deemed offensive tattooed on him. Only the state of Ohio, his daughter's name, and half a broken heart.

In psychology,
you learn the majority of males/females that need/have
tattoos, are insecure with something about themself.
What's with you boy? Think hard
A tattooed body too, hide who you are.
Scared to be honest, be yourself.
A coward inside?

reply to post by hillynilly


"Psychology" does not "teach" this. Certain psychologists have speculated in the direction, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything either. After all -- Freud believed that everything related to patients reasons for seeking therapy or treatment was somehow connected to unresolved sexual urges towards the father or mother, and that has proven to be an inaccurate and or incomplete assumption.

So many people have tats these days, it's almost abnormal not to have one. But if it is in a place that can't be normally covered with regular clothing (no gloves, scarves or ski masks) then I know it can be harder to get a job, and also to join the military. Is there a way you can hide them in the future when you go on another interview somewhere?

reply to post by kyleisboss


I've never had a tattoo, so you may be right. I did see a YouTube video that showed a young teenage girl screaming in agony while getting a tattoo. It disturbed me somewhat. Maybe her behavior was extreme, but the video left a lasting impression on me.

It was the first time that I realized that there might be some people who go through a considerable amount of discomfort to get their tattoo. I know it seems naive of me to not figure that out until seeing that video, but it changed my perspective of people with tattoos. They started to seem more like warriors than civilians, almost like people who would be suited for battle.

reply to post by kyleisboss

If you still would like to work for this company call them and ask them if you could wear fingerless work gloves, or gloves such as the Mechanix that I choose to wear. Is their issue that they are visible or that you have them at all?

reply to post by hillynilly


But in religion the tattoo symbolises the demon your associated with in reality.

So who is right. You wonder why beckham wears so many tattoos, and he is in those societies is he not?

Originally posted by kyleisboss
No, just my personal feelings, but if you want to sit locked at a desk all day, have at it. I would much rather have a job that requires my sweat and blood (in some cases) and where I can be proud of knowing I busted my hump to get it done. Humps are busted differently I suppose, but Im more than willing to bet a farmer bust's his hump more than a financial analyst any day. I would just rather have the pride associated with doing hard work than work that maybe isn't so difficult.

I used to think like that.

Then I had one of the old guys on a job site take me aside and say:

"Kid, do you really want to be doing this when you're my age, and your back and knees are gone? Because I sure as hell don't. Go to school, get some letters after your name and a job in the warm. Do this crap as a hobby."

In retrospect, it was some of the best advice I've ever been given. Of the advice that I followed, that is.

You've got tats on your hands. Even among that tattooed, that's a bit extreme. You've been saying you're a hard worker, and that you take pride in what you do, and that people are losing out by not hiring you because of them.

Well, here's a question for you: What do you do that no one else does? What makes you so important to a company that people will look past the ink on your hands? What skills do you have that I, as an employer, need to have in my company? Why should I, or anyone else, look at your resume and see you as indispensable?

For unskilled labour like changing oil, there's a thousand hard working people to choose from. And you've handicapped yourself out of the gate by dong something even tattoo artists advise against.

You can either wait for society to come around, whining about discrimination against your permanent fashion choice on the internet, or get yourself the skills you need to force them to accept you. Which one of those involves "busting your hump"?

Good luck.

reply to post by kyleisboss


There is makeup that you can buy to cover them up. Will take you a little bit of work. But I think it would be less obvious then wearing gloves.

But there is still a discrimination against tattoos. Yes they are more accepted. But they are not completely accepted.

I worked at the welfare office. Most positions don't require a degree, or even much experience for that matter. Most of the people had visible tattoos. It was not a big deal.

I know work for another agency, same state. But the requirements are higher.. There are doctors and lawyers. I haven't seen one tattoo.
So people still have certain expectations or discriminations.

I am really sorry you are going through this. Your post is well written. There is no reason you shouldn't be hired.

As for going filing for discrimination, they just have their hands full with big jobs. Such as entire police departments practising discrimination. And yes, it is only related to sex, race, religion, sexual orientation.
The laws only protect so much.
I was discriminated against for being pregnant, I coudlnt' get them to help me.

But if you get numbers, maybe 10 other people who feel the same as you, then you might get their attention.

P.S.

I really suggest doing some volunteer work. I tell this to everybody who is having trouble finding a job. It starts to fill in gaps in the resume, makes you stand out, and helps you network. If you are as an impressive worker as you say, then someone will be impressed enough to hire you.

Heck, I used to have the manage the community service workers when I worked for the park service. Some we got along with so well and they worked so hard we tried to get them jobs.

I'd like to add my response to some of the issues that have come up in this thread. As a tattoo artist, I think I can offer a bit of perspective.

#1 The people who get the tattoos, and their reasons for getting them are as varied as the tattoos themselves. I've tattooed people of all ages, from all walks of life, from all income brackets, the list goes on and on. Your doctor could be tattooed and you wouldn't even know it. My point here is, don't judge a person by their art, (or lack thereof).

#2 The pain thing: For the most part, people don't sit in the chair and scream their heads off every time a tattoo is given. Most people who get tattooed for the first time are surprised to find that it does not hurt like they expected it would. There are some areas which are more painful then others, there are some designs which will probably hurt more overall then others (big vs. small tattoos for example) but in the end they're pretty tolerable.

#3 Tattoo responsibility. Tattoos are a big commitment, we make it a point to let everyone know this before they get into the chair. If a kid who just turned 18 walks into the shop wanting a sleeve, a responsible artist will at least try to talk him or her into getting it on the upper arm, where it can be covered if necessary. Names are another big thing, where I work, we ALWAYS try to talk people out of getting their S/O's tattooed on them. If they are dead-set on getting it done, we recommend color instead of getting it done in black, that way if things go bad, it's easier to cover/remove later on. Also the shop I work at, and many shops today (at least where I'm from) will not do tattoos that promote hatred, or violence.

We tend to see a lot of people who don't think their ink through very much and we do what we can to offer some insight so they don't make a huge mistake they'll end up regretting. Not all shops are like this obviously, like all professions, you're going to find some bad eggs. It's up to the customer to do the research, when you go into a studio, ask to see portfolios, ask what their cleaning techniques are if they use sterile single-use needles, etc. Ask them if they autoclave their supplies such as tubes or piercing equipment. Be observent, is the shop spotless? Are the artists clean, well groomed? An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, you'll save yourself a lot of headache if you do the research before going in to get a tattoo done.

#4 History Tattoos have a very long, very rich history, thousands of years ago they were actually used in shamanic practices for healing, some tribes today still practice this. Cool fact, did you know the iceman was tattooed? He's over 5,000 years old. An article I read once hypothesized that his tattoos were for relieving pain, due to the placement of his tattoos and the wear on the body in those areas.

www.smithsonianmag.com..." target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow">History of Tattoos Smithsonian

There are cultures all around the world with different traditions and opinions on tattooing, and once you start to do some research it's a fascinating subject. My only problem with tattoos today, is that I feel they are not treated with enough respect, I wish more people would understand the rich history behind tattoos, for good and bad, and have some respect for the commitment they are about to make when they get something forever marked on their skin.

Names are another big thing, where I work, we ALWAYS try to talk people out of getting their S/O's tattooed on them. If they are dead-set on getting it done, we recommend color instead of getting it done in black, that way if things go bad, it's easier to cover/remove later on.

Yeah, SO names are a huge no no. Personally -- I like the blank banner for that kind of thing. You can just hand the new "love of your life" a sharpie maker and tell them to fill in their own name as pretty as can be. *wink*

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


My mom and dad both have tattoos and gave me one piece of advice...

NEVER GET SOMEONES NAME TATTOOED ON YOU

I figure my daughter will always be my daughter though...as for significant others....

reply to post by kyleisboss


I've been married to my wife for 15 years, and I wouldn't get her name tattoo'd on me to save my life.

Why jinx it?

Daughters are fair game for names, however.

reply to post by 0zzymand0s


Yep, I'm a firm believer that getting the name on you will jinx it. I remember when a girl came into the shop who just turned 18 and got mad at me because I wouldn't put her boyfriend of 6 months name on her. She went to the shop down the street, they advised against it, but did it anyway. Two hours later they got into a big fight and almost broke up, her friend came back to tell me about it.

Originally posted by bekisu
reply to post by 0zzymand0s

 

Yep, I'm a firm believer that getting the name on you will jinx it. I remember when a girl came into the shop who just turned 18 and got mad at me because I wouldn't put her boyfriend of 6 months name on her. She went to the shop down the street, they advised against it, but did it anyway. Two hours later they got into a big fight and almost broke up, her friend came back to tell me about it.

It must be great experience.