Well, I can tell you’re seventeen because your reading comprehension sucks.
I never said any of that. What I said was, if you reread it, was that of course you don’t care what people a littler older and wiser than you think because you’re sixteen, therefore you know it all and are a flipping moron, but that’s okay–that’s what 16 year olds are supposed to think.
But, while we’re on the subject, yes, 16 is too young to be getting ink. You might get a teardrop on your face, or a SlipKnot S, or a hatchetman on the back of your hand. At 16, or 17 for that matter, you don’t know what your life is going to be yet–hell, you’re not even who you’re going to be, you’re still growing into him. You may love SlipKnot now, but twenty years down the road? Who knows. One thing I can tell you for sure is that having tat teardrop tattoo is going to make it interesting to get into law school later in life.
There’s also another stigma with getting a tattoo too young–no reputable artist in America will do one for you, so children under the age of 18 have to go to scratchers for the most part. And if you don’t understand the inherent problems with getting a tattoo from a scratcher, otherwise known as Jerry from the block who’ll do you in his basement for a carton of Menthols, then you shouldn’t be getting ink anyway.
And let’s be real here for a moment: my right arm is sleeved out. When I get some serious cash, I’m doing my left arm, and I’m seriously considering getting a few dermal inkers in my face. I’m 25, I’m married, I’m in art school, and I’m working towards being a tattoo artist. I know where my life is headed, but I’m also old enough to understand my choices have closed doors to me. It’s going to be very, very hard in the future for me to get a nice, cushy office job, and in an economy based more on service rather than production, most living wage jobs are exactly those. Until I graduate, even with my fabulous employment record (ran a coffee house for three years, supervisor in a warehouse at 18, supervisor at the credit agency I most recently worked at), I’m more or less going to be forced to work at McDonald’s or construction. If I fuck up and fail out (for sake of arguement) I’m stuck there.
But I know the risks, weighed them, discussed it with my wife, and move forward.
Can you honestly tell me a 16 year old has enough of their lives worked out in order to make a decision like “should I get a sleeve, or a permament piercing like a dermal inker?” when you consider the consequences?
If so, you either ain’t being honest, or you’re an idiot.
Love. Peace. Metallica.
