The tattoo is one of the oldest known ways of decorating oneself and has historically been associated with the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Japanese, the Mayans, the Incans and the Aztecs. Although these rituals were based on cultural practices and religious beliefs, they also have a sordid past that many fail to consider before partaking in this practice of self-mutilation.
Youth today are unaware of their history and quick to mimic the practices of entertainers and athletes frequently paraded in the public light. Entertainers can get away with marking themselves up on conspicuous parts of the body, but most black men won’t make it as entertainers and may actually be guaranteeing failure and non-productivity for themselves by marking their bodies with tattoos that will keep them connected to the ‘hood.
For African Americans, tattoos are a derivative of branding, a practice slave masters used to manage their stock in the same manner as sheep and cattle. During the Holocaust, the only people that had tattoos were Jews, which was a number used to identify them.
Research has shown that tattoos are frequently associated with people with personality disorders and troubled backgrounds and that ” it is the mere presence of the tattoo, not its artistic content, that correlates with certain diagnoses,” according to Drs. Robert Raspa and John Cusack.
The simple truth is tattoos, especially on visible places such as one’s neck or face, are no different than bar codes or the brands given to slaves. It is probably a peer pressure response, since data from the American Society of Dermatological surgery, shows that over 50 percent of everyone receiving a tattoo wants them removed eventually.
–torrance stephens, ph.d.
For more with Dr. Stephens, visit twitter.com/rawdawgbuffalo and rawdawgb.blogspot.com.
