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| Yup, that glowing thing is me. |
There are those that want to cut the poor kid down because of his tattoos. They want to say that he isn't a good role model, he isn't marketable, he looks like a thug, he isn't respectable enough to be the leader of an NFL team. I get what you are saying people; however, you need to be an influence on your child's life too. Are we going to ridicule every famous person with a tattoo, with a cigarette in their mouth, with a piercing, with crazy hair? Do I think the people need to be responsible for themselves and make wise, educated decisions about their lives and bodies? Yes. Colin isn't the one standing next to every kid getting inked and egging them on. If you don't want your child getting a tattoo, make sure they know your wishes. My parents have clearly stated to all of their children that if we come home with a tattoo, it will be Brillo padded off (scary hyperbole). Our parents made their opinion known because my aunt, my dad's sister, has her cat tattooed on her shoulder. There was an ESPN reporter commenting on the article about Colin's tattoos and talking about how we have to dress for the job that we want - our appearance does matter when we have to be judged and evaluated by our appearance. I agree, getting a job is going to be hard with a face or neck tattoo. Just be smart with your self expression. If you can get a tattoo and still function in your position, go for it. A girl I know recently got a huge tattoo across the whole of her forearm about her cat. To me, I think it will be hard for her to get acting jobs with a huge scrawling tattoo memorial to her cat; however, it is her body and she may do as she sees fit. I also know guys that are covered from head to toe in tattoos and really do look like they belong in a jail cell - turns out one of them was actually a cop. Sure, I can think Colin's tattoos are kind of gross and that they make him look less than reputable, but I'd miss out watching one awesome quarterback. 
Nobody seems to complain about Chris Brown's tattoos or Mike Tyson's tattoos making them less reputable or marketable; one beat up his girlfriend (his NECK tattoo being a picture of her bloody, beat up face) and the other bit off someone's ear! Chris Brown is still out there recording music and apparently is back with Rihanna too; while Mike Tyson just goes on with life and even gets movie appearances and even more famous because of that face tattoo and it's appearance in The Hangover. There are also other famous people with tattoos that HAVE NOT done anything crazy. Take the Madden boys - be still my beating punk-rock heart! - for example. Their tattoos are merely an expression of themselves and what they've been through. They are upstanding Christian men who happen to appreciate the tattooing arts.
I do have a tattoo that I'd really like; however, I can't think of a good spot to get it. For that simple reason, I may never get it. Enough said. Smart, educated, thought-out decision about my body.
This topic reminds me of a radio program I heard while driving this last weekend. There were women who'd had abortions in the past and now are upset with the decision they made. Rather than taking responsibility for their decisions, they decided to blame the organizations or clinics that helped them abort the baby. I am all for babies. The safe, responsible making of babies is best. Unwanted babies, wanted babies - I love them all. I spent a whole week with orphan babies in Ethiopia and it was the best week! I can't wait to start adopting babies and puppies. Anyways, back to abortions. In my opinion, if you turn up at a store and ask for a head of lettuce, do you expect the grocer to ask you why you want to purchase it before explaining the growth and harvest of a head of lettuce, what pesticides were put on it, how it was cultivated, etc. No. They expect you to be an informed consumer. So if you go to the clinic and ask for an abortion, do you expect them to sit down and tell you all the details? They don't tell you all the horrible things you could get as a side effect from the flu shot but they recommend you get it every year. They don't tell you it only covers 2 of the hundreds of illnesses with flu like symptoms. Heck, you could just suffer narcolepsy with "episodes of cataplexy - when strong emotions trigger a sudden and dramatic loss of muscle strength." Oh, by the way, you are more likely to develop narcolepsy as a side effect if you are under the age of 18; however, it is completely "safe" for you to get one every year from 6 months and beyond. If a doctor won't tell you about a flu shot, do you really think they are going to go through every gut wrenching feeling that you will experience when you think about the way your baby died? All the gory details about how they are going to cause premature labor and then scramble the baby's brain when it's head emerges (note: this is only one type of abortion and it usually occurs in the later trimesters of pregnancy)? The clinic is going to assume that you have spent more than 5 seconds pondering the abortion of the fetus that you are carrying and that it was a very difficult and painful decision to come to; therefore, they probably don't want to burden you with more guilt than necessary. You have made the decision to abort your child for your own reasons, it isn't the clinics job to make your decision for you. I can't imagine the guilt of having aborted your child, but it doesn't do any good to blame others. Accept responsibility. It'll be hard, but once you accept responsibility you can work towards accepting yourself and forgiving your past.
In other words, it is your body. You are the one in control of it. Parents, speak to your kids about issues that matter to you. Help them make an informed decision by being an involved parent. You can also help them by teaching them to make educated and thought out decisions (about important things, not what they want on their sandwich).
PS: I just have to add a post script about the player that made some pretty stupid comments about gay people: ''Ain't got no gay people on the team. They gotta get up outta here if they do. Can't be with that sweet stuff.'' If I remember correctly, I think there was already a gay member of the 49ers (retired now). Wow, I'm glad he's taken back his comments and promises to learn from his mistake. I hope he can realize that gay people are ordinary people like everyone else and they just didn't work themselves up to the pro-level of football to stare at other boys in the locker room. He could probably even learn something from them; maybe they gots some grammar they can borrow him.
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