Tats, piercings and more, oh my!

I heard a fellow relate the other day that when he noticed that his wife had decided, unbeknownst to him, to add a piercing in the top of her ear, he offered to get a couple of dogs to stay under the house. “If we’re going to be like trailer trash, let’s do it big time.”
I felt his reaction was a bit extreme. I don’t find those extra ear piercings to be that disturbing. As he’s maybe ten years younger than I, I was more surprised that he wasn’t more mellow about it.
I was in a restaurant Saturday night and the fellow waiting on us had an earring. I guess you could say that he was tastefully about it.
Another related that his daughter had recently applied for a very good job near the college she is attending. She was politely told that if she was accepted, it would be on the condition that she lost the nose stud she was now wearing. Tasteful or not, some are not accepting.
I heard another man, who is rather conservative, relate how his son had had his tongue pierced. I was surprised and I asked him how he and his wife responded. He said he didn’t say too much, and pretty soon the swelling and discomfort took care of it, as he has taken it out and it has healed over.
Another conservative noted that her daughter had a belly button piercing. Rather modest, doesn’t show. I don’t think it was her mother’s choice. In fact, from her comments, I’m sure she wasn’t consulted.
I couldn’t help but notice that one of my newspaper brothers on the sideline on a recent steamy football evening had shorts on that revealed a tattoo on his leg. I guess I was a little disappointed, but I didn’t think a lot about it.
Another related his daughter had a tattoo or two somewhere on her body. He didn’t relate where. I’m not sure he knows. They apparently had discussed the topic, and he had stressed to her how it would be important to keep it in a place where it was not normally visible.
While I expect they are fairly conservative, he related that he didn’t say a lot.
I wish I could say that if I was twenty something I wouldn’t be so stupid as to get a tat or a piercing. Of course, when I was twenty something, I was pretty stupid. At least until I was 22.
I fully believe that tats and piercings are forms of protest, mild or maybe a little more radical. Most of us go through that.
I also heard recently about some “wild kids” who have turned out to be pretty decent people. Some have some prejudices about them based upon who they used to be, and they have to overcome that. If and when people get past that, they find some good things, at least sometimes.
A friend was relating how prejudiced he was about tattoos, about how his whole attitude can change about someone, and he’s voiced that to friends only to find that they have a tattoo.
I guess we need to teach our kids about how we and others react to such things, and not overreact when it hits too close to home.
Some of my best friends have tats, piercings and more!

I rather expected to get an earful on the column that I wrote last week on the school board. Frankly, I was a bit concerned that it might go too far, and uncharacteristically asked a friend to look at it. He liked it.
I haven’t gotten any negative feedback on that one, but what I did get an earful on were the two letters to the editor that we published. I think they merit comment.
No, I didn’t write them. And no, I don’t agree with them. Either one of them.
One of the prejudices that we face in the news business is we don’t publish stories we don’t like, or opinions we don’t like. Yes, the newspaper to a great extent reflects what we think is important, but I hope we are open to other views.
I am a supporter of our President. My friend, Mr. Woodring, is not.
I think Trudi Rast has done a fine job with the volleyball program at Princeton, and her winning percentage speaks volumes about her ability to attract quality players and improve them. Obviously Mrs. Williamson disagrees.
It’s easy to say we don’t deserve criticism. The truth isn’t blunted by differing opinions. And whose truth is it?