Getting a Red Bull is one of my favorite past times, probably because I am completely addicted to the Taurine or whatever horrific heart failure causing agents are in it. I can’t resist. So, today I was in the local 7-11 (I say local like it’s Mr. Smith’s 2nd street deli and not a chain store that’s fucking everywhere) and, as usual, buying my 3 gallon can of Red Bull because the 16oz one won’t hasten my eventual meeting with Satan quick enough. While waiting in line I spied this guy in front of me who had several well placed tattoos embossed on his flesh. I happened to notice this peculiar tattoo on the side of his right calf. He had a tree with a long extended branch. From the branch was a Klu Klux Klan member who was hanging from a noose and quite dead. I thought, to myself, “what an odd tattoo choice.” I mean, I get the symbolism of it but it was one of those tilt your head and scrunch your upper lip in curious bewilderment moments. What would possess someone to get a tattoo like that, particularly a white guy? The movie Black Sheep with Chris Farley popped into my head and I imagined him with his 6 black friends at a college frat party, getting shit faced and double dog daring each other. The eventual outcome being, “Fuck you Jamal! I’m not a pussy!…wanna make a bet that I won’t get that tattoo?” My second thought was that maybe he was just sympathetic to the struggle for African American rights in America against the backlash of primarily white racist oppression. Naaahh… that’s too easy of an answer. I finally concluded that he MUST be a self loathing Klu Klux Klan member. It’s like when Ariel Moore in Footloose rebels against her uptight conservative father and goes dancing. He still hangs out with his Klux buddies during the week, but on the weekend he gets nuts and sheds the white robe and marches in NBPP rallies. On Sundays, he hosts a book seminar on the influence of "In the Name of Elijah Muhammad Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam" by Mattias Gardell, just for fun.
When I lived at the beach there was this local guy with a big swastika tattooed on his pectoral muscle, and he always walked around with his shirt off. He carried himself like everything was totally normal, and this was at a "family" beach too.
ReplyDeleteOne day I was walking a good distance behind him and saw three junior high school-aged Jewish kids walk past him. Their jaws dropped, and one of them turned to the other and stated the obvious, "that guy had a swastika on his chest." These kids seemed nice enough. I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for them, but I also had to laugh a little. This guy was just so damn congruent with himself despite the tattoo. He didn't acknowledge it, he just walked on.
I, myself, have a tattoo of a white tiger on my back. I guess that can be perceived in different ways, but I am of the opinion that white tiger's are simply good-looking animals. ;) I also have a tattoo of a band symbol for a strongly anti-racist hardcore punk band that I listened to in earlier years.
I think being way too vested in certain political beliefs can wear people down over time. It's a waste of energy. R
You think that's crazy? You absolutely have to check this out then, it'll blow your balls out of your belly button.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH2-TGUlwu4
A cat with a rainbow coming out of its ass? Thanks, dude. I want 3 minutes and 37 seconds of my life back. R
ReplyDeleteAnd just as an addendum, these are tattoos I got when I was 18 and 19 years old. Given the opportunity, I probably would have rethunk the decision to get those, although the tiger is pretty cool-looking. R
ReplyDeleteI have a tattoo of three Mexican penguins wearing sombreros huddled around the other tattoo of fire that is coming out of my belly button. It's a cozy little scene that I thoroughly enjoy seeing in the mirror each day while singing Ricky Martin's classic song "Livin'la vida loca." Some may say it's racist, but I say that's horseshit because Mexican penguins LOVE wearing sombreros and LOVE singing "Livin'la vida loca." It's science, look it up.
ReplyDeleteYep. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. Just get another tattoo of three German penguins wearing lederhosen and singing "Du, du liegst mir im Herzen," and the two tattoos will balance each other out. Who knew you liked penguins so much? R
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