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Tag Archives: tattoos
Is your tattoo a good or bad stigma?
Here is an interesting article that is somewhat of a critique of Goffman’s “Stigma and Social Identity” which ties into Lombroso’s ideas about tattoos. Tattoos seem to be a very popular topic amongst young people and on this blog. Many say that tattoo’s are a sign of deviance and show a lack of intelligence. Tattoo’s generally give a person a stigma, but is it a good or bad thing? Stigmas occur when something is different, whether it is a good, bad or neutral occurrence. People with physical disabilities are a common stigmatized group because we are always curious and fascinated by something that seems off. If you have ever seen someone who is blind, or with a limp and had to stare at them in fascination then you contribute to stigmatization, even if that was not your intent. Some stigmas are harder to define because they are things that can be hidden, such as homosexuality or sexual deviance. Today, some stigma’s can be ‘fixed’ with plastic surgery, such as rhinoplasty for those feeling stigmatized for having a big nose.
But what about a self inflicted stigma of a tattoo? Can something that is self inflicted be considered a negative stigma? Tattoos were generally used to brand people of deviance or to set them apart from the rest, such as slaves, criminals and the Jews during the Holocaust. Tattoo’s now can be considered a positive stigma since they are generally socially accepted and give you a sense of pride, make you part of a certain subculture or show the world what you are about. Since so many people are tattooed today, I don’t feel there is much of a stigma at all just due to its commonality. A tattooed individual would be stigmatized if they had an offensive tattoo (swastika), face tattoo, or just too many tattoos. Lizard man is the perfect example of a stigmatized individual due to tattoo choices.
Tattoo Brief
We discussed in class the different types of tattoos that people use to identify themselves as members of a particular group, such as a white supremacy group, or an ex-convict. I did some research and found this powerpoint: Tattoo Brief that is, from what I can only conclude, designated for recruiters in the armed forces. The brief goes on to describe the various designs, numbers, and symbolism used to designate members in groups such as Neo-Nazis, California gangs, Native Americans, and the BGF (Black Guerrilla Family).
The slides make a point to distinguish between people who use the tattoos to identify as members of a group, and those who use the tattoos without knowing the real meaning behind something permanently etched onto their skin. A tattoo of the number 311 could be a coded way of writing KKK, as K is the 11th letter of the alphabet, and 3×11 is equal to 3 K’s. 311 is also the name of a ska band. “Santana” could be an allusion to an Orange County gang, or be a tribute to Carlos Santana. Albeit an accidental one, the connection between tattoos an music is ever present.
In appropriating tattoos for their own use and classification, gangs are to this day justifying Lombroso’s theories. The methodology of classifying on sight is being used by the recruiters of law enforcement in order to weed out undesirables. This is not entirely an unpleasant thought, as I’d be wary of seeing a skinhead signing up to protect the peace. Unless it’s Edward Norton.
Socially Acceptable Tattoos
Some people would say that this phrase is an oxymoron, that any tattoo or bodily ink is an indication of some sort of deviant behavior, may it be criminal or something out of the norm. Lambroso believed that the more tattoos a person had, the less sensitive to pain that person was, which in turn made them less developed and more inclined to the criminal lifestyle and the more tattoos a person had the more correlation to crime they also had,
“tattooing is practiced by them to a far larger extent than by normal persons….whether thieves or murderers, show the highest percentage of tattooing…another fact worth mentioning is the extent to which criminals are tattooed” (Lambroso, pg 244).
This discussion of tattoos reminded me of this clip from one of my favorite shows MSNBC LOCKUP which is a documentary about Americas Prisons. Lockup Tattoo Clip.
This clip shows two prisoners with had their eyeballs filled with color ink. I believe that certain places on a body to get tattoos on are more socially acceptable then others. If you see somebody with a tattoo on their forearm for example you are going to assume that they were/are a sailor or had some sort of affiliation with the Navy. If you see a tattoo of someones name on a persons upper arm, its generally their parents, someone who was close to them that passed away, maybe even a significant others name. My point is that certain tattoos most people will see and will barely have a reaction to, because they are socially acceptable to an extent. Me personally if I see a person with a tattoo above their neckline I automatically have preconceived notions about that person, usually with negative connotations, mainly because a person with a big skull on his forehead is not going to be working a nice corporate job but will probably be selling drugs on the corner, now although that is not always the case, that is the impression that they project.
Bertillon and Lombroso still at work today
Hello all! I stumbled upon this interesting article while searching for something to post.
Anthony Garcia committed the murder of John Juarez in 2008 and tattooed the murder scene on his chest. This story amazes me because if it wasn’t for the tattoo on Mr. Garcia’s chest he probably would have never been caught. The case had been closed for four years until Mr. Garcia was arrested for driving without a license. Linking all the way back to Lombroso, the police took photos of Mr. Garcia’s tattoos as part of procedure and entered it into their database. Also, linking back to Bonneville the police are keeping photo’s of tattoos to find the recidivist or the habitual offender. A police officer was viewing the photos one day and noticed the similarities of the tattoo on his chest and the murder scene of John Juarez. In the 21st century it’s stunning that a murder case was cracked from 19th century ideologies and procedures. Anthony Garcia would have been a justification to Lombroso’s ideology that whomever has a tattoo is a criminal. However, we know in today’s society that tattoos are a popular trend among young individuals, sports players, business people and so on. I wonder what Lombroso would have to say about tattoos in the 21st century. In a world of about 7 billion people, many get tattoos to set themselves apart, express themselves or to tell ones own life story. Anthony Garcia told his story on his chest and it got him convicted. The mugshot created by Bertillon is still an essential part in the police force and it was the only thing that cracked this murder case. I’m sure there is so much more to say about this. I would love to hear others thoughts on this. Feel free to comment.
Posted in Assignment 1
Tagged crime, mugshot, tattoos
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