Exposing Shallowness: Effects That Tattoos Have to the Society

The article, Exposing Shallowness by Theodore Dalrymple helps in highlighting the views of the author regarding tattoos and the effects that tattoos have to the society. The author acknowledges the spread of tattoos among the population and wonders why people are easily becoming attached to tattoos in the community (Dalrymple 74). Theodore highlights the close relation between tattoos and criminal activities and submits that tattoos encourage criminal activities. Therefore, there is the need of the society to discourage the piercing of tattoos in their bodies. The author puts much interest on the myths that people have on tattoos and the misunderstanding that results from the same. It is therefore a matter of great importance for the society to acknowledge the negative effects of tattoos among the population and discourage the use of the same (Dalrymple 74). The author highlights that the spread of tattoos among the American middle class serves as an example of increase in social ills, a matter that needs keen attention for population to tackle.

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Due to the fact that even the females become attached to the issue of piercing tattoos, there is need for the population to tackle the effects of proletarian society and take part in upholding social virtues. Theodore submits that despite the fact that the middle class Americans use formulaic tattoos, the intent of the tattoos still remain the same and this calls for the society to discourage the practice (Dalrymple 75). Additionally, the author also addresses the fact that tattoos help in showing individuality and denounces this perception as misleading and submits that the doing of tattoos to prove individuality proves that individuals adorn savage fashion and there is need to discourage the same. Finally, Theodore disowns the fact that the use of tattoos is a sign of personal growth and that it empowers those that tattoo themselves, in this light, the author shows that tattoos serves as a sign of shallowness in the personality of individuals and that those the piece do tattoos have weak mental and social support (Dalrymple 77).

The doing of tattoos is therefore associated with weak emotional support and those that do tattoos have been exposed to societal evils such as drug addiction, poor educational attainment, broken homes and low intelligence (Dalrymple 75). It is in this regard that the increase in the cases of tattoos among the population encourage criminal activities as they support social ills and are therefore responsible for the advocating for the same by identifying with the criminals. The widespread doing of tattoos in the society starting from the women to the youth and the celebrities shows the increase in the breaking of the social fabric that hold the society together, and this negatively affects morality in the modern society (Dalrymple 76). It is a matter of great importance to appreciate the need to have a change of mind and advocate against tattoos to help in preserving the natural identity of the society.

Besides, the author posits that despite the increasing expertise in doing the tattoos, the practice still does not conform to the virtues in the society and the fact that the tattoos done by the middle class Americans, which is formulaic, differ from those done by the poor, which is proletarian, proves that the tattoos help in promoting social discrimination (Dalrymple 77). Finally, the author submits that tattoos produced by prisoners show their cruelty, violent nature and are garish and pagan despite the degree of fineness used in the process of producing them. Tattoos are therefore forms of modern superstition and is the type of superstition for people that have strong emotions but weak minds and limited cultural and historical frame of reference (Dalrymple 76).

Work CitedDalrymple, Theodore. "Exposing shallowness." The New Criterion 18.10 (2000): 74-78.