Poll - Tattooing: from male military and biker ethos...to viable witness means for both genders?

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Tattooing: from past male military and biker ethos...to viable witness means for both genders?

  • Yes, I agree

    Votes: 6 42.9%
  • No, I disagree

    Votes: 4 28.6%
  • Not sure

    Votes: 5 35.7%
  • Rather not say

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    14
  • Poll closed .

farouk

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would be especially concerned about Christians who are caught up in getting one tattoo after another. Is it similar to "cutting" then? Because it is painful, one wonders about someone who would painfully deface their body in order to "feel good." l used to counsel a young Christian woman who described her "cutting" as making her "feel good". She had an extensive background of being abused during her childhood and when the tensions and depressions that resulted from those experiences would mount up in her mind, she would cut herself and claimed it made her "feel good" about herself.

I agree about the dangers of "cutting", supposedly to "feel good". I must confess I don't understand the psychology/mindset of those who cut themselves, who usually are women. Maybe this is because I am male, that I don't understand? o_O

Maybe you can empathize a little more?
 

Lady Crosstalk

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I agree about the dangers of "cutting", supposedly to "feel good". I must confess I don't understand the psychology/mindset of those who cut themselves, who usually are women. Maybe this is because I am male, that I don't understand? o_O

Maybe you can empathize a little more?


I think the pain and misery they suffered was made worse by the feeling of total helplessness. When they cut themselves, they can feel that the pain and misery is under their control. Doesn't make a lot of sense to you or me but it apparently does to them. It is heart-breaking to counsel one of these women (and it is almost always women).
 
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farouk

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I think the pain and misery they suffered was made worse by the feeling of total helplessness. When they cut themselves, they can feel that the pain and misery is under their control. Doesn't make a lot of sense to you or me but it apparently does to them. It is heart-breaking to counsel one of these women (and it is almost always women).
Well, these are interesting insights; thank-you. You're right; it doesn't make a lot of sense; but your direct contacts with almost always female cutters do maybe give you more of a perspective here that I might have.

I do think, though, re. the feeling of having ink injected by a tattoo machine - which might superficially involve some pain sometimes - but which is motivated by a desire to display a Godly message in the tattoo: the feeling might be superficially similar to cutting (about which you already understand more than me), but really it's a fundamentally different feeling.

I think so, anyway. Psychologically speaking, in general terms; I don't claim to be a psychologist. (I don't suppose you are, either?)
 

Lady Crosstalk

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I do think, though, re. the feeling of having ink injected by a tattoo machine - which might superficially involve some pain sometimes - but which is motivated by a desire to display a Godly message in the tattoo: the feeling might be superficially similar to cutting (about which you already understand more than me), but really it's a fundamentally different feeling.

Yes, I can see that is true for people who are emotionally and spiritually healthy--but I would be concerned about those who are not.

I think so, anyway. Psychologically speaking, in general terms; I don't claim to be a psychologist. (I don't suppose you are, either?)

I do have an M.S. in counseling psychology but I find the Bible to be much more wise than any system invented by man.
 

farouk

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Yes, I can see that is true for people who are emotionally and spiritually healthy--but I would be concerned about those who are not.
Again, as opposed to years ago when it was overwhelmingly a man thing, now it's women who form a majority of parlor clients for receiving ink, apparently according to statistics; but in any case I do think that the feeling gained by getting a faith based tattoo (good, bad, indifferent) is really a secondary matter compared with the reason to have wrist/ankle/foot areas injected with a Scripture testimony.
 

farouk

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I do have an M.S. in counseling psychology but I find the Bible to be much more wise than any system invented by man.
Oh, that's interesting; very interesting!

My two cents' is that where Freud says, cultivate your ego (as opposed to the so called id or superego) is and must be a rather unsound basis for any conselling methodology, since it would seem to omit any sense of moral obligation to God and to a conscience enlightened by Scripture. Yet so many accredited counsellors - even in church environments - seem to have been influenced by Freud, it would seem. You would know a lot more about this than me.

The psychologies of inking; cutting - themselves rather distinct - would seem to be different areas again.
 

farouk

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I have quite a high pain threshold. I had no fear or concern about having the tattoo.
Butterfly: So you didn't use a numbing agent, then?

So would you recommend that other women and girls having it done for the first time try to dispense with using a numbing agent and receive it without one?
 
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Butterfly

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Butterfly: So you didn't use a numbing agent, then?

So would you recommend that other women and girls having it done for the first time try to dispense with using a numbing agent and receive it without one?
Wasn't offered one - did not even know they had them avaliable. I have been along with my daughter when she had a tattoo done, she wasn't offered one either. I am presuming that if you have a larger tattoo that this may be offered.
It's personal choice, everyone knows that it's going to be painful, so I guess it's reliant on what pain a person can tolerate and how long it will take. Some people react in other ways, often blood sugar levels drop and can cause people to pass out- that's why they offer a lolly pop - pure sugar to suck while the tattoo is being done.
Rita
 
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farouk

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Wasn't offered one - did not even know they had them avaliable. I have been along with my daughter when she had a tattoo done, she wasn't offered one either. I am presuming that if you have a larger tattoo that this may be offered.
It's personal choice, everyone knows that it's going to be painful, so I guess it's reliant on what pain a person can tolerate and how long it will take. Some people react in other ways, often blood sugar levels drop and can cause people to pass out- that's why they offer a lolly pop - pure sugar to suck while the tattoo is being done.
Rita
Interesting experiences for yourself and your daughter; thanks. Some tattoo artists actually don't like numbing agents, seemingly because they reckon that the pain is and ought to be all part of the experience as a test of endurance; not sure what I think of this idea. Maybe you would understand what they mean by it.

Clearly people with diabetes, etc. do need to take care.

It seems anyway that these days even more women and girls succeed in enduring inkings than males do (contrary to the way it used to be, years ago). Would you even say that for young adults at around 18 onwards — and especially for young women perhaps — getting one's first inking (without a numbing agent) can well prove to be a healthy test of endurance?
 
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farouk

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I think the pain and misery they suffered was made worse by the feeling of total helplessness. When they cut themselves, they can feel that the pain and misery is under their control.
Do you think that a tattooee - even a Christian, principled one - getting a sense of control from a faith based tattoo is always a negative thing?

(I guess a hard question; maybe could be re-stated rather differently.)
 

farouk

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@Lady Crosstalk PS: I guess another way of stating would be: Does any act of assertion through skin ink involve negative considerations, even among those who are principled, Biblical Christians seeking to assert testimony?
 

farouk

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Wasn't offered one - did not even know they had them avaliable. I have been along with my daughter when she had a tattoo done, she wasn't offered one either.
Maybe you and your daughter as tattooed women both think that women as well as men ought to be pretty well regarded as tough enough not to need a numbing agent (unless the design calls for a really long sitting)?
 

tzcho2

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@tzcho2 PS: Getting a Bible related tattoo reminds me of the boldness in testimony of people such as Luther, Spurgeon, etc. :)
Nah, not me. No tattoos on my skin. I can wear scripture on a T-Shirt and I do.