Dragon Ball Printables

Sometimes (rarely)I feel the need to express myself. I usually do so on forums but sometimes when I get going on a topic I feel the need to stick it on my own web page as a way for it not to get lost in the ever moving pages of forums.

This bit I wrote Nov. 2004, so long ago but I revisited it in July 2006 and thus thought to save it from the obscurity of forums.
The discussion, if it can be called that was about tattoos based on symbols from the popular cartoon Naruto.
What really triggered me to write so much was that one fellow wrote that "it's sad if Naruto has a lot of deep personal meaning for you". So I decided to raise the bar a bit. It didnt really go well, raising the bar around some people just leads to them trying to do the limbo...

From the forum...

I think the meaning behind someone’s tattoo is why there will always be someone who thinks getting that tattoo is silly. Any tattoo. It’s because you only see the result. For example, IF I was seriously considering a Naruto type tattoo it would be very logical to assume that I really like the show or that the messages in that anime have deep personal meaning to me. Logical, but it would still be wrong. Those wouldn't be my reasons at all.
That’s why I try not to judge the things people have done to their bodies for their own reasons. People aren’t logical most the time and even when they tell me why they've done it, I’m not them, so it won’t seem meaningful to me.
I think that as long as its a well thought through decision, (at least a years wait and all that) and it really is something that has meaning and makes that person happy, then they can have ChibiChibi Moon tattooed on their arse if that’s what’s meaningful and joyful to them. We won’t understand why, but does that mean we should look down on their decision? It’s not something I would feel pity about. It’s not something the person who has the tattoo wants pity for. I imagine they would feel offended if you pitied them for something so close to their soul. It’s only the image you see.
But maybe you think it’s pitiful that ChibiChibi Moon is the closest thing to something meaningful that the person has. I’m going to have to ask that you not think that. We’re not them; we can’t know what connections exist in their mind. It could be that that image represents that person’s feelings on love, life, friendship or gods. Perhaps it symbolizes the whole of experiences of a phase of their life that changed them into who they are now. Perhaps it embodies a part of their past that they feel they should never forget the lessons of. And perhaps it’s just ChibiChibi Moon, but if it’s so aesthetically pleasing to them that they feel joy every time they see it, is that such a bad reason? I feel that when the meaning is indeed shallow it will be apparent because usually you can tell a weak-willed person like that. Unfortunately, on a forum it’s harder to tell a person’s personality so we can’t know.
I think it’s unfair to the person to make assumptions about meaning. Especially if your going to assume a degrading reason and offer up pity. We can’t know the reasons behind such a personal thing as a tattoo and Id rather just admit that I don’t know than fill the information gap with my own assumptions, as I said; it’s not fair to the other person.

"I posted the scans I made of some temporary tattoos and it got moved into the tattoo thread by a mod. So I was reading the stuff on there and I got rather offended at a post that said getting a Naruto tattoo would be 'sad'. It struck me that whatever the image that someone gets put on their body, it has meaning to that person and pitying them for their decision is really offensive. So I said as much.
If you go here you can see that post.
And if you look below that post you will see why I am writing about it on my blog. *sigh* The only thing they picked up from all that, was that I used a strange example. (Chibi Chibi Moon as an ass tat)[one was thankful he'd never have to see said tat and the other questioned the point of a tattoo on the ass. Miss the point much?]
This is why I shouldn't bother writing so much of my real opinions on a forum. I wasn't looking to change anyone really, or have people agree with me to soothe my ego, but I was thinking it was an interesting discussion topic. I cant even use the stand by that they're just kids, since the one fellow whose post I was responding to is the same age as me.
Am I the only one who sees that and thinks that it's just a softer way of saying the person is stupid? You say they're stupid and it kinda makes you the bad guy, right? But, if you pity them, it makes you compassionate? Yet your still in a position of looking down, ne? But then, pity and compassion aren't quite the same.

You know, I hesitate to write that up there because my blog is linked from my webpage. Random people get to read this and they might not realize that I tend to write out incomplete thoughts. You know, the tendency to think that EVERYTHING I write here is my solid and unchanging opinion. Ignoring the fluidity of people. I guess I sometimes do that too though. I just hate when random people flame me for a half-voiced, changing opinion. Maybe that's also why I don't often write my opinions on forums, ne? Its hard to find people on there willing to discuss things rather than just argue. I'm glad I have you guys, who understand that sometimes forming opinions takes more than one person. Id hate to see what kind of person I'd be if I relied only on myself for that, how narrow minded I'd be.