HATED IT: Tatted Up… Thumbs Down!

Let me preface this post by stating, for the record, that I like tattoos. I can appreciate the art and beauty in body ink and feel that those who elect to mark their bodies are completely in their right to do so. To be completely honest, I, myself, would like a tattoo - more as a symbol of my life and learned experiences as opposed to a fad or “cool” thing to don. Recent tattoo news has me confused, a bit angry and completely HATIN’

Let’s examine the evidence, shall we?

Rihanna the “Thug” – I see you shaking you head already. Can someone please explain to me why, oh why, did pop star/singer Rihanna get a tattoo of Tupac’s infamous “Thug Life” tattooed on her knuckles.

It must really be a rough, hard knock life for millionaire pop singers.

Does Ri-Ri know that “THUG LIFE” is an acronym? Does she know that it stands for “The Hate You Gave Little Infants Fucks Everybody,” which, in the words of Tupac, himself, means “what you feed us as seeds, grows, and blows up in your face, that’s Thug Life.”

But, maybe I’m being too hard on her. Maybe, just MAYBE, she really does know that “T.H.U.G L.I.F.E” represents a code for the streets, designed to give order to the rise of gang violence and drug dealing. Word Yo! She can relate.

GTFOH!

Georgia Mom Arrested for Allowing 10-Year-Old to Get Tattoo – This is a crying shame and another case in point, as to why parenting skills need a complete overhaul.

Chuntera Napier was arrested for allowing her 10-year-old son, Gaquan Napier, to get a “memorial tattoo” for his 12-year-old brother Malik who died after being hit by a car. Ms. Napier said she had no idea it was illegal for him to get one, even with her consent.

In news reports Ms. Napier is quoted saying “She was touched by the request” and, my personal favorite, “What do I say to a child who wants to remember his brother? It’s not like he was asking me, ‘Can I get Sponge Bob?” Napier said. “He asked me [for] something that’s in remembrance of his brother. How can I say no?”

Umm, very easy, Ms. Napier... NO or Not until you’re 18 years old.

Now, I don’t believe she should have been arrested, but I honestly don’t understand why, as opposed to letting her son get the tattoo, she didn’t suggest that her son opt to memorialize the deceased by starting a foundation in his name, creating a vigil or new street safety measures at the site where the boy was killed. ANYTHING ELSE. Why was the tattoo even a consideration?

Sigh!

Officially HATIN!