Ink

I am beginning to think I'm one of the last people in the world without a tattoo. It's a very unusual thing to the in the minority about, I think. People seem to be obsessed with them and I have no idea why. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have anything inherently against tattoos and some of the best human beings I know have had ink done. My problem is with the masses of people who get tattoos for what they often claim is some desire for individual expression. Again, if it's really individual, if it's really your thing (I think you know who you are) good for you. But the generic designs people have are by their very nature not individual. The fact that there are enough girls that will get a tattoo on the small of their back negates any individuality. I would think that if you're going to have some design permanently etched into your skin you should put a LOT of thought into whether you actually want it. I've had classmates come in sporting a new tattoo saying they got it because they were out with their friends and got bored. That's insane to me. If I were to get one, I would have to be certain that I agree with whatever statement it made every day for the rest of my life. It would just kill me if I had a tattoo I no longer agreed with.
People give me crap for not having a tattoo. "What? Are you afraid of pain?" or "That's sad that you don't have any real beliefs" or the most recent "Only cool people have tattoos." Addressing these in order: I used to do martial arts, where the possibility of getting punched, kicked, body slammed and other painful things were pretty much expected. Hell, I got over a fear of needles once I realized I've volunteered for more pain than a visit to the doctor. So yeah, afraid of pain? Bite me.
As for a lack of any beliefs strong enough to be worthy of a tattoo, let me first say that only the most general of ideas do I believe in strongly enough to even be considered for a tattoo. Stuff I'd expect everyone to already agree with, (tolerance, self-betterment, open-mindedness, truth etc.) so why bother making a statement? To remind myself in case I forgot? The idea behind the tattoo would have to pretty much always be in my mind anyway, a kind of obsession. A tattoo for me would then be a physical manifestation of that obsession, and that just seems unhealthy in my mind.
Lastly, I'm somewhat proud of not being a "cool person" i.e. the edgy indie kid with an obscure tattoo of a tree or something, or the real badass with the barbed wire tattoo on his bicep. Nuts to that. I'll express myself through actions, words, and to a lesser extent T-shirts.

All that said, if you have a tattoo and you're totally cool with it, that's great. I'm well aware that I think very differently than most people and what makes sense to me might not make sense to you, and vice versa. If it really means that much to you, it's your body and your choice and I won't begrudge you that. But if you're one of those guys with a tattoo of a naked girl on his arm or one of those girls with "princess" written in Chinese on your ankle, I'll still think you're an idiot.