No. Reputable people didn’t get tattoos except for military veterans. Nobody mutilated their bodies with weird piercings and such. What you describe is a historical sign of the decline of a culture. I think it was Spengler who said you know a culture is on the rise when the lower classes emulate the upper classes, but a culture is in decline when the upper classes mimic the lower classes.
I think it was Spengler who said you know a culture is on the rise when the lower classes emulate the upper classes, but a culture is in decline when the upper classes mimic the lower classes.
^^^^^
This
You used to get tattoos to stand out, now you get them to fit in.
Sounds about right.
Old joke time:
Geezer: "The only people with tattoos are sailors and whores."
Young guy: "Hey! My mother has a tattoo!"
Geezer: "Oh, what ship did she serve on, son?"
Your statement reminded me of when I was in Target, and saw they were selling pre-ripped, pre-slashed jeans. I have seem tie-dyed pants before, but these looked as if someone had just thrown a bowlfull of bleach onto the front and back, allowing the chemical to flow down undisturbed, as gravity chose to take it.
I’ve been trying to find the exact quote, unsuccessfully.
It sounds like something Thorstein Veblen might also have said.
My father was a personnel manager for a very large industrial plant in the 1950s-70s. Most new hires passed in front of him. Before he got into their work experience or resumes, If they showed visible tattoos, they were not hired. If they had long hair, they were not hired. unkempt beards or razor stubble - not hired. Dirty fingernails - not hired. Stained clothes, or smelled of alcohol - not hired. Being a strict Navy man himself, if he saw a veteran trying to conceal a tattoo, he would ask about it, but usually was forgiving for what a guy may have rashly done years ago on leave in Manila or Hong Kong, as being a veteran moved you up the hiring list.
...”but a culture is in decline when the upper classes mimic the lower classes.”
...and also when so-called adults try to emulate the youth.