SpoogeThunderbolt missile in your cheeriosJoin Date: 2002-01-25Member: 67Members
If you're gonna go, go big. Prince Albert is calling your name, Thansal <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Well, I'm not into this ornamental stuff, but once I can get me a set of mechanical arms that can rip a car in half, I'm selling my organic body to a chinese organ trader. Gunm, here I come!
first... there are seasonal rules on what you can wear??? never ever knew that. If i am not naked in some way, not smelling funny, and not freezing/burning up then i consider myself dressed properly.
as for puncturing oneself to hang what I call "body chandeliers" through the hole... i feel those who do this are selfish and have a need for people to give them attention. people with studs confuse me... although i can see why some place studs in stratigec locations (kissing/sex enhancers ^_~ ).
Tattoos i find unessesary... i draw on myself all the time with a pen and enjoy it without the permanent crap stuck on the body. There is a reason people throw away paper after its full... because they want to draw more. Well you really can't draw more if you make it permanent on your stupid self right? then again maybe people don't tattoo as often as i draw on myself.
My mates got his scrotum pierced twice, not my thing but it's cool I guess.
What I believe is that piercing is, no matter what anyone else thinks about it, a viable method of customising your body, of creating art and of expressing yourself.
I also believe that far too many people do it, not because they have some artistic vision or a highly developed and personal sense of style but because they think it's cool because other people do it.
Doing, thinking, wearing... being anything because it looks cool when others do the same is always going to look stupid. I think some tribal/celtic/gothic tattoos look really cool. I also think the majority of them are a good waste of skin, especially if they were just picked out of a book because they wanted a tattoo. Oh and I've yet to come across a single disney tattoo that looks good.
You can get away with anything as long as it's done tastefully, if it looks good though then expect a bunch of other people to copy you and really make it look stupid.
Still awaiting esuna to make his grand entrance .... ... .. . <!--emo&:0--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif' /><!--endemo-->
hes been marked by the devil gene <!--emo&:0--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Testament+Jul 29 2005, 04:03 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Testament @ Jul 29 2005, 04:03 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Spetsnatz is a slut. He has his shirt off on camera. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> I think you missed your last dose of Midol....
- It's is in all ways and wherever placed ugly. - It brings a certain (very small or very large) risk of infections. - It has no other purpose than a poster/drawing at a wall, just to fill something empty up.
Then again it's just my opinion, feel free to bash me and my opinion.
<!--QuoteBegin-Zaggy+Jul 29 2005, 05:21 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Zaggy @ Jul 29 2005, 05:21 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> If I have to give my opinion:
- It's is in all ways and wherever placed ugly. - It brings a certain (very small or very large) risk of infections. - It has no other purpose than a poster/drawing at a wall, just to fill something empty up.
Then again it's just my opinion, feel free to bash me and my opinion. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> I AM BASHING YOUR OPINION RIGHT NOW GRR
Well, of course it's self mutilation. A piercing wouldn't be a piercing otherwise, would it?
Personally I only have my eyebrow pierced. It's been pierced for 6 years now. I don't see it as being anything different from having your ear pierced, and most people don't even notice that I have it.
If anyone has a problem with it, then naturally I have a problem with them having a problem, as its not a problem. It's purely in the interests of both parties.
And why have it? Well at the time, I just thought they were cool and somewhat of a symbol of me not giving a sexual act about what is seen as 'normal' in society, and a lot to do with my favoured lifestyle at the time (hippy/grunger). Now I guess it's just a physical representation of that idea aspect of my self. I have considered removing it, but only once I was trying to find a job and I was afraid I was losing opportunities because of having it in...though now I have a job where noone cares if I have one or not, so yay.
Come on Depot...flip-flops, piercings...what are you going to decide is wrong with society next? :/ There are bigger questions out there... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I see it as just an act of trying to re/establish a new/old you as an individual/groupie. That's a pretty open-ended statement because that's how I view piercings (and I'd include tattoos).
I used to be completely against the concept of them as unnatural, but as I've matured (in years not neccessarily in wisdom; <i>maturity</i> is subjectively defined in any case) and become much more liberal in my views on the decisions that people take.
In general I try not to use blanket statements to reply to questions like this. You can quote like-minded individuals and state your own opinion, but in the end there is no right or wrong.
I can see that my particular dislike with piercings and tattoos when I was younger is not so much a personal opinion, but a tendancy that I have replicated from my immediate society. I see it as a survival instinct of sorts.
While I will admit that my view of the world is more accepting and liberal, I still find certain types of piercings distasteful, and while I'm not sure as to how much of this distaste is true personal opinion (if any, arguably), and how much is the remnants of the social replicant inside me, I have grown to respect everyone's right to self-expression.
---
There are many parallels I could draw to show why having piercings is not something to be looked down upon, but to be accepted.
Let us first make the assumption that we have a finite capacity to store information in our heads (or as memory in a non-physical/spiritual sense).
If we can only store a certain amount of information in our heads then the decisions that we make as far as what information we subject ourselves to (or are subjected to in the form of advertising, overheard speech, etc.) will ultimately determine who we are in the long-term.
For example: If I choose to read the Harry Potter book, and I have no control over the removal of the information I will amass from the book once it has been amassed, have I not just decided to change myself irrevocably for the foreseeable future? Is this not unlike the decision one takes to get themselves a piercing or tattoo?
We live in an extremely visually-dominated culture in terms of transmission of information, so I'll try a visual example: If I wear this band's T-shirt today and a guy at the bus stop decides to start up a conversation with me, purely because he happens to like the same band (indulge me on the butterfly effect here), and this same guy then ends up getting me an interview at the company he works at...
...has the decision to wear that shirt not just changed my life forever?
So self-expression for me is what defines you in life, and it's important to respect and embrace your decisions in this area.
<!--QuoteBegin-Merkaba+Jul 29 2005, 07:04 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Merkaba @ Jul 29 2005, 07:04 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Come on Depot...flip-flops, piercings...what are you going to decide is wrong with society next? :/ There are bigger questions out there... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Did I say anything was wrong with body piercings? No, I was merely curious as to why people do it. I wouldn't do it to myself, but I'm not judging those that do.
As to bigger questions being out there, feel free to post em man - knock yourself out. Whether or not you think this topic warrants discussion, it's certainly receiving some attention, eh? <!--emo&:0--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I agree w/ Gem. All piercings, even the socially acceptable female ear piercings, are just wierd to me. I recognize and defend a person's right to do it, and I'm not offended by it, its just not my thing.
I especially cannot understand people w/ a chain hanging from their nose/nipple/both. That's just begging for someone **** at you to give it a tug, or to have it caught up in something.
I've got nothing for or against them. But like I said, if I went either route, I'd go all out. Tons of piercings, or a tatoo over my face. No point in doing it half-assed.
<!--QuoteBegin-Depot+Jul 30 2005, 01:12 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Depot @ Jul 30 2005, 01:12 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-Merkaba+Jul 29 2005, 07:04 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Merkaba @ Jul 29 2005, 07:04 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Come on Depot...flip-flops, piercings...what are you going to decide is wrong with society next? :/ There are bigger questions out there... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Did I say anything was wrong with body piercings? No, I was merely curious as to why people do it. I wouldn't do it to myself, but I'm not judging those that do. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Well you might argue that concluding that body piercing is self mutilation, and I can only think that you mean that in a self-harm way, I would say that is somewhat of a judgement. On the other hand, if you felt that seriously about it I guess you wouldn't have posted this in the first place? <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> As to bigger questions being out there, feel free to post em man - knock yourself out. Whether or not you think this topic warrants discussion, it's certainly receiving some attention, eh?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Okay so I can't be arsed to post those big questions as I don't have confidence in my ability to make it worthwhile at the moment. So consider me=owned in that respect <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> My comment was made (partly) seriously but by the time I had finished writing it I thought it was perhaps a bit harsh, hence the smiley tongue at the end. Consider me in favour of your threads, sorry.
<!--QuoteBegin-Merkaba+Jul 29 2005, 08:56 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Merkaba @ Jul 29 2005, 08:56 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-Depot+Jul 30 2005, 01:12 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Depot @ Jul 30 2005, 01:12 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--><!--QuoteBegin-Merkaba+Jul 29 2005, 07:04 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Merkaba @ Jul 29 2005, 07:04 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Come on Depot...flip-flops, piercings...what are you going to decide is wrong with society next? :/ There are bigger questions out there... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Did I say anything was wrong with body piercings? No, I was merely curious as to why people do it. I wouldn't do it to myself, but I'm not judging those that do. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Well you might argue that concluding that body piercing is self mutilation, and I can only think that you mean that in a self-harm way, I would say that is somewhat of a judgement. On the other hand, if you felt that seriously about it I guess you wouldn't have posted this in the first place? <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> As to bigger questions being out there, feel free to post em man - knock yourself out. Whether or not you think this topic warrants discussion, it's certainly receiving some attention, eh?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Okay so I can't be arsed to post those big questions as I don't have confidence in my ability to make it worthwhile at the moment. So consider me=owned in that respect <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> My comment was made (partly) seriously but by the time I had finished writing it I thought it was perhaps a bit harsh, hence the smiley tongue at the end. Consider me in favour of your threads, sorry. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Awwwwwwwwwwwww, I love you to Merkaba. Muahahaha.... :>
<!--QuoteBegin-Depot+Jul 30 2005, 01:12 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Depot @ Jul 30 2005, 01:12 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> As to bigger questions being out there, feel free to post em man - knock yourself out. Whether or not you think this topic warrants discussion, it's certainly receiving some attention, eh? <!--emo&:0--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> What's the meaning of life - to achieve given goals or to reproduce?
<!--QuoteBegin-coris+Jul 30 2005, 09:38 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (coris @ Jul 30 2005, 09:38 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-Depot+Jul 30 2005, 01:12 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Depot @ Jul 30 2005, 01:12 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> As to bigger questions being out there, feel free to post em man - knock yourself out. Whether or not you think this topic warrants discussion, it's certainly receiving some attention, eh? <!--emo&:0--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> What's the meaning of life - to achieve given goals or to reproduce? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Yes.
Meh, why when i started reading this thread did i know there was gonna be people asking for me.
Well i'm rather hung over and not at all with it right now, so i probably misunderstood or just plain missed what other people have said. Not just that, but i have a tribute to Weezer playing, and that's messing with my head. I need nicotine. Anyway, i'm rambling.
First and foremost, depot, you've claimed several times that you're not in any way prejudiced or that you don't have a problem with piercings, but as Merkaba has pointed out, the "self-mutilation" in the thread topic is proof enough that you are. To me, when asked to list off things i think of when i think of body piercing, self-mutilation isn't one of them. Infact, i don't believe any of my piercings were done to mutilate myself, mutilate means to be disfigured or damaged irreparably, piercings are temporary not as much as surface piercings are, but still, they're removable with little to no trace. Hardly a lifechanging mutilation. I'm not going to hold it against you, but by choosing words like that to describe the act of body piercing just says a lot, whether you meant it or not.
MedHead, thank you for being our token f***tard by posting what you did. At least someone had the balls to post that kind of immature and ignorant response, most people have the good sense and decency to keep their crackpot theories to themselves. Go against the grain, brother!
But away from just creating a response, my reasons. Well, no, i'm not actually posting why i have the piercings i have, sorry, but it's personal, if i talk to you somewhat or get along with you, feel free to ask me in PM or IRC, but i'm not comfortable with posting that reason in a public forum. It's my reason and my reason alone. Also, it's kinda childish and emo, but that's the lesser part of it. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> There was no peer pressure involved, i'm the most extensively pierced person amongst my friends (Even after removing 4 of them), and i had piercings before any of them had any at all. They were my choice, peer pressure has nothing to do with it. The thing is, really, if you ask why i have piercings, my response will always be the question "why not?"
Does my having piercings affect your life in some way? Did it hurt <i>you</i> when i got my piercings done?
For a lot of people, both those who don't have them and some who do, piercings are just aesthetic, and people being people they like to have different opinions on what an acceptable aesthetic is, and let's face it, there's no real right or wrong way when it comes to what you look like, there's only your opinion on it, and if your opinion is that you don't like piercings or tattoos or whatnot, that's fine, just please, keep it to yourself. I don't run around saying "Why don't you have any piercings?" to people, is it wrong of me to expect the same decency of people to not ask why i have them? Just accept that i made the choice to do so.
<!--QuoteBegin-esuna+Jul 30 2005, 10:17 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (esuna @ Jul 30 2005, 10:17 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> First and foremost, depot, you've claimed several times that you're not in any way prejudiced or that you don't have a problem with piercings, but as Merkaba has pointed out, the "self-mutilation" in the thread topic is proof enough that you are. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Because I may feel that body piercings are self-mutilation does not mean I am prejudiced against them. I'ts merely what comes to mind when I think of it. Don't take it out of context.
<!--QuoteBegin-Depot+Jul 30 2005, 03:22 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Depot @ Jul 30 2005, 03:22 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> <!--QuoteBegin-esuna+Jul 30 2005, 10:17 AM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (esuna @ Jul 30 2005, 10:17 AM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> First and foremost, depot, you've claimed several times that you're not in any way prejudiced or that you don't have a problem with piercings, but as Merkaba has pointed out, the "self-mutilation" in the thread topic is proof enough that you are. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Because I may feel that body piercings are self-mutilation does not mean I am prejudiced against them. I'ts merely what comes to mind when I think of it. Don't take it out of context. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> Self-mutilation has an extremely negative connotation. If you are simply using the phrase 'self-mutilation' as a literal description rather than a negative opinion then your sentences don't mean anything. By that I mean if by 'self-mutilation' you just mean sticking a hole in or a mark on your body (and you really have to stretch the definition to do that) then the above sentence says "I may feel that body piercings are holes in your body..." probably the most obvious statement ever.
Them taking it 'out of content' is just them presuming that your sentence actually means something... it's almost a compliment <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Comments
thankyouverymuchbutno
I am happy with the number of balls I have down there.
I don't need an extra set
as for puncturing oneself to hang what I call "body chandeliers" through the hole... i feel those who do this are selfish and have a need for people to give them attention. people with studs confuse me... although i can see why some place studs in stratigec locations (kissing/sex enhancers ^_~ ).
Tattoos i find unessesary... i draw on myself all the time with a pen and enjoy it without the permanent crap stuck on the body. There is a reason people throw away paper after its full... because they want to draw more. Well you really can't draw more if you make it permanent on your stupid self right? then again maybe people don't tattoo as often as i draw on myself.
*shudder*
What I believe is that piercing is, no matter what anyone else thinks about it, a viable method of customising your body, of creating art and of expressing yourself.
I also believe that far too many people do it, not because they have some artistic vision or a highly developed and personal sense of style but because they think it's cool because other people do it.
Doing, thinking, wearing... being anything because it looks cool when others do the same is always going to look stupid. I think some tribal/celtic/gothic tattoos look really cool. I also think the majority of them are a good waste of skin, especially if they were just picked out of a book because they wanted a tattoo. Oh and I've yet to come across a single disney tattoo that looks good.
You can get away with anything as long as it's done tastefully, if it looks good though then expect a bunch of other people to copy you and really make it look stupid.
<img src='http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/8114/picture0050oa.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<img src='http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/9374/picture0066ak.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<img src='http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/9486/picture0078fi.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
<img src='http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/1683/picture0107hl.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' />
Its nice and clean now, still hurting. But i go back on the 8th for abit more to be added.
or not..... hehehe
I think you missed your last dose of Midol....
- It's is in all ways and wherever placed ugly.
- It brings a certain (very small or very large) risk of infections.
- It has no other purpose than a poster/drawing at a wall,
just to fill something empty up.
Then again it's just my opinion, feel free to bash me and my opinion.
- It's is in all ways and wherever placed ugly.
- It brings a certain (very small or very large) risk of infections.
- It has no other purpose than a poster/drawing at a wall,
just to fill something empty up.
Then again it's just my opinion, feel free to bash me and my opinion. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
I AM BASHING YOUR OPINION RIGHT NOW GRR
Personally I only have my eyebrow pierced. It's been pierced for 6 years now. I don't see it as being anything different from having your ear pierced, and most people don't even notice that I have it.
If anyone has a problem with it, then naturally I have a problem with them having a problem, as its not a problem. It's purely in the interests of both parties.
And why have it? Well at the time, I just thought they were cool and somewhat of a symbol of me not giving a sexual act about what is seen as 'normal' in society, and a lot to do with my favoured lifestyle at the time (hippy/grunger). Now I guess it's just a physical representation of that idea aspect of my self. I have considered removing it, but only once I was trying to find a job and I was afraid I was losing opportunities because of having it in...though now I have a job where noone cares if I have one or not, so yay.
Come on Depot...flip-flops, piercings...what are you going to decide is wrong with society next? :/ There are bigger questions out there... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I used to be completely against the concept of them as unnatural, but as I've matured (in years not neccessarily in wisdom; <i>maturity</i> is subjectively defined in any case) and become much more liberal in my views on the decisions that people take.
In general I try not to use blanket statements to reply to questions like this. You can quote like-minded individuals and state your own opinion, but in the end there is no right or wrong.
I can see that my particular dislike with piercings and tattoos when I was younger is not so much a personal opinion, but a tendancy that I have replicated from my immediate society. I see it as a survival instinct of sorts.
While I will admit that my view of the world is more accepting and liberal, I still find certain types of piercings distasteful, and while I'm not sure as to how much of this distaste is true personal opinion (if any, arguably), and how much is the remnants of the social replicant inside me, I have grown to respect everyone's right to self-expression.
---
There are many parallels I could draw to show why having piercings is not something to be looked down upon, but to be accepted.
Let us first make the assumption that we have a finite capacity to store information in our heads (or as memory in a non-physical/spiritual sense).
If we can only store a certain amount of information in our heads then the decisions that we make as far as what information we subject ourselves to (or are subjected to in the form of advertising, overheard speech, etc.) will ultimately determine who we are in the long-term.
For example: If I choose to read the Harry Potter book, and I have no control over the removal of the information I will amass from the book once it has been amassed, have I not just decided to change myself irrevocably for the foreseeable future? Is this not unlike the decision one takes to get themselves a piercing or tattoo?
We live in an extremely visually-dominated culture in terms of transmission of information, so I'll try a visual example: If I wear this band's T-shirt today and a guy at the bus stop decides to start up a conversation with me, purely because he happens to like the same band (indulge me on the butterfly effect here), and this same guy then ends up getting me an interview at the company he works at...
...has the decision to wear that shirt not just changed my life forever?
So self-expression for me is what defines you in life, and it's important to respect and embrace your decisions in this area.
---
[Edit] I can't spell when I ramble.
Did I say anything was wrong with body piercings? No, I was merely curious as to why people do it. I wouldn't do it to myself, but I'm not judging those that do.
As to bigger questions being out there, feel free to post em man - knock yourself out. Whether or not you think this topic warrants discussion, it's certainly receiving some attention, eh? <!--emo&:0--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wow.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wow.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I especially cannot understand people w/ a chain hanging from their nose/nipple/both. That's just begging for someone **** at you to give it a tug, or to have it caught up in something.
Did I say anything was wrong with body piercings? No, I was merely curious as to why people do it. I wouldn't do it to myself, but I'm not judging those that do.
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Well you might argue that concluding that body piercing is self mutilation, and I can only think that you mean that in a self-harm way, I would say that is somewhat of a judgement. On the other hand, if you felt that seriously about it I guess you wouldn't have posted this in the first place? <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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As to bigger questions being out there, feel free to post em man - knock yourself out. Whether or not you think this topic warrants discussion, it's certainly receiving some attention, eh?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Okay so I can't be arsed to post those big questions as I don't have confidence in my ability to make it worthwhile at the moment. So consider me=owned in that respect <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> My comment was made (partly) seriously but by the time I had finished writing it I thought it was perhaps a bit harsh, hence the smiley tongue at the end. Consider me in favour of your threads, sorry.
Did I say anything was wrong with body piercings? No, I was merely curious as to why people do it. I wouldn't do it to myself, but I'm not judging those that do.
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Well you might argue that concluding that body piercing is self mutilation, and I can only think that you mean that in a self-harm way, I would say that is somewhat of a judgement. On the other hand, if you felt that seriously about it I guess you wouldn't have posted this in the first place? <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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As to bigger questions being out there, feel free to post em man - knock yourself out. Whether or not you think this topic warrants discussion, it's certainly receiving some attention, eh?<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Okay so I can't be arsed to post those big questions as I don't have confidence in my ability to make it worthwhile at the moment. So consider me=owned in that respect <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> My comment was made (partly) seriously but by the time I had finished writing it I thought it was perhaps a bit harsh, hence the smiley tongue at the end. Consider me in favour of your threads, sorry. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Awwwwwwwwwwwww, I love you to Merkaba. Muahahaha.... :>
What's the meaning of life - to achieve given goals or to reproduce?
What's the meaning of life - to achieve given goals or to reproduce? <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Yes.
Well i'm rather hung over and not at all with it right now, so i probably misunderstood or just plain missed what other people have said. Not just that, but i have a tribute to Weezer playing, and that's messing with my head. I need nicotine. Anyway, i'm rambling.
First and foremost, depot, you've claimed several times that you're not in any way prejudiced or that you don't have a problem with piercings, but as Merkaba has pointed out, the "self-mutilation" in the thread topic is proof enough that you are. To me, when asked to list off things i think of when i think of body piercing, self-mutilation isn't one of them. Infact, i don't believe any of my piercings were done to mutilate myself, mutilate means to be disfigured or damaged irreparably, piercings are temporary not as much as surface piercings are, but still, they're removable with little to no trace. Hardly a lifechanging mutilation. I'm not going to hold it against you, but by choosing words like that to describe the act of body piercing just says a lot, whether you meant it or not.
MedHead, thank you for being our token f***tard by posting what you did. At least someone had the balls to post that kind of immature and ignorant response, most people have the good sense and decency to keep their crackpot theories to themselves. Go against the grain, brother!
But away from just creating a response, my reasons. Well, no, i'm not actually posting why i have the piercings i have, sorry, but it's personal, if i talk to you somewhat or get along with you, feel free to ask me in PM or IRC, but i'm not comfortable with posting that reason in a public forum. It's my reason and my reason alone. Also, it's kinda childish and emo, but that's the lesser part of it. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile-fix.gif' /><!--endemo--> There was no peer pressure involved, i'm the most extensively pierced person amongst my friends (Even after removing 4 of them), and i had piercings before any of them had any at all. They were my choice, peer pressure has nothing to do with it. The thing is, really, if you ask why i have piercings, my response will always be the question "why not?"
Does my having piercings affect your life in some way?
Did it hurt <i>you</i> when i got my piercings done?
For a lot of people, both those who don't have them and some who do, piercings are just aesthetic, and people being people they like to have different opinions on what an acceptable aesthetic is, and let's face it, there's no real right or wrong way when it comes to what you look like, there's only your opinion on it, and if your opinion is that you don't like piercings or tattoos or whatnot, that's fine, just please, keep it to yourself. I don't run around saying "Why don't you have any piercings?" to people, is it wrong of me to expect the same decency of people to not ask why i have them? Just accept that i made the choice to do so.
Because I may feel that body piercings are self-mutilation does not mean I am prejudiced against them. I'ts merely what comes to mind when I think of it. Don't take it out of context.
Because I may feel that body piercings are self-mutilation does not mean I am prejudiced against them. I'ts merely what comes to mind when I think of it. Don't take it out of context. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
Self-mutilation has an extremely negative connotation. If you are simply using the phrase 'self-mutilation' as a literal description rather than a negative opinion then your sentences don't mean anything. By that I mean if by 'self-mutilation' you just mean sticking a hole in or a mark on your body (and you really have to stretch the definition to do that) then the above sentence says "I may feel that body piercings are holes in your body..." probably the most obvious statement ever.
Them taking it 'out of content' is just them presuming that your sentence actually means something... it's almost a compliment <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->