Can You Tell Someone's Personality By Their Tatoos?

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I ask this question because I'm begining to become apprehensive about getting a tatoo that I've been thinking of for a while: a picture of Kafka with the caption "What, me worry?" underneath*. the problem is would somebody else think I'm a Douchebag for having it? Would you? Have you judged anyone based on their tatoos? Did you turn out to be right or wrong?

(*As lousy as you may think it is, I believe it's light years better than the idea I had in the 9th grade of having Phillip K Dick high fiving a "Top Gun"-era Tom Cruise.)

― Lurker "Lurky" Mclurkerstein, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 20:30 (twenty years ago)

I have a tattoo of Sylvia Plath on my dick.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 20:32 (twenty years ago)

i would judge you harshly for a kafka tattoo.
but i am not very forgiving.
i like the idea of PKD & Tom Cruise better. Maybe Elron & Cruise would be best, though.

― electro-acoustic lycanthrope (orion), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 20:35 (twenty years ago)

Kafka doesn't have much visual appeal, unless he's riding an elephant or something, and even then, why not just make it a polar bear riding that elephant or something? Literary figures are are all kinds of lame, tattoo-wise...Kafka just gives you that extra air of dull pretension.

What about Top Gun-era Tom Cruise high fiving modern-day Tom Cruise? The caption can be something cool like "Too close for missiles, I'm switching to guns"

― Hot Doggin', Tuesday, 25 April 2006 20:48 (twenty years ago)

honestly, how many people have any kind of inkling what Kafka looks like...? Bad idea man.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 20:50 (twenty years ago)

my brother knew a guy who woke up after a long night of drunken debauchery with a tatoo of the wizard merlin spanning his torso.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 20:53 (twenty years ago)

Just be yourself and get black thorny barbed wire around your bicep.

― anby --, Tuesday, 25 April 2006 21:01 (twenty years ago)

I don't understand the mentality of wanting to get a tattoo at all (not that they can't look nice).

― chap who would dare to be a nerd, not a geek (chap), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 21:41 (twenty years ago)

When I was 15 i wanted this on my arm...
http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/x/D/2/zoso.jpg
...and I still wish i'd got it.

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 22:43 (twenty years ago)

there's still time...

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 22:44 (twenty years ago)

A couple more beers and then i'm heading to the all-night parlour...

― Ned T.Rifle (nedtrifle), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 22:50 (twenty years ago)

The girl I sit opposite at work has that Zoso thing on her lower back, Ned.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 22:52 (twenty years ago)

If their tattoo is of a Subaru they are probably middle-class, white collar, and have at least two years of college education.

― Aimless (Aimless), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 22:53 (twenty years ago)

yeah that kafka idea is maybe the worst i've ever heard.

you should get one of a dragon giving a naked lady head. there could be smoke shooting out his nostrils.

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 22:58 (twenty years ago)

also a viking should be riding the dragon

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:00 (twenty years ago)

a viking reading kafka

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:00 (twenty years ago)

a friend of mine in college had a Hello Kitty head w/skull and crossbones underneath. that was pretty rad.

― BROSAMA (jaxon), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:04 (twenty years ago)

well, w/o the skull, just the crossbones.

― BROSAMA (jaxon), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:04 (twenty years ago)

One day I will get KANT across one set of knuckles and HUME across the other.

― Ricky Nadir (noodle vague), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:20 (twenty years ago)

Lurkystein's Ian Reise-Moraine, innit.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:24 (twenty years ago)

I wuz guessing M1ckey.

― Ricky Nadir (noodle vague), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:26 (twenty years ago)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000005RQ0.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
http://www.fineart.utoronto.ca/mvs/graphics/hawken/hawken-kafka2-th.jpg
http://www.stuffedanimalhouse.com/RCMP%20polar%20bear%20group.jpg

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:32 (twenty years ago)

I kind of judge people based on their tattoos - interesting things, like the aforementioned Kafka tattoo, would make me think more of a person than if they had something that I've seen tattooed on a dozen other people. Even if I don't like something, I respect people for getting something sort of weird tattooed.

I say this as someone who has more than a few tattoos and expects people to judge me based on them.

― joygoat (joygoat), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:40 (twenty years ago)

I think the Kafka idea is kind of funny. I went to college with a guy who had a huge Hervé Villechaize portrait on him (a tattoo of tattoo).

I guess White Power tattoos are kind of a personality giveaway. Or guys with straight edge tattoos getting shitfaced at a bar.

― Tiki Theater Xymposium (Bent Over at the Arclight), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:46 (twenty years ago)

I say this as someone who has more than a few tattoos and expects people to judge me based on them.

Be careful what you wish for.

― Ricky Nadir (noodle vague), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:50 (twenty years ago)

I'm not wishing for people to judge me, I just expect that they will. I'm practical that way.

― joygoat (joygoat), Tuesday, 25 April 2006 23:55 (twenty years ago)

What I meant by the question really is will the Kafka tat get me laid and by what kinda girls?

p.s. what in the world is that zoso thing?

― Lurker "really just a long time lurker and not Micky or Ian" Mclurkerstein, Wednesday, 26 April 2006 01:07 (twenty years ago)

how do u post pix? i have some wicked tatoos

― animal, Wednesday, 26 April 2006 01:09 (twenty years ago)

What I meant by the question really is will the Kafka tat get me laid and by what kinda girls?
p.s. what in the world is that zoso thing?

-- Lurker "really just a long time lurker and not Micky or Ian" Mclurkerstein (2Coo...), April 25th, 2006 10:07 PM. (later) (link)

By the kind of girls who freak you out with all their nasty sex talk and will leave you for your more enjoyable doppelganger.

― Jessie the Monster (scarymonsterrr), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 02:33 (twenty years ago)

I THINK YOU'RE A DOUCHEBAG FOR NOT KNOWING WHAT ZOSO IS

― BROSAMA (jaxon), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 03:15 (twenty years ago)

and that's a stupid tattoo idea

― BROSAMA (jaxon), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 03:15 (twenty years ago)

Younger person in possibly not knowing some dusty old Zep album reference shockah. Possibly.

― Trayce (trayce), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 03:28 (twenty years ago)

still vaguely wish I'd gone through w/ getting
http://www.bomben.se/blogimages/barbaro/Pyramid.jpg

― etc, Wednesday, 26 April 2006 04:26 (twenty years ago)

I know I shouldn't, but whenever I see a girl with the lower back tatoo, I just think sheep.

― nicky lo-fi (nicky lo-fi), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 04:29 (twenty years ago)

i think retch

― electric sound of jim (and why not) (electricsound), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 04:32 (twenty years ago)

I have a tatoo of Gargamel getting his dick sucked by a miniature Smurfette on my left buttock.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 04:36 (twenty years ago)

Doesn't matter what the tatt is, you're gonna regret it eventually.

― dr lulu (dr lulu), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 06:34 (twenty years ago)

I haven't.

― Andrew (enneff), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 06:36 (twenty years ago)

angry panda brandishing sharp bamboo stick

― jhoshea (scoopsnoodle), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 10:44 (twenty years ago)

Doesn't matter what the tatt is, you're gonna regret it eventually.

I haven't either, about any of mine. I find that I've regretted NOT getting tattoos far more.

I know lots of people who have wanted a tattoo for years, but never got one cause they think they'd regret it, or that they aren't sure if it's exactly what they want, etc. I've never felt that way - if I want something for more than a month or two, I'll get it. Later on I'll always remember when and where I got it, and what I was thinking about when I did. Perhaps keeping a diary would be better, but you only live once.

― joygoat (joygoat), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 10:52 (twenty years ago)

If you're very worried about people judging you or having negative reactions, don't get a tattoo, because some people will judge you by it whatever it is. But you should be getting it for you, not them.

I don't regret mine but I've only lived with it for 7 years I guess.

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 11:05 (twenty years ago)

When I thought up the tattoo I wanted, I decided to wait ten years and see if I still wanted it.

Ten years later, I still did, so I got it, and I'm glad.

― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 19:54 (twenty years ago)

I'm just so glad my fashion statements of twenty years ago were undoable. I mean really, really glad. And I gather you're not gettin' saggy and dried out yet?

― dr lulu (dr lulu), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 20:26 (twenty years ago)

Well I was thinking of something both quirky and witty; something that refects my essence. And I guess to most of you, the Kafka with the Alferd E Newman caption would be the opposite. But now, I think I've got the perfect tatoo idea: The Unknown Comic (from the Gong Show) punching a small dinosaur in the mouth.

― Lurker "Lurky" Mclurkerstein, Wednesday, 26 April 2006 21:33 (twenty years ago)

a friend of mine has a tattoo of a drawing BY kafka, not of him.

― hstencil (hstencil), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 21:35 (twenty years ago)

everyone spelling it 'tatoo' should get their design spell checked before going ahead.

― estela (estela), Wednesday, 26 April 2006 21:41 (twenty years ago)

WIN
FOR
LIFE

― S- (sgh), Thursday, 27 April 2006 00:59 (twenty years ago)

I have a lot of tattoo ideas that work better as "jokes" than something I would actually want to get. For example, this little drawring:
http://www.emsah.uq.edu.au/courses/engl2035/images/joyce_by_abin.gif
So when people came up to me like "OMG you like Joyce?" I'd be like, "Who?" Like I just liked the picture. Not. Really. Actually. Amusing. At. All.
Let alone people not recognizing Kafka, I don't get why he'd be saying Neuman's slogan. Like the juxtapostion just doesn't really work. Unless Kafka's got the whole GW Bush/Prince Charles Alfredalike thing going on. I love Kafka and I have no idea what he looks like.

― Abbott (Abbott), Thursday, 27 April 2006 01:36 (twenty years ago)

My ideas for tattoos I actually do want: an ampersand, some wordless panels from a Chester Brown comic called "The Twin."

― Abbott (Abbott), Thursday, 27 April 2006 01:40 (twenty years ago)

Well, I thought the idea of someone "dark" and "heavy" as Kafka quoting something as child-like and carefree the Alferd quote would be a gas. I think it also reflects the polarity or my personality as well.

As for the Joyce tattoo, I think it's total hotness! If I saw some chick with that I would ask her to marry me, pending if she was a closet slut or not, of course.

― Lurker "Lurky" Mclurkerstein, Thursday, 27 April 2006 03:04 (twenty years ago)

I've had a tattoo of a triskele for about 7 or 8 years. I don't regret it at all. I don't really think anyone could tell anything about my personality from it though.

― gem (trisk), Thursday, 27 April 2006 03:11 (twenty years ago)

things I've thought about getting recently:
-Paul Simonon smashing his bass from the cover of London Calling (just his silhouette filled in black, not a photo-realistic portrait)

- the Milo character from Milo Goes to College (etc.)

- the screaming torso and head from the upper right corner of Guernica

- http://franklinbowlesgallery.com/NY/Artists/Picasso/Pages/Etchings/Ovid/PICA0806P.jpg

― milo z (mlp), Thursday, 27 April 2006 03:28 (twenty years ago)

thankfully I've resisted the urge thus far (except for that last Picasso etching, I'd totally get that if I knew of a good placement and whether or not such a fine-line drawing would blow out horribly over time)

― milo z (mlp), Thursday, 27 April 2006 03:29 (twenty years ago)

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