Man feels misled, frustrated that tattoos cost him job

[n2doc]

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) - A man is left confused and frustrated after he feels he was denied a job based on his tattoos.

Bill Roach reached out to Eyewitness News because he thinks he was a victim of discrimination and was treated unfairly.

He said the tattoos aren’t gang related and shouldn’t be an issue. He’s proud of them, and they all mean something to him.

“My right arm is nothing but music,” he said. “You know, songs.”

more

http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/investigations/Man-feels-misled-frustrated-that-tattoos-cost-him-job-279992932.html?mobile=y

[pipoman]

1. Dress code violations that can't be changed...

I won't hire people with excessive visible tattoos, and I have a fair amount of skin coverage myself, just easily coverable..."discrimination"? Maybe for making bad decisions. My son has several and we have a conversation about how easily covered each new one will be.

[Dorian Gray]

84. In Brooklyn

I often feel like the minority because I don't have tattoos.

But, still, most of the people with visible tats are in business where it doesn't matter. And those who are in businesses where it matters are able to cover them, like you.

It's prudent to be thoughtful about it when doing it.

Does that make it right? No. It's just life.

I had a conversation with a friend that actually shocked me (last summer). He's from LA, and he said that people with tattoos frightened him. I was like: Really? Why? I know they're more ubiquitous in Brooklyn than West LA, but, there are plenty of artists and whatnot in LA to get over that fear. It just surprised me.

[pipoman]

97. Tats are prolific on the west coast too..

My son was in San Diego until last spring. I think it is generational, tattoos weren't widely accepted by the baby boomers outside of military and prison/criminal. And then it wasn't usually sleeves or large coverage, more here and there. I read somewhere recently that 18 to 25 40% have at least one tattoo, and 15% have multiple.

[Dorian Gray]

113. The age thing is probably

why. My friend is turning 50 next summer, so he's of an older generation.

[Revanchist]

2. I made sure all my tattoo's aren't visible

in either business or business casual attire. While tattoo's aren't the stigma they used to be, too many of them will still limit employment choices and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

3. Maybe they fired him for not being able to predict the obvious. nt

[Travis_0004]

4. He could apply for a job at hot topic

[lame54]

14. or trader joe's

[Liberal In Texas]

26. Or Whole Foods

I think it's actually a requirement.

[Blue_Tires]

74. or the Harley-Davidson dealership/parts supplier

or a skate/surf shop

or a fitness center/yoga studio

[Vinca]

5. It's always amusing when people who look like the Illustrated Man wonder why they aren't hired.

Throw in a few nose rings and giant ear lobe earrings for good measure.

[pipoman]

99. Yeah, giant gauges are the dumbest adornment of all IMO

Next to neck, face, and head tats....

My son wanted a tat when he was 16, I refused to permit it. I coined a phrase, "dumber than a neck tattoo", and used it frequently. ..then he began saying it too...I don't think he'll ever consider neck, face, or head tats..

[Brickbat]

6. The mistake here isn't tattoos. It's the TV station deciding to run with this after he contacted it.

[seaglass]

16. I need to agree with you here. :-) n/t

[Lancero]

25. They'll run with anything that will get views...

And something like this will probably get alot of views.

[NCTraveler]

7. His confusion over this matter is a sign the company made a good call.

I understand his point and think his point is something to talk about. But for him to act like he doesn't understand or have a clue at all when it comes to businesses and tattoos really tells me something about him. How is he this confused.

[morningfog]

9. His confusion seems warranted:

“So, they might want to ask the question up front or they might want to just ask for the policy,” she said.

But, Roach said that’s exactly what he did and was told by a manager that it wouldn’t be a problem.

“I pulled my stuff up, and I showed them I had tattoos,” said Roach, “and I wanted to be up front, because to avoid wasting my time as well as theirs ... and he encouraged me to take the test and said, you know, don't worry about it."

He raised the issue before taking the test. After passing the test, they told him it was because of the ink they wouldn't hire him.

[NCTraveler]

11. As in many businesses they often use the "legal" excuse not to hire someone.

It is a very common practice. I review applications all of the time. Not for employment but for something else. As litigious of a society as we live in the reason given for denial is always the one that has the best legal backing. It is how it works. Your point is correct though and does change my understanding of his confusion.

[TransitJohn]

8. What an entitled idiot. eom

n/t

[kairos12]

10. He needs to re ink his position.

[pinboy3niner]

20. :)

[Sparhawk60]

89. lol

[upaloopa]

12. Tattoos look terrible to me but then I am an

old fart. I see a young person with their tattoos and wonder why. I guess it is a sign of the times. It is something that will pass in a generation or two.
But if the person with tattoos can do the job I don't see an issue with them.

[raouldukelives]

13. Right there with ya. As long as they don't screw with me I could care less about appearance.

As for it passing though. I don't know. I think like that darn rock music it will just get louder, faster and way more absurd as times passes.

[Arugula Latte]

15. I've never seen a tattoo that enhanced anybody's looks (in my worthless opinion, of course)

I always think that they just make people look messy and cluttered. I can't imagine committing to one -- to me it's like deciding to wear the exact same piece of clothing for the rest of your life. And so the acid-washed jeans you chose at age 21 are with you decade after decade ...

But, I get that many others love tats and tat culture.

[tabbycat31]

18. I have once

And it took me forever to realize it was a tattoo. My former coworker always had the perfect eyemakeup and when I asked what her secret was (I wanted to know what brand she used), she informed me that it was tattooed on.

I could not imagine the pain associated with having my eyes tattooed.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

31. You can't imagine...

This?



or



or



? (google 'corneal tattoo')

Or, for a different twist,

[AngryOldDem]

87. Oh Jesus.

[hifiguy]

112. Wow. Those are disgusting on a visceral, molecular level.

Stupid is as stupid does.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

120. Well, I'm not entirely sure they're not just photoshop, actually ;)

The last time I googled corneal tattoos, most of the results were simply people with the 'whites' of their eyes tattooed a solid blue or red or whatever, to make them look like Fremen from Dune or demons or somesuch. These results look 'too perfect'. And I actually don't have any problems with them on an aesthetic level. I just think I would have to be under general anaesthesia to have my eyes (or tongue) tattooed. I don't think I could do it under a local or topical.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

30. I don't have tattoos

But I've basically worn the same clothes for decades. Multiple pairs of the exact same shoes, the same jeans, the same shirts. Even drawers full of identical underwear and socks. It makes both shopping for new clothes and dressing very easy

[pinboy3niner]

21. It's only when I became an old fart that I felt safe to get tattoos

I'd never wanted to deface my body before, not even when I was in the Army.

It was only decades later, at a Vietnam vets' reunion, that I had occasion to think again about it. I was sitting with a half dozen buddies when one proposed that we all go together to the tattoo tent and get inked. It suddenly occurred to me: Who's going to see it now? My mortician?

So I got a couple on the shoulders, under the shirtsleeves. The red dragon/green bamboo design of the Vietnam Service Medal on one shoulder and the Screaming Eagle insignia of my unit on the other. Just a little something to entertain the folks when they're embalming me.

Oh, and the tattoo artist couldn't do us all that day, so I volunteered to wait until the next day, the last day of the reunion. So (and I never told my buddies this) I got mine for half price.

And we were all stone cold sober when we agreed to do it.

[In_The_Wind]

34. Ha. 50% off is great anytime.

[pinboy3niner]

46. A couple of guys got the Purple Heart tattoo in the vivid color ink they have now

It was really impressive, but i figured I've got the scars, I don't need the tattoo.

The Combat Infantryman Badge tat with its blue background also was cool. But I decided to go with these.

[In_The_Wind]

50. Two good choices.

You wear them well.



Thank you

[blackcrowflies]

62. I've never understood the purple heart

Why would someone get an award for being wounded? I would think the idea is to avoid being wounded.

[pinboy3niner]

64. The point is to recognize sacrifice

After I was wounded I was kicking myself for not doing better to avoid that. But I accept the fact that I was wounded serving my country, and I accepted the medal.

And I had a lot of friends who were awarded the medal posthumously.

R.I.P.

[GummyBearz]

65. I think...

...we got it from the French. Which makes sense with their historical lack of winning wars. It does improve moral as well as recognize self sacrifice. it serves a good purpose

[thucythucy]

109. Sigh. More French bashing.

Why are so many Americans obsessed with dissing the French?

After all, they did enable us to win the revolution. Remember Lafayette? And if not for Napoleon the Brits would have creamed the USA in 1812. As it is the Brits managed to burn DC, and only agreed to a settlement because the Napoleonic wars had exhausted them. Then too, it was the French (and Brits) who held off Germany for four years during WWI, until the US decided to join in at the last moment. And even during their darkest hour, during WWII, the Free French did heroic deeds in North Africa, Italy, and then France itself after 1944. The French Resistance saved numerous Allied flyers from prison camps or worse. If the US were occupied by a foreign power, one as ruthless as Nazi Germany, you honestly think the typical American response would have been any better? At least the French government had the courage to declare war on Germany after its invasion of Poland in 1939. It took the US more than two years of head-in-the-sand denial of the threat before it joined in the effort--and then only because Germany declared war on the US. Even then, it took another two years before the US and Britain dared to confront the German military in western Europe, and only after it had been all but gutted by the Soviets.

And speaking of Vietnam, it doesn't look to me that the US had any better luck defeating the Vietnamese than did the French. So why the superior attitude? What makes the US so great that Americans feel entitled to sneer?

I've never been able to understand French-bashing, except as the immature corollary of American "exceptionalism." To me it ranks up there with any other ethnic prejudice, and always seems out of place on a progressive site.

Just my two cents.

[FSogol]

110. "always seems out of place on a progressive site" Completely agree.

No France, No USA; anything else is a complete misunderstanding of history.

[Hekate]

117. Excellent post, through and through. nt

[phylny]

85. Old fart here myself, and I agree.

I wonder how they'll look when the tattooed are old farts themselves

[pipoman]

101. I hear this, 'imagine how it will look when the person is old'

And always think the same thing....who gives a shit. ..it isn't like old people's skin is oh so attractive anyway. Further, I for one, and most people I know with tattoos have them for their own reasons and enjoyment, not for the approval of others. I have about 30% coverage on my back..I am very public and well known, nobody has any idea

[phylny]

119. I don't give a shit, either, and yes, people have

tattoos for different reasons, so my opinion is my opinion, and of course people should and ought to do what makes them happy.
As they age, the art is going to change as the skin changes. I just think they're unattractive no matter WHAT the age. I've never seen a tattoo that I think would be worth it, nor do I find myself thinking one enhances anyone's look. Again, my opinion, which has no bearing on anything but me.

[tabbycat31]

17. I'm of the generation that has tattoos

And I agree with this employer.

I personally don't have any and every now and then I see a really cool one and think that I'd love to have something like a cat on my back. But when I was a little kid, my dad and I were driving by a tattoo shop (not intentionally, it was on our way somewhere) and he explained to me exactly how tattoos were applied. I'm afraid of needles, so naturally I was turned off from that day forward.

Some tattoos are very tastefully done and look great. But I'm of the school that less is more. You're better off making a statement with 1-2 than with your whole body covered.

I guess I'm still old-school when it comes to them though. If the dude has his arms covered, I'd expect him to be wearing long sleeves to work. You can also still have tattoos that an employer would not see (such as the song lyrics on his back instead of his arm).

(Now if he wanted to work at say Hot Topic, that's a whole new ball game).

[pipoman]

103. Of coarse some people get them to make a statement, most get them for very personal reasons

After the death of my entire childhood family I first understood the phenomenon of people who cut themselves out of anguish. I never did that, but found/find the pain of getting an 8 hour tattoo very cathartic.

[JEB]

19. Ink embedded in the skin.

Not how I judge anybody.

[FLPanhandle]

22. Never understood why anyone would get highly visible tattoos.

It's like saying to yourself "Hey, I think I'll make myself less employable for life".

[True Blue Door]

23. Wear a long-sleeve shirt, Cletus.

[tammywammy]

29. That was my first thought.

Long sleeves with a collar would cover them up.

[hifiguy]

24. I am a moderately old goat

and I have never been able to understand why someone would put permanently on their body a piece of "art" they would never temporarily hang on their wall.

When I was in my teens and twenties the only people I ever saw with tattoos were bikers, people who had been in prison, and the occasional hardass military veteran. Even then it was usually something only on the upper arm. This is, IMO, one of the dumbest trends in recent American history.

[HereSince1628]

27. also old...I associate tatoos with hepatitis risk...

I know it's just a hard to kick prejudice, but apparently someone hammered that idea into me in the early 60's and it stuck.

[Retrograde]

78. I associate tattoos with old people

because my grandfather (born 1901) got several when he was in the navy.

I've seen a few that I thought looked attractive, mostly geometrics, or the so-called tribal tattoos. Most of the others are at best meh. I'll stick with the temporary version - I just can't commit to any one design long-term.

[irisblue]

28. I am considering

3 pairs of dog paws and cats paws leading to a rainbow bridge. Those will be under clothing. Surprise the Doctor and Mammo tech when they see them on my late 50s upper back.

[azmom]

59. Right there with you.

52 and considering my first one. I want it next to my scar from my back surgery.

[REP]

32. I guess I'm really getting old, because I just don't care if someone has ink

It's not for me, but I don't really care if someone else has them. If they're capable of performing their job well, what difference does it possibly make?

[laundry_queen]

98. I agree

At my work, 80% of our accounting department has multiple tattoos. Visible ones, on wrists, necks, etc. It never factored into who got the job or not. My boss has the most tattoos, lol. Around here, if employers decide to hire people with no visible tattoos, there is going to be very slim pickings. Most people that I know under age 35 have at least one tattoo. I'm over 35 and I have tattoos. It definitely has no effect on my job. I read somewhere, though, that accountants (surprisingly) were the profession with the highest amount of tattooed people compared with other professions.

[TeeYiYi]

33. Well, that's one way to get yourself politically involved...

re: Roach said he is writing a letter to Congress, seeking to make tattoo discrimination illegal unless they are hateful or gang related.

Don't think it will work out for him...

TYY

[hifiguy]

38. If he's serious

he's even dumber than I thought.

[G_j]

35. if employers practiced that policy in my town,

they wouldn't be able to find many people to employ.

[ZombieHorde]

37. Ha! nt

[ZombieHorde]

36. I always try to keep the small mindedness of others in mind

when I get tattoos or piercings. All of mine can be covered with shorts and a t-shirt. People say it's a person's character that counts, but it's not. Looks mean almost everything to most people.

[Lee-Lee]

39. How you choose to look is part of character

There are many things about appearance we can't change- skin color, height, etc.

We can choose body art, piercings, and how we dress.

And those choices are a reflection of our character and judgement.

[ZombieHorde]

43. What method should a person use to determine what is true? nt

[LanternWaste]

47. It then begs the question, what specifically does a tattoo say one's character?

It then begs the question, what specifically does a tattoo say one's character, and on what objective measure is that based on?

[Orrex]

52. That's a red herring, of course.

What, in your view, would qualify as "objective measure" in such an analysis?

[Logical]

55. Still considered unprofessional my many, me included. nt

[Adrahil]

67. When you work for a company, how you present yourself matters.

My company allows discrete tattoos for those working with customers. Folks working in IT in the fabrication shop can be as inked as they like, but their advancement prospects are impacted for sure.

[ZombieHorde]

71. Yes, because so many people are small minded.

They judge books by their covers.

[Orrex]

95. To be fair, so do you.

Disagree?

If you saw a man in KKK robes with swastikas tattooed all over his face, head and body, would you have any initial impression at all, or would you honestly say "I'm going to take time to fully get to know this fellow before I formulate even a preliminary response to his appearance?"

If the former, then I don't believe you.
If the latter, then you're judging a book by its cover, just like the rest of us small-minded folk.


Of course the mere presence of tattoos doesn't automatically equate to any particular type of character, but the nature of those tattoos certainly can convey a message contrary to what an employer might which to convey.

If someone was otherwise qualified for the job but had a "McDonalds Sucks" tattoo on his face, would you require McDonalds to hire him?

[ZombieHorde]

111. I agree that uniforms communicate an assumed role.

If I wanted to know where something was in Walmart, I would look for someone wearing a Walmart uniform. If I was interviewing someone for a job, and I thought their clothes were unusual, I would ask them about it.

I also agree that written messages communicate something about the past. Swastikas mean different things to different people, so a swastika would tell me much less than written words, such as "McDonald's Sucks." If I was interviewing someone for a job, and they had something as extreme as "I hate (you business)," I would ask them about it.

would you require McDonalds to hire him?

I wouldn't require anyone to hire anyone.

However, the posts I replied to just said tattoos, as opposed to the bizarre/extreme situations you offered. If I saw someone on fire and screaming, then yes, I would assume they were in pain. If you saw someone with the face tattoo, "I hate Orrex and I will kill Orrex and I will drink the blood of Orrex," then I wouldn't blame you for feeling uncomfortable around that person, but that is not going to happen.

[Orrex]

115. For the record, Orrex blood is delicious. (nt)

[ZombieHorde]

116. I know.

We all know. That is why we look at you that way.

[GOLGO 13]

40. Waiting for retirement

I'm Mr. Low Profile at my job and I intend to keep it that way. It doesn't pay to get noticed for something not job related. We already have a Mr. Tattoo guy and Mr. Earing's dude. They also get mentioned with "girl with bright pink hair".

I have the artists, I have a general idea of the subject matter and a few thousands saved up to pay for it. I'll have to travel for one of the pieces but it will be a one of a kind work of art.

[dilby]

41. Certain communities are more progressive than others.

He should just move to Portland OR where tattoos have become a society norm and generally don't prevent you from being hired. Someday the rest of the country will catch up to us but till then you are better off living with like minded people.

[kestrel91316]

42. Hell, I thought tattoos were de riguer in Bakersfield.

[woodsprite]

44. My SIL has a *ton* of tattoos -- over 100 at last count.

Some small, some large. One half angel tats and the other half dark tats. Not really my thing, but she's really nice, takes great care of my BIL, is a good (and healthy) cook, and could wipe the street up with someone if they disrespected her family. My ultra conservative MIL hadn't met her or had any idea until a day or two before the wedding. I just kept stressing how good she was for my BIL and how well matched they were. My MIL tried to get a biblical convo going with her over her "carpe diem" "carpe nocturn" tats on her neck -- yeah, that didn't go over so well, but we all survived.

They had her tattoo artist at their wedding doing tats for the guests (for money). My other SIL kept hounding me to get one (come on, we'll do it together). I told her I have no desire to add tats to my already scarred up body. Besides, not many designs work when you get older with more wrinkles. I'd need one where the folds morphed it into another graphic -- kinda like a folding map!

SIL actually said she's hooked on it because she's addicted to the pain factor and the adrenaline of getting a new one.

[Jenoch]

45. One of my friend's saw a guy bend over

and show his plumber's butt. He had a tattoo of Elmer Fudd aiming his shotgun at Bugs Bunny who was deoicted in the tattoo as diving into the guy's anus. I'm glad I did not see these tattoos.

[Johonny]

48. The tattoo taboo is rapidly failing

In Southern California finding someone younger than 30 without a tattoo is getting harder and harder I think this is a generational thing. Mainstream singers are covered in them. Popular actors and actresses show them off on facebook and twitter. Tattoos simply aren't taboo anymore. I know people with PhDs with tattoos. Judging a person by their tattoos is rather silly and rapidly becoming passe.

[azmom]

53. Pretty much what my 19 year

Old said to me when she came home from college with a tattoo. Times, they are a changing

[Man from Pickens]

56. Tattoos are a sign of poor judgment

and neck tattoos a sign of extreme poor judgment

I'm sure people will have all sorts of justifications for having them - believe me, I've heard them all.

The messages they actually send go along the lines of the following:

"I have no respect for my own person (and thus am quite unlikely to respect your person)."

"I have a yearning need to fit in to a subculture where tattoos are common."

"I have spent or plan to spend a lot of time in prison."

"Deep down I know there is nothing at all special about me, so let me put marks on my body in a desperate attempt to establish some level of individuality."

"I have no idea what the long term is."

etc.

I'm sure I'll be told I'm a terrible person for this post; regardless, this is the reality of how you are perceived when you tattoo yourself up.

[azmom]

57. LOL, you can't be serious

With this stuff.

[Man from Pickens]

61. I am quite serious

Anyone considering going down that path ought to do so with eyes wide open - this is the reality of getting tattooed up.

Like it or not, tattoos imply risk. In fact, that very implication is why a great many people get them in the first place - they want to be perceived as dangerous and/or edgy and/or different. It's a two edged sword - they will be met with approval in some circles and disapproval in others.

[Iggo]

60. LOL

[Jenoch]

66. I know of an incident in which

a perp was identified as an ATM stick up felon because law enforcement recognized his neck tattoo even though his was obscured.

[dilby]

76. Kind of like short skirts are tight fitting pants right?

Sorry but people once said all the same messages about people who listened to this old dude called Elvis.

[azmom]

77. I'm kind of surprised by

The archaic thinking on this. Wow!

[dilby]

79. I am not, the older generation equate tattoos to loose morals and criminal activity.

The younger generation view it as Art, in 30 years people won't really bat an eye at it.

[ProfessorGAC]

88. Really? Exactly Which Generation?

I'm 58. Tell me what i think.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

93. You're not your generation.

None of us are. We're all merely single individuals, who may or may not be typical of ANY group to which we belong, whether by age, skin tone, gender, religion or lack thereof.

So no, when somebody makes a broad statement about some group to which you belong, that does not 'tell you what YOU think'. It's a statement about how the group on average thinks. If you're not part of the groupthink, congrats.

Older people vote far more Republican. This is shown by exit polls. But that doesn't mean YOU vote Republican.

[ProfessorGAC]

102. Wow, Was That Convenient

Pretty weak. Broad brush statements don't count as broad brush statements if they aren't broad brush statements with little basis in fact.

i get it.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

104. No, sadly, you don't.

The point was not 'all broad brush statements are true'. Nor in fact was it 'this particular broad brush statement is true'.

The point was that by their very nature, broad brush statements do not apply to individuals. That statements about groups almost never apply to every single member of a group, unless they are statements about how the group is actually defined AS a group. That getting angry on your own individual behalf ('tell me what I think') based on a statement about a broader group to which you belong is often a mistake, because people making the statement aren't talking about you, the individual.

[Adrahil]

91. I still say that about Elvis... He was awful! ;)

I have lots of friends with tattoos.... Most are reasonably discrete and easily covered. No face tattoos, no neck tattoos. I don't have an issue with those. But if you put a large tatto in a very visible place, you can expect that it will affect your job prospects.... That is all.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

73. Where? the 909/951?

I would have guessed this fad had peaked. I'm certainly seeing fewer tramp stamps than a decade ago and I have never seen a man who had all his teeth with a neck tattoo.

[Blue_Tires]

75. well, once all the superstar athletes started getting them

it began to snowball quickly....

But there is still an unspoken taboo in most workplaces over neck/face/head tattoos...I knew that he didn't have much of a leg to stand on with the neck stuff

[IcyPeas]

49. Here is a similar story about a trainee teacher

http://www.buzzfeed.com/richardhjames/this-trainee-teacher-was-sent-home-on-her-first-day-due-to-h

[Adrahil]

68. Another case of, "you didn't see that coming?"

Make better decisions.

You wanna cover yourself in Tats and get all kinds of weird piercings, fine, but don't expect to get work as a teacher.

[bowens43]

51. I don't have tattoos but my children do

but they good sense to not get any that cannot be easily covered with clothing.

[Logical]

54. Our company will not allow visible tattoos. I agree with the policy. nt

[pipoman]

105. Depending where you're at

That will be the policy until positions can't be filled with the best applicants because of it...then it will go to the way side. .

[Logical]

118. Well, seems not to be a problem now. 150 applicants for every opening. But this is a professional..

sales job. Very few fully tattooed people apply.

[pipoman]

121. oh, you said visible tattoos

In the first post. A lot of people have visible tattoos who aren't fully tattooed.

[Logical]

123. If they don't show in business clothes we don't care. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

58. all he needs is long sleeves and some consealer makeup for the neck tats.

it's not like he has face tats

[blackcrowflies]

63. I've never seen a tattoo that wasn't ugly.

and they get uglier with age. But that's no reason to deny an otherwise qualified person a job.

That guy is kind of clueless to think having tattoos wouldn't rule him out from a lot of companies, however.

[riderinthestorm]

82. This guy got struck by lightening and his scar (which looks like a tattoo) is very cool

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=man+struck+by+lightening+scar&imgrc=Y6-wdjBc3tg8XM%253A%3Bundefined%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fi.imgur.com%252FT0T4j.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.reddit.com%252Fr%252Fpics%252Fcomments%252Fqenow%252Fthis_man_was_struck_by_lightening_and_the_scar_is%252F%3B540%3B720

That said, welcome to DU!

[Adrahil]

90. I certainly have, even though they are not my thing.

But many are hideous, in bad taste, or both.

[Jenoch]

69. Here is one of the two worst tattoos I've ever seen.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315776/Tattoo-man-gets-radio-station-logo-inked-forehead.html

[JHB]

94. I presume this is the other one...

[Jenoch]

122. Actually, I was referrng to the son of the

man who got the radio station tattoo. They got the same tattoo on their forehead. Is it just me, or does that 48 year old guy look 68 yrars old?

[hunter]

70. He's living in the wrong city or applying for the wrong jobs.

Gang or prison tattoos and obvious sexually explicit tattoos seem to be the only barriers to employment in my community. And there are programs that will assist unemployed people getting gang or prison tattoos removed for free.

My siblings all have body art but of the sort easily hidden by workplace clothing. Heck, one of my grandpas had tattoos that every hard working, hard partying, wartime shipyard worker enjoyed. If you could build and repair Liberty and Victory ships, and you could affirm your support of the U.S.A. in some way, then you were hired. Not much else mattered.

I don't have any tattoos, mostly because I hate needles. But I do have a pierced ear. I used to wear a shiny synthetic diamond in it. Alcohol and a girlfriend overcame my aversion that day.

I didn't decorate my ear when I was a public school teacher but the kids did notice my ear was pierced. I had watch over hundreds of kids each semester. When I was doing my job right they were all granting their full attention to me and their science lessons, therefore they had all the time in the world to notice my pierced ear. And that was okay with me. I'd rather be more interesting than the second hand of a clock.

An unrelated aside, as a naive young teacher I didn't know what would happen when my wife visited my classroom one day.

Almost every adolescent mind went there instantly, a great disturbance in The Force.

They have SEX!

I've never felt more naked, even when I've been naked.

[cemaphonic]

80. The article said he was applying for work in the medical field

Which tend to have pretty conservative dress code standards in this regard. Tattoos are pretty commonplace where I live, but you aren't getting a job with visible tats in any of the major hospitals in town.

[alp227]

72. What's really funny is that the same people who demand that Phil Robertson has a "right"

to make bigoted, homophobic remarks while employed by A&E Television will shrug off this guy as "another reason why millennials are entitled Obamabot brats".

[Adrahil]

92. My company wouldn't hire someone with a...

Big ole Phil Robertson beard either, unless they were willing to trim it.

[whistler162]

81. Yeah that is the reason not

"“I pulled my stuff up, and I showed them I had tattoos,” said Roach, “and I wanted to be up front, because to avoid wasting my time as well as theirs ... and he encouraged me to take the test and said, you know, don't worry about it.""

[Revanchist]

83. Hi, I'm here for the interview

[ileus]

86. those will look really awesome when he 60...

[sendero]

96. You can sure tell..

.... the average age around here. (I'm in my 50s). Look, to younger folks tattoos are no big deal and they don't understand the fuss. They do not carry the stigma they did 40 years ago.

Does the employer have a right to not have a tatted person representing him? Yes, I'd say so, it is an appearance issue, just like dressing in nasty clothes. Should the kid have asked first? Yep. But I can easily see why he would not have suspected an issue.

Around here (north TX) tattoos are everywhere and nobody thinks twice about it.

Now those earlobe stretchy things, those are just heinous.

[Maeve]

107. When my daughter entered college, we were warned by the college prez

"Have the tattoo talk NOW, because it WILL come up." Sure enough, she ended up with a small heart on her wrist. Her body, her choice.
But that's why she'll never be a princess at Disney.

When I was growing up, the only people I knew with tats were uncles who had been military or merchant marines. Or strange people with the carnivals....times change, fashions change.

[SoCalDem]

100. Did he think that tattoos would help him find work?

Most "work" is all about conformity....uniforms..patterns..regulations.. UNLESS you are your own boss..

Bosses will always choose the most conforming/compliant applicant they can.

In work where people must greet "the public", the least unusual is usually the goal.

It may be unfair, but there are many folks who feel uncomfortable with tattooed people, people with facial piercings, etc.

There are lots of places where these things could be perfectly acceptable, but these are not "mainstream" yet.

These are not handicaps that someone is born with or gets from injuries.. these are deliberate adornments, and when choosing them, people have to know that they may be off-putting .

[pipoman]

106. Irony...

The guy named "Roach" has tattoo sleeves...lol

[CreekDog]

108. Those of you who sit and judge him

Never walked the streets of Bakersfield.

[PasadenaTrudy]

114. I wouldn't mind

getting a little "BrBa" like Bryan Cranston did. Not sure where though. He got his on the inside of one of his fingers. Ouch.