In the News: Discrimination - Rally for Change!

In the News: Discrimination - Rally for Change!
May 30, 2010
Karen L. Hudson
About.com

Discrimination against body art, just like prejudice against a different race, will probably never entirely go away. As a whole, people have evolved beyond the archaic ways of slavery, segregation, and bigotry. But there will always be a few "stragglers" who hold onto these reprehensible views, and there will always be those who will be subjected to abuse just because they're different.
We've reached a point, in our modern day, where body art is more widely accepted than ever. Even some workplaces are shedding their antiquated rules against visible art and piercings. But just when you think that body modification has truly gained mass acceptance, a single person can send us reeling back to the dark ages. And this week, there were two serious cases of bigotry against tattooed people and I, for one, am thoroughly disgusted.

It started last week when a very good friend of mine was arrested for fighting when he, in fact, was the victim in the "fight" - being pounded on by some neanderthal. And when his case was brought to the D.A., he was restricted to his own state and labeled a flight risk. Why? Because he has facial tattoos, and according to the D.A., that was a clear sign that he did not conform to normal rules of society and could not possibly be an upstanding citizen. (I so want to rally on my friend's behalf, but I won't give any more details about his case without his permission.)

The other case actually made the news - Samantha Osborn was grabbed by security and denied entrance into Six Flags Over Texas because of her tattoos. The "offending" ink was a couple of six-shooter pistols with yellow roses on her chest, in honor of her love for her state of Texas. She was told that the pistol images promoted violence and that she needed to cover it - and then they offered to sell her a $5.00 t-shirt. They did eventually get into the park through a different gate, but the experience, understandably, soured the whole day and they don't plan to return to the park.

Thomas Jefferson once said, "We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." It's too bad that many of our fellow humans don't believe that statement, but change has to start somewhere. What can we do? Comment with your ideas below, and let's start changing the world today!