Richard’s Almanac: To ink, or not to ink? That is the question

Tattoos have certainly become more accepted than they were a half century ago. They have almost become mainstream.

When I was a kid in the 1950s, the only people I knew with tattoos were uncles who had been in the Navy in World War II. Uncle John had a few sailing ships on his upper arms and a dancing girl on his forearm. If he flexed his muscles she would dance. My uncle Ralph had a few ships and a picture of a knot — naming his title as the navy knot-tying champion of 1941.

My father was in the army and had no tattoos, so I assumed it was a Navy thing.

I do remember an 8th grade trip to Coney Island in 1958 when a friend who had fake ID and a few bucks got a small tattoo in one of the back alleys. Pretty cool, I thought. That was about the time that Marlboro cigarettes started pitching their masculine ads for the filter cigarettes — a filter cigarette between the fingers of a hand tattooed with an anchor. How great was that?

My great fear of needles prevented me from going anywhere near a tattoo parlor — although they’re probably called by some euphemism today.

What made me think back to these tattoo times was my recent stay in New Jersey. I just returned from a week at my son’s house at the beginning of the Jersey Shore. Do you know that they charge people on foot eight bucks to go on the beach? But that’s beside the point.

It was very warm every day — like here — and many folks were wearing tank tops. Not my favorite form of attire. But it did seem that everyone was sporting tattoos of some kind on arms, shoulders and legs. Equal amounts on men and women. And these were mainstream people. My granddaughter told me that my surprise was just a sign of my age.

“Lots of people have tattoos these days Pop Pop,” she said.

I started thinking back to my time running a school when I hired a teacher who seemed very qualified. When she was playing basketball in the gym everyone noticed her arms and legs with many examples of body art.

I was asked by a trustee how I could hire someone like that. I said I never saw them. We did not ask those being interviewed to roll up their sleeves.

There was a sign advertising a tattoo contest in Asbury Park in a few weeks. I thought that my daughter-in-law should enter. She has great tattoos and came in second in the Greenport Maritime Festival tattoo contest a few years back.

I also heard about a young lady with a forearm tattoo who was told to lose the tat or not get the job. She got rid of the tattoo. But maybe she shouldn’t have. Are tattooed individuals a protected minority? I don’t know. Maybe it hasn’t been tested yet? We’ll see.

And those septuagenarian biker babes from 50 years ago have aged better than their tattoos.

And I am still afraid of the needles.