Memorial Tattoos

We discussed different reasons for having tattoos in class last week, and one of these reasons is to create a permanent memorial for someone.

Here's what one article says about these tattoos:
Some folks believe that this form of body art is the best way to memorialize people forever. While other folks feel that getting this type of tattoo is not only a way to express grief externally but more of a ritual -- A way to acknowledge a person and their role in your life. One therapist even compared Memorial tattoos to gravestones or epitaphs.
-Memorial Tattoos

I have a tattoo in memory of a boyfriend who committed suicide several years ago, and it definitely helped me find closure. I am not religious, but I craved something tangible that would help me immortalize him and the way that one event changed my life. The pain involved in getting the tattoo actually helped me cope-- the real physical pain helped me to hurt again for losing him, but at the end that pain ended and I was left with my memorial tattoo. With it, I was able to move on.

Drugs (Happy Earth Day!)

Yesterday, for Earth Day, my friend Kara decided to go to the park between North Road halls and the Indian markets and pick up trash. She talked me into coming by for an hour or so eventually, so with gloves and several trash bags we picked up literally thousands of bottles (mostly alcohol), snack wrappers, and cigarette cartons.

When I started finding needles all over the ground, I didn't feel so inspired to clean the area. Why should I pick up trash, I thought, so that junkies can have a clean place to shoot up? Maybe it's wrong to think of it that way. But when people use drugs and leave their paraphernalia littered on the ground, who is supposed to clean it up? I think every community wants clean public spaces and parks that are safe for kids to play in, but who picks up after "bad" people who leave hypodermic needles scattered in the bushes?

Googling this, I found my answer... volunteers. Here's one story of a many who devotes many hours a week to cleaning up his neighborhood and organizing cleanup efforts:

"Aggressive and single-minded in his search, the burly, 38-year-old former Marine
reconnaissance swimmer is hell-bent on cleaning up parks and neighborhoods throughout
the Eugene-Springfield area where drug users toss needles after shooting up.
"This has become my passion," said Ferguson, who began volunteering last year with the Eugene-based HIV Alliance."
-Pinpointing Needles

Happy 4/20!

It's 4/20: the day stoners celebrate toking up. I always find it interesting that public celebrations are able to occur, like the one in this cannabisnews.com article at the University of Colorado. The article says that the fine for a small amount of marijuana is not very significant, and police decided not to make a single arrest-- with that large of a crowd, it would cause more trouble than it's worth, and the celebration is an annual tradition.

I support celebrations like that, and I think it's great that marijuana smokers are making a public statement about their drug of choice. I believe that in my lifetime, I will see legalization of marijuana in more and more states (I'm American), and I'm glad to see peaceful demonstrations like this. Honestly, who will be more trouble: a gathering of stoned people, or a gathering of drunk people?

Comment: Bad Cartoons

In response to this post about bad cartoons:

But what is the phenomenon of south park? Well, it's bad, really bad. I don't know any other cartoon that make fun of religion, race, politics, social behavior, killing and dying, sex and all the other topics that are usually recognised as taboo. Badness of south park can be considered on two levels: 1) Characters in tv show act bad (eg. Cartman), what can encourage viewer to copy this behavior 2) Creators of south park make funn of serious problems in their show. But is it really bad to destroy taboo and make viewer think about serious problems in different way? I admit that almost every episode brings reflection on cotemporary world and society to me. Shows like that are cry: 'Wake up people! World isn't a candy shop'

I have to admit I'm a South Park junkie... I love the show. I like it because nothing is sacred, but it's definitely an adult cartoon.

Think about the concept of South Park: four ten year old boys living in an f---ed up world where the adults always seem to be doing something stupid, and one of the boys dies in every episode.

If you step back and put all the bad stuff into that context, it does become funny. Sometimes the show makes a point about society's obsessions, and sometimes it's just random. Interestingly, the later seasons have no cursing.

Comment: Religion and Ethics

In response to Becky's post:

We haven't done the 'Being Too Religious' lecture yet, so I don't know what that will entail. But I do have experience of what I think is being too religious.

Does anybody remember this on the local news? Here's a quote to refresh your memory:

A 22-year-old mother died just hours after giving birth to twins because doctors were forbidden from giving her a blood transfusion as a Jehovah's Witness.Emma Gough's family, including her Jehovah's Witness husband, Anthony, 24, refused to overrule her wishes and she died after losing blood.
I know that in the Jehovah's Witness religion they think that the Bible tells them that blood transfusions are against God's will, but I still think this is going too far. I know it's a belief system and therefore the people involved in the religion will see this as the Right Thing To Have Done, but I can't agree. I cannot help but feel strongly about this, since my half-brother is part of this religion. As an outsider, all I see is a woman actually being very selfish. Why not sin, so your children can have a mother when they grow up?

Also, what if it had been the other way around? There were complications in the birth and the babies needed blood transfusions? Would you deny them that? Or let them die for God's will?
This website explains more about why Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood, and a bit about the ethics involved.

This is awful. I agree with you, Becky, that Jehovah's Witnesses who refuse transfusions are going too far. I understand that it's a religious belief, and I do respect that... to a point. It's one thing for someone to refuse a transfusion for themself, it's their choice. But if that choice means that their children won't have a parent, or if a parent is deciding that their child shouldn't have a transfusion, this is wrong. Children have no say in this, and should not be subject to the negative consequences of this belief until they are old enough to understand it.

Thank You For Smoking

There are many things about the main character Nick Naylor in the film Thank You For Smoking that we can call bad. The tobacco lobbyist essentially lies to people for a living, and in doing so shares the responsibility for the health problems of cigarette smokers. In the film, we see behind the scenes as Naylor tries to get Hollywood to push cigarettes by having actors light up on camera. His actions are shameful, but the film is humorous and eye opening to the pervasive nature of big tobacco companies.

Legalized prostitution?

My trip to Amsterdam wouldn't have been complete without a visit to the Red Light District. On a guided tour, I felt safe walking through the area at night. Before seeing this I wasn't sure how I felt about the legal prostitution going on here, but I learned some things on the tour that began to change my mind.
Girls are able to rent windows, and this means:

1. No pimps
2. Prostitution is kept off the streets
3. Rent includes protection from the landlord, and each room has a panic button that will bring undercover security guards within minutes (And they are rarely needed, it's been years since one was used)
4. The STD rate among the young women who rent the windows is lower than that in the Netherlands as a whole

The way I see it now, prostitution is the oldest profession in the world and will always be around whether it's legal or not. Why not make it safer by bringing it out in the open? As long as it's in its own place and people can avoid it if they wish, I think this is a good idea.