1508 Tattoot

A recent statistic reported in the news media said that one out of three adults under the age of 40 has a tattoo. That probably comes as no surprise. I'd be willing to guess one out of one if their profession is barista.
Physicians are worried. The ink used in tattoos is unregulated by the FDA, including a new ink called "glow in the dark". The inks may contain harmful chemicals that cause skin and immune system damage.
Great. Wearing the wrong tattoo used to cause fights. Now it can cause skin cancer. And what about how tattoos react to light or other waves on the electro-magnetic spectrum? Could the wrong chemical cause an immune system flare-up when activated on a tanning bed? Or a whole body scanner at the airport?
Some inks contain metal flakes. What about an MRI?
Hello instantly enlarged pores…
You gotta admit though, tattoos have upped the personal expression factor. No longer confined to license plates and bumper stickers, expressing your opinions about things from a distance has never been more silently effective. The controversial opinion on your skin can get under someone else's skin from across the room.
Of course, now people have another reason to judge a book by its cover. Especially if it's a hand-tooled cover, rich with ornate text. And a tattoo of a panda invokes a whole different reaction than a tattoo of an anchor.
As text tattoos have become quite popular too, injecting something into the conversation has never been easier. Kind of a tweet version of mime. A ta-tweet.
Which reminds me, what do you call it when people tattoo on a cartoon or a piece of music? They could both be called a tattoon. Although they'd be spelled different.
Unless it's definitely trumpet music. Then it would be a tattoot.
America, ya gotta love it.