Killer Culture Blog
Reading Response "Killer Culture"
After reading "Killer Culture" by David Kupelian I have realized that in every generation on humans there is a different type of "trend" or "hip" thing, and throughout every generation these will change. Kupelian shows that in his article the trends of todays generation seem to be negative towards the youth of the next generation. Throughout Kupelian's article he explains how tattoos and piercings in his time were considered extreme, but now they are considered "normal" in today's generation. All together Kupelian seems to believe that big corporations and recent trends are corrupting todays generation and most likely the next few generations to come. In my opinion I think he is wrong, I think that I am a good person of today's generation; I have no criminal record, I don't rebel against my parents (at least not more than any other teenager does), and I am not some sort of druggy who was influenced by big corporations. I have the piece of mind to know not to do these things. Then again, this might be because the way I was raised, if it is then I have my family to thank for that.
Though Kupelian thinks today's generation is corrupted by corporations and trends, I completely disagree with him. I am the kind of person who wants to get many tattoos, even tho that seems like an "extreme" to Kupelian and to many of the people his age or older. I wasn't influenced by big corporations or trends. I was influenced by family and seeing that their tattoos meant something to them, and I can see stories told by their tattoos. That is a reason I want to get tattoos. Not because I am following trends and seeing what is "hip" and "cool" amongst people. I am getting tattoos because I want to show people what I stand for and how I feel about things. Each tattoo I plan on getting has a meaning or has something to do with my family or heritage. For example, I plan on getting an anchor on my arm with a broken heart on it, and what that stands for is "Stand Your Ground" and everything in that tattoo is going to lead into something different. The heart is going to symbolize all the hard things I've been through in life.
Not everyone who gets tattoos or piercings is following a trend. That is why I disagree with David Kupelian, not because he is completely wrong on the thing, but because he has the wrong idea about half the people in today's generation. Everyone I know who is getting tattoos or has gotten tattoos has done it because they want to show their friends and family what they are and how they got there. Yes, every once in a while you will get the kind of person who wants to follow some sort of trend, but that is because they may have low self esteem or they just give into pressure easily and that's because they never really were raised to have the right mindset to get these things done.
After reading "Killer Culture" by David Kupelian I have realized that in every generation on humans there is a different type of "trend" or "hip" thing, and throughout every generation these will change. Kupelian shows that in his article the trends of todays generation seem to be negative towards the youth of the next generation. Throughout Kupelian's article he explains how tattoos and piercings in his time were considered extreme, but now they are considered "normal" in today's generation. All together Kupelian seems to believe that big corporations and recent trends are corrupting todays generation and most likely the next few generations to come. In my opinion I think he is wrong, I think that I am a good person of today's generation; I have no criminal record, I don't rebel against my parents (at least not more than any other teenager does), and I am not some sort of druggy who was influenced by big corporations. I have the piece of mind to know not to do these things. Then again, this might be because the way I was raised, if it is then I have my family to thank for that.
Though Kupelian thinks today's generation is corrupted by corporations and trends, I completely disagree with him. I am the kind of person who wants to get many tattoos, even tho that seems like an "extreme" to Kupelian and to many of the people his age or older. I wasn't influenced by big corporations or trends. I was influenced by family and seeing that their tattoos meant something to them, and I can see stories told by their tattoos. That is a reason I want to get tattoos. Not because I am following trends and seeing what is "hip" and "cool" amongst people. I am getting tattoos because I want to show people what I stand for and how I feel about things. Each tattoo I plan on getting has a meaning or has something to do with my family or heritage. For example, I plan on getting an anchor on my arm with a broken heart on it, and what that stands for is "Stand Your Ground" and everything in that tattoo is going to lead into something different. The heart is going to symbolize all the hard things I've been through in life.
Not everyone who gets tattoos or piercings is following a trend. That is why I disagree with David Kupelian, not because he is completely wrong on the thing, but because he has the wrong idea about half the people in today's generation. Everyone I know who is getting tattoos or has gotten tattoos has done it because they want to show their friends and family what they are and how they got there. Yes, every once in a while you will get the kind of person who wants to follow some sort of trend, but that is because they may have low self esteem or they just give into pressure easily and that's because they never really were raised to have the right mindset to get these things done.
Great RR post, John. I"m glad to see you are reading and thinking critically about these arguments. I agree that not all youth are influenced by corporations and this is a good example because, other than musicians and sports, tattoos are rarely depicted in mainstream media. Of course, musicians and sports can play very influential roles, but your point is important and really refutes Kublian's argument about corporate control of youth trends. I have a very small tattoo that I got at around your age and I remember feeling the same way that you do. I wanted to tell a story through the symbol and I felt that the tatto would insure that I would forever remember the meaning behind that symbol and the story that the tattoo told. Your next post points out the reality of the assumptions that are made by the general public about tattoos and the fact that this (does) can play out as job discrimination down the line. This is true and the reason that I am so thankful that I chose a place (inside my ankle) that I could hide, if the circumstances required. So that choice that I made as a 19-year-old was an incredibly important one (especially now that I am a college professor!) and one that I will live with forever. Fortunately, the symbol continues to be important to me and, even now, the tattoo reminds me of who I was then and this knowledge continues to be an important connection to my past.
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