Dolphin tattoos

The one thing that struck me about all the posters is the “cause” that is inevitably being tried to convey. The ability to do so affectively is to filter through all the science and politics of it all, or to omit it, to be able to get others to understand why certain topics or worthy of gaining the publics attention. For that I understand aspects of why all the topics were chosen.; some more than others. For this response I will attempt to take one of the more popular topics of the semester covered, body modification, and one that never entered my realm of consciousness until it was presented, dolphins.

First off, I am all for being able to choose what to do with your body. If you want ginormous breasts or horns coming out of your head then power to you! However, you must know that you will be judged. I will judge you and say “oh how creative” or “wow, doesn’t her back hurt” but I have a right to my opinion and you the right to your body. I also think that there is a limit to what is comfortably accepted in society and on and individual level. One of the body modifications that I have never understood is the cheesy tattoo. The top of my qualification of cheesy would be the dolphin tattoo. I have never tried to understand why a sonar squeaking sea world attraction was pertinent enough to displaying it as body art. After goggling the symbolism it listed: Playfulness, Transcendence, Gentleness, Harmony, Intelligence, Contentment, Friendship, Community, Resurrection, Generosity and Power.

Enter the dolphin project. Most of the aspects of these attributes were evident in the nature of the dolphins and more specifically how humans relate and treat them. Those that have come to love what dolphins represent can be just as easily classified under the niche that body modification can be. It takes a person to see through the topical and get into the meaning of why it is important. In a documentary about body modification I remember a woman saying that her “extreme body modification was due to the social awareness that some people will never fit in and once you come to that realization then you can proceed to distinguish yourself amongst those who don’t care if they ever will. Both dolphins and the extreme body modifications create wonder and display creative thinking and behavior through their actions. It may take an explanation to why these particular types of interests are important but they all have powerful resounding reasons for why they are important to those who find peace in thinking so.

When asking why people advocate for certain mammals or implant procedures, I feel that answer is in the solace that people can have about themselves by doing so. I know that I have altered my opinion on the dolphin tattoo thing a bit, but moreover, come to an understanding that most everything can be discussed on the pros and cons of the ritual but there will always be a real reason for these behaviors and most are harmless outlets for personal aspirations.