R. R. Reno looks at the way tattoos are a mark of mass non-conformity, as well as the "draw" of their permanence here.
Self-mutilation as an effort as "ontological substantiation," perhaps. What, pray tell, is that? Forgive me if I sidestep the question and instead defer to the words of René Girard on "originality" which may be helpful:
There are two ways to be original. You know, I criticized earlier the modern conception of originality. We’re going to think something entirely different. I think only a hyper-mimetic world, obsessed with not imitating, can come to such a point. Therefore, indirectly, in my view, this modern concept of originality, which was born with Romanticism, in a way testifies to the mimetic nature of our world. “Imitation” is the bad word par excellence in culture. If you bring it in, it is something disgraceful; not being polite.
There is another notion of originality which I think is really more profound, which is going back to the origin and changing it. What Christ is doing is going back to the bad origin, which is violence, and making it nonviolent by suffering the violence willingly instead of inflicting it. So this origin will not be immediately change everything, but will slowly act like that...and change our world in a gradual fashion, which is, I think, happening today faster and faster.
1 comment:
Great Reno article. Moving that the search for permanence and "not being ruled" by standardized lives is still alive. Sad how far off from the true Source of self-hood.
I once thought them purely harmless compared to the primitive sacred tattoos of yore. Not much is proclaimed or held holy in the ubiquitous appearance of tattoos today, except those that identify a shared group experience, such as Marine or Fraternity. The harm is that the Self is centered once again. Only "I" define me.
Anyway, the whole generation hasn't bought into the trend. When females display such lower back tattoos in public, I've heard them disapprovingly called "tramp stamps" as they invite sexual leering and announce one's promiscuity. Bit of unfair stigma and judgment there, to be sure!
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