Even though wife and I feel differently, I do understand how some of you feel. Thing is, it is extremely hard for the Seniors here to accept, at all, how some of the young folks in this city look AND how fast they demand to drive. I think, what all of us must remember, not every likes the sight of tattoos, body piercings or purple hair. Shoot, there are those young folks that "grinch" at the sight of other young folks that have that look. They will say, "I would never look like that. I want a great career, nice friends and that." The public complained a whole lot about the shorts than young men would wear that would slide down and show the crack of their butts. "You've got to be kidding!" and "how ugly! many would say.
Well, there were more that "just a few" Hell's Angeles that didn't take crap from anyone. Just watch a documentary about the Hell's Angeles vs. law enforcement. Other biker groups that law enforcement talk a lot about, dealing with crime, drugs, prostitution are: The Hessians, Nomads Pagan and Nomads Heathen. Just do some research on each online and see just how "bad ass" these groups were/are. As far as bikers go, just ask a hard-core biker, who rides a Chopper, what they think of those bikers that ride a nice, dressed bike. Some will say "those aren't bikers, they are biker wannabe's".
We can take all of this and go on and on and on. A person isn’t necessarily a golfer just because he or she wears a golf hat. All people who ride motorcycles are indeed bikers but that doesn’t mean that they are part of a violent club. People who wear cowboy boots and hats aren’t all cowboys but some simply like the look. Presumption based on a little bit of knowledge is worse than not knowing anything at all about the subject. I once had part of the biker club, The Hessians” visit the place I worked in Lathrop Well, Nev. They had fun, drank heavily and then left leaving a great tip. I did at some point ask about their shirts and how I could get one and received a bit of a nasty attitude by a couple of the guys but hey, it’s their shirt, their emblem and I guess they had to earn it. Later on, about a month later, one of the guys from the club showed up alone and pretty tired looking. It was about 2 A.M., the place was dead and the pool table was covered so I told him to lay on the pool table and get some sleep before the morning shift showed up. Long story short, some of the Hessians showed up a couple of weeks later and brought me a shirt thanking me for taking care of one of their comrades. Yeah, I know what they’re known for but I met quite a few of them and was mildly impressed on how they conducted themselves. Bottom line is that there is no one on this earth who can read a heart. No one can tell what a person is really worth by just looking at them. No one has the right nor the power to come to a full judgement about a person until they have personally experienced what that person is all about and even then, it’s going to be sketchy and should be handled with caution. One book comes to mind called “The Cross and the Switchblade”. It’s about a gang member who made a dramatic change in his life. He still had the tattoos and the scars from the past, but he made a definite difference in a lot of people’s lives. Note once again: Even you @Cody Fousnaugh admitted in a prior thread that you wanted a tattoo but it was your wife who asked you not to get one. It wasn’t your preference, it was your wife’s. If you had ignored her and gotten that tattoo, would it have made you a different person?
@Bobby Cole - I don't like them, the person may be OK, but I don't like them I guess its a fashion fad, like weird hairstyles and clothes, but fads sure do go on a long time now, don't they Wish people were wanting to be more individual
For a very short time, meaning part of one summer, I was a member of a street gang in Menominee, Michigan and Marinette, Wisconsin, known as the Loners, that was sponsored by a Chosen Few motorcycle club. We were sort of a junior, sans motorcycle, associate group. As far as I knew, their sponsorship meant that they supplied our "colors", and would buy us beer and acknowledge us from time to time. What I didn't know until just now, when I wanted to see if the Chosen Few were still around, is that they were initially a black motorcycle club. The Menominee-Marinette club was all white, as was all of Menominee and Marinette. I left after a month or so because some of these people were real criminals, which was not how I viewed myself. I don't think either of the local groups lasted very long, though. Here in Maine, most of the people you might see on motorcycles, dressed as bikers, are part of a couple of Christian and patriotic biking organizations. They participate in rides for various veteran's organizations and Christian groups.
I understand, Bobby, BUT (and a huge "but"), if people were to look online about any of these biker groups, their reputation isn't the greatest at all and have had many, many bad interactions with law enforcement. Looks does count. Just look at the difference in looks of an Electrical/Mechanical Engineer, CFO, CEO, COO, accountant and some other very high paying occupations compared to a person that works for a traveling amusement ride company, Harley dealer or biker themselves. The tattoos shown in the program Gangland and on prisoners in prison aren't considered the same as tattoos seen in public, but many in public view them that way. Looks makes a difference between a very heavy lady looking for a job and a young, slim lady looking for the same job. Discrimination or not, the young, slim lady will get the job.
Ken, I've seen these kinds of biker groups and, seemingly, seem very nice. But, just don't piss one of them off. At a Denny's we met some members of the black biker group, Buffalo Soldiers and they were extremely nice. Then again, don't get one mad or you may not see the next day. Just saying.
Thank you @Bobby Cole and @Ken Anderson for taking in consideration of both sides. Have had long time friends which have had regular presence with the Hell's Angels, their expressions were of the same. Some good, some not so good, but they feel as i do, the good outweighs the bad, and my respect will still be staying the same....We need differences....Otherwise the world might as well be dead.
We had a surgeon at the hospital system where I worked, one of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet, great medical reputation. If you met him walking down the hall, you'd wonder if the Hell's Angels had come to town. He was tall and extremely gaunt-looking, covered with tattoos and had a yellowish scruffy, scrawny Fu Manchu beard half-way down his chest, which he'd roll up in a piece of gauze under his surgical mask when he was in the OR. On his days off, you'd find him riding around on his Harley. In fact, he'd frequently ride it to work. On the other hand, one of my friends was married to a doctor who looked like he had just stepped off the cover of GQ. English tailored suits, every hair in place, frequent manicures. He was one of the most despicable people I have ever had the displeasure to meet. Alcoholic, drug abuser, wife abuser.....an all-round cad. Can't judge a book by its cover......or a human being by their tattoos or lack of herein......
It’s not that you are closed minded Cody, it’s just that you have tunnel vision and will only see one single direction. Whether or not this person or that person gets whatever job, it shouldn’t have anything to do with your own philosophy. From whether or not you wear a life jacket to where you live, what you do is pretty much blamed on what someone else thinks. The other seniors don’t like this or that or the other boaters would look at me like I’m foolish to what other seniors in your area think about the kids and flipping tattoos. Please Cody, do your own thinking! If YOU were the boss of a company, would you hire someone on merit or on looks? If a 300 lb. woman showed up with an anchor tattooed on her arm but she had a PHD in economics, would you forget hiring her and hire the gal who was the queen of her high school home coming and with no credentials other than balancing her own checkbook? The way you have been acting, the cheer leader would undoubtedly get the job because everyone knows, a tattoo makes the smart gal an evil woman and she’s overweight to boot! And, the guy next door has a sexy secretary and HE might not like you hiring someone who has a tattoo. Lastly: You still, after 3 or 4 times I have asked in the past couple of years haven’t answered my question: If your wife hadn’t stopped you from getting a tattoo, would you be any different than you are now?
I have a few amateur tattoos that I had put on when I was in my early teens. I wish I didn't have them but removing them is awfully expensive. For a time, I made a point of wearing long-sleeve shirts whenever I went anywhere outside of my home, and I still tend to do that when I am going to meet someone for the first time, knowing that first impressions are often the last. However, I don't worry about that stuff so much anymore. At the same time, my impression of people with tattoos is more negative than neutral. I wouldn't refuse to hire someone just because they have a tattoo but if everything else were equal, I'd probably choose the candidate without the tattoos, despite the fact that I have tattoos myself.
BACA is a biker organization that my family is associated with due to a grand child having been sexually assaulted. Some of them look real rough- tattooed and metal here and there...they are also doctors, lawyers, policemen,the list goes on. They are very protective of the child including accompanying us all to court- guarding doors .They travel long distances to help these kids. I just can not say enough good things about them all . They are well known by FBI and approved. There mission is to bring comfort and feeling of safety to the child. The induction of the child into their circle can be emotional and moving in many ways. My point being- looks can be deceiving in the three seconds a person makes their decision about another person.
Yesterday we ran into, at Walmart, a waitress that has waited on us at a local breakfast place. This waitress had her mother with her. The mother was 65, but looked more like 75 or 80 due to all of the facial wrinkles. She expressed very fast of what she thought has happened to Loveland and it sure wasn't any good expressions. She even said the "F"ing word during the talk, that my wife didn't notice, but I sure did. She didn't have one good thing to say about the "now" Loveland. And, actually, her daughter felt the same way. The breakfast place she works at is very well known to Seniors here, but only Seniors would know what the wall décor is. Old fashion metal signs advertising different things from 60 plus years ago.
Young folks with multiple tattoos on their arms and legs, love to wear short sleeve shirts and shorts...….to show off their tattoos. One young lady told me "I'd never work anywhere where I couldn't show off my ink". Really, she said that to me.
Cody ..are you going to answer Bobby question about whether you would have been a different person if you'd gone ahead and had the tattoo you wanted ?