Everything Image Is
I have a confession to make.
I’m a huge college hoops fan. When March Madness hits, I am glued to the TV.That’s not my secret though. My secret is much worse. Inevitably, there are teams in the opening rounds of the tourney that I have never seen play before. How do I decide which team to cheer for? That’s my dirty little secret. I cheer for the team whose players have the fewest tattoos. Here’s why: when I see teenagers with tattoos, I make assumptions about them. I assume they are less intelligent, less mature, and less capable than their nontattooed friends. I know this is not fair.There are plenty of amazing people with tattoos and plenty of rotten eggs with nary an ink mark on their body. I am,
H I G H E R
T H I N G S __ 6
By Julie Beckwith
however, not alone in my prejudice. A recent Pew survey found that 85 percent of employers would be discouraged from hiring someone with a tattoo. It is in our sinful human nature to make judgments about people based only on their appearance.The culture in which we live exploits this weakness. While all of us feel compelled to follow societal dress codes, teenagers and young adults seem especially pressured to look and dress a certain way. I am reminded of this fact every