Blog Post 3: Body Art

        In the article "Modified" by Pippa Wysong,  published in Current Health 2, asks the main question "Are piercings and tattoos safe?". She explains how many go from getting the basic ear piercing to multiple piercings on one ear and "These days,piercings often go well beyond earlobes. Belly buttons, tongues, ear cartilage, eyebrows, nipples, lips, and even genitals are targets for metallic barbells, delicate chains, and stud jewelry." Just goes to show to what extremes people go to just for a piercing. She states "An estimated 23 percent of teens have piercings, about 8 percent have tattoos, and another 21 percent want tattoos. It's all part of the effort to be cool or to do something that looks a little different." Once someone sees someone with a new tattoo or all your friends have one and you don't, you conform to it so you will fit in with your surrounding peers. This article is based on Alexis Valentino, who received her fist piercing when she was eighteen months old, her second on her earlobe when she was twelve and he third on her earlobe when she was thirteen. Once she turned fifteen, she got her belly button pierced and yes, she wants more...! With piercings, there also comes danger with them. Infection, choking, allergic reaction or even chipped/cracked teeth from chewing on a tongue stud and the possibility of HIV infection are just some of the examples of dangers expressed through the article. She also talks about "thinking before inking," whether they are  temporary such as a henna,  or permanent as a tattoo, most say" t was a good idea at the time". While people get sentimental tattoos, others look back at it and wonder what they were thinking and the regrets they have on their decision. Tattoo removal is generally $500-$1000 per treatment and it may take up to eight treatments to fully remove a tattoo.

        I myself have nothing against piercings or tattoos. It is personal choice and it doesn't affect what people get on their body to me because they can do what they want. The numbers she shows of people have piercings and tattoos doesn't surprise me in teens because you see in friend groups, if most of your friends have tattoos, you are more than likely to get one too to fit in. I have thought about getting a tattoo but the thought of knowing I will have to live with it for the rest of my life is where the real decision is made. If you get something you know means something to you and worth "showing off," it is understandable. Many people get one at a young age, in friends garages, with inexperienced tattooists, and possibly unsterilized needles without even thinking about how it may affect their futures. Getting a tattoo is a big decision to make and it can affect your chances at job opportunities. Like I said, I have nothing against tattoos or piercing, I just believe that it may be a very important decision and something you should think through for your future before following through with your "brilliant" idea of a cool tattoo at the time and then the regrets you have when it decides whether you get the job you want or not.

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This I Believe: Discomfort

        The essay "Discomfort" by author Dan Libman, was published to This I Believe http://thisibelieve.org/essay/108184/. The author of this essay describes how he goes about his normal day as a teacher and once he gets home, "I slip on my gym shoes and a sweatshirt and revel in comfort earned from a full day of wearing constricting clothing." He continues to go on and talk about he learned this principle while preparing for a week-long bicycle trip in the rocky mountains and how you cant always prepare to be comfortable and you will always experience discomfort. For his trip, he couldn't prepare for all the weather conditions so no matter what you wont always be in your in your desired comfort. The author states after going through on his trip he no longer paying attention to comfort. He began to recognize other things along the way of his trip that he wouldn't normally if he had been in comfort. After noticing many things on his trip he says "This is something i could never had internalized had i been at home, had i been reading in my easy chair, had i been comfortable.

        

        While reading this essay, at the end of a long day, you always want to change into something that makes you comfortable. It is always nice to be able to relax in comfort after a hard, long day of work. I myself do agree that once you are uncomfortable for awhile like he was for a week, being comfortable becomes unrecognizable. You start to pick out things that you wouldn't normally pay attention to and that take your mind off of being comfortable. Stepping outside of your comfort zone really expands your mind and you experience and see new things. Its not often that people go out and make themselves uncomfortable by doing something and realizing just what it is that can adjust them to what they aren't used to and what different experiences they can live that take them out of their daily schedules to see what they miss when they are in their "comfort zone".

        

Matts Blog Post 1 - Culture

        Culture in general is a broad term and the thought of it is very astonishing, but when broken down it can be separated into many specific cultures such explained in the article "Culture" by Clyde Kluckhohn, The Thoughtful Reader, fifth edition. The author goes on to explain, with different cultures comes different "ways" that people are used to doing. Although many cultures are different, some are also similar to one another. When we think about culture we tend to think about different races, traditions and peoples beliefs. Everyone is associated with some sort of culture that they grew up with or even studied to find more about how they may differ from their own beliefs. As the author says "Each specific culture constitutes a kind of blue print for all of life's activities", goes to show that we all started the same but as we grew, we became familiar with the culture we were brought up in and it's "normal" for us to go about doing but for others it may be seen as different.
        With the United States being a combination of many different cultures from which others either grow on what they would call the "American Way" or continue to follow the tradition they were born and raised with. We have seen in the US that some children whose parents moved to the United States and had a child, many of the children born here don't end up learning and being taught their cultural background language but what they grow up with and evolve around because its what they grow up learning and its part of the culture that surrounds them. Culture can be seen in many forms but its mostly seen by either a persons traditional apparel or the language that they speak. Others around us that we see who share the same cultural similarities as us don't necessarily tend to stand out compared to others who have different cultural backgrounds because we pick them out due to their cultural differences that are not "normal" for us.

Matts Self Introduction

Hi, my name is Matt and I recently graduated from Burnsville High School. I am 18 years old and I live in Eagan. I have an older brother and sister who have both attended Inver Hills.