http://img267.imagevenue.com/img.php?im ... _157lo.jpg

Nice explanation zippy. To further it, I definitely did not want to be like the other kids (and looking back, yes I choose right, they are mostly chavs) but my Mum wanted me to dress like them and watching the same things and do the same things so I wasn't left out...I actually liked being on my own at that age, and actually attracted a few others which preferred being different from the main crowd, thus making each of us a norm in said crowd.

Society also enforces certain morels, if it sociably acceptable to kill someone? Morally we would all think it was wrong, but in other societies it has been natural to kill people, indeed in our own history we killed people for doing bad things.

Definatly, but this type of question has puzzled me my whole life, and I've just come to accept I'll never find an answer I'm happy with. But it's nice to hear other peoples views and opinions.




I think this is very similar to Zippy's point, which I can see, it's 'mother natures way' but...



Exactly, and this is in the past, and we have moved on. So at what point do we move on from our current views and social norms.

Surely we need poeple getting thier god knows whats pierced and tattoos of naked ladies on their foreheads to move society and its norms forward? (Extreme example but you get my idea)

Maybe,

I am on the whole though more in favour of evolution rather than revolution.

CC

But how does the former happen without the latter? (I think that's what I'm getting at here)

Err aren't they contradictory?

However taking my cues from what I understand of evolution theory (not much). There are periodically individuals who do things differently. If these individuals are doing something that makes them thrive what they are doing becomes the norm despite initial resistance. If what they are doing causes them to prosper less well then the "deviation" dies out.

Thus if guys with "tats" get all the cool chicks and end up with the cool jobs then society will adopt the practice. If on the other hand guys with tats are considered "losers" the practice will fail to catch on.

There is may well be niche environments where they are an advantage and in these niches the practice will continue. One such niche has been jails. The tattoo made you look harder and thus less likely to be a victim. Whether this is an advantage outside of the jail is another matter. The tattoo makes you look harder but it also makes you look a threat.

The current craze for tattoos has been kicked off by high profile celebs in cool jobs sporting them. If/when they stop doing so the fashion will die out and tattoos will be so last year. I can only see regret for those that choose to sport them. Though as always I could be wrong.

Remember this guy?




Do you remember what regret made him then do?

I got 2 tatts and some of you have alreayd seen pics posted on the dump.

I haven't, I haven't!

Edit: And CC, I have never seen that man before either.

And for those of us who haven't...?

Doh! Too slow!

Go on Caz, get your tats out

He made a bit of a splash in the blogosphere and was know as "Zune guy"

Zune Guy

I see, well fair play to the guy, wonder if he had a good time at Microsoft HQ.

He changed his name to…

Microsoft Zune

Then when he did not get to Microsoft he had regrets and had the tat modified