Rhetorical Blog: "Tattoo Crazy" and "We Proudly Brew"

Chelsea Katz

Ms. Amanda Irvin

22 September 2009

English 10803 – rhetorical blog #2

Tattoos and Coffee

The essay “Tattoo Crazy” by Lori Gangi was not at all what I was expecting when I first read the title. I knew it would be dealing with tattoos, but I didn’t think it would be more than just facts and figures. The figures used were very interesting, though, because I never really thought about how many people stereotype and make generalizations based on just some ink. The background was interesting too, because I always think of tattooing as something that started around the late 19^th Century or around then – not around 3000 B.C. (25). The historical details about tattooing give it more legitimacy than I had thought. I used to think that tattoos were just a part of a recent cultural fashion trend, but knowing its background will make me think more about what a tattoo means. When I think about a time in history when tattoos were prominent and discrimination followed, I think of the Holocaust during WWII. Jews who were taken to the concentration camps were “tattooed” or “branded” with a number to identify them, and this is how the SS officers knew who was a Jew. This is an extreme example of tattooing and discrimination because of it. The meaning behind tattoos is like hearing a life story from someone, so it’s interesting to know that the author has tattoos and got them for meaning instead of on a drunk dare (26). I would be interested in knowing the meanings behind her tattoos. The fact that the author has tattoos also gives her more credibility since she knows what goes into tattoos.

Although all tattoos have meaning, the question posed is still true; if I were a parent, I would probably think twice about having a tattooed person baby-sit my kids, unless I knew the person very well (25). I can understand, though, why so many professions and employers discriminate against tattooed people, even though it is wrong to do so (26-27). Their businesses have a reputation to uphold with clients, and they don’t want to lose customers because of people’s generalized stereotyped thinking towards tattooed people. This does not make discrimination right, but it does make it understandable from a business point of view. It is good to hear that some cities, such as a few in California, are trying to stop the problem by passing laws prohibiting this sort of discrimination (27). It’s sad to think that so many qualified people are not given proper jobs because of their tattoos, which could have very special, personal meanings to the people that have them. People should be given a fair chance no matter what the circumstances. People do have the right to express themselves through most any means, including on their body, and if tattooing is the way to express themselves, then that is their decision.

I believe one reason “everybody and their mother and their goldfish” has tattoos is because they want to look and be like their favorite celebrity or sports star (28). Now that Hollywood stars, such as Angelina Jolie, are so public with their tattoos, people want to copy them, and the same applies with famous sports figures. It’s part of the society that we live in today.

In the essay “We Proudly Brew Starbucks Coffee” by Ellen Parker, there are some classic observations and some claims that Starbucks does not make public. It had some good points and information though that I really liked. I never knew that the Starbucks name was taken from the first-mate in Moby Dick (31). It makes sense, though, since the company did open its first store in Seattle and its “mascot” is a mermaid. And Ellen makes some good observations about why Starbucks does such good business; it’s the common meeting place (32). Everyone knows where a Starbucks is around them, and it has a good ambiance that supports both casual and business meetings. And as people continue to frequent a specific store, they start to form friendships with the employees and customers, thus becoming part of the “community” (31).

Starbucks has always been known as a company of good morals, so it’s interesting to hear the claims of them fighting against Ethiopia (33). They do have a press release though, that includes that Starbucks is planning on having 100% free trade coffee by the year 2012. So it seems to me that the Ethiopia incident was simply a bump in the road for the company in terms of its commitment to moral practices. Although I will agree with Ellen that the Ethiopia incident was not something you’d expect Starbucks to do. And even if they were slipping in their social justice ways, this would not detract from another point Ellen makes about it being a comforting sight (34). Even in a new place, there is usually a Starbucks a few blocks away and the same “community” everyone has grown used to. When I think of Starbucks like that, it almost seems like it’s this generation’s McDonald’s. Ellen did make a very good point that I will remember next time I get something from Starbucks: all of the stuffy businessmen and women behind that one cup.

These essays have given me a fairly good basis on how to formulate my own discovery essay. I am still a little unsure as to how I will write it, though, because neither of these essays sounded like a research paper. They were both actually really interesting and had personal details to which I could relate. From these essays I have learned to see tattoos and Starbucks in different ways. I will now think about the meanings behind people’s tattoos and try not to judge them based on their ink. I will also now always think about the people behind the Starbucks cup that made it possible for me to enjoy it, including the businesspeople and the farmers.