" Nonsense. "

" Maybe, they don't hurt job prospects. Maybe, they do. But, I bet that they generally don't help any. And, she contradicts herself when she says that "half the poeple at work don't realize I have them". Isn't the basis of the article that it doesn't make a difference? So, people should be able to see them. "

" I would never hire someone with a nosepiercing, face piercing,or a tongue piercing, or tattoos that couldn't be covered. It's nasty. And they look ridiculous and like they have no credibility. "

" Yeah, LLC hires some real winners anyways. History instructors who can't be bothered with giving assignments because it interferes with their "other" duties; police officers that couldn't run a mile even for a box of donuts; law enforcement instructors who call the dean obscenities and use four-letter words each day in class; tattooed walk-ins that are hired for who they know, not what they know. I'm not impressed at all with what LLC has to offer in the way of hiring. "

" Come on Yawn, what sort of an knucklehead would consider working for you in the first place? You probably think putting a picture of your family on your desk is some sort of a sin, and would somehow offend God. "

" C'mon Locke, you sound disgruntled. I bet you received an F in History, were last on a police recruit list, became academically ineligible at LLC or was passed over by a more qualified person with a tattoo when you applied for a job at LLC!! "

" Like most things in life, you will find some who will include and some who will exclude simply based on appearance. Tattoos and body piercings can also fit into that category. I've recently seen some professional offices add or change their employee handbook to include policy on visible piercings and tattoos. "

" Even if everything I am accused of was correct, it doesn't change the truth about those four LLC faculty members in any way. The truth ain't always pretty, and because someone brings up the truth, that doesn't mean they are doing so out of mere spite. I stand by my earlier statements. Should I start dropping names? "

" Maybe they get hired with body art, but who wants to look at it? I have nothing against tattoos done tastefully, but anytime I get served by a waitress or cashier who has metal zits on their face you can guarantee I will not be back to that establishment when they are on duty. Metal zits look repulsive, and ruin the professional atmosphere of most any business. Believe it or not, there are a lot of people who don't want their appetites ruined when getting served by a person sporting ugly metal zits. If people who work with the public want to sport metal trash on their faces, they can do it off the job all they want, but leave the hardware at home, please, when on the job. I find it impossible to take seriously any salesperson with a metal wart on their nose or ugly wires poking out of their eyebrows. "

" Non-sense,I have a full arm tattoo and several other tattoos, Oh yea both ears pierced. I hold a white collar management position and have for many years. Body art has nothing to do with one's education, qualifications or work ethics. Shame on those of you who judge others based on something so trivial. (YAWN, nasty, may not be the word to describe awesome body art that has meaning for the person wearing the tattoo. As far as credibility,you might want to read literature do an internet search on the history of tattoos before you judge or even investigate your biases. "

" Things are changing. I worked for a company 10 years ago and I did interviewing. We infact looked for tattoos. We felt there was nothing wrong with tattoos. What we actually looked for was the person smart enough to have the tattoo in a place that could be covered if they needed to. If they could not make that type of decision what type of decisions would they make for our company? "

" Please, if all you have to do is whine about someone's tattoos, then I think you need to reevalutate your life's goals. "

" Well, there is a first for everything. I agree with lefty on this one! *LOL!* "

" HisChild, just cuz youre a thumin' fool doesn't mean we will disagree on everything. "

" I hire at where I work, If I had a choice between a young man who was clean shavin, wore a button down shirt, didn't reek of smoke, Or some yahoo with some crap written on his arms and his face looked like he was in a staple gun fight.... Take a guess who might get hired.. "

" Hopefully the most qualified, TK. "

" thumin' fool ? What's that? A guitar player? "

" That's right, tattoos don't hurt your career prospects at all. And while you're at it, why don't you wear a big ring through your nose, too, like a pig? "

" "The CItizen", excellent example! A pig isnt always the prettiest animal, but its one of the smartest. Good example. "

" The reality is most folks who hire for professional positions are older and typically are not hip, cool, or with it. For young people who want to find a career type position they need to cover the tattoos and take out the body art. If they want to wear it do it on their own time. When they get to a management position, if their company allows, they can hire all the tatted & pierced employees they want. I just don't think most companies are there yet. Is that fair??? Maybe not, but its reality. "

" Tattoos are a kind of nonconformist symbol for unthinking conformists. They're a good illustration of young people's frequent inability to make good decisions. By the way, what's the fastest-growing area in dermatology today? Tattoo removal. "

" The Question wrote on Dec 6, 2007 11:50 AM:...By the way, what's the fastest-growing area in dermatology today? Tattoo removal....you know at one time i was very adamant that my son didn't pierce his ear....so he came home from college with a tattoo. what was i thinkin'?? fast forward 10 years and he has 3 more tattoos and the first one is looking pretty sad. it will have to be redone or removed....lots of fading and smooging into a blue fuzzy blotch. but that's his choice. i guess the only thing that REALLY bothers me is the huge holes in the earlobes where they've gaged larger and larger inserts until there's a dime-sized hole where the earlobe used to be. these 20 year old geniuses will have dangling flapping loops for earlobes for the rest of their lives....the kind of person i'd hire (like hell!!) "

" To "The Question": Ya, it looks like Iraq is going well. I guess the adults are just as poor at making decisions as the young. "

" Ok I am chiming in. The question says "By the way, what's the fastest-growing area in dermatology today? Tattoo removal. " Well you are right, because closed minded people like yourself force us into removing our body art in order to get a good job using our education that we were DEDICATED in obtaining. Lets take this approach, since everyone wants to theorize. Maybe you should take into account when hiring for a position that people with tatoos have a high tolerence for pain. Maybe that means that we wouldn't cry and moan about stubbing our toes or oh man! my carpel tunnel hurts!. Or my stomach hurts I need to make a claim on workmens comp!! Get real people. Change is neccessary in order to progress in today's society. By the way I am a business owner with half sleeve tattoos on both arms. "

" It would interest me to evaluate the number of people who sport a tattoo, that have 18 years+ education and are from the upper socioeconomic status. It appears as though the consensus people like me(tattoo wearers) are pond scum. Again shame on you for making judgements of other people. I beleve that we all need to "Take_Time to educate and understand beliefs an people that we are afraid of to over come prejudices and above all plain ignorance. "

" lojack, thanks for chiming in with your invaluabe input. Just curious, when you say change is neccessary in order to progress in today's society, are you expecting those of us with a blank, unpunctured canvas to change, or are you suggesting that those with so-called body art (holes and all) should do the changing? //// By the way, it's workers' comp, not "workmans comp". Has been for several decades now. "

" Hippies didn't want to conform. Guess what???!!! They did!! Now they wear the suits, live in nice houses, drive nice cars, and don't want to hire people with tattoos and body art. The reality they discovered is if you want to have a mainstream job you eventually have to conform. Sorry folks, but there are certain fields that aren't going to hire you. Choose a career that appreciates individuality and you'll be fine. Otherwise, you better wise up and coverup. (Probably your mom or dad told you life isn't fair. They were right!) Peace & love to you all. "

" When I go to a restaurant and see the help pierced and tattooed, I'm sorry, it is just a big turn off. I mean, people have the right to do whatever weird things they want to do to their bodies. But, sometimes it is SO strange that it can be offensive to people. That's just a fact of life. Shock value is very important to some people. I am of the belief that a person's personal "taste" when it comes to piercings and tattooes have no place in the business world, UNLESS the place of establishment is such that it wouldn't be offensive to others - like a bar, or maybe a person who sells motorcycles, or even certain specialty clothing stores (just a few examples, not all of course). On the whole, I believe most of us do not want to see nose piercings and chin piercings when we go out to eat, or tattooes that may be of a vulgar nature. But how do you figure out what is acceptable and what is not? I really don't know. "

" Thanks Gringa for correcting me on the WORKERS' COMP. My tattoos must of affected my ability to get that one correct. Damn Tattoos!!! "

" There will make some very some very interesting reading in the morgues 50 years from now. I can just hear it now: "Hey, George, turn her over, let's see what's on the other side". "Wow, Gracie, you ain't gonna believe this one". As the years go by, that cute little pekineses on the rear will look more like a basset hound. "

" As a seventeen year old kid, I got a tattoo in Juarez, Mexico. I have regretted that decision for more years than I like to think about. I would advise anyone contemplating a tattoo, to think about it for a long time and talk to someone who has had a tattoo for a while. Whether we like it or not, corporate American, and most of society, doesn't think much of tattoos. "

" If you do random inmate searches on the Illinois Department of Corrections website, you will see that almost every inmate "

" It completely surprises me how ignorant and judgemental people are today! I am a Special Education Major and a senior at EIU and have worked with people who have disabilities since I have been 14. The one thing we work on is not to judge people. We want children who do not have a disability to accept their peers who have disabilities and not to judge on their appearance. What are people doing here, but judging on people's appearance. "

" If you are comfortable branding yourself for life with a bulletin board proclaiming the level of your aesthetic development at age 17, by all means, get a tattoo. "

" The Question - your last comment is quite funny. I used to work for an agency with lots of elderly volunteers, and was trying to bond with them. This one elderly lady (in her 70s at the time) just did not like me, that was until I noticed she had a heart tattooed on her upper arm. It was quite faded, but I asked her about it. She smiled sheepishly and said she got it when she was 16 or 17 with her boyfriend. I teased her a little, and said "I bet your dad didn't think much of it." She laughed and said, "Uh, no, he was pretty mad...I'm still grounded" and chuckled for a long, long time. Somehow, that little exchange won her to like me. "

" To I Swear - Are you implying that people with tatoos have some disability? "

" lol "

" *LOL!* "

" My grandson was so depressed he committed suicide at 31. He had tatoos from head to foot and didn`t have a job,a car or a home. We tried to tell him when he was a teen that the tatoos may effect his life when he was older but he thought people would accept him for who he was. This is not always true. Think twice,they will be with you forever. "

" I wouldn't hire someone with a face tattoo unless the position they were applying for was to be a crazy person who likes to beat other people up. "

" I read these comments and I am ashamed of the mentality of Centeral Illinois people. I am an alumni of LLC and proud. I graduated from SIUC with honors on the deans list. I am a Marine Corps veteran. This sounds like a winner so far? One thing, I have tattoo's all up and down my arms. Hemmingway put it the best about people in his neighborhood in Chicago which I believe goes for Mattoon, "Wide lawns and narrow minds." People with tattoos are some of time more qualified than non-tattooed people. Too bad so many have this belief because so many skilled, bright, and intelligent people are leaving the community because of these small minded beliefs. Think differently, grow our communitty for the better, and enjoy the success our town will have if we all just see past something this small. Embrace our people instead of shunning them. "

" No my point is that you do not judge people! See it is just ignorance now! I have tattoos. My students that I work with are so smart and they are judged all the time by ignorant people! Because "upscaled proper" people think they are better! "

" Hemmingway put it the best about people in his neighborhood in Chicago which I believe goes for Mattoon, "Wide lawns and narrow minds." ---- No, actually, I'm afraid Hemingway put it best. "

" Do you really think the appearance of the human body is improved by the permanent addition of a skull, a tarantula, a smiley face or a little kitty cat? You're free to do what you want, of course, but others are free to judge you based on what you do. I'd say this is generally a case for disrespect for the human form, one that calls your judgment and taste into question. "

" I swear! wrote on Dec 12, 2007 9:08 PM: " No my point is that you do not judge people! See it is just ignorance now! I have tattoos. My students that I work with are so smart and they are judged all the time by ignorant people! Because "upscaled proper" people think they are better! " ...........Do you not realize how much you have just judged people in this one paragraph alone??? "

" If half the people can't see them, then why have them? "

" I work in Human Resources, and unfortunately many companies do have a problem with body art and piercings, particularly those companies that are more formal in nature, or whose clients are more conservative. Certainly it's not fair to judge someone by their appearance, but let's be honest people - we all do it all the time. You decide who to talk to at a party based on how they appear, when you were in college you talked to people in the bars and in class based on their looks. It's a big issue, and one that we can't ignore. "

" I've always talked to the people that my first immediate reaction was to stay away from. It makes life a lot more interesting, and I learn a lot about others and myself that way. Try it, you owe that much to yourself! "

" And you never judge anyone, do you Late Bird? Where did you get that halo from? "

" *LOL!* Late Bird probably got that funky halo from lefty, that's where I got mine! *Hands Early Bird a brand new off the press halo* Wear it in god health & humor, Hahaha! "

" That would be good health and humor *LOL* God's health to ya too! "

" The small minded drive of some of these comments is astounding! I an shocked that in our society we are still hung up on such a petty issue. Alot of you know who I am because of the work I did for the Giberson family. I have received compliments from you for the organizing, and success of the benefits. For being a loyal person, for pushing so hard to do what is right, to keep Jason behind bars, to help and support the family. Now then, I have tattoos. Yes, some of them I regret, a stupid teenage mistake. But, does that change your opinion of the person that I am? Am I somehow less now that you know? Has your opinion of my intelligence, my credibility, my morals changed somehow? I have not changed. Look past what is on the outside of a person. Is that not what we, as a society, preach? Is this a new shallow form of prejudice? Perhaps you should look at yourself closer. "

" Having a tattoo may not change you as a person, but bragging about everything you have done after stating this(the small minded drive of some of these comments is astounding!) does take away from my first impression of you. Just my opinion. "

" Early Bird :) I try not to judge others, I am human though, and sometimes I goof up! I umm uh borrowed my halo from Beaches who happened to have two...just until I was able to get my own from lefty. Lefty was in the middle of some kinda heavenly warehouse mistake, so shared the extras with me, and we're handing one out to everyone who posts here! Enjoy it y'all, Merry Christmas! "

" For Christina, many of the comments on here are of the tongue-in-cheek variety. Sure, there is a lot of meanness of the part of some, but for the most part this is all a form of entertainment. You certainly are right about judging people. Tattoos don't effect one's brain, ability or talents in the work place either. Your comments brought to mind the oft quoted remarks of Martin Luther King about judging people by the content of their character.... "

" Hey Late Bird - when you are done with that halo please return it, I always feel naked with just one! Didn't know that I had halos, just stating what I find to be the truth - we do judge others, and even if we personally try not to, someone else will, and when dealing with business and making money - that can make a big difference in the reality of things. I know lots of people with tattoos, some are friends, but not many in my circle have them. Oddly, piercings seem to be more common with the people I see....... "

" After reading some of these comments, it only affirms my belief that Mattoon is a small-minded, backwards community. I moved here from St. Louis in 1995, and was astounded by the lack of diversity found in the community. I am a tutor at Lake Land, and I must be pretty smart to hold that position, huh? Never once have my tattoos hampered my ability to find employment. This is the 21st century, and it's high time that people throw out their preconceived notions that all people who have tattoos are lazy, pot-smoking punks with nothing better to do than mark themselves up. I have 3 kids and a husband and a job. I have 11 tattoos, 3 of which are visible all the time, no matter what I wear. I also have an IQ above 140. I'm thinking that my skills and intelligence are much more important to a prospective employer than the fact that I have body art. And if they are not more important, I don't want to work for that employer anyway. I'm happy to be a part of LLC, and am so glad that they don't judge a book by its cover, unlike the rest of this nowhere town. I live here because my husband grew up here, and guess what? He's covered in tattoos! And we make plenty of money...50k a year. And that's being made by a couple of 30-something tattooed freaks! It's so funny to me that with all the hate and discrimination in this community, that anyone would worry this much about whether I've got ink. Grow up, get real, get your heads out of the sand, and realize that judging people based on the way they look is called RACISM. "

" NASCAR......Not..A..real..Sport..Centered..Around.. Rednecks "

" Tattoos and Piercings are right up there with Hair Flouncing. What will we do? "

" Hello nascarmom! I have no objection to tattoo's, hey, it's your body, do with it what you would. Do you and your husband smoke? *LOL* Hadta ask! "

" medic57 *LOL* We gotta come up with something new! Think! "

" Hey Beaches! Thanks so much for letting me borrow your beautiful halo! I gave it back to you this morning, but I see that you have one above your head and one slipped down on your neck, so maybe you didn't realize you had two again? Oh and here ya go, I have another for you, now you have three so feel naked no longer. Lefty has two and everyone else has one, so we all have to remember that Father knows best when it comes to halos :) I have many friends and two kids with tattoos, they don't phase me a bit. The tattoos don't either :) "

" 140 IQ WOW THATS SMART!!!!! "

" RACISM---???? What race is tattoo??? "

" Nascarmom - I'm pretty sure that you will find people in St. Louis who also dislike tattoos. I'm tired of people coming into our community and then labeling everyone as smallminded and backwards when we don't agree with you. For someone with such a high IQ (and high income level) you don't seem to understand that we all have the right to disagree. You are judging everyone yourself because we may disagree - so where does that put you? For someone who has placed herself on a pretty high pedestal, that fall could be very painful. "

" not a real sport? can you sit in a car going 180+ miles an hour for up to 5 hours at a time? a car whose internal temperature can reach up to 130 degrees? i think it takes some kind of skill and stamina to do that. out of curiosity, do you consider golfers athletes, doughball? "

" I'm not from your area, but this article was posted on our Inked, Inc. community and I found the article and accompanying commentary interesting. I'm excited that the old-school "professionals" are finally retiring so that the new generation can get in and make things right. Finally. There are several of you on here who seem to enjoy making nasty comments. Truly, you are showing how ignorant you are. It's sad, but I think it's kind of funny at the same time. I muse at your ignorance! Check yourselves: The Question, Yawn, TigerRose, T.K. Slaughter, The Citizen. Before you start slinging insults, you should research the topic you are discussing. Education is a great weapon, no? Not all tattooed people got their tattoos when they were teenagers. I know a large number of people that didn't get their first tattoo until well into their adult lives, some even in their 50's. It is COMPLETELY possible to hold a high-ranking professional position and be heavily tattooed. I'm an office manager, in charge of a large, successful insurance agency where I deal with irate customers with finess, attract and sell insurance to new customers, hire and fire employees, etc. Those of us that choose to work in the professional world are well aware of the ignorance around us. We are bombarded with stupidity, yet we do not sling insults back when the person dogging us is 200 pounds overweight, smells bad, has hair falling out, etc. My point is, while my tattoos or nose piercing may be offensive to you, have you ever ONCE considered how you may be extremely offensive to others? Probably not. I challenge you to learn more about the tattoo culture. Learn the history. Don't judge. Ask questions. You'd be amazed at what you can learn. As a heavily tattooed person, I do agree with some points made here. Typically tattoos that a 16- or 17-year-old gets are not tattoos that are wanted later on in life. First of all, any shop that will tattoo a minor should be shut down. Our bodies aren't done growing and changing until well into our 20's. Also, one can't know (for the most part) what they are about as a person or where they stand on certain topics. I disagree with young folks getting tattoos. However, they do tell a story for that person, of where they were and what they were doing at that time in their life. Several of you speak of tattoo removal. Yes, there are many people out there who got tattooed to "BE COOL" when they shouldn't have. Bad decision, but not my fault. Yeah, they may have it removed. However, did you know that many tattoo studios, when asked about doing a cover-up, recomment laser removal treatment before the new tattoo is started? So not everyone that gets laser removal is doing it because they don't like having tattoos....it just means they had a bad artist or artwork selection at some point in their life. The best piece of art can turn out bad if you go to a scratcher. (Sorry, I used tattoo lingo. A scratcher is someone who wants to be a tattooist but has no formal education on the art. I.e. Ol' Joe down at the local jail doing tattoos for his inmate buds is a scratcher.) In my opinion, anyone who does not fully research both their design choice and artist deserves to have a bad tattoo. Kind of like "here's your sign." There is a huge difference between true tattoo collectors and those that go with their sorority sisters to get a little heart for a tramp stamp. Again, educate yourself so that you can learn to distinguish. www.inkedinc.net. Check it. An ENTIRE online community devoted to tattooed professionals. Oh, and TigerRose, you say you have nothing against a tattoo done tastefully...but would you even KNOW how to spot an exceptionally executed tattoo? Would you actually get close enough to be able to tell the difference between poor work and good work? Really?? "

" Lighten up, pj1983, it was joke. Some of you folks take this site way to serious. "

" Isn't a tastefully done tattoo a oxymoron? "

" why don't you take this story off, its so old. Nov 30 come on "

" judge not, LEST YE BE JUDGED YOURSELF. the people on this site seem to be the most predjudicial people on the planet! all of you need to walk a mile in another mans shoes, before you pass JUDGEMENT! i would hope that my education would get me the job, not how i looked. i know alot of people that are ugly, but that does NOT give me the RIGHT to discriminate! "