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scarification...

#41
Jiggybass said:
Any of you here gone through it? I kinda want to get a big "X" cut out on my calf, and what better a way to have an awsome mark than to have it scar over?

I think it's a good idea, I'd like a tattoo, but man, I think that this would look so much cooler, anyone ever done it?
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nope, nearly all my scars were acquired against my wishes :)

I have some self-inflicted scars but only the usual teenage razor marks... nothing like what you're talking about

I have tattoos but scarification never appealed to me... If I really liked the way they looked i'd consider it but I haven't seen any design done in scar tissue that I like

but if you want it, think about it for a long time (several months), then go for it!
 
#43
Relic said:
To each their own I guess..but.
Why do I feel like a daring rebellious non-comformist since I refuse any body modification at all??
If you want to be different and make a statement these days, do nothing to mutilate your bod, you'll stand out more.
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that's not true... the vast majority of western men do not have tattoos or piercings

like you said, to each their own... modified or not, you don't need to justify your choices to anyone, let alone make some spurious argument about conformity
 
#46
cowsgomoo said:
sorry, but with respect I've read a fair few of your posts recently and decided no benefit will come to either of us by entering into a dialogue on any subject other than maybe basses and bass playing

but I wish you all the best nonetheless :)
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No problem. We're all bass players here and we certainly have that in common. However, that doesn't mean that we will necessarily agree or understand each other in other areas. Cheers, dude!

But, "the usual razor marks"? I've never known anyone who cut themself. I think characterizing razor marks as "usual" is really pushing credulity.

BTW: Which posts are you referring to? Just in this thread, or in other threads as well? I'm really curious...
 
#47
I'm seeing a lot of incredibly judgemental posts here... it's pretty obvious to see who those people are who really don't understand the first thing about body modification or the impetus or drives behind it.

Just as some people will have a haircut, have liposuction, facelifts, go on diets, etc to achieve their idea of how they should look, but some other people have different aesthetic ideals. On the tame end of the spectrum, for some, that will be a tattoo or piercing of some kind.

And for others (me included - a reasonably well-adjusted and happy 34-year-old married guy with a good, well-paid job) it means going a little beyond that, into the realm of pseudo-surgical modifications (I have two sets of subdermal implants in my right arm, as well as numerous tattoos and piercings). Why? Because I like the way they look. They differentiate me, and make me feel that little bit better about myself. So why not?

Scarification, tongue splitting, genital bifurcation, etc, aren't my thing, but, if they were, it's my body, ergo, my choice. Some people find these things beautiful. For some people, these are positively life-changing experiences - not just the result, but the act of going through the modification itself. Whether it's cathartic, or the realisation of a long-held dream, most of the time, they come out better and happier people than before.

The sooner people understand this, and open their minds a bit, the better off we'll all be.

On another note, I went with a friend when she had a cautery scarification done... it smells of roasting pork. :D
 
#49
Rusty Chainsaw said:
I'm seeing a lot of incredibly judgemental posts here... it's pretty obvious to see who those people are who really don't understand the first thing about body modification or the impetus or drives behind it.

Just as some people will have a haircut, have liposuction, facelifts, go on diets, etc to achieve their idea of how they should look, but some other people have different aesthetic ideals. On the tame end of the spectrum, for some, that will be a tattoo or piercing of some kind.

And for others (me included - a reasonably well-adjusted and happy 34-year-old married guy with a good, well-paid job) it means going a little beyond that, into the realm of pseudo-surgical modifications (I have two sets of subdermal implants in my right arm, as well as numerous tattoos and piercings). Why? Because I like the way they look. They differentiate me, and make me feel that little bit better about myself. So why not?

Scarification, tongue splitting, genital bifurcation, etc, aren't my thing, but, if they were, it's my body, ergo, my choice. Some people find these things beautiful. For some people, these are positively life-changing experiences - not just the result, but the act of going through the modification itself. Whether it's cathartic, or the realisation of a long-held dream, most of the time, they come out better and happier people than before.

The sooner people understand this, and open their minds a bit, the better off we'll all be.

On another note, I went with a friend when she had a cautery scarification done... it smells of roasting pork. :D
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My take on it is this - if you do something permanent to change your appearance, you also have to be prepared to be criticised. People look and notice and judge like it or not. If no one noticed or cared and it didnt matter, then why even do it? The way you look carries an impact to you and your "audience" regardless.
It's your choice and I respect that. My choice is to think that it's just plain odd, that's all. I mean you no offense, but I simply think that it's repulsive.
 
#50
Self mutilation among teens has become exponentially more common over the years. I have worked with a growing population of "cutters" recently, and I don't see that number declining any time soon.

There can be a very strong correlation between individuals with a hx of cutting/burning themselves and those who seek more intensive, extreme, and permanent body modification. While I've done a great deal of research on the causality of self-abuse and borderline personality disorder, I've never researched any correlation between individuals who self abuse as a coping mechanism, and those who *graduate* to "body art".

I will say the above mentioned trends scare me when assessing where future generations are headed.


With all that being said, DAMN I'm starting to sound old!!!!! :scowl:
 
#52
Relic said:
My take on it is this - if you do something permanent to change your appearance, you also have to be prepared to be criticised. People look and notice and judge like it or not. If no one noticed or cared and it didnt matter, then why even do it? The way you look carries an impact to you and your "audience" regardless.
It's your choice and I respect that. My choice is to think that it's just plain odd, that's all. I mean you no offense, but I simply think that it's repulsive.
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I actually quite like the idea of being judged on my modifications - it gives me an easy way of telling the open-minded people, who I am likely to get along with, from the closed-minded, who I don't want anything to do with. For everyone that matters in my life, my modifications are either respected, admired or not an issue. They've never been an issue in my field of work, and, if a future job did have an issue with them, it just shows me I wouldn't want to work there anyway.

I am secure enough in myself (which my mods have definitely helped with) that I believe in my own worth and that I can conduct my life on my own terms and I can pick and choose those people I want around me in my working and my personal life. It's just nice that my mods provide a filter for this.
 
#53
As someone who plans on getting a combination scarification/tattoo in the near future, I don't really want to get into the whole body mod vs. self-mutilation argument. To me, they aren't the same.

OP, if you're really serious about it, here's a few guys who specialize in scar work:

www.byblair.com (this guy has really brought scarification to a whole new level)
www.purebodyarts.com (Brian is probably who I'll end up going to)
 
#54
OctoberMooN said:
And it is good judgment that keeps us from making poor decisions.

I, for one, refuse to be so "open-minded" that my brains fall out.
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Good decisions. FOR YOU. Not necessarily for anyone else. If it works for you, more power to you. But don't you dare insinuate that I've made a bad decision by deciding to have body modifications. I am a better person for having them and your suggestion that there is a flaw with my decision-making on this matter is deeply offensive, as it would be for anyone else who knows the transformative effects, both physical and mental, of body modification.

I can tell you're just one step away from uttering that old chestnut, "it's not normal". What is normal? Your "normal" will differ considerably from mine. I'm not expecting you to understand that, but I am expecting you to respect it.
 
#55
Rusty Chainsaw said:
I actually quite like the idea of being judged on my modifications - it gives me an easy way of telling the open-minded people, who I am likely to get along with, from the closed-minded, who I don't want anything to do with. For everyone that matters in my life, my modifications are either respected, admired or not an issue. They've never been an issue in my field of work, and, if a future job did have an issue with them, it just shows me I wouldn't want to work there anyway.

I am secure enough in myself (which my mods have definitely helped with) that I believe in my own worth and that I can conduct my life on my own terms and I can pick and choose those people I want around me in my working and my personal life. It's just nice that my mods provide a filter for this.
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I understand what you're saying, but being open-minded doesnt necessarily mean being accepting of everything all the time.
It means to me, simply not judging a book by it's cover. If you were scarred and tattooed and pierced and whatnot, it doesn't automatically make you a person that I dislike or despise or would avoid. Just rather a person who I thinks looks weird..::p and I would wonder what would motivate someone to do that?
 
#57
Rusty Chainsaw said:
Good decisions. FOR YOU. Not necessarily for anyone else. If it works for you, more power to you. But don't you dare insinuate that I've made a bad decision by deciding to have body modifications. I am a better person for having them and your suggestion that there is a flaw with my decision-making on this matter is deeply offensive, as it would be for anyone else who knows the transformative effects, both physical and mental, of body modification.

I can tell you're just one step away from uttering that old chestnut, "it's not normal". What is normal? Your "normal" will differ considerably from mine. I'm not expecting you to understand that, but I am expecting you to respect it.
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Perhaps there is something traumatic that caused you to want to have that work done. Perhaps not. He thinks so (or his response seems to indicate that), you think not.

It's hard to always respect other people's opinions and simultaneously not be offended by them, for sure.
 
#59
Relic said:
I understand what you're saying, but being open-minded doesnt necessarily mean being accepting of everything all the time.
It means to me, simply not judging a book by it's cover. If you were scarred and tattooed and pierced and whatnot, it doesn't automatically make you a person that I dislike or despise or would avoid. Just rather a person who I thinks looks weird..::p and I would wonder what would motivate someone to do that?
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Simple. One person's "weird" is another person's "beautiful". :)

If you don't judge a book by its cover, then you're doing well for starters. There is a difference between tolerance and acceptance - it's just the intolerant people I have a problem with.

Think of it this way - the effects of body modification on a person can be akin to them finding God or having a similar profound metaphysical experience. Insulting them for their choice in this matter is akin to insulting their religion.

In fact, there is actually a Church of Body Modification. :)
 
#60
justateenpoet said:
As someone who plans on getting a combination scarification/tattoo in the near future, I don't really want to get into the whole body mod vs. self-mutilation argument. To me, they aren't the same.

OP, if you're really serious about it, here's a few guys who specialize in scar work:

www.byblair.com (this guy has really brought scarification to a whole new level)
www.purebodyarts.com (Brian is probably who I'll end up going to)
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I'm really glad you linked those, I hadn't seen any good examples of scarification at all. There's a lot of really intense art in what Brian is doing and even the more "gruesome" looking ones can end up looking quite nice (better than some faded, half-green-half-black tattoo stretched out on the back of a 60 year old biker.)


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Look now for the healed version (on the right):
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Still not something I want personally, but something I can definitely understand a lot more. Thanks!
 

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