So yesterday my wife and I stop at a 7-11 to get her a Slurpee. She was feeling achy from this whole pregnancy thing and, as we all know, Slurpees cure everything.

While I’m waiting in line, ice-bound beverage in hand, a massive pick-up truck flew into the parking spot next to our car in such a way that it blocked the driver’s side door from being able to open. A guy jumps out of the truck, leaving his lady friend to wait for him in the gas guzzler.

He gets in line behind me, looks at my leg (I had just come from a tattoo appointment and it was wrapped in plastic) and says “congratulations”. I respond with a thanks and he asks if it hurt. I’ve been trying to be more genuinely positive so I decided to nominally engage him.

“It hurt, but I have my chest done. Comparing everything to that makes it not be so bad.”

to which the tattoo-less man responds:

“Until you get your scrotum done. Mine says ‘look up’”

So those of you thinking of getting visible tattoos, BE WARNED.

The danger is not in the pain, nor the permanence, nor even it’s ability to hamper your being hired. The real danger is conversations like this with a generation of people who still think that tattoos equate you as someone who drinks heavily, talks loosely, and wants to joke around about their genitals.