Week 7 Journal

I believe that the 3 most important concepts of the course so far include understanding genre, everyday writing in print media, and knowing what makes something a piece of everyday writing. In order to understand genre, we have to know what the main idea of the piece is. For example, if there is a song on the radio where someone is singing in a southern accent and strumming his or her guitar, the song is most likely under the genre of country. These three important concepts do align with tattoos. Tattoos can be separated into different genres, from cartoons to inspirational quotes. The writer/artist of the tattoo should know what he or she is doing, so it takes skill for the artist, but the person receiving the tattoo does not require any skill other than choosing the tattoo, where it will be placed, and sitting or lying very still. Tattooing can be considered everyday writing because it is a great example of people expressing something to others in writing or drawing. People get tattoos as a symbol of affection, everyday inspiration, a memorial, or to tell people something about themselves. In the article, the idea was for people with HIV/AIDS to get a tattoo to ensure other people know that they have these diseases. The tattoos would express this fact in whatever symbol the wearer wanted, like the people who got the international symbol for biohazardous waste and the Nazi’s marker for gay men during the Holocaust. While some people might take offense to having their disease made known to the world via the ink on their body, I think it is a good idea for those who would be put in danger by coming into contact with the bodily fluids of those who are infected. Protecting people with warnings, such as signs that tell you if a road is blocked off, saves lives and allows planning to make safe choices.