[OPINION] Getting judged for my tattoos, and the issue of taboos in 2020

Inside the FX during one of those quiet holiday mornings, a middle-aged woman sat beside me.  

Minutes later, I began hearing murmurs. Every commuter knows we need to be aware of our surroundings all the time. I discreetly paused my music instead of removing my earphones, afraid of looking chismoso. It was only then that I realized the middle-aged woman was shouting at me. My tattoo sleeve was peeking out of my shirt.  

I won’t be able to finish my studies; I will never find a decent job, she said repeatedly. Not yet caffeinated to engage in anything, especially in an argument, I ignored her and played my music again. She was still saying something about the sanctity of the body. About the criminals. About Duterte and drugs. (READ: Stop assuming all drug users are addicts – Ateneo professor)

It was too late when I realized what had happened – I was judged for having tattoos. If I were to compare my experience, it wasn’t as bad or as traumatic as that of folks discriminated against for their gender or disability. But perhaps there’s that common feeling, the feeling of self-denial. 

The English physician Havelock Ellis wrote an essay in the 1930s titled “The Function of Taboos.” According to him, “A taboo, speaking roughly, simply indicates something that is ‘not done.’ The reason why it is not done may be, and often is, unknown to those who observe the taboo.” 

In a positive remark, he mentioned that the existence of taboos is necessary for society because it grounds us to our morality and dignity. Taboo for him is related to discipline. Yet, there are taboos associated with social stigma or discrimination against people with specific characteristics or beliefs.  

In 2019, news sites and social media in the Philippines were filled with posts about different existing taboos and stigmas in our society. These included living-in among millennial partners, gender-neutral restrooms, same-sex relationships, intersex persons, mental health, disabilities, HIV, and speaking out as a victim of harassment. Like tattoos, these are not new issues. 

What’s important to note here is the shifting perspective of people, especially the Filipino youth. A quick Internet search will reveal the increasing interest and attempt to engage in conversations to widen the understanding or knowledge about these issues. Evidence would be the SOGIE Bill being the fourth most-searched news-related keyword on Google Philippines 2019.

But how engaged are we? 

One of the phrases that became popular last year was “OK, boomer.” This phrase is used by the younger generation to dismiss or mock the seemingly close-minded, conservative opinions of baby boomers. This terse retort implies the exhaustion of the younger generation over constantly having to explain the reasons for their actions, beliefs, and choices. (Does this mean that we are the new Beat Generation? Maybe not even close.) However, the response does not contribute to the supposed dialogue, but only allows a generational divide and leaves the old thinking of boomers unaffected. 

Taboos and stigmas exist because we allow them to. We dismiss instead of enlighten. It sounds like a huge responsibility, but aren’t we also the ones who claim to be “woke?” The aim is not to change our society, but for our society to become a progressive one. Remember that instance when Joey De Leon got schooled by Maine Mendoza about suicide? Remember Greta Thunberg’s speech to world leaders at the UN? Remember the many causes led by the younger generation these past few years?  

The youth spoke out about how they understand the world in the conditions that they are part of and exposed to. In effect, there is magnification and shedding of light on these issues. Their brave acts became social movements.  

W. Lance Bennett, a political scientist, argued that new media has transformed the very nature of protest movements. Unlike in the early protests where there were leaders like Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr., Mohandas Gandhi, and Rosa Parks, protest in new media have become “polycephalous,” which means “they are no longer represented by a central leading figure, but have many local representatives.” Protest movements have also changed in the sense that they, as Bennett mentioned,  are no longer about ideology and ideological differences, but are “more about personal and fluid forms of association.” 

By setting campaigns through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, people find people with whom they share the same situation and have conversations. For example, in “The Role of Social Media in Reducing Stigma and Discrimination” from The British Journal of Psychiatry, it is mentioned that there is an increased awareness of mental health because “people with mental health problems share their experiences in online public spaces and challenge mental health stigma.” 

We need to educate and replace stereotypes with factual information and figures, correct misinformation, and refute negative perceptions through user-generated content. This means we also need to enlighten ourselves heavily about the matter. We need not only participation but active engagement. We don’t want to be tagged as “clicktivists” whose activism is only limited to computer clicks without real action. “If you don’t act, the danger becomes stronger,” says the artist Ai Weiwei. 

Improvisational theater has the “Yes, and…” principle. “Yes” suggests that the participant agrees and accepts what the other participant mentioned, while “and” means the expansion of that idea. But outside the theater, when the statement is something we cannot relate to, something we find unacceptable, it’s difficult to apply this principle because it’s like subjugating to the old beliefs we don’t agree with.  

So, instead of saying “OK, boomer,” why not say “Yes, but…?” “Yes” means we’re accepting the older generation’s statement, although not necessarily agreeing to it, and “but” suggests that we too have our take on the matter. This is our improv game with hope, with a reason, to improve and contribute to the dialogue. Call it “improv-ment.” After all, in a Shakespearean sense, “All the world’s stage.” But not to the point that it’s all for a show.  

I wish I realized earlier what had happened during that FX ride so I could’ve tried to “Yes, but…” the middle-aged woman. Yes, we must respect our bodies, but we also have a choice to do what we wish. Yes, tattoos are associated with criminals, but not all of those who have tattoos are criminals because many are in the professional field. Yes, taboos and stigmas exist, but we’re not complacent. One’s skin is never a limitation to achieving anything, the same with one’s gender, the same with one’s disability. – Rappler.com

Jose P. Mojica, MA, teaches communication and media at the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Arts and Letters under the Department of Communication and Media Studies. He is a resident fellow of the UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies.