The New Conformity

[xxx000]

On beautiful Bondi Beach over the holidays there's always an ugly influx of blokes similar to Shaun McNeil, the man charged with king hitting and hospitalising 18-year-old Daniel Christie.

Heavily muscled, heavily tattooed, often heavy with attitude, some of these blokes walk pit bulls and staffies on the promenade or lead their bikini-clad girlfriends along the hard sand - all with a similar air of ownership.

The great irony of the stage-managed strutting emerges when a person dares stare a little too long at the jiggling muscles and mammaries and is asked aggressively, "Whatta ya lookin' at?"


Shaun McNeil has a penchant for 'selfies'.
The answer, of course, is we're looking at the image these men have carefully crafted and advertised in ink on their bodies, as well as online on Facebook, Instagram and elsewhere.

If it's possible to measure a person's self-absorption, surely the percentage of their epidermis illustrated as autobiography is a good metric.

On a certain modern man's body you'll now commonly find appropriately sentimental dates, as well as names and faces of dead relatives or newborn children.

Quotes and phrases are ripped screaming out of context from literature, scripture and film, while foreign words and symbols - the owner's captioned cartoon of their trip to Thailand or Bali - are awkwardly added to the skin-billboard.

The mistake we make, however, as observers of this display is to think the McNeils of the world are attempting to communicate or connect with us with their derma-doodlings.

Kings Cross, the honey pot that drew McNeil and Daniel Christie on New Year's Eve, is where Pastor Graham Long of the Wayside Chapel has spent years watching and wondering at the messages sent by these men.

"It's not relational. It's promotional," says Long, who has written and spoken at length of the "privatisation of the self", the illusion so many people have that "I" comes before "us" in the human alphabet.

There can be no more graphic image of this than the "selfie" - where one turns the camera on oneself to take one's own picture; the world narrowing from infinite to individual.

As we now know, Australia has been credited by the Oxford Dictionary with coining the term "selfie" - so it should surprise no one we also produce gross fanatics of the form, such as McNeil, who managed to generate an online archive of more than 3000 public photos of his 25-year life.

Like many of his ilk, I have no doubt Shaun McNeil considers himself an "individual" and in one regard, argues Long, he's probably right.

"An individual comes to know themselves as different from others, while a person comes to know themselves in relation to others."

Individuals are in competition, people are in a community. An individual is focused (camera in hand) on "my car", "my body", "my Facebook feed", "my girlfriend ", "my night out", "my protein shake", "my dinner".

"A person knows themselves in light of others," says Long in his recent book Love Over Hate.

Neither rock nor sports star, McNeil nevertheless stole their swagger. His personal PR created an image of a "hard man", a mixed martial arts proponent who seemingly longed to be seen as a rebel.

That's the final irony of the almost endless droves of these new "rebels", their bodies painted and puffed in sometimes comically identical style; it's the new conformity.

When I see a 25-year-old man at Bondi without a sign of ink on his body, maybe walking his grandma or mother, perhaps - quaintly - even wearing a shirt, I often say to myself "now, there's your rebel".

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/executive-styl...#ixzz2pgQigKIY

I must say I agree wholeheartedly with this article, now how do we change this absurd 'me' culture?

[Bossxr8]

w*****s is the right word here.

Yeah it's funny when you go to the gym, when you see most of the guys wearing singlets to show off their try hard tattoos so people will think their cool. Trying so hard to impress other people is certainly not cool at all.

[jpblue1000]

this should be interesting!

[D Block]

Narcissisum is thy name.

[Bushbasher]

I'm an individual, ya can't fool me, OI,OI,OI !!

Jacko would be proud.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

w*****s is the right word here.

Yeah it's funny when you go to the gym, when you see most of the guys wearing singlets to show off their try hard tattoos so people will think their cool. Trying so hard to impress other people is certainly not cool at all.

Lol, yeah I know the type, my own nephew is one.
he has blown himself up so big with roids and whatever else that he sleeps with a pedestal fan in his face to stop him from overheating.
he is tattooed from head to toe and so pumped up he cant speak properly and his head looks like it wants to pop at any second.
He will go to the gym, stand in front of the mirror, lift 1 single weight and then flex his handiwork whilst admiring himself for 5 minutes.

I just laugh, he thinks he's beautiful.

Honestly though, what did people expect, throw human **** fighting, a gym on every corner open 24hrs and the face book generation into the same mixing bowl and you get self absorbed hero's who thrive on intimidating people and wont stop until they have made their point.

[Hell Cat]

Im 25, own a staffy and have my legs tattooed, don't do roids and im certainly not muscled never walk around shirtless in public (I even swim in a shirt) and have never been in a fight - nor do a plan to be.

Didn't start drinking till I was 22, and even then I rarely drink.

Anybody who assaults somebody else for no reason should be jailed immediately, and people who can't handle their booze shouldn't be allowed in public.

[Maka]

He's a brainless try hard, people like him dont pick on people their own size...

cheers, Maka

[BHDOGS]

This is the biggest problem in this country the individual rights we have to many and they should be smashed community rights is what should be enforced harshly what is best for the community should be king unfortunate to many bleeding hearts have come about and given everybody the same rights and second chances soon as we rise up and demand action the better how many people have to die before we tackle the scourge of alcohol and ban it forever but will never happen to many people enjoy a good drink as its ok me as an individual never do anything wrong there for why should drinking be banned its because of idiots like this that's why think about that next time your having a glass of alcohol how many people die for your right to have a drink after work. For the record i never drink ever and have worked with drunks for 5 years so my opinion is very biased to the point of hatred and disgust

[XBROO]

Most of them can't fight and cry when they're hit. They all try for the one punch knock out and if that doesn't work then they cop a hiding. Seen many small average looking guys put thugs like this in their place. It's the quiet ones to watch out for, because the more you train in a discipline the more you won't go out and start a fight. Because you have seen so many average plain looking guys, that know how to look after themselves. So you don't want to start a fight just in case you pick the wrong bloke.

[gtfpv]

theres no I in team , but theres plenty of something in U .

[D Block]

Originally Posted by gtfpv

theres no I in team , but theres plenty of something in U .

??? Mystified

[gtfpv]

Originally Posted by D Block

??? Mystified

it's a saying a friend recently quoted about individual players .

[Work Horse]

Originally Posted by Hell Cat

Im 25, own a staffy and have my legs tattooed, don't do roids and im certainly not muscled never walk around shirtless in public (I even swim in a shirt) and have never been in a fight - nor do a plan to be.

Didn't start drinking till I was 22, and even then I rarely drink.

Anybody who assaults somebody else for no reason should be jailed immediately, and people who can't handle their booze shouldn't be allowed in public.

Come on mate you are not fooling anyone! Clearly (according to the article above), you have the potential to become a problem. Are you sure you have never taken a "selfie"? If you have hand yourself into the cops now.
This clown (Shaun McNeil) is not a victim of "The New Conformity"; he alone is responsible for his own actions. The fact he has; tatts, muscles, a dog and is on face book do not diminish that fact.

[GREGL]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

This is the biggest problem in this country the individual rights we have to many and they should be smashed community rights is what should be enforced harshly what is best for the community should be king unfortunate to many bleeding hearts have come about and given everybody the same rights and second chances soon as we rise up and demand action the better how many people have to die before we tackle the scourge of alcohol and ban it forever but will never happen to many people enjoy a good drink as its ok me as an individual never do anything wrong there for why should drinking be banned its because of idiots like this that's why think about that next time your having a glass of alcohol how many people die for your right to have a drink after work. For the record i never drink ever and have worked with drunks for 5 years so my opinion is very biased to the point of hatred and disgust

Whoa mate , you are WAY outta line there . That's a very big brush your using . If you think that an individual in Australia has to many rights feel free to migrate elsewhere , China may appeal to you , or the middle east perhaps .
Hatred is quite popular over there so you should fit in nicely .
I'm agree on the disgust though to the point where I am disgusted that there are people out there like you running around with opinions like that . One Fred Niles is more than enough thank you .

[Madaya]

I do not have a tattoo. I will never have a tattoo. If folk want to get at tattoo, err good on them.
My only Tattoo is this...
My Genes, which are made of a combination of my parents genes - 50/50.
So my genes are made up of my grandparents genes 25-25/25-25 and etc...
In other words, my Granddaughter has in each and every one of her billions of cells 1/4 of the genetic material supplied by me, hopefully the good stuff. So far this appears to be the case. She is 6 years old and I think maths will be tricky (not great for a guy who loves science).
There it is, imprinted. She can type 'such is life', or incomprehensible Japanese letters on her body, extolling this or that virtue or data, but it will not change who she actually is.
A picture or couple of words are laid bare when actually asked to pay account for an action or word.
My Tattoo's are engraved in everyone of my cells, half my children's cells and now, 1/4 of my granddaughter's. My daughter has picked up a couple of tats which she now regrets. My granddaughter's dad is running out of room for tats, i.e. he has a camera tattooed on his larynx. Legs, arms, torso. Doesn't matter what the subject is supposed to say, it just becomes a mish mash of this and that. He wears polo necks to cover up the camera.

[Professor Farnsworth]

I have a tattoo, had it for 15 years. I've been working out of late, and I've also taken a self-portrait recently. According to the article quoted, i'm set to bash someone any minute now.

[UberKnee]

Plenty of those same sort of people are perfectly functioning members of society. The oldest conformity in the world is tar everyone with the same brush and segregate humanity into different groups.

[BHDOGS]

Originally Posted by GREGL

Whoa mate , you are WAY outta line there . That's a very big brush your using . If you think that an individual in Australia has to many rights feel free to migrate elsewhere , China may appeal to you , or the middle east perhaps .
Hatred is quite popular over there so you should fit in nicely .
I'm agree on the disgust though to the point where I am disgusted that there are people out there like you running around with opinions like that . One Fred Niles is more than enough thank you .

I said individual rights that are eroding community rights read what i wrote before you jump up and down about a police state. As for disgust the feelings mutual go have another beer.

[Iggypoppin']

I'm close to 50% tattooed now and I occasionally work out. If I could walk long distances I'd walk with my girlfriend down at the beach and I'd take my dog too (whippet). But if someone looks at me, I'll smile and wave and ask if they're having a nice day.

People without tattoos still assault people.

[D Block]

I think the article quoted by the OP raises the point that guys who are generally anonymous and conforming feel pressured by the current obssession with celebrity to "become" someone (important?). They start with body image...and generally it ends there and they feel good about themselves. Some however move on to other less pleasant aspects of celebrity and starting try to dominate those around them.

Personally I got nothing against tatts and it is probably not fair to link it to violence. If a tatt means something to you, good. But, I just dont understand why people get their skin indelibly marked with graphics and messages they would never contemplate decalling on their cars. Must be alcohol and peer pressure.... which are probably the same reasons we all drive Fords instead of something boring like Toyotas.

[XBROO]

Tattoos don't make you are trouble maker, a lot of islanders have tattoo and they are purely tribal and usually have some type of meaning from their families past. I'm a clean skin or a blank canvas as one tatooist referred to me one day. lol

[xxx000]

Originally Posted by XBROO

Tattoos don't make you are trouble maker, a lot of islanders have tattoo and they are purely tribal and usually have some type of meaning from their families past. I'm a clean skin or a blank canvas as one tatooist referred to me one day. lol

The article I quoted didn't infer that tattoos alone meant trouble maker
it talked about heavily muscled tattooed and with that attitude

I find the current tattoo trend hilarious. It seems so many people are unhappy with what they are or their appearance and some try the tattoo fix
anglos try to look like islanders or ex cons via tatts
well off people try to look poor via tatts
asians try to look anglo via surgery or bleaching their hair

too much money and self esteem issues

islanders are one of the few exceptions, they are what they are and are happy within themselves

[Grunter]

Why would you assume that so many people get tattoos because they are unhappy, want to be someone else or are rich?

My experience is the opposite. People I know who are into tatoos, have ones that are mostly hidden, and/or have art that is personal to them.

Perhaps we can bundle up all the heavily muscled, tatooed lads with attitude and lock them all up. I mean they must all be doing something against the community. We should ask the goverment to implement similar laws to the "bikie" laws in Qld. That'll fix all them wannabee's!!

PS: you must not know to many islanders, or if you do, not know them all very well. ;)

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by xxx000

I find the current tattoo trend hilarious. It seems so many people are unhappy with what they are or their appearance and some try the tattoo fix
anglos try to look like islanders or ex cons via tatts
well off people try to look poor via tatts
asians try to look anglo via surgery or bleaching their hair

too much money and self esteem issues

It seems a number of the country's Police Forces agree with you, hence why they are pushing, or have pushed through laws banning visible tatts on officers...

Has this bloke got "too much money and self esteem issues" ? I hope not, not when he's packing a gun....

[UberKnee]

Tattoo culture has changed big time thesedays. Obviously xxx000 you have no idea why people actually get tattoo's. Its no longer a criminal thing. Sure there are those who get them to look tough or because they're drunk, but to use a similar term in these situations, they're the 1%. Most tattoos people get have some meaning to them, remembrance, spiritual, family, etc. to say that all people who get tattoos are trying to be someone else is ridiculous. To take something from the article, if someone gets a tattoo of their kid on them or their birth date or something, how is that them trying to change who they are? Is that not embracing who they are?

Tattoos are an artfom that can be placed on someones skin, leaving a mark forever.

They way you're looking at it is no different than saying every car enthusiast is a hoon.

[Fordman1]

"Bogan what to be" springs to mind whenever Major Tattoo work is mentioned.

Maybe I'm old school, but seeing someone with a full sleeve tattoo or tattoos on their neck or face makes me think they have their priorities or head space in the wrong place.

[robbyj]

im tattoo'd and love going to the gym. I wear one of those skimpy singlets. I run without a shirt on. I have taken many selfies before and smash the **** out of snapchat. If you know what that is. Often i get really drunk in public when i go out.

So judge me.





Truth is

-I just finished uni and got my degree
- i have never done drugs, never will. (yes not even weed)
- I dont judge you because your not tattoo'd
- my tattoo's mean something to me, in fact i never told anyone when i got them, never uploaded a photo #newink #omg #lookatme
-I started going to the gym because i was so skinny i was embarrassed for myself. I have confidence now, not cockiness.



There is certainly a culture like described in the OP. There is also a thousand other harmful cultures that exist in society today. Predetermined judgement of people based on appearance is one of them.

[xxx000]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

It seems a number of the country's Police Forces agree with you, hence why they are pushing, or have pushed through laws banning visible tatts on officers...

Has this bloke got "too much money and self esteem issues" ? I hope not, not when he's packing a gun....

image

Really, a law
how many penalty units apply if you break this 'law?

[Barnaby]

The old conformity was mullets. Give me tats any day.