Tattoos are a touchy subject for some people, even in the 21st century. Some people are for them, some are against them, but most of us are capable of a polite conversation about the topic, whatever our real feelings might be.
Unfortunately, not all people are capable of civilized discourse when talking about tattoos. One internet user posted a rant stating that visible tattoos have no place at work, but he got shut down by another user who made fun of the guy having a race car as their profile picture.
Somebody started having a go at people with visible tattoos in the workplace
But one internet user roasted them using the very same language, just for having a race car as their profile picture
A Reddit user by the name of Ouchees posted the story on the ‘Murdered by Words’ subreddit, an online community of over 1.3 million members that is “a place for well-constructed put-downs, comebacks, and counter-arguments.” In other words, awesome verbal roasts. The post where a tattoo-hater got roasted for their love of race cars went viral on Reddit, getting more than 31,700 upvotes at the time of writing.
Bored Panda talked to Xor50, one of the moderators at ‘Murdered by Words,’ to learn more about the community. “The subreddit was founded Dec 2016,” they said, giving the link for the first idea and mention of the subreddit, as well as the links to some of the best comebacks the community has seen so far.
“A ‘real murder’ in terms of this subreddit would be [this]: A murder should be a response to something or someone that totally, for lack of a better word, destroys them. They are, of course, subjective, and should be more or less based on fact,” Xor50 explained, quoting from the subreddit’s wiki.
“What is the difference between a 'murder' and 'burn' anyway? The mod team and even the MBW community has struggled for over a year to try and define the difference. It's quite subjective and nearly an "I know it when I see it!" situation, however, there are some generalities. Murders tend to be longer. It's nearly impossible to "murder" someone inside of a tweet. It's just not long enough. You can burn them pretty good yes but a 'murder' is far more complete. Basically, anything that you would think is a witticism, one-liner, snappy comeback, or hot take is going to be a burn. Those may be a better fit for /r/clevercomebacks. Murders tend to be long-form, taking a minute or several to read, and thoroughly deconstruct an argument and/or the person making it.”
“It's hard to give advice about the how but maybe just think about a topic you're really passionate about and imagine you're talking to an idiot who just doesn't get it. That's how I imagine it,” the moderator mused.
When asked about the comeback to the person who criticized visible tattoos, Xor50 had this to say: “I think that's one pretty good. Not like "the best one we'll ever see," but certainly in the spirit of the sub. What we like to add for anyone who's going to read this: please read the subreddit rules before posting.”
Most individuals would probably agree that whether or not somebody has tattoos has no effect on their ability to do a job well. BBC writes that having visible tattoos at work was previously viewed in a negative light in some professions, like finance, law, and healthcare. But most employers are now able to look beyond the ink on one’s skin.
For example, Air New Zealand has decided to end their ban on body art; the reasoning behind this is because it allows employees to better express their cultural heritage and individuality. What’s more, the Metropolitan Police in London relaxed a ban when hiring candidates with tattoos last year. Now candidates are chosen on a case by case basis.
Met Commissioner Cressida Dick explained to the media that the policy was necessary because the police force was rejecting too many applicants: one in ten applicants weren’t accepted because of their ink back in 2017.
The numbers show that there are more and more people getting tattoos, at least in the United States. In 2014, an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll discovered that 40 percent of Americans said that someone in their home had a tattoo. This figure increased from 21 percent in 1999. What do you think of tattoos in the workplace, dear Pandas? Has anyone ever not given you a job because of your tattoos? Let us know in the comments.
People shared their thoughts about tattoos at work
