Twice this summer patrons of Six Flags Over Texas (an amusement park) have been asked to cover their tattoos or leave the park. One incident involved a man with a tattoo of a naked woman. The other involved a female who had tattoos of two six-shooters (pistols) on her upper chest (see picture above). The park's employees deemed the tattoos offensive.
Now I believe a business has the right to ask their employees to cover their tattoos when on duty. The business person has sunk a lot of money into their business and should have the right to dictate the image the business projects to customers (including how employees look, dress and act). But when customers are asked to cover their tattoos we get into the question of free speech.
When asked about this, sociology professor at the University of Texas at Arlington Ben Agger said, "First Amendment protections make it a slippery slope for businesses to ask customers to cover up tattoos." Then he went on to say, "When kids are involved, it's Ok to draw the line." I agree with his first statement, but must disagree with the second.
What is a tattoo? It's a picture -- it's artwork. Some of it is very good artwork and some of it is not too well done, but it is all artwork (and like other artwork it is protected by the First Amendment on free speech grounds). But what about the children? Children are not harmed by looking at a picture or any other kind of artwork. They never have been and never will be.
If they were harmed by art we'd have to make nearly every museum and art gallery off limits to children, but they aren't. For instance, does anyone really believe a viewing of the Venus de Milo or Michaelangelo's Statue of David is going to harm a child? Of course not.
But it's offensive! So what. Anyone who lives in a country with free speech is going to be offended at one time or another. That's just part of the price we pay for living in a free country. I would much rather be offended from time to time than give up the right to free speech. Free speech is one of the main protectors of all of our other freedoms. And when we start limiting free speech where do we stop?
We must be very careful about outlawing the things that offend us. We could easily find that we have outlawed freedom. I think Six Flags Over Texas was wrong. What do you think?
I think you are right. Even if a customer was to show up with a large tattoo depicting someone defacing Jesus' skull in a sexual manner, they should not be required to conceal it. Too much is lost by throwing away our right to free expression. I refuse to believe that anyone can be harmed by seeing someone else's tattoo.
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