I respect your opinion but you know what they say about opinions. Mine is that I will speak out over a scam that someone could be a tattoo artist in two weeks and a program that claims such or lends credibility to the concept. People make stands for their beliefs all the time, that is why we don't see Italians playing the roles of native americans anymore and I would like to see the same in the industry of tattooing. Giving the general population the idea that what we do is so simple that a caveman can do it is no more cool with me than going back to the days when I couldn't get a loan for used pickup truck for what I did for a living.

Sure thing that this tattoo school will crank out tattooers or people roll playing as such because they are set up around me already and making me money on the cover ups and fix it work but I would rather see more people treated better and becoming living examples of our craft than living with people who figure a tattoo that ain't half bad is truly half good and good enough to be excepted as a tattoo. To acknowledge this activity and lending credibility to it is two separate things and I will never except green day as punk rock no matter if it's placed in that area of the music store. I feel that the community speaking out in numbers against something they feel is fraudulent is very valid and lends more to the respect of the craft than the program will. The tattoo community speaking out is lending fuel to our credibility and not that of a two week grad, so I disagree.

Don't agree with the silent treatment, and it's good to know that we are one of the top sites in search engine optimization when it comes down to the show. I think if anything letting people who know nothing about tattooing that this is wrong creates everyone to be on the same page with the industry in knowing that this wrong, and the only thing Facebook and tweeting is doing is making it well more known to not support it. Maybe their advertising or marketing in the businesses has a mole and exploiting it to cause a controversy or maybe it's just a way of seeing a reaction. Who knows, but the important thing is that an organization that IS for tattooers and founded by tattooers get together and create a non profit company and sponsored by legitimate tattoo companies and sponsors from the industry; to backlash against corporate junkies to prevent future exploiting to cause more ruckus. Just like the beer industry, they had to get together and form an alliance to keep the corporate companies away from dominating the market. Yeah it sounds kind of far fetched, but that's just my opinion.

Now back to being a true craftsman, I agree highly with what you said. Quality over quantity, hopefully people who walk into shop meet some true craftsman or someone who can point them in the right direction of getting the best tattoo on their skin. I believe this guy has the right mindset about TV and also his thoughts on this:

"Reality shows do sometimes pervert some things, but not to extinction. I'm sure this show won't destroy the entire profession of tattooing which has been traditionally taught through apprenticeship, just like Jon and Kate Plus Eight, or 50 Kids and Counting or whatever didn't destroy multiple parenting world wide.

There will be traditionalists in the field who will still tattoo and apprentice as always, and there will be newbies who come from something like this, a tattoo "school". I don't think the mere existence of a show like this pulls the profession into the gutter anymore than Little People Big World has pulled the world of little people into the gutter, or American Idol has tarnished the singing world beyond repair.

People will get into their crafts however they get into them. Those who have talent and are willing to work at it will succeed, and others will not make it. It's the same as any other skilled trade. Even if the school is only two weeks, I've taken workshop classes before. It doesn't make you an expert in any subject, as I'm sure these students realize. Like every trade, it will take practice and hard work to fine tune their skills. Just because there is a show on TV doesn't mean that bad tattooists will run rampant in the streets of all major metropolises.

Shops won't hire shitty artists, and people won't give their patronage to bad tattooists... and those who do, are too stupid to really be considered fair judges anyway, and probably would have gotten one at home with a needle and string soaked in ink--which, I might add, is the introduction point to tattooing that a lot of my tattoo artists friends used. They were shitty at first, but once they worked and practiced, they became wonderful. Their humble--and stupid--beginnings didn't doom their lucrative careers.

Television is a douche-baggy business who will exploit any hot topic to make money. The hot topic of the day happens to be body art, so they'll cash in by showing people what they want to see. I don't think it illegitimizes body art's foray into the mainstream, which is happening, like it or not.

If you don't like the premise, don't watch the show and don't patronize tattoo shops with "schooled" tattooists. There will be plenty of traditionalists out there to choose from, I promise. The tattoo n00bs won't drive them all out of business... probably the opposite, but that's for the individual's skill and dedication to decide, not in what way they began."

Totally happy to see the conversation continuing on. I am happy we all have opinions. I also think that we should band together and create something positive out of this negative. Any thoughts on what that looks like would be awesome. I don't think we should let the television industry set the standards for our industry. And I think to do something like that, would speak so much louder than any petition or boycott against something that none of us think should exist.

I agree, I feel if your work is good. You will always have a place. The things that somewhat bug me are the people that talk old school this and that. Tattooing and the art of tattooing did not start here in america. But it seems that the only view people take are the ones from the people here. Like this, in america we call it a tattoo machine. Guess what they call it in Europe? a gun "oh the evilness" So who is right, who is wrong. Seems every tattooer that comes up in my city has been tattooing 15 years. But ...I have lived here all my life. I don't remember any of them but 1 shop that still exist. And they all talk like they have been around forever. The truth is I know better. Same way a good artist should approach this TV show. You know better. No reason to cry about it.

Are people bummed because it's a tattoo school, or because it's on tv? I got a copy of the Milton Zeis school of tattooing manual, and I'm still trying to figure half that shit out.