This is so true! As a teenager I was a metalhead and wanted to have long hair, a tattoo, dress with black leather and play guitar like Yngwie Malmsteen. I decided to build my own guitar since I couldn't afford one, and found out I was good at it. I decided to spend money in good tools instead of tattoos and leather pants, and 25 years later I'm a very respected luthier in my country with Grammy-winners artists among my clients.

My parents told to never put anything on your body that won't come off with soap and water!! I sure am glad I listened to them!! Well said Dave!!!!!!!!!!!!

My old man told me "If your not enough without them, you will never be enough with them!" and it seemed to stick with me for the last fifty or so years!

Don't become a trend follower, work on your character

The person you describe Dave it's called a lumbersexual. They are the fake Lumberjacks with the tailored shirts, pants and the Timberland boots, and the barbershop beards. They are all over Seattle.

"The average guy is the one who spends his entire life trying to prove that he's not." Mad Magazine - Circa: Around the mid-seventies.

People get tats so they can be different like everybody else.

I can't remember what comedian it was, but he had a bit where he said something like..." I never got a tattoo. I can see myself getting married, buying a house, having a kid, but a tattoo..........that's so permanent." lol.

I'm 35 years old and a lifelong metalhead, I sing in a death metal band and I have no tattoos at all, and I dont think ill ever get any cause I just dont need them. you messege is great! hopefully kids will listen to you! keep it up man!

Great video. Riding harleys since 1968, mostly choppers. No tatoos yet. Maybe someday. I'm 70 and my current bike is a kickstart only 1975 shovelhead. Ink on my body is not what defines me. My wife and our 6 kids do. Have a great day. Keep up the good work.

As a biker with a few tats, as a 39 year old man who has reached a modicum of success in most fields I've stepped in, as a man who loves his mamma, I appreciate this video. I don't regret any of my ink, but I can see now that every single tattoo I have, I got when I was lost and searching. I thought I was defining myself by making a major commitment to something. Unfortunately after a while you heal up and that tattoo isn't on your mind as much and eventually you'll go a week or more without thinking about it. It doesn't anchor you in any philosophy or "remind you" of some life lesson and eventually I always found myself in need of another tattoo, a new philosophy or life lesson to commit myself to and repeat the cycle. What I have now is a collection of tats that tell a lot about who and where I've been since my twenties, and while I'm glad I never got anything I'm embarrassed by now, I do see the folly in why I got them. It's typically a lesson learned through perspective and perspective is typically acquired the hard way. I hope at least one or two people have learned something from a cool Uncle's unsolicited perspective here and there. No Regerts

Having no tatoo is the new tatoo.

When I was a kid my Dad had a tattoo on his massive forearm, I thought man thats cool when I grow up I'm going to get one just like Dad's. My Dad said don't do it, you'll never get it off. So... growing up a rebellious kid I thought a lot about that conversation with Dad. Getting involved in music and visual art, I found my identity and realized I didn't really need a tattoo to know who I was. Thanks Dad.

I'm fifty-one and have worked in the construction and manufacturing fields since I was thirteen. When a twenty year old shows up on the job with a sleeve or neck tat, us older dudes just start laughing. They think the tattoo signifies they are some sort of bad-ass. More often than not they end up being the weakest whiners and cry-babies on the job. True story.

MY god...You are talking about working for respect.

When you get the urge to go into a tattoo parlor, the best advice is DON'T.

Great. Would have been nice if you put this video out a week ago, before I got this tattoo of blue collar logic tattoo across my chest.

When I was growing up if a person has a full sleeve tattoo usually a salty sailor or a hells angel biker that would kill at drop of a dime. Nowadays it could easily be that a person can cook a mean pork roast with a wicked balsamic vinegar reduction

100 years ago people with tattoos traveled in sideshows and were considered circus freaks. How times have changed.

I told my sons that i would pay for tatoos, but first they would have it done in sharpies....for a year. They are still ink free.

I am a former sailor (13 years) and enlisted in in 1973 towards the end of the Vietnam war. I was still in electronics school when we pulled out so I didn't go there. I hit the PI, and other places along the way but even back then I wasn't impressed with most of the tattoos. I told my sons, "I don't know of anything I want to put on my body that I want to wear for the rest of my life." Neither of them got tattoos either and they are well into their 40s now. My grandfather was WWI age and my father served in WWII. :-) I am 67 and I am enjoying your videos. Keep up the good work!

Skinny jeans, flannel lumberjack shirt, beard with treatments. Tattoos galore, all trying to appear masculine, and a true man's man. I cannot escape the parallels of "stolen valor." Seems like everyone wants the recognition and admiration that comes from years of work and commitment. Earn it! You can wear the marks, but only earning brings out the true look, aura and genuine confidence of one who "is" and not a wanna be.

Undoubtedly in the UK right now ( March 2019 ) those WITHOUT Tattoos are the only individual ones

I am a 45 year old highly educated black woman from the Caribbean (this is not to brag, just to give perspective)...Thank you for your transparency; you have challenged my thinking. Your social analytical skills are brilliant! You've made me rethink much of the group institutionalized thinking that made so much sense to me until it was challenged, unintentionally mind you, by people like you. Thank you for your courage to go against the grain, because much of what you have said are things I have been thinking, but was not confident about because I felt that I didn't have the cultural references to validate my musings...and then came along videos like yours.

Former Marine here. I have no tattoos. In all the years I served, I can't recall meeting another Marine that didn't have a tattoo. It is sort of a right of passage. Especially if you have been overseas. Like you said, we are a proud tribe, so I totally get why guys do it. However, I always felt that a real man shouldn't have to advertise who he is or what he has done on his body. The real substance is in the way he acts and carries himself through life. Now, when people have gotten to know me a bit and find out I used to be a Marine, they usually respond with something to the effect of, "well now that makes sense." I'm more proud that they can tell by my demeanor and that it didn't require a tattoo. There is something different between you telling someone there is something special about you and people noticing on their own that there is something special about you. I'm 46 now and have kicked around the idea of getting a USMC tattoo for no other reason than to identify myself to my fellow Devil Dogs, instead I have decided a hat pretty much can accomplish the same thing when I feel the need. To each his own. I know some people commemorate a lost family member or some other sentimental reason via a tattoo and who am I to fault them? However I totally agree that young men definitely shouldn't be getting a tattoo until they have truly done something in life that will forever definine who they are. That is something rarely gifted to the young. Great video!

I'm 40. Not a single tattoo. Plenty of scars and proud of.

Man you guys have good material on so many subjects...Great Stuff! Keep'r up & G'Day!

I like this guy,,he makes SENSE,,which we are SO lacking now days. Very Few people have common sense anymore. sadly

My friend got "trust no one" in huge letters across his chest, it's the shitiest tattoo I've seen in person, maybe he should have taken his own advise before trusting someone to tattoo that across his chest.

I found this channel by accident, love it, and have subscribed. Oldish blokes talking common-sense is a rarity, on YT.

I respect you for trying to speak truth into this chaotic world. It's sad that in my community the hardworking man is seen as a lame or square.

Tattoos have been around for 5,000 years. That's quite the long lasting fad...

As I’ve told my son. It’s a permanent reminder of a temporary feeling. Subscribed.

Wow, brilliant advice. My generation wasn't really into tattoos. Now when I see a guy my age with a tribal tattoo I wonder how old his third wife is.

The best one i saw was on a SJW (female) "You can't fix Stupid". I have always wondered if she realised that the meaning worked both ways!

So many young blokes at my work could have done with watching this video before they got full sleeves on both arms.

I got two ridiculous tattoos when I was young and stupid, now I’m old and stupid. I got Eddie Maiden off the Killers album and Sohn Go Ku from a Japanese cartoon. I tell my son often not to get any tattoos. The sad thing is, I was in the Marines during The Cold War and Desert Storm 1 and didn’t get an Marine tattoo, at least an EGA (eagle globe and anchor) would have been something to be proud of.

You were absolutely spot on about the political and societal betrayal of the masculine virtues, that toughen and sharpen weak boys into strong and competent men. Men who are savage beasts, but are civilised, and have their deadly capabilities, but do not use them, unless necessary. It's absolutely dreadful how lost and broken men and particularly young men have become in society. Lost and without meaning, value or purpose, and are demonized for their virtues and competence. The comparison between this and tattoos was amazing as well, you did a spot on job brother, keep these videos coming!

After all that talk...i still love tattoos and they dont define me...i just love the artwork...i dont even care if it doesn't have a meaning behind it...and getting tattoos doesn't mean that am trying to seek attention or look like a badass...it is personal preferences...majority of u hate tattoos...some of u are successful and some are not without tattoos but there's a majority that love them,are covered are nice people and are doing good in life so is a 50 50 thing..have a blessed day when u'll read this🤗🤗😉

I am 32 and have a half sleeve tattoo. I got it roughly 10 years ago. I saved the money, selected a good artist and got a well thought out design. I waited a year between when I decided I wanted the tattoo and when I got it. I do not regret my decision one bit. If you’re considering a tattoo I suggest you follow a similar blueprint, and your chances of regretting later will be very low.

People are often very surprised that I have tattoos. 3 of them. 1 for the time I spent at the Fort Benning School for Wayward Boys/Airborne School, 1 for my time spent in Egypt and Israel, and 1 for my time spent in Iraq. I designed them all, and none can be seen in a short sleeve shirt. That last bit is the key. They're personal to me, and not some kind of hipster badge of honor, so nobody needs to see them when I'm at a wedding,funeral, or job interview. I've thought about getting another one or two, but I'd rather pay a bill, buy something that can be handed down, or take my family out for dinner and a movie.

My grandfather was in the german navy and while everyone else get a tattoo there, he never got one.....he also was a POW and again...while others got a tattoo in prison.....he not....he also never had a girl in every port of call.....so.....just to honor my grandfather I will also never have a tattoo and I also dont drive multiple tracks with girls.

I always wonder why people don't see the beauty & perfection of the unmarked human body?

I don't believe tattoos are a fad, I feel its a culture.. there's types of tattoos that are fads.🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

Getting a tattoo has never crossed my mind.

I was the wild child in my family. Grandma made me make her a promise, knowing I kept my word when it was given. The promise was not Tattoos while she was alive, and no names, unless it was a BLOOD relative. This was back in the late 70's early 80's. I once called her to my home to see my Tattoo. With great disappointment she agreed to come over. Many of my cousins by this point had Tatts, and I'd become a mom and settled down, so she thought it was that now I broke my word of years before. That is until she got to my house, and I introduced her to the newest member of the family, a cockatiel named Tattoo. The smile on her face at seeing the bird, and realizing I did not break my word made her so happy! I'm 52 and the only scars or marks on my body are from surgery and life experiences, not from tatts or body modifications. I am also the only one out of her 29 grand CHILDREN WITHOUT a tatt.

When my friends and I were all 20 years old, they all started getting tattoos. I always warned them that imagine you were allowed to get one 10 years ago. You would have gotten ninja turtles, and now you would hate it. Same thing 10 years from now.

Nicely presented video, with clear and concise points. I don't see why anyone sensible would be offended by his views. You've just earned a new subscriber.

I am sick of the endless conversations that people express to a person the "meaning" of their tattoo. I have experienced a lot and have a lot to tell, but I do not need to tell everyone my stories.

I am literally a guitar playing house painter with no tats Im 19 and I swear you are speaking my mind this is crazy

I never got a tattoo because naming my favorite song or movie is always changing.

This guy is right on with this one. Unfortunately, I got my neck tattoo before I saw this.

Don't head for the tattoo parlour to commemorate anything. Find a tree and carve an inscription in it. What you find important in your 20's will become an embarrassment in your 50's!

As Freud said, "tattoos are the mark of the slave".

I’m contemplating a teardrop tat-because I’m laughing so hard, right now🤣

My pop's rule on tats and the work place: be able to wear a T-shirt with out your tats visibly showing or be prepared to wear long sleeves in the summer. For the most part I've held to this and it has served me well. My only exception was having my wedding band tattooed on after getting my hand caught in a machine at work. I've had to explain that one a few times, but I don't regret it. Btw most people think that's my only one.

These days tats are for "conformists." Rebels without a clue.

Your first video about this subject hit close to home, and gave me a very clear lightbulb moment. "Think of your life as a long and beautiful story." Thank you for that video.

Guy who is part of the generation which singlehandedly destroyed western civilization yells at tattoos.

You sir are an excellent example of what we need more of in this world. Down to earth, no bullshit explanation of how it truly works in the world.

Fantastic video! One for every young man to hear!

I’m really impressed with your communication skills. 😉 And now notifications are on.

I have been feeling the way that you just described, but unfortunately I was never articulate enough to put it in to words. Thank you for this bro. You are definitely my internet mentor!

I got two random tattoos when I was 17. Over the years I got tired of looking at them, but more importantly I got tired of people asking, "what's that tattoo", and, "why'd you get that"? I lived with them until I was 49 and couldn't take it anymore. They were a constant reminder of what a dumb 17 year-old I had been. I had them laser removed. Cost way more to remove them, but it was the best money I ever spent. Thanks for the video. You're a pretty smart "older uncle".

Seems like every video of yours I start my comment with... WOW! Well, here I go again... WOW!! All women who want to understand the inner workings of the kind of man worth having should LISTEN to your words. This is the clearest description I have ever heard of what makes GOOD men tick. As a young woman I rejected these truths as valid and paid the price with a series of men who were NOT worth having. Took me awhile to figure it out, but I did, through trial and error until I ended up with my husband who IS a man worth having. Pretty boys in tight jeans and coiffed hair are NOT worth having. Give me a working man who has figured out his own worth any day and then all I have to do is occasionally give him that "positive feedback" he both desires and NEEDS (part of the dynamic of the man/woman relationship) and I have a loyal, loving, appreciative man willing to do anything for me. What a joy. So ladies, LISTEN UP. This is not just about tattoos, but about MEN and how they work and what they need and what makes them TICK!!!! Thanks again Dave!!!!

I got my first tattoo when I was 17. I'm 40 now and I have a half sleeve and a few others that are visible in shorts and a t-shirt. I do wish that a few were a little larger than what they are, but that is no where near regret. I earned my tattoos not only through the process of sitting still and enduring the pain, but also by committing to them and living with them. Also, tattoo and tattoo styles have been more and less popular throughout history and have been more and less popular among different cultures and social classes. That being said, along with cave paintings tattooing is one of the earliest forms of visual art known to man. Tattooing didn't spread across the globe, it came about independently among ancient cultures on every continent. Tattoos are a fad as much as barbecue, singing, dancing, and beating on a drum are.

As a 18 year old , which has a family of tattoo artists , and just got his first tattoo - i greatly thank you for the advices ! And even though my first one was more like a rite of passage , as to become truly part of the family , i will definitely put more though in the next ones , to make sure they really are a part of me , and not just some random acessory like trending clothes. So thank you very much for taking the time to make this video !

So if I have to wait until I'm like 40 or 50 years old when I'm respected enough in a profession I'm good at to finally get a tattoo does that mean I have to pick a tattoo that identifies that certain thing that I do or could it be whatever I want?

Well said. I have a few, done many years ago, when I was in the Navy. Each one has a specific meaning. I regret none, but they were earned during a time when tattoos weren't so common.

From one creator to another, you have a great channel sir. Glad I found it

Yes, I totally agree. As a retired tattoo artist most tattoos I've seen and done lacked in thought. Often people go in with an idea and end up settling for what they can afford. One example would be a man that came in wanting roses around his calf then walked out with a Japanese carp instead. The rose, unicorn, wizard, skull, eagle and a Taz with a beer glass. Picking a design out of a book that has been done a thousand times before and they always ask "can you do this one?" To which I would reply " I get better every time I do it" . Eventually I would suggest trying a temporary tattoo for a few weeks to see if they would be comfortable with something more permanent. Often they would change their mind. I've always suggested to get something that says something about "you" but Now there are 18 year olds with a mess of nonsense almost completely covering their bodies and I can tell you for a fact that these people will regret most of those decisions when they get older.

I've been looking for that perfect tattoo all my life. I'm now 53 and still looking. I guess in another 30yrs I'll settle for the one that reads "Rest in Peace" . . .

I don't have any tattoos, and when I finally have them fully planned out, I won't care what anyone else thinks of them, or has to say about them, because *_I won't be getting them for anyone but myself._*

I dont regert my tattoos at all.

Yet another great straight forward video. Truth hurts the feelings of some and appreciated by the rest. You always say it like it is and that I love and appreciate thank you!

20 year (retired) United States Marine. No tattoos. Followed by 23 years as Fire Fighter Captain / Paramedic. No tattoos. As you said, find what you love, excel at it and people will notice you. You don't need to post it on your skin! People at work come to me for advice and critique their work. I am always friendly and helpful. They appreciate my input and thank me. On rare occasions they inform me that I am their mentor. No tattoos needed.

I have several tattoos: they're called t-shirts and I can change them when I like and not be stuck with them when I get sick of the designs.

So much has lost a great deal of meaning. It's not just tattoos. Take degrees for one example. If it's too easy to get something, it will no longer have its previous significance.

The scars on my body are my tat's. And the slow way I have in getting out of a chair and the funny walk tells my tale of a lifetime of manual labor.

Loving your work man. Please keep it up. And stop with the health scares... We can't afford to lose you brother.

i agree. it's because these empty people who haven't achieved anything or belong anywhere want to buy what the tatoos represented in the past without having to go through the motions. so in the end you want the result without the work, experience without work, recognition without work. Tattoos used to look cool cause of the hard work they represented not the tattoes themselves. so yes they can be seen as a representation of a handful of people who want to look cool and be admired without really having achieved anything.

Absolutely brilliant. I really like you channel because you at able to break down these issues so even a simpleton can understand them. I have one tattoo. A small motorcycle themed "in memory of" another motorcyclist who died of lung cancer when we were both 18 years old. I was on two wheels since I can't remember. My father was a WWii veteran and infantryman who survived Omaha beach and fought through to Berlin. Wounded twice, he was patched up and went back to the front. He became a machinist after the war. He was the perfect example of a good father. He helped me put together my own toolbox before I hit my teens. He showed me how to fix my own bicycle and fix and trouble shoot basic car problems. I knew how to fix small engines in my early teens. Before I got out of high school, I had a job and a shop where I started building motorcycles. Vintage Harleys and British bikes. Nothing fancy, just repairs and bikes made to be ridden. About this time, I got my one tattoo. The tattoo guy suggested I get it on my shoulder where it would be covered up by a short sleeve shirt if I wanted. Thanks for that dude, it came in handy during inspections in the Army. When the Iran hostage crisis started, I joined the Army as a Paratrooper in the 82nd. I became a crew chief on first Hueys, then the very first Black Hawks to go into regular service in the Army. Because of my mechanical skills, and dedication to my bird and not wanting it to fall out of the sky, I quickly became a favorite and trusted crew chief of the pilots and company commander of my troop. I mention these things for two reasons. One, how the presence of a supportive father is important to a young boy. Two, how finding something you are good at and people respect you for, is good for a person's quiet self esteem. You feel it inside of you, others recognize it and respect you for it. I was in an elite branch of service where most people get tattoos to show they belonged to a group of a very small percentage of the population. Those tattoos meant a lot to those young men. And they looked very impressive. I never got another tattoo. I just felt no need for it. In fact, now in my senior years, I wish I never got the first one. I have motorcycles in my heart, I am a paratrooper and aviator and I am confident enough inside that I dont feel the need to advertise it outside. I don't think I'm better than those brave tattooed men who do what not many other people have what it takes to do. I'm just a simple man who has achieved many things in life. Knowing that inside is all I need. No disrespect to my Airborne Brothers or motorcyclists with tattoos is meant here.

As a man with several tattoos, i can honestly say, you are absolutely right! At 56 i have served as a cowboy,a soldier,trucker. My ancestors were Scots, and mountain men. Not a single mark is whats called flash. My color was thought out with the understanding that it would be permanent. No one should ever get color without much thought ,understanding that it will be with them a lifetime,even to the grave.

I have many tattoos and I couldn't agree more with his message!

Thank you, very nicely done! Our young men are so terribly misguided today it's a wonder we have any semblance of a society or culture left. Being a man is certainly about competence and confidence in one's self. Self confidence isn't possible when you're forever looking over your shoulder to see what everyone else thinks. There's an inherent sense or right and wrong in all of us that doesn't need Twitter's permission.

Just now finding your channel, and I love it! So true about the tatts, and exuding integrity as a man; you can spot it easily, and it speaks volumes.

Thanks for making a male version of this video! My problem is that no single skill keeps me interested long enough to become competent at it. I find something interesting, get better at it until I get to an intermediate level, and then lose interest because of either boredom or because the “tribe” of others interested in the same thing becomes toxic. So I quit and pursue something else, and the cycle repeats. I guess you could say I’m a jack of all trades and master of none.

in 1994 i got a tat for completing basic training and tech school but i don't regret it. but it means something real to me and that's the only reason to have one done

Gotta say, I do NOT miss the kickstart on my early motorbikes!

5:15 along the lines of advice that Mike Rowe gives out for younger people. My crude paraphrase would be: 'Don't 'follow your dreams', find what needs to be done. Do it to the best of your ability and stick with it. Repeat and rinse until you find what you're particularly good at.

Pretty soon the Farrah hair style will come back. I hope.

Tattoos will never go away, they've been around for nearly 6000 years

I was heavily abused for most of my life. After my dad was forced out of our home by my mother, my mother found ways to hurt her children. At the age of 19 I decided that in order to leave I needed something to show my self that I can make decisions for myself. So I got a tattoo of the cat that my mom made me watch bleed out because she didn't want to take care of him. It's cute. I got in a spot that not only my shirt covers but my bra does too. It's not for anyone but me. Less that 6months later my mother tried to strangle me to death. Luckily my shirt ripped and she stopped. However I had to get out. In middle school I tried calling CPS. Nothing happened. My life was horrible. But my tattoo. My decision to get this incredibly permanent tattoo saved my life. I was able to leave. I was able to move on. I'm not an outlier. I'm not the exception. Tattoos mean so much more to people than just look at me I got some ink. And while yes some people do get something because they liked it. It still posses as a memory. Some people regret their tattoo but most people, the majority that actually do their research and save their hard earned cash don't regret it.

My X girlfriend dad had a jaguar tattooed on his arm as time went on our body starts to soften, wrinkle and sag...welcome the faded black slug!!

I just got my first tat at 50 years old (2/18) in commemoration of completing my 10th year of sobriety. It's the AA triangle symbol with an image of my HD Street Glide in front of it. I thought it was well deserved to show what one can accomplish when you put your mind to it.

The extreme prevalence of tattoos put hundreds of circus side show freaks out of work.

I am 41 and have a ton of tattoos. I am completely ok with my decision to get tattoos and I own my own business so I don't worry about getting a job. But I absolutely agree if you are just getting tattooed because of this current fad, its not for you. Good video

Today’s tattoo is no tattoo.

but don't you just love having to go to walmart and seeing the 40yo cashier w/her neck tats all going to it's jawline? LOL.