In the strange and interesting department:
[Sergeant Robert Bartos]'s new art is a Thai Buddhist protection tattoo, aimed at guarding the
wearer against invasive weapons (think: bullets and knives). It's a
tactic that, according to a National Public Radio feature last August, is gaining a global base of devotees among members of law enforcement, the military and other professions in the line of fire.
From NPR:
For centuries, Thai soldiers have covered their bodies in protective
tattoos called Sak Yant. Today, the ancient ritual is booming and
thousands of people — in Thailand and beyond — are flocking to master
artists to have the powerful designs inked on their bodies. [...]
After inking one man's back, [the master tattoo artist] places his hand over the man's face
and forces his head backwards. He draws a ritual knife across his neck
and then stabs him lightly in the back.
"No person with this tattoo will ever be hurt by bullets or knives," he says. [...]
There are hundreds of traditional designs, many of which revolve around
animal figures. One of the most powerful, according to the tradition,
is a tiger that spans the whole of a person's lower back.
Ooh! Ow! But do they work? If you believe in them, they can make you braver. (Of course, that could, um, cut both ways. Feeling invulnerable could make you quick, fearless, and agile. It could also make you reckless and stupid. It's a fine line.)
An unprepared person can suddenly find that their whole life is
turned around after being inked, a monk named Suntotn Prapagaroe
explains.
"If a person has a tiger spirit, he will act like a
tiger. He cannot control himself, the spirit controls him," Prapagaroe
says. "He will spread his hand like this and roar." [...]
Chakkrapad Romkaew, one of the devotees, says that his first tattoo
altered his outlook on the world, made him braver and encouraged him to
become a soldier. His back is covered in elaborate geometric patterns
and Buddhist prayers. In a week, he's being sent to the south of
Thailand as part of an anti-terrorist squad. He wants to get another
tattoo so, he says, he will be more fully protected before the bullets
begin to fly.
"There are so many dangers waiting down there," he
says. "Before I got a tattoo, I never wanted to be a soldier. But when
they got into my skin, my desire to be a soldier got stronger." [...]
Alas, the following immediately made the story less interesting to me:
Although Sak Yant has existed for thousands of years, it began to
expand in new directions several years ago due to one extremely famous
devotee: Angelina Jolie. In 2004, the actress flew to Bangkok to meet
with venerated tattoo master Ajarn Noo Kanphai, who placed a large
tiger on her lower back — and a string of Thai script on her left
shoulder.
Wouldn't you know it. Angelina Jolie. *yawn* Globalization chic incarnate. A one-woman machine for converting the exotic into the banal.
Tattoos, Kanphai says, can give people the courage to face the
difficulties of their lives. They can multiply wealth and protect the
wearer from harm. "Many people have come to me with drug problems, but
after I give them a tattoo, the problems go away," he says. A tattoo
can really change your life."
Quit smoking? Lose weight? Tattoo tour packages, anyone? Tattoo rehab? "Sak Yant" by Gus Van Sant? The boredom of Hollywood creeps out like a toxic fog to engulf the world.