Understanding concepts of perception

November 19, 2005

Not too long ago I was at a Democratic Caucus in Topeka, which was a great learning experience and a wonderful evening of camaraderie. As I mingled and visited with incumbents and other candidates I was approached by a young candidate who asked me what I was going to do about my tattoos. I said, "nothing, they are a part of me." Wow, what a question to ask but it served to make me aware of a perception that some people may have in regards to my body art.

For those that may not know I am heavily tattooed having around 27 tattoos in all. The majority of my tattoos are displayed upon my arms and I do not cover them, I am not ashamed of my art. I have been in the body art business for almost 30 years. My tattoos are a form of personal expression that I found in my youth and one that I have continued to nurture through the years. My tattoos are as much a part of me as the skin where they reside. But my tattoos do not make who I am nor do they form my opinions or my insights into the issues that concern us all on a daily basis. Who I am came from my years of experience in the real world giving me wisdom, compassion and intelligence.

Some people may look at my tattoos and think that I am an individual of low intelligence. Others may think that I have a criminal past while others may believe me to be trash. These are sorry stereotypes that are far from the truth and have absolutely nothing to do with who I am. As a matter of fact most collectors of quality professional tattoo art are professional people in a higher income bracket of $40,000 a year or more. A good tattoo is not cheap and a cheap tattoo is not good.

Unfortunately I do understand that during the course of my campaign that there will be those that try to use my tattoos as a strike against me. There might be those who say that I can't be credible because I have tattoos. There could be people that look at my tattoos and refuse to listen to what I say or think that my opinions cannot be that informed because I am tattooed. I feel sorry for those people because they are missing the chance to know not just a political candidate but also a friend and a neighbor who has the same concerns as they do. They will miss the chance to find out that I care about education, healthcare, national security, the environment and the economy as much as they do. They will never know how much I love God and Country and that I have a deep concern for the future progress of our State. And all because they looked at my body art and closed their minds.

I can be thankful however that there will be those, with enough intelligence, who will not judge a book by its cover. They will listen to what I have to say and will take the time to learn that I am a person who can help them continue to make Kansas the best place in the world to live. They will know that who and what I am comes not from the designs within my skin but from my heart. They will have a chance to know me and I will have a chance to know and work with them and for them. Do the tattoos make the man? No, what's inside the man makes the man!