Saving People From Themselves

It's one of the many and varied mysteries of the human mind. We can understand the human mind that wishes to distinguish itself through acts of charity, adventure and rational intelligence. But that portion of humankind that chooses in the most visible ways possible to distinguish themselves from others, in rejection of prevailing norms to alter themselves in such drastic and visible ways that no one could possibly miss the message?

What the message might be; that is, the underlying, deep-seated message cannot be known precisely. It's entirely possible that the person who so distinguishes themselves can't really explain, even to themselves, what motivates them. Other than the most obvious; a total rejection of what is considered through a longstanding, unwritten, unspoken social contract as normalcy. There is a tradition of self-flagellation that people resort to as an expression of self-sacrifice in support of an ideal.

But that kind of thing doesn't actually apply in these more modern instances of gruesome self-mutilation in drastic alterations of appearance. After all, it isn't exactly normal to make oneself a grotesque parody of human yet unhuman appearance.

David Sidaway / Postmedia News Tattoos and piercings, as exhibited by Montreal Rick Genest, above, are fairly tame.

It's certainly difficult for most people who consider themselves 'normal' to view an appearance such as the one above with anything approaching objective equanimity. We instantly, upon seeing such an apparition, wonder what could possibly inspire someone to perform such drastic and sinisterly-dramatic alterations to their physical appearance. And, instinctively, we wonder what's wrong with them. What could conceivably have driven them to reject how nature conceived them, and embrace the dreadful appearance they exchanged it for?

There are ancient tribal rites, practises and passages that call upon their members at certain stages in life and maturity to embroider their bodies with tattoos and body piercings. Elongated necks that women of a tribe are encouraged to begin working on through the gradual addition of metal loops that eventually results in a giraffe-like neck considered to be a symbol of beauty for that tribe. Or monstrously elongated ears, with gradually heavier rings placed in holes in the earlobes.

Primitive peoples have always tattooed themselves, using sand or grit under wounds, or vegetable dyes to provide a scarred, ridged or coloured effect, in the belief that in so doing, through all the pain, they were increasing their value in their social community as desirable and beautiful members. The painfully tiny feet that were imposed upon women of status in Japan were said to arouse passion in the men who observed and lusted after these women, crippled by their status.

So what exactly, can it be that attracts certain personalities in our present age, within communities in the 21st-Century Western cultures to delve into self-mutilation? It is not, after all, beautification that these modern-day rejectionists of normalcy pursue, but a ghastly attraction to self-mutilation. What else can it be termed, when they seek to experience the joys of having their skin carved and branded, being hung from a ceiling on hooks pressed into their backs?

Laura Morton / Seattle Times

Are they celebrating their exceptionalism, their curious sense of discovery, personal exploration, courage in altering forever their appearance to a grotesque parody? If they are beloved of anyone, it becomes a challenge to appreciate the visual horror that they represent. Is this the expression of those who have nothing but contempt for the values that others hold dear? An absolute and utter rejection of societal acceptance? Their unavoidable appearance a poke in the eye to those whom they reject?

Nothing occurs in a vacuum, however. And those who make it a point of expanding their horizons by experiencing what it feels like to be hung and flayed like a piece of butcher's meat also flirt with the potential of picking up extremely dangerous-to-lethal infectious diseases. At the least, haemorrhaging dangerously through the processes, and inevitable exposure to infections through bloodborne diseases.

Their desires become public health risks. And public health authorities are beginning to take notice of what is happening in an industry that is unregulated and whose practitioners may be less concerned with the health and well-being of their clients than they might be if they were required by law to ensure they observe strict hygienic processes. There are routine inspections by municipal health authorities, but these extreme passages from normalcy to abnormal occur outside normal business hours.

"We'd inspected a premise we're aware of that's low risk and then suddenly they bring in an artist who is doing more procedures and elevating the risk. It's very difficult, from our perspective." So, is the answer licensing and passing of strict regulations to ensure that those providing these extreme services to a small portion of the public follow health and safety guidelines?

"It's here to stay regardless of whether the medical community wants it to be here. Now it's a case of how do we make it safe, because kids are dumb and they're going to do it themselves if they don't have a professional they can go to." It's been proven in society time and again that the minute something is declared to be outside the law, its attraction-quotient soars. Prohibition simply doesn't work; it attracts more consumers to the prohibited.

It's not rational, but it does reflect the propensity of human beings to seek out the proscribed, the condemned, the adventure of it all, irrespective of the harm it does to them. And no law is capable of restraining people who are determined, to harm themselves irremediably.
You want horns? Here's horns...

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