So I have an idea. A lot of people within the tattoo community are upset about the new show coming out on TLC called Tattoo School.This show follows some lady who gives people a two week crash course in tattooing for about $5000 and teaches them to do horrible tattoos on people within two weeks. There are online petitionsgoing around and facebookpages dedicated to stopping the airing of the show. I don't think TLC is going to pay any attention. I've been trying to think of what would matter. I guess that's the worst part of this whole situation is feeling so out of control. Many of us have dedicated years to tattooing and we really care about the industry. We care about how it's represented, we care about what happens to tattooing and we hate to see it falling into such bad hands. The tattoo industry is being raped and pillaged by a TV network that doesn't care about any aspect of the art or the community.  They don't care about us or what we think.

Here's where my idea starts. TLC does care about the shows that have been successful for them. They care about the people who have made those shows successful. Kat VonD, Ami and the rest are big TV stars now but ultimately they started out as people who loved tattoos and got into tattooing to be tattoo artists, not to be TV stars. That wasn't an option, or something that anyone would have thought about in their wildest dreams a couple years ago. I'm guessing that they are as appalled as the rest of us about this new twist in programing. I know that they have all signed contracts. I know that they've probably become quite used to their new paychecks and fancy hourly rates since they've become TV personalities. But maybe somewhere deep down inside they know how wrong this is and they know that they should stand up for the industry that's served them more than they ever could have expected to have benefited. 

It is no good appealing to TLC, an entity that cares nothing about us, a company that is deaf to any of our concerns. Instead call on the ones who CAN speak up on our behalf. The only ones who hold any power, the ones who came from our ranks and but for an unexpected twist of fate would still be where we are now. 

AMI JAMES, KAT VON D and supporting cast. It's time to give something back. It's time to protect the industry that got you where you are now. You know this isn't right. You know it goes too far. TELL YOUR BOSSES AT TLC THAT THE WHOLE THING SUCKS. TELL THEM TO STOP. 

Maybe if some of the people on these shows feel some of the heat for supporting (even second hand) this terrible idea something will change. I know it's too much to hope for that NY Ink and crew would all stand together on this but it's a nice thought. These are people that had to work hard to be tattoo artists. They worked hard to learn how to tattoo. Tattooing was worth it to them once upon a time. I would hope tattooing is still important to them more so than being stars on really bad reality TV.

Tell Ami what you think of him supporting TLC on Facebook and Twitter.

Tell Kat what you think of her.

ANYONE WHO LOVES TATTOOING THAT COLLECTS A PAYCHECK FROM TLC SHOULD STAND UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT.