Your garbage for our trash (Cleaning crew again)

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

So today, I think our regular cleaning guy got busted for ganking stuff. I saw him getting marched up the steps to the store manager's office by store manager and our two LP people, who got here abnormally early this morning. Any time you get marched up to the offices in the company of those three, you know you've been caught and you're finished.

There was a new cleaning guy training with us today. He wasn't a very big guy physically, but he looked pretty tough, and...wait a minute, is that a teardrop tattooed under his eye? Oh shit, it is! Lovely. That means he could've done time in prison, he could be in a gang, he could've even murdered somebody. I'm not about to ask the significance of his tattoo.

And we're going to be alone in the store with this guy, and we've had some rather...ummm, colorful...cleaning people come and go.

Seriously, where is our cleaning contractor coming up with these people? And why is corporate to cheap to sign on with a cleaning company that employs more normal people?

[MrSmiley]

There was a new cleaning guy training with us today. He wasn't a very big guy physically, but he looked pretty tough, and...wait a minute, is that a teardrop tattooed under his eye? Oh shit, it is! Lovely. That means he could've done time in prison, he could be in a gang, he could've even murdered somebody. I'm not about to ask the significance of his tattoo.

Or worse yet, he could be into vampire movies...

[DerangedHermit]

Or worse yet, he could be into vampire movies...

I'd be scared if he starts to glitter.

[joe hx]

Have you ever seen that Animal Planet show "Pitbulls and Parolees"? Maybe they're making a sequal "Cleaning crew and Ex-cons"

[Green_Fairy]

he could very well be trying to...clean himself up *badum ch!*

your old guy sounds like the guys that do our stock delivery...they stole a coworker's ipod...they've been known to throw stuff around, deliver out of date product...the other day, one of my coworkers got up on a ladder to get something off of a shelf...and noticed that they've been wadding up paper and throwing it on the top of one of our fridges. apparently they used to steal tip money, too.

[Hobbs]

From Wiki:

It is a tattoo that is almost always associated with prison tattoos and membership in a gang. Tear tattoos, when given in prison, primarily to indicate that the bearer has murdered someone, either in or out of jail. The tattoo can also be given to commemorate a loved one who died while the wearer was incarcerated.

In Australian prisons, teardrop tattoos are often forcibly given to convicted child molesters by other inmates.

That aside, people aren't necessarily bad because they've been incarcerated. He may not even have gotten it in prison. As the article states, it can also commemorate a loved one.

[LillFilly]

I didn't know about the significance of that tattoo beyond what I heard that it was for murder. But then again, a LOT of people get tattoos that they don't understand the meaning of; I've seen some myself that people got because it 'looked cool.'

[infinitemonkies]

First of all, if the guy even is an ex-con, the company probably gets some kind of tax break or other incentive for hiring parolees. Also, I think that if he's served his time, he deserves a chance at a fresh start.



Second, there are a ton of people who get tattoos they think look cool without having any idea what they mean.

I forget the exact numbers, But I was reading recently that in North America the number of people with tattoos and/or non-earring body piercings have tripled in the last 10 years or so.

A lot of people have spiderweb tattoos now, and many of them have no idea what it means, but the traditional meaning is that the bearer has killed a minority, and the number of rings around the web indicates how many years they've served in prison.
It's actually worse than walking around with a visible swastika tattoo.

I used to work with this huge guy who was about 6'5 and pushing 400lbs. He got a kanji tattoo on the back of his neck that was supposed to say "Bad Muthafucka."
Found out about 2 years later what it actually said was "Mamma's boy."
(Out of curiosity, can anyone here tell me if those ideograms are similar? Is it an honest mistake, or was the tattoo artist fucking with him?)

[Flying Grype]

Mamma's Boy should have read Hanzi Smatter.

http://hanzismatter.com/

[BlaqueKatt]

But then again, a LOT of people get tattoos that they don't understand the meaning of; I've seen some myself that people got because it 'looked cool.'

yeah like the spiderweb on the elbow tattoo....I personally find it amusing to tell them what it means....it's not a nice thing...and I think I'll start a thread on fratching*.....yay!



*not so subtle hint to get more people to join...

[Andara Bledin]

Or worse yet, he could be into vampire movies...

*shudder* The horror!

A lot of people have spiderweb tattoos now, and many of them have no idea what it means, but the traditional meaning is that the bearer has killed a minority, and the number of rings around the web indicates how many years they've served in prison.

Actually, there are so many different meanings to that one, it's hard to pin down any accurate start. In some cases it only represents the number of years in prison (for any reason), in others, for how many you've killed, etc, etc. Another possible somewhat modern origin is that navymen would get it while out to see for extended stretches to represent cobwebs growing on their elbows while they lean on the railing wishing they were home. And then you get into possible tribal origins that would have meanings completely outside the ones mentioned.

I don't trust most origin stories for modern forms of expression, since most of them are either completely fabricated, mis-represented, or only partially accurate.

^-.-^