美国国家公共电台 NPR Tattoo Artist Covers Up Racist Insignia For Free: 'Enough Hate In This World'

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

We all make mistakes, right? And who among us doesn't want a second chance? Well, that's what tattoo¹ artist Dave Cutlip is doing. He's offering cover-ups of racist² or gang-related tattoos³ free of charge. Dave's the owner of Southside Tattoo in Brooklyn Park, Md. He posted his offer on Facebook last month. He wrote, "sometimes people make bad choices, and sometimes people change. We believe that there is enough hate in this world, and we want to make a difference," unquote.

This generous act caught our attention, so we called up Dave to find out more about why he decided⁴ to do this. He joins us from his shop, which is just south of Baltimore.

Dave Cutlip, thanks so much for speaking with us, especially on this busy day for you.

DAVE CUTLIP: Oh, thank you for having me. It's a pleasure.

MARTIN: So first of all, tattoos aren't cheap. They can cost hundreds of dollars, right? And getting one removed can cost even more.

CUTLIP: Absolutely. They actually can cost up into the thousands.

MARTIN: So what made you decide to make this offer?

CUTLIP: I had someone come in, and they had some tattoos on their face. I couldn't help him, but I figured - well, if I can't help him, maybe I can help somebody else.

MARTIN: So you posted your offer on Facebook last month. I understand you've already had quite a reaction. Can you tell us a little bit more or maybe even share some of the stories of the people who've come in?

CUTLIP: Yeah. A lot of them were in the prison, or they were just, you know, in bad neighborhoods. And one particular guy was working in a coffee shop, and he was trying to get a job with Amazon. And Amazon wouldn't hire him because he had white power tattooed⁵ on his arms.

MARTIN: Do you think that some of these folks - have they actually had a change of heart, or are they just trying to cover up what they still believe?

CUTLIP: You know, I'd like to think that they definitely⁶ have a change of heart. There's no question I'm getting people that are trying to get something for free. However, I believe in my heart that the people that I'm helping⁷ are actually doing something. The main thing for me was if I could just help one person, then maybe that person will help somebody else and then it just catch on from there.

MARTIN: Is there a throughline to the people who've come to you for help? Is it that these are things that they got when they were young?

CUTLIP: Yeah. As a matter of fact, like, one guy - he had a confederate flag with a noose⁸ at the bottom. And he said that growing up where he grew up, that's how things were and now that he has a job and has kids that he doesn't believe in that anymore, and I definitely believed him.

MARTIN: (Laughter) So before we let you go, I understand that this has kind of taken off already - that you've got a GoFundMe campaign started to connect other tattoo artists around the country who may want to replicate⁹ what you've done. What's been the response so far?

CUTLIP: To be honest with you, I never expected it to do what it did. And now that it has done what it's done, if we can just erase¹⁰ hate one tattoo at a time, then we're all doing something.

MARTIN: That's Dave Cutlip, tattoo artist and owner of Southside Tattoos (ph) in Brooklyn Park, Md. Dave and his team are offering free tattoo cover-ups of racist or gang-affiliated tattoos.

Dave, thanks so much for joining us.

CUTLIP: You're quite welcome. It was my pleasure.

1 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

2 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

3 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 tattooed   

v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• He had tattooed his wife's name on his upper arm. 他把妻子的名字刺在上臂上。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sailor had a heart tattooed on his arm. 那水兵在手臂上刺上一颗心。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 noose   

n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑

参考例句：

• They tied a noose round her neck.他们在她脖子上系了一个活扣。
• A hangman's noose had already been placed around his neck.一个绞刑的绳圈已经套在他的脖子上。

9 replicate   

v.折叠，复制，模写；n.同样的样品；adj.转折的

参考例句：

• The DNA of chromatin must replicate before cell division.染色质DNA在细胞分裂之前必须复制。
• It is also easy to replicate,as the next subsection explains.就像下一个小节详细说明的那样，它还可以被轻易的复制。

10 erase   

v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹

参考例句：

• He tried to erase the idea from his mind.他试图从头脑中抹掉这个想法。
• Please erase my name from the list.请把我的名字从名单上擦去。