If you want it, I say go for it. Yes people may judge you poorly based on it but I think anyone who does isn't worth caring about.
Poll: I want to split my tongue.
- Thread starter Firia
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You'll get it now and hate yourself for it later. This sounds like a bad bad bad idea and while it may seem cool today, but in real life, there are no save points to revert to. You get it and you're stuck with it.
My friend Doc did this, although he did it himself over a long period of time. He started with a tongue piercing, and then slowly did cuts with wire to the tip of his tougue. You can damage the tongue permanently if done incorrectly and he says it does effect your taste buds. Just like a tongue piecing you will have to learn how to pronounce certain words again, but with a little practice no one will notice unless you stick your tongue out and "wiggle" it.
On the plus sides of this, you will be a hit with the guys or the ladies depending on your sexuality. Doc's wife thinks it's amazing.
On the plus sides of this, you will be a hit with the guys or the ladies depending on your sexuality. Doc's wife thinks it's amazing.
That's how I originally heard it being down. A largish gauge tongue piercing, and a wire that slowly cuts over time. That's about the time when I thought the whole idea is crazy. Then only in the past few years did I learn that people in tattoo and body mod shops were doing it. I personally prefer a medical setting, because afterwards they'll stitch the separate halves. In time, it heals to form to be shapely and nice to look at. As opposed to looking like a healed split with a line down the middle. Not to mention anesthetic.Monshroud said:
Plus, if anything DOES go wrong (knock on wood), I'm with a doctor! I kinda wish I could talk directly with someone that has had it done. Wisdom from people that have experienced it, as opposed to online testomonials. I'm still keen on getting it done sometime, but the added bonus of anothers' wisdom still appeals.
Sorry to bring this thread back, since I know more than half of its original readers didn't care for it. But in my search for information, I found this... artical. I found it applied to much of what I read here. I could be worth a read, if you're interested in what some of these opinions suggested here sound like to the recipient.
It's about mods in general. [http://www.bmezine.com/news/edit/A90513/artmyrea.html] Link, or have a looksie in the spoiler tag.
It's about mods in general. [http://www.bmezine.com/news/edit/A90513/artmyrea.html] Link, or have a looksie in the spoiler tag.
It's silly to focus on it too much, but I can't help but still be amazed at the ignorance and hate that comes from so many people. I usually don't talk to people like this by choice, but recently I've spent some time on non-mod-related internet forums and have been amazed by the hate and ignorance when the topics of tattoos or piercings come up. It's also usually useless to argue with them, because close-minded people seldom change their minds because their ideas are based on hatred without any reason, anyway. Following are a few of the things I've heard over and over:
"You'll never get a job anywhere" or "You'll never get a good job."
While it's true some places will not hire visibly modified people, it's also true that visibly modified people shouldn't just give up on finding a job. They can still start their own business and prove everyone wrong. They can work somewhere where there isn't such a strict dress code. They can work via the internet (which I've done for years now). How are things ever going to change for the benefit of the modded if they give up? Modded people are like unmodded people in that some will succeed and some won't. If a place hates tattoos and won't hire me, I'll seek employment elsewhere. The more modded people who are well-educated and who make themselves employable due to skills, and those who start their own businesses, the more quickly things will change in our favor (and for the favor of everyone, since it mostly involves people not being bigoted toward people based on irrelevant things).
"Tattoos/piercings are ugly."
This one really baffles me, because it suggests that beauty is completely objective and that no one can have different aesthetic tastes. I probably hear this more than anything, and it really irritates me. Another variation is "women with tattoos and/or piercings are ugly." If a guy things tattoos are awful-looking and hates people just based on that, there is a good chance I wouldn't be interested in that guy anyway, so it confuses me as to why I'd even care what such a person thinks. By that same reasoning, if I am not attracted to blonde guys, should all guys with blonde hair dye it some other color? Of course not. On the other hand, maybe it's useful to know what people hate tattoos with no reason, so that the more open-minded people can avoid such people. Which leads us to:
"You're distancing yourself from society."
Maybe I am, but if the people they are talking about are so judgmental and close-minded, maybe I don't want to talk to them anyway. Maybe I WANT to distance myself from bigoted people! I'd honesty rather have no friends than have friend that hate people for no good reason.
"What if you regret it someday?" and "Will you still like it when you're 80?"
Another thing that really annoys me. I've spent years contemplating my tattoos, with the exception of a couple of self-done ones as a teenager. I don't even regret those, because they remind me of that time in my life and what I was going through at the time. I have thought about my sleeves for more than a decade, and I finally feel that I am ready to get them. Most people don't even spend that much time contemplating whether or not they want children, or thinking about where they want to live or what they want to do with their life. I have spent countless hours thinking about my tattoos, thanks. It's not a spur of the moment thing for me. As for the "when you're 80" thing, I think that's similar in that it assumes the person did it as a spur of the moment thing and will change completely. People change all the time, and even if, as an older person, I don't want anymore tattoos, I don't see why I would ever feel ashamed of my past, whatever my past held.
I used to work in a convenience store across from a retirement home, and I saw a lot of older guys with old tattoos. The tattoos were faded and blown out. Sometimes it was hard to read the text on them, but these old dudes rocked their old tattoos. They weren't ashamed of them; they didn't wear long sleeves in hot weather to hide them. They had wrinkly skin, sure, but that's because they were old. Should old people be ashamed of that too? I think our bodies are a road map of what we've been through. I may not have wrinkles yet, but I have stretch marks from weight gain and loss. I have unintentional scars. I think of these things as battle-wounds, they remind me of what I've been through, whether it was accidents and sports injuries, or medicine-related weight gain and then working hard to lose the extra weight. I refuse to be ashamed of my stretch marks, so why should I be ashamed of my tattoos? I worked hard to get them, I thought about them a long time. Even if some don't reflect who I am right now, they reflect who I used to be, and I refuse to be ashamed of any of it.
"What if you get pregnant?" or even better, "That won't look so good when you have kids."
This grinds my gears the most, probably, but for other reasons. I don't want kids. Ever. I feel very strongly about this. I respect other's decisions to have children, but I will never have kids. I've actually considered getting a V.H.E.M.T. tattoo to illustrate my strong feelings about not having children. It's a personal decision and I expect others to respect it. It's also a stupid thing to say because it assumes all women will want children. Again, nothing against those who do, but when people tell me this, I'm offended because it seems to assume that BECAUSE I am a woman, I will get pregnant someday. It also ignores the fact that some men gain weight and this could potentially affect their stomach tattoos in the same way a pregnant woman's tattoo could be affected. That being said, many say this without even doing any research into the matter. I've known women whose tattoos survived pregnancy just fine. And if they hadn't, who's to say the woman would feel terrible about it anyway? Why couldn't she get it touched up, or just see it as a "battle scar" and a reminder of positive experiences she's had? I don't like the way people think the way they see their bodies must be the same way everyone else feels. I was put on prednisone and gained 70 pounds while on it. Glucocorticoids encourage weight gain in the midsection, so yes, I got stretch marks there. I have stretch marks right through a self-done dragon tattoo on the side of my stomach. I am not ashamed of this. While losing weight, I noticed my stomach doesn't look as great as it once did. Again, this is something I see as a "battle scar." I got sick, and my body changed because of it. I'm not ashamed of the slightly messed-up tattoo, and the only reason I might cover it is because I want larger themed tattoo pieces instead of just a bunch of random tattoos. Otherwise, a bit of touching up would make it look fine, I'm sure. The same thing goes for breast tattoos. Yes, you need to think abo ut eventual sagging in the area if you get one there, but it's usually not to the extent many seem to think. I have always had large breasts, and I know mine aren't as perky as they were when I was a teenager, but I refuse to live in shame about this fact. I still love my boobs, and I would love them still if the tattoos on them stretched out a bit over the years.
I think when people say these things, and things like "you're just doing it to look cool," it tells a lot about their own insecurities. They are the ones who probably haven't thought about their appearance or how they ideally would want to look, and they are the ones who are overly concerned with how others think of them. If I was that concerned about what others thought, I wouldn't have visible tattoos. Certainly I've gotten more negative attention than positive. My mother thinks women with tattoos look "trashy," for example.) What doesn't occur to people is that I get tattoos because I want tattoos, and if other people don't like them, those people can go to hell, as far as I'm concerned.
Another thing I hate is the patronizing tone these people take, and they tend to treat anyone with modifications like a moron who never thought about the implications. The fact is, we've thought about the implications more than they'll ever know. I've thought about my tattoos for years. When I had more piercings, I thought about those a good deal first, too. I know I'll have to work harder to get jobs. I know people will treat me differently and say stupid things to me. But at least I have the satisfaction of living my life on my own terms, and doing what I want to with my body, rather than worrying about what bigoted people will think of me, and I feel like I'm a stronger person because of it.
"You'll never get a job anywhere" or "You'll never get a good job."
While it's true some places will not hire visibly modified people, it's also true that visibly modified people shouldn't just give up on finding a job. They can still start their own business and prove everyone wrong. They can work somewhere where there isn't such a strict dress code. They can work via the internet (which I've done for years now). How are things ever going to change for the benefit of the modded if they give up? Modded people are like unmodded people in that some will succeed and some won't. If a place hates tattoos and won't hire me, I'll seek employment elsewhere. The more modded people who are well-educated and who make themselves employable due to skills, and those who start their own businesses, the more quickly things will change in our favor (and for the favor of everyone, since it mostly involves people not being bigoted toward people based on irrelevant things).
"Tattoos/piercings are ugly."
This one really baffles me, because it suggests that beauty is completely objective and that no one can have different aesthetic tastes. I probably hear this more than anything, and it really irritates me. Another variation is "women with tattoos and/or piercings are ugly." If a guy things tattoos are awful-looking and hates people just based on that, there is a good chance I wouldn't be interested in that guy anyway, so it confuses me as to why I'd even care what such a person thinks. By that same reasoning, if I am not attracted to blonde guys, should all guys with blonde hair dye it some other color? Of course not. On the other hand, maybe it's useful to know what people hate tattoos with no reason, so that the more open-minded people can avoid such people. Which leads us to:
"You're distancing yourself from society."
Maybe I am, but if the people they are talking about are so judgmental and close-minded, maybe I don't want to talk to them anyway. Maybe I WANT to distance myself from bigoted people! I'd honesty rather have no friends than have friend that hate people for no good reason.
"What if you regret it someday?" and "Will you still like it when you're 80?"
Another thing that really annoys me. I've spent years contemplating my tattoos, with the exception of a couple of self-done ones as a teenager. I don't even regret those, because they remind me of that time in my life and what I was going through at the time. I have thought about my sleeves for more than a decade, and I finally feel that I am ready to get them. Most people don't even spend that much time contemplating whether or not they want children, or thinking about where they want to live or what they want to do with their life. I have spent countless hours thinking about my tattoos, thanks. It's not a spur of the moment thing for me. As for the "when you're 80" thing, I think that's similar in that it assumes the person did it as a spur of the moment thing and will change completely. People change all the time, and even if, as an older person, I don't want anymore tattoos, I don't see why I would ever feel ashamed of my past, whatever my past held.
I used to work in a convenience store across from a retirement home, and I saw a lot of older guys with old tattoos. The tattoos were faded and blown out. Sometimes it was hard to read the text on them, but these old dudes rocked their old tattoos. They weren't ashamed of them; they didn't wear long sleeves in hot weather to hide them. They had wrinkly skin, sure, but that's because they were old. Should old people be ashamed of that too? I think our bodies are a road map of what we've been through. I may not have wrinkles yet, but I have stretch marks from weight gain and loss. I have unintentional scars. I think of these things as battle-wounds, they remind me of what I've been through, whether it was accidents and sports injuries, or medicine-related weight gain and then working hard to lose the extra weight. I refuse to be ashamed of my stretch marks, so why should I be ashamed of my tattoos? I worked hard to get them, I thought about them a long time. Even if some don't reflect who I am right now, they reflect who I used to be, and I refuse to be ashamed of any of it.
"What if you get pregnant?" or even better, "That won't look so good when you have kids."
This grinds my gears the most, probably, but for other reasons. I don't want kids. Ever. I feel very strongly about this. I respect other's decisions to have children, but I will never have kids. I've actually considered getting a V.H.E.M.T. tattoo to illustrate my strong feelings about not having children. It's a personal decision and I expect others to respect it. It's also a stupid thing to say because it assumes all women will want children. Again, nothing against those who do, but when people tell me this, I'm offended because it seems to assume that BECAUSE I am a woman, I will get pregnant someday. It also ignores the fact that some men gain weight and this could potentially affect their stomach tattoos in the same way a pregnant woman's tattoo could be affected. That being said, many say this without even doing any research into the matter. I've known women whose tattoos survived pregnancy just fine. And if they hadn't, who's to say the woman would feel terrible about it anyway? Why couldn't she get it touched up, or just see it as a "battle scar" and a reminder of positive experiences she's had? I don't like the way people think the way they see their bodies must be the same way everyone else feels. I was put on prednisone and gained 70 pounds while on it. Glucocorticoids encourage weight gain in the midsection, so yes, I got stretch marks there. I have stretch marks right through a self-done dragon tattoo on the side of my stomach. I am not ashamed of this. While losing weight, I noticed my stomach doesn't look as great as it once did. Again, this is something I see as a "battle scar." I got sick, and my body changed because of it. I'm not ashamed of the slightly messed-up tattoo, and the only reason I might cover it is because I want larger themed tattoo pieces instead of just a bunch of random tattoos. Otherwise, a bit of touching up would make it look fine, I'm sure. The same thing goes for breast tattoos. Yes, you need to think abo ut eventual sagging in the area if you get one there, but it's usually not to the extent many seem to think. I have always had large breasts, and I know mine aren't as perky as they were when I was a teenager, but I refuse to live in shame about this fact. I still love my boobs, and I would love them still if the tattoos on them stretched out a bit over the years.
I think when people say these things, and things like "you're just doing it to look cool," it tells a lot about their own insecurities. They are the ones who probably haven't thought about their appearance or how they ideally would want to look, and they are the ones who are overly concerned with how others think of them. If I was that concerned about what others thought, I wouldn't have visible tattoos. Certainly I've gotten more negative attention than positive. My mother thinks women with tattoos look "trashy," for example.) What doesn't occur to people is that I get tattoos because I want tattoos, and if other people don't like them, those people can go to hell, as far as I'm concerned.
Another thing I hate is the patronizing tone these people take, and they tend to treat anyone with modifications like a moron who never thought about the implications. The fact is, we've thought about the implications more than they'll ever know. I've thought about my tattoos for years. When I had more piercings, I thought about those a good deal first, too. I know I'll have to work harder to get jobs. I know people will treat me differently and say stupid things to me. But at least I have the satisfaction of living my life on my own terms, and doing what I want to with my body, rather than worrying about what bigoted people will think of me, and I feel like I'm a stronger person because of it.
Yeh, is there any practical use for it? I think it would actually set you back a bit. It doesn't look nice, a little freaky in fact. It's unnatural. Painful to begin with. Disgusting and pointless. That's what I think but you might really, really want to cut open your toungue.Assassinator said:
Ouch.
That is all I can say.
Oh yeah, and: Why?
Edit:
Hmm, that article was more of a personal rant in my opinion.
Usually I only see people using the "You'll regret it in , and "tatooes, stuff, etc etc is ugly", and people usually specifiy that this is their own opinion. If they don't you can usually take it for granted that's what they meant.
That is all I can say.
Oh yeah, and: Why?
Edit:
Hmm, that article was more of a personal rant in my opinion.
Usually I only see people using the "You'll regret it in , and "tatooes, stuff, etc etc is ugly", and people usually specifiy that this is their own opinion. If they don't you can usually take it for granted that's what they meant.
But...that's completely pointless! And painful! And probably unhealthy in some form or another. Why would you want to mutilate yourself like that?
Please understand, I'm not trying to offend you, but rather, dissuade you from this course of action which I believe is very, very wrong.
Please understand, I'm not trying to offend you, but rather, dissuade you from this course of action which I believe is very, very wrong.
Beyond my own personal idea of what looks and feels good, not really. There isn't a secret meaning behind the split mod.PAGEToap44 said:
It's a functional mod that I personally think is sexy as hell. I've thought this mod over for over 5 years (on and off). Not once have I had doubts about the mod itself. It's the social stigma from people that hate body mods. (I'll admit, this is where I draw the line on surgical mods, though. Beyond this point, it gets a whole lot more jaw dropping, and I just won't go there.)
Why would what I do with my body in a safe sterile and professional environment be "very very wrong?" This isn't mutilation. I'm not cutting the tongue to ribbons. I'm modding it, and adding functionality. The most unhealthy it gets would be if the medical professional botched the job, but that really goes for ANY surgical proceedure. They all carry risk.The_Oracle said:
Thank you for sharing that.KneeLord said:
When I research this mod, I see a fair amount of comparison to reptiles. For my, this mod is not about looking reptilian. But for the most part, your friend sounds alot like me. This will be by far an extreme mod for me.
As a neophyte Transhumanist, I don't think that modifying one's body is a bad thing, don't get me wrong. If there was some kind of leech discovered at the bottom of the ocean that extended one's life by decades or improved your health by attaching it to your body, I'd be grafting that thing to myself faster than you can say Kimiko Ross.Firia said:Why would what I do with my body in a safe sterile and professional environment be "very very wrong?" This isn't mutilation. I'm not cutting the tongue to ribbons. I'm modding it, and adding functionality. The most unhealthy it gets would be if the medical professional botched the job, but that really goes for ANY surgical proceedure. They all carry risk.The_Oracle said:
However, things like tongue-splitting just rub me the wrong way because I don't see much practical use out of doing it. It's your body and your tongue, so you can do what you want, but I'm just letting you know that I think it'd be a mistake.
No matter what you end up doing, I just hope you spend plenty of time thinking it over and considering your options carefully.
I couldn't do it even if I wanted to; skin allergies and blood condition. So I cannot have a valid opinion. But I'm pretty sure you would not have your bank job for long with it. *chuckle* Would you want to give your money to someone who looks like a snake? ^_^ sorry, couldn't resist.
If you want it, I say go for it!
It is up to you to decide what you want to do with your body. I, myself, want to get a tattoo in the near future and I would hate for people to tell me not to. I do not like the tongue splitting and would never get it myself but there is no way I am going to tell you not to get it.
It would be an interesting thing to have. It creeps me out just thinking about getting my own tongue split but this isn't me... this is you.
When, if, you do it... I hope things go well. Make sure that the person knows what they are doing first.
edit: And as a female... I would probably hook up with a guy with a split tongue at least once. It would be an interesting experience.
It is up to you to decide what you want to do with your body. I, myself, want to get a tattoo in the near future and I would hate for people to tell me not to. I do not like the tongue splitting and would never get it myself but there is no way I am going to tell you not to get it.
It would be an interesting thing to have. It creeps me out just thinking about getting my own tongue split but this isn't me... this is you.
When, if, you do it... I hope things go well. Make sure that the person knows what they are doing first.
edit: And as a female... I would probably hook up with a guy with a split tongue at least once. It would be an interesting experience.
I'm very keen on cyberpunk sci-fi, which might explain why I'm so open to a simple mod like this. In the cyberpunk genre, the body is a playground for cybernetic and biological alterations. (In fact, I'm a comic book artist that's writing a cyberpunk comic book. But that's off topic.The_Oracle said:As a neophyte Transhumanist, I don't think that modifying one's body is a bad thing, don't get me wrong. If there was some kind of leech discovered at the bottom of the ocean that extended one's life by decades or improved your health by attaching it to your body, I'd be grafting that thing to myself faster than you can say Kimiko Ross.Firia said:Why would what I do with my body in a safe sterile and professional environment be "very very wrong?" This isn't mutilation. I'm not cutting the tongue to ribbons. I'm modding it, and adding functionality. The most unhealthy it gets would be if the medical professional botched the job, but that really goes for ANY surgical proceedure. They all carry risk.The_Oracle said:
However, things like tongue-splitting just rub me the wrong way because I don't see much practical use out of doing it. It's your body and your tongue, so you can do what you want, but I'm just letting you know that I think it'd be a mistake.
No matter what you end up doing, I just hope you spend plenty of time thinking it over and considering your options carefully.
)I can appreciate the idea of practical enhancements to better human life. But is that were we draw the line? Should personal aesthetic value suffer just because it's not practical? Clothes, while heaps less controversial and permanent than body mods, suffer in practicality in just about every generation over aesthetic value.
So far, I'm skimming the 5 year margin of thinking about this mod. It could be more, it could be less. I just remember the friend whom I first talked about it with, and she and I haven't spoken in years. The idea only gets better with time.
It's some social stigmas that have me wondering, not the mod itself.
Yeah, it'd be worth the experience just to see what it's like.azurawolf said:
I just met a gorgeous someone with this mod, and all I could think about is what it'd be like to kiss this person once I get my mod too. XDI like that you're truthful about your openmindedness, despite your disdain for the mod. I posted the conversation topic on my facebook to gather what my friends and future college classmates think about it, and one of my classmates is spooked at the idea, and confesses to never wanting to kiss someone with a tongue mod. So, you're already leagues ahead of the game. XD This... yaknow, being some kinda game.