The Dyslexic Tatoo Artist

I learned some amazing statistics today about tatoos and body piercings:

Dr. Anne E. Laumann, associate professor of dermatology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, and co-researcher Dr. Amy Derick, of the University of Chicago, found that year of birth was a predictive factor for tattoos: 36 percent of people aged 18 to 29; 24 percent of those aged 30 to 40; and only 15 percent of those aged 40 to 50 had tattoos. Sixteen percent had obtained their first tattoo before age 18.

These percentages seemed awfully high to me. But in light of this, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that there might be a problem placing a tatoo once in a while. And this poor guy demonstrates just how bad it can be:

Michael Duplessis loves Chicago so much that he wanted its nickname tattooed on his chest.

But the idea went terribly awry in a North Side tattoo parlor: He left with the word "CHI-TONW" inked into his skin where "CHI-TOWN" should have been.

Now Duplessis is suing the business and the tattoo artist for monetary damages in the 2005 mess after suffering what he says in his lawsuit was "emotional distress from public ridicule."

"It was so embarrassing," Duplessis, 40, said Thursday from his home on the Northwest Side. "It was on my chest, and it was spelled wrong. I had to deal with all the people teasing me about it."

Nothing worse than a dyslexic tatoo artist.

But it was interesting that the tatoo parlor obtained "informed consent:"

Duplessis signed a release, but the defendants modified it once the error occurred by writing "chi-tonw" across the top of the form, according to the lawsuit.

Somehow, I think I know who might win this suit...

-Wes

More information on dyslexia.

Microsoft Word macro to transpose letters in misspelled words.