So... I'm thinking about having a tattoo of a whale done in the style of an aboriginal tribal tattoo, along the lines of this:

http://www.zazzle.co.uk/orca_tshirt-235238544805360167

or this:



But I'm wondering: What would you think if you saw a caucasian man with such a tattoo? Is it blashpemous and inconsiderate towards ethnic aborigines, or is this okay if the purpose is to express admiration of this partictular art style?
As you may have guessed, I'm leaning towards the latter, but I thought I'd ask you guys.

But I'm wondering: What would you think if you saw a caucasian man with such a tattoo? Is it blashpemous and inconsiderate towards ethnic aborigines, or is this okay if the purpose is to express admiration of this partictular art style?
As you may have guessed, I'm leaning towards the latter, but I thought I'd ask you guys.

I'm sure it will offend someone somewhere. Do what you want.

What you're essentially asking is a question about cultural appropriation, which is reeeally problematic. I think it's great that you're questioning this though!
I would suggest you ask someone who is of aboriginal descent, instead of having a bunch of white privileged folks saying "yeah sure why not?".
Another thing you could do is google "cultural appropriation" and read some essays and stuff. Like I said, it's problematic, but there is of course a difference between paying respect and using someone's cultural heritage for entertainment and as a trend.

I think about these things quite a lot, and I am not quite sure where I stand.
Step one is acknowledging that you've got white privilege, that's for sure.

I would suggest you ask someone who is of aboriginal descent, instead of having a bunch of white privileged folks saying "yeah sure why not?".

Yeah, about that, I was thinking maybe someone who actually has a connection to the aboriginal people would stumble upon this thread. Might be a long shot, I don't know
On to the googling now. Thanks for the suggestion.