the way a person looks should not matter. what does is the knowledge and skills they have.
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On the other hand, never trust a skinny chef.
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Oh, is that all it takes: Ramps, tools, a place to do the work (landlords may prohibit working on vehicles on the property), physical trainer to get arthritic bones under the car, current medical insurance, work clothes…piece of cake!
(First post not hostile, just accurate description.)
And that means NOTHING. Just because criminal gangs have tattoos, it doesn’t mean that people who have tattoos are criminals. You’re trying to equate the two.
Possibly…but that means nothing. As I said go visit a college. A large portion off students have tattoos these days. It’s been the trend for the last few decades. To equate anyone with a tattoo to criminal activity is absurd. There is no coloration. Some 40% of all people age 18-40 have tattoos.
I don’t know how one can interpret or deduce from my original statement that “people who have tattoos are criminals”* and “I’m trying to equate the two.” My original post mentioned general perceptions of tattoos by the non-tattooed public…
One of my best friends, a longtime outdoorsman, has tattoos of trout, bear, deer, etc all over his body. He’s a PhD botanist, but owns his own plumbing business by trade. He told me that he covers his tattoos when he does work in the better neighborhoods…
So please understand that, although you say 40% of 18-40s have tattoos, it’s about that other 60%, plus perhaps, the other X% of Under 18 & OVER 40s people who may typically have negative perceptions of tattoos.
+1 to both comments Mike, couldn’t agree more. I have a tattoo, quite visible, and my wife has 5. We’re definitely not criminals…it’s a stereotype that will hopefully continue to disappear over time as tattoos become more common and mainstream
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The only reason reason I would be against tattoos [and I am not against them as I have own my self] would be what all the young people who have them needs to think about what they will look like when they get old and wrinkled and flabby. 
Because you made statements like this…
“It’s all about “likelihood,” however. In many areas of our country, tattoos are associated with criminal gangs- The typical onlooker can’t tell the difference. So, it’s a safer bet to simply steer clear.”
OP never said anything about having arthritis. We’re trying to address OP here, not random people with medical conditions. In fact, OP did disclose that he’s a motorcycle/DIY mechanic so… Probably either doesn’t have arthritis or is willing to work with it.
We’re also not a fashion website, so we don’t tend to concern ourselves with what the people we’re talking to are wearing. Most people have clothes that are meant for getting grubby. We just assume they will put those clothes on before they work on their car.
Additionally we do not tend to concern ourselves with the health insurance policies carried by those asking questions. We’re here to tell them how to wrench on their car. If medical insurance is a concern, they will need to seek another forum for answers there.
In short, that statement was a ridiculous addendum to your earlier hostility. The closest you managed to get to reality was when you mentioned landlords not allowing car work on their property but, again, we’re here to tell you how to do the car work, not where.
And then we have this malarkey. Anyone who thinks tattoos are a solid indicator of criminality (and presumably therefore lack of tattoos means a person is trustworthy) is, honestly, an idiot. Bernie Madoff didn’t have any tattoos. Neither, for that matter, did Nixon. Tattoos are exactly as much an automatic indicator of relative criminality as is skin color. Those who think people with tattoos are more likely to be criminals need to get over their obsession with appearances and start viewing the world with a more analytic eye.
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back in the olden days – say 1980s/1990s – an intrepid cub reporter would loosen a plug wire (to make the engine run rough), get a number of repair quotes, then write up the results for a story.
typically it broke down like …
25% valve job
25% major tune up
50% loose plug wire
Here you go again, judging a book by its cover
My own workbench IS pretty messy
However . . . I can truthfully say I’m one of the most experienced, sharpest and most efficient guys in the shop
Efficiency meaning I turn out a LOT of work
And by sharpest I mean many or most of the other guys come to ME for help
It’s not bragging if it’s the truth
So you go ahead and keep judging those books by their covers and you might miss out on a chance to have your car worked on by some 1st rate mechanics
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My dad was a band director/general music teacher at the high school and middle school levels before he retired last month. His desk was never clean until he cleaned it for retirement. If you know where everything is and can quickly access what you need, who cares what the work area looks like?
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Since the beginning of time, living organisms made these kinds of decisions everyday, “judging books by their covers.” It’s an adaptive trait that has led to survival of species.
In humans, we unconsciously play by the odds because it’s statistically a safer bet going with the large chunk of the “bell (as in bell-curve).” Unfortunately, we may miss out on the anomalies / outliers and rarities of life… 
, but life goes on…
I live in a better neighborhood. Average price of homes is North of $800,000. Several of my younger neighbors have tattoos.
That’s their problem. I can’t comment on someone’s ill-conceived and ignorant prejudices.
One of the most brilliant engineers I ever worked with had by far the messiest desk I’ve ever seen. Papers and papers piled 2-3 feet high. He had one little 1’x1’ area to work in. And at the opposite end was another brilliant engineer I worked with who was extremely anal about how neat his work area had to be.
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OK, I know I may be opening a can of worms, but I want you to know that I am not imputing your skill or knowledge, but your statement reminds me of a joke, and I hope you enjoy it and use it in the future when the same situation comes up…
Question: What do you call the medical student that graduates at the head of their class?
Answer: Valedictorian…
Question: What do you call the medical student that graduates last in their class?
Answer: Doctor…
So, if you are “the most experienced, sharpest, and most efficient guy in the shop.” What are you saying about your co-workers?
You should have also marked your oil filter. That would give you an indication of whether the oil was changed.
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Forgive me for fact checking a joke, but…
Everyone who earns a doctorate degree is called “doctor.”
It takes far more to become a practicing physician than a doctoral degree.
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I think bjensky was simply trying to say that you can choose a practicing physician who graduated top of the class, or one who graduated at the bottom-- kinda like choosing the one who got straight As vs one who got Cs.
There have been many correlational studies that show that academic performance standards and professional (workplace) standards are linked…
A doctoral is a PhD, medical doctors are either MD or DO.
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The D in MD stands for doctorate.
Likewise, the D in EdD also stands for doctorate, and the D in JD also stands for doctorate.