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The Original Bag End Inn page for Censor the Tattoo seems to have vanished. Until I can find it again, or she reposts it or something, I've managed to capture the text of the thing. Here it is. I still think it is valid.
The Campaign to Censor the Tattoo
As pretty much everyone who hasn't been living under a
rock with the bugs and fungus knows, the Fellowship of
the Lord of the Rings movies got tattoos to
commemorate their work on the movie. I, like other
fans, was fascinated by the story, and sought out as
much information as I could. To my delight, one of the
things I ran across was an actual picture of this
item, so I happily posted it on my fansite, along with
the information I could find about where each cast
member's tattoo was located.
Then, recently, I heard an interview with Dom
Monaghan, where he described the tattooing as a
spiritual experience, and I began to see that this was
no mere drunken lark. Another interview I saw with
Elijah Wood had him actually visibly angry that some
in the Fellowship had chosen or been forced by pushy
journalists to show their tattoo on camera, and that
they had made a pact not to do so, to avoid people
copying it. It became clear that we the public and the
media have managed to invade something that was meant
to be very personal, private and meaningful for these
people. They've openly discussed it, but that they're
being forced to show it on-camera really bothered me.
Immediately, I took the picture off of my site, as
well as the list of the locations that I was aware of.
Obviously, the cat is well out of the bag, and the
pictures and information are circulating like
wildfire, so it may be too late to stop the damage.
However, I want to try.
Therefore, I ask each fan and member of the media to
please:
* Remove/refrain from printing all photos/drawings of
the tattoo from websites and forthcoming print
publications
* Remove/refrain from writing graphic descriptions of
the tattoo (yes, even though everyone knows what it
is)
* Remove/refrain from printing the location of any
cast member's tattoo
* Refrain from asking questions about the tattoo's
specific description in any interviews with cast
members.
* Those journalists who have badgered cast members
into displaying the tattoo are asked to print
apologies
Jaded journalists and rabid fans may feel that they
have ownership of these people and what they've done,
but we don't. I believe in the 1st Amendment, as any
writer would. As a journalist and a fan, I understand
the pull to get information, and get the story. But
there's something called ethics, and we've been
violating them in this case. These people worked
extremely hard for well over a year, leaving family
and friends behind to follow Peter Jackson's amazing
journey and vision. The end result has so far been
nothing less than a masterpiece of artistry and
talent. Let us please not let this hard work go to
waste, or be ground up and spit through the Hollywood
press grinder, and give these actors the privacy and
respect they deserve on this issue. As Orlando Bloom
has said, "The movie is for everyone else, the tattoo
is for us." Let's keep it that way, shall we?
