Meet The Scary Guy.
Yes, that’s his real name. It was legally changed back in 1998, after a rival tattoo shop ran an advertisement that asked that age old question: “Are you tired of dealing with scary guys with war paint facial tattoos?” Apparently TSG took offense to this and used his anger as a source for major change in his life. At the time of this epiphany, Scary ran his own tattoo shop in Tuscon, Arizona. He promptly sold the shop and his worldly possessions in order to devote his life to traveling the globe. For what, you ask? Well, according to his website, thescaryguy.com:
“‘His sole mission is ‘The Total Elimination of Hate, Violence and Prejudice Worldwide.’”
TSG speaks to a wide variety of audiences, from colleges to corporations to prisons. His website lists him as a writer of classical music, a comedian, a singer and an artist, among several other things.
Wow. What can I say? The guy’s a hero. It’s a noble thing to do what he does, especially at this current point in history where so many things are messed up and so much hate exists. What I like the best about TSG is that he uses his intimidating presence as a means to illustrate his point. He deliberately plays on what many would perceive as “scary” about his appearance to show people that you can’t judge a book by its cover.
I’ve heard of plenty of people who’ve quit their jobs and sold their possessions in order to move to a new country or travel the world. But very few people out there quit their jobs and sell their possessions to do what TSG does. There’s the Dalai Lama and then…really? Don’t we have more people out there doing this other than an exiled Tibetan leader and a tattooed dude named The Scary Guy?
That’s a sad fact in its own right, making what The Scary Guy does all the more impressive and important.