I think it all goes down to the reason behind getting a particular tattoo versus the tattoo itself, looking at it from the "tattooed" point of view.
Getting it cause it's the "cool thing" to do is absolutly ridiculous, just as pretty much doing ANYTHING out of the sake of trend is stupid.
Friend of mine got a small tattoo a week or so after her dad passed away. Simple in design: "RIP, <name> <date>" in a single column, easily concealed.
Then again, I have another friend who think "it looks cool."
![Smiley: oyvey](//zam.zamimg.com/i/smilies/oyvey.gif)
Little to no reasoning behind it, just the act of getting one just because, from what it seemed.
For the rest of us "tattoed people viewers", it all boils down to one simple decision: turn on, turn off, or indifferent.