'Dumbest idea ever': Why these tattoos are sparking outrage online

A tattooist’s recent artwork has gone viral on social media, with some people questioning the story behind the tattoos and others just not understanding it.

The matching tattoos done on two women by an artist identified as Rob Kemp at The Collective Napier in New Zealand, feature two knives heating up on an electric stove.

In the caption on Facebook, Arkay Tattooer, which is the page owned by Kemp, explained he “finally” got to complete the set when he tattooed the second of the two friends on January 16.

“Driving buddies for life,” Arkay Tattooer wrote on Facebook.

But many were baffled by the tattoo and the meaning behind it.

“What does a butter knife on a stove burner have to do with being driving buddies?” one questioned.

“Perhaps a picture of a car would have been more accurate.”

But it turns out ‘driving’ is New Zealand slang for a method used to burn marijuana, also referred to as ‘hot knife’.

According to Urban Dictionary, it is a method where marijuana is sandwiched between two red hot knives.

While the method is likely used all around the world, the New Zealand Herald says it is particularly popular in New Zealand and having a heat-blackened knife in your possession can count as possession of drug paraphernalia.

Kemp told the Herald the friends wanted to pay tribute to their friendship, and they got the tattoo on their inner arm to easily hide the design.

Amongst all the confusion in the comments, some people were quick to judge and expressed their dislike for the design.

“This is the dumbest idea for a tattoo I've ever seen,” someone who claims to have several said.

“I thought tramp stamps were trashy but this definitely tops every single tramp stamp ever,” another person said.

However, most people were tagging their friends in the post, suggesting the design would be the “perfect tattoo” for their buddies.

Others were supportive of the choice.

“Hell, it's your body,” someone said.

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