|
?:reviewBody
|
-
This bit of scarelore dates to at least the late 1970s, and it still makes little logical sense. A dealer looking to recruit new customers would do better to distribute a more addictive drug than LSD, handing out LSD-soaked candy would work far more effectively than passing around LSD-impregnated papers which require the drug to be absorbed through the skin, and elementary school kids are not known for having large incomes to spend on drugs. This warning also includes a legend within a legend: the notion that strychnine is present in LSD, either because it's a byproduct of the synthesis process, or because it's used to adulterate or cut the drug. Even if strychnine were present in LSD (for whatever reason), introducing your customers to the world of drugs by giving them samples laced with enough poison to kill them is an extremely poor way of generating repeat business. Not surprisingly, no verified case of LSD-laced transfer tattoos has ever surfaced. The one bit of the story with anything genuine to it at all is the association between cartoon characters and LSD. Sometimes when the drug is manufactured by impregnating sheets of blotter paper with dots of liquid LSD, the paper is first printed with cartoon characters. This illustrated blotter acid, however, is ingested the usual way: the tab is chewed, then swallowed. Blurred photocopies of this specious warning against innocent children's being lured into a life of drug use via rub-on LSD-laced tattoos have been circulated everywhere. Back in the 1970s the image rumored to be used on these transfers was that of Mickey Mouse, but as times changed so did the image: the 1990s version of this tale saw Bart Simpson's name added to the list of potentially dangerous tattoos. These flyers have come to be known as Blue Star Acid warnings because even though the cartoon characters the tattoos purportedly depict have changed over the years, a blue star is the image most often cited as the one to look out for. This rumor spreads through communities like wildfire because, as always, anything that's perceived to be an immediate danger to children is taken very seriously and immediately passed on, no matter how implausible or unverified it may be. That these flyers are often issued with the imprimatur of the local police department (or some other important-sounding organization) makes them all them more believable to the public. By far the most common version of this alert is signed by a J. O'Donnell of the Outpatient Chemical Dependency Treatment Service at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. Don't believe it. The hospital says it has never employed anyone by that name, and they've been inundated with Blue Star calls every year since 1992. Blue Star warnings tend to crop up every year as the kids are going back to school and seem to run strong right up until Halloween. Though Blue Star panics can occur at any time, the early fall is the season for them: Though at first glance this seems a reasonable approach to take, it breaks down upon further examination. It comes down to a matter of credibility — lose it by panicking your kids over Blue Star Acid, and you won't have the support you need when you talk to them about things they should be in the know about. How authoritative will Yes, you can get pregnant the very first time, or you could even catch AIDS! sound when your little darlings can toss back at you, Oh, Mom! Don't you remember when you had us all going about LSD-laced tattoos? While protecting kids always has to be a priority, sometimes what they most need to be protected from is misinformation. Kids need to be able to trust what their parents and teachers tell them. Cry Wolf! once too often, and you send your kids defenseless into a world of lurking lupines they'll never recognize on their own. Here is a typical newspaper article appearing in the wake of yet another Blue Star Acid scare rolling through yet another town: More information about this legend can be found in Dave Gross' comprehensive Blue Star Acid FAQ. Barbara the only tattoo you have to worry about your kid coming home with is the one from Fantasy Island Mikkelson
(en)
|
![[This page as RDF]](http://data.gesis.org/claimskg/static/rdf-icon.gif){kind=icon}