I've always considered them "low class". I am a former Marine and there were a LOT of guys who got liquored up and came back sporting some really silly tattoos. For the most part, the guys who got them weren't all that bright.
We had group of assholes that I went to high school with. They were always up to no good. One day they all took off for the big city and come back sporting large blue bird tatoos on their arms. Then they went and took a group picture sporting their tatoos and with their pants down around their ankles. Talk about stupid. Bluebirds? Pants around their ankles? Give me a break.
When I lived in the desert it seemed like Jeans and T shirt =liberal regarding drug sales, tattoos + piercing= gay drug customer and small time career criminal... maybe Jeans and T shirt AND tats, no piercings = "don't mess, I'm a dealer AND a user".... jeans and T shirt on a good looking white gal meant "higher level meth dealer /user"... Jeans and T shirt +Tats on a guy with big muscles = "just got out of jail, there was nothing else to do but work out"... all those guys would be "Tats on flab" within six months because they had no discipline... that was if they could stay out that long... I always have been a jeans and T shirt, no tats, no piercings, skinny no muscle guy = "I never would have dreamed up Gay on my own and I could be talked into a drug deal but it would have to involve some sex too because badly dressed skinny guys don't get that much and sex is way more important than drugs...."