The Scary Guy
| The Scary Guy | |
|---|---|
 The Scary Guy |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Earl Kenneth Kaufmann |
| Born | December 29, 1953 |
| Origin | New Hope, Minnesota, United States |
| Occupations | Professional speaker, artist, tattoo artist, comedian, entertainer, singer |
| Website | http://www.thescaryguy.com |
The Scary Guy is a United States based motivational speaker who campaigns worldwide to eliminate hate, violence, prejudice and bullying in schools and corporations. In addition to being a tattoo shop owner, philosopher,[citation needed] comic, entertainer, inspirational speaker and performance artist, his nose, eyebrows and ears are pierced and tattoos cover 85 percent of his body.[1]
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[edit] Early life
Scary was born December 29, 1953, as Earl Kenneth Kaufmann, to Carroll and Constance Kaufmann, and grew up in New Hope, Minnesota, United States, graduating in 1972 from Cooper High School.[1] He was a voice major at Macalester College in Saint Paul.[2]
[edit] Career
In 1975 he began a career in baby portrait photography and later moved on to selling computers in the 1980s and early 90’s. In the mid-90’s he became a tattoo artist and eventually owned 3 tattoo shops in Tucson, AZ. It was at this time that a rival tattoo shop owner took out an add questioning the character of someone with “war-paint facial tattoos” and labeled him a “scary guy”. This motivated him to take the name as his own.[3] He legally changed his name in an Arizona court in 1998 from Earl Kenneth Kaufmann to The Scary Guy, and now focuses on teaching love and acceptance of all people.[4] His mission is to eliminate hate, violence and prejudice worldwide. His audiences consist of both youth and adults, within schools and corporations. His philosophy is that "if someone calls you a 'rotten word' it's their problem not yours, and you choose to accept what they say."[5] He has brought his mission to schools, police departments, military organizations, and corporations across the world including: the U.S., U.K., Sweden, Germany, and Luxembourg[6][7]
[edit] Tattoos
The Scary Guy got his first tattoo at the age of 30[8] and now has tattoos that cover an estimated 85% of his body. He has added them over the years as a reflection of his life. They are what he calls modern tribalism and reflect events he has experienced from humorous to stressful. There is a tattoo of a guy who represents his former life in the computer business called “Yuppiecide”. Other tattoos represent his art or designs he think will just look cool.[3]
[edit] Program
The Scary Guy’s program to eliminate hate, violence, and prejudice includes his “seven day and seven night challenge.” He challenges audience members of every age to use positive words and not insult someone for seven whole days. If you insult them, you then must apologize. He also asks questions that force audience members to look inside themselves; if people call you names and use bad words towards you it is their problem and not yours …. as they created it. The Scary Guy still uses humor when he gives his presentations, being careful to use humor as a tool to bring positivity into the world and should not be insults disguised as a joke. It is strictly to make people laugh, and to show them that caring for those around you is one of the best ways to eliminate hate in our world.[9]
[edit] Bibliography
- Hatwood, Mark David. 7 Days and 7 Nights - An Official Biography of The Scary Guy. VisionHeart, Inc. 2008
[edit] Videos
- Teacher's TV - Inspirations Part 1 The Scary Guy [6]
- Teacher's TV - Inspirations Part 1 The Scary Guy [7]
- Wake Up To Your Powerful Mind [8]
- Agent For Change [9]
- The Scary Guy Combats Bullying on Teacher's TV [10]
- The Scary Guy at Whitecross High School [11]
[edit] Films
- Scary also known as Scary - Furchterregend (2006) by Arte, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Filmworks, Südwestrundfunk, Westdeutscher Rundfunk
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Windrow, John. (September 1, 1998) Star Tribune. The Scary Guy brings a message of the spirit. Section: Variety; Page 1E.
- ^ Associated Press (September 11, 2000) Wisconsin State Journal Scary Guy: Don't judge me or anyone by our appearance; His message to kids: Prejudice is the country's no. 1 social disease. Section: Local/Wisconsin; Page 2C.
- ^ a b The New York Times (March 1, 1998) “Questions For; The Scary Guy” [1] Obtained July, 2011
- ^ The Smoking Gun (Jan.-Feb. 1998) Arizona court petition to change name. Obtained June 13, 2007
- ^ "Tattooed man faces up to bullies". BBC News. March 17, 2005. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tees/4358627.stm. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
- ^ Lyecee Tchnique de Bonnevoie (June, 2011) “The Scary Guy in Luxemburg” [2] Obtained July, 2011
- ^ Police Oracle (March 18, 2011) “On Patrol With The Scary Guy” [3] Obtained July, 2011
- ^ azcentral.com (Jan. 13, 2007) “Scary Guy’s Words Resonate” [4] Obtained July, 2011
- ^ Hermantown Star (May. 2011) [5] Obtained July, 2011
