Graffiti Is Bad

Even though graffiti takes talent, it is disrespectful to put on buildings and on trains. The most important building that should not have graffiti one it should be schools. School is a building that kids go to daily and they do not want to come to schools that has paint all over the outside walls of the building.

Graffiti has been around for more than half a decade and practiced worldwide. However there is debate between whether it is a form of art or vandalism. Graffiti artists’ debate that many do not understand the reason most graffiti artist take the risk of incarceration, fines, injuries, and in some cases death to paint a wall. A graffiti artist can have the simple desire to become recognized, or to create a piece that speaks to their audience as a form of self expression. Because graffiti is associated with gangs and acts of destruction to some many cannot see the history and importance graffiti can have on a worldwide scale. Due to the fact that graffiti is usually produced illegally, meaning it is

Graffiti has always been stigmatized as vandalism. Throughout history, unwanted markings on buildings has been seen as unlawful, crude, and unartistic. From the stone ages to the rise of gang graffiti in the 1970s, the word graffiti has had this negative connotation attached to it. Now, in the 21st century, people still associate graffiti with vandalism and negativity despite our growth as a society. The line between vandalism and art has been burred for some time, but in today’s society, graffiti is not simply petty acts of vandalism, but art and should be treated as such. People who think graffiti is only vandalism even in today’s modern society need to realize that modern graffiti is no longer tied to gang violence and is actual quite similar to modern advertising techniques. Also, if graffiti is legalized it would stop the government from wasting tax dollars to remove the graffiti and protect the artist’s creative freedom and first amendment rights.

Most people can argue that there is a fine distinction between what is recognized as art and vandalism. The individual is often faced with uncertainty when the topic of graffiti arises. The public often portray graffiti as a destructive act towards his or her surroundings however; graffiti can also be considered a form of self-expression. Many questions can be made pertaining to the graffiti movement, but the main question is graffiti a crime or an art? The answers lie in the complex phrase of “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.

Graffiti is something that nearly every place in the world has to deal with. Graffiti can range from anything, it can be something that could be considered a beautiful mural, a gang tag claiming territory for a particular gang, or just a personal tag someone decides to leave behind. In order to fully understand graffiti and the messages behind it, it is essential to know many facts involving graffiti. It is integral to know the time period when graffiti first showed up, how the intent or meaning of graffiti has changed, how graffiti is on a global scale, political messages behind graffiti, and finally how vandalism and graffiti are treated as crimes. With all these facts in mind, anyone will be able to comprehend graffiti on a deeper level

If you walk through almost any city, the buildings, bridges, and any other available spaces are seemingly filled with colors, picture, and words that are not part of the original architecture. This graffiti, which is a mix of tags, stencils, pieces, and freestyle, seems to have almost taken over cities across the world. Some of this graffiti, such as tags, are eyesores, but some pieces, such as the High Line “Love Is the Answer” and “Kiss” murals in New York City, are sites that have become iconic pieces of artwork. Unfortunately, pieces like these are also starting to be covered to a seemingly astronomical rate, which is causing outrage among those who visited to them.

According to Boyd, through Graffiti is essential to understand as a form of art that crosses the boundaries of location, method, and motivation. He acknowledges that graffiti might include “racist remarks, empty slogans and illegal signatures.”(Boyd 251) Boyd’s piece is also very informative because according to the author, there are two methods for creating this form of art: murals and tagging. The most popular one is tagging because it can be found almost everywhere from fence posts to trains, street walls to buses. The main goal of graffiti writers is to put their signature tags in places to be recognized by their

As stated by Taki, an influential graffiti artist when addressing the concern authorities held about his graffiti writing, “Why they go after the little guy? Why not campaign organizations that put stickers all over the subways at election time?” (Chronopoulos 2011, pg. 81). Though, graffiti is deemed as legitimate when it is used to generate profit, which is seen through the recent increased demand for graffiti with the purpose of beautification and gentrification. Evidently, the growing concern over graffiti in public spaces is driven by the conflict graffiti creates when obstructing advertisements, which generate increased consumption and profit. It also demonstrates the lack of tolerance the dominant class has for the promotion of dominance by the lower class. Moreover, constant “public proclamations” which urged people to see graffiti writing as a social safety issue, has certainly influenced the demand for anti-graffiti efforts and the attitudes upper and middle class whites had towards Blacks and Latinos (Chronopoulos 2011, pg. 87)

Bias-related incidents, including hate speech, are entirely too common at institutions of higher education. When visual expressions of hate speech are found on a campus, the institution’s administrators, as well as staff and students, must quickly condemn the rhetoric, support affected students, and educate others in the community. It is the duty of student affairs professionals within institutions to advocate for students affected by hate speech and to lead the efforts in engaging the community in learning and dialogue surrounding social justice issues in order to prevent such incidents from occurring again. Moreover, it is essential for student affairs

The cutting edge of the public art development, connected with the hip-hop society of breakdancing and rap music, began with African-American and Latino teenagers in Philadelphia and New York in the late 1960s (MacDonald 1). At that time graffiti to most, was considered to be a form of art work. Regardless of those that thought of it as art, there were and are still numerous individuals that loathe the graffiti movement. Works of art have been dependably charming for ages, as it is a method for self-expression and inventiveness. Artistic expressions have advanced in many ways, such as public canvases offering an approach to modern day unique artwork. Graffiti is progressively turning into a hobby. Although one of the major controversies of graffiti surround the statement that it is not art and considered vandalism, graffiti allow artists to display grateful meanings, skills and expressions to the public.

From the early humans who painted on cave walls to the angst-ridden teenager getting their kicks from spray painting profanities on the side of a small business, human beings seem to have an intrinsic desire to paint images on the walls that surround them. This has led to many individuals painting on walls without permission. Although the walls cannot speak, city officials and the owners of businesses can and when they do, “Graffiti” is usually one of the words used to describe the images produced. However, although often overlooked, a line does exist between graffiti and street art. Christine Graff writes “Graffiti is defined as ‘writing or drawings scribbled, scratched, or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public

Multiple graffiti artists are thrown in jail simply for expressing themselves in a way that very few appreciate. Although multiple areas of cities have set aside certain areas where graffiti art is legal, many artists agree that the feeling is not the same as when they do it in areas that are not legalized. Graffiti artists should be legally allowed to make art wherever they want because it will help cities and the government save money trying to erase the ‘vandalism’ caused to the buildings, and it will allow artists to express themselves without fear of being punished.

Most graffiti is illegal, however it does not at all factor into my opinion about being or not being art. In fact where the piece is painted up on, that actually determines how much respect is also given for the individuals artwork. An example would be the style Heaven, this style gains a lot of respect because it is an art piece that is done in an extremely difficult place to get to, along with another form called a Masterpiece, which is a picture that has been painted by free hand, takes longer to paint and is in an obvious place where graffiti is a great risk with the law.

“The whole world is covered in graffiti, no one cares. It’s just part of an urban noise”.

This negative shadow on the art form of graffiti has caused the decline of the graffiti movement. As many have predicted, “graffiti may eventually disappear” (“The Writing's on the Wall; Graffiti”). Graffiti has already begun to dwindle from what was once a flourishing art movement, to an almost disesteemed hobby. However, a soiled reputation is not the only culprit in the murder of authentic graffiti. The occupation of the current generation with technology and social media has caused many artists to focus solely on selling their work and gaining attention through social networking platforms. Another, perhaps more common, reason for the decline is the improvement of police work and punishments for those indulging in the illegal form of graffiti (“The Writing's on the Wall; Graffiti”). Because of this decline in authentic and prohibited graffiti, artists have channeled their work into new forms and established their own artistic community.