< War on Graffiti
Out of context: Reply #70
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- GreedoLives0
it's unfair to lump all graffiti into one group. there are many different people in it for a wide variety of reasons.
you got your bored teenagers out to fuck shit up, genuine heads out to put up murals, gang graffiti declaring their turf, etc
you can complain about it all you want but unless you put a cop on every corner all night it's not going to stop. that's part of the appeal, really, to get past johnny law and get up. and if they did put a cop on every corner, maybe my car wouldn't get stolen every six months, or maybe my buddy wouldn't have gotten stabbed in the back for the six dollars in his pocket.here in boston they've taken to forming a youth group every summer that paints about 4-5 murals a year to cover up heavily-graffitied spots. the murals themselves aren't graff, they're more scenes regarding the character of the neighborhood. they're quite beautiful and they would've never formed if there hadn't been a graffiti problem. and the graffiti kids have enough respect to stay away from them. i consider that a positive outcome.
plus, think of all the stylistic elements that have come out of graffiti that have been soaked up by the design/advertising world like a dry sponge. kids do it, ad agencies appropriate it to sell them shoes, advertising ruins the entire form, kids go out and invent something new or change the form. the cycle continues.
by cleaning it up, you're providing fresh canvas.