Imagine you are walking down the street, in broad daylight, when a man pulls out a can of spray paint and begins to deface the sidewalk. No one says or does anything. More than a month later, the paint remains untouched for all to see, throughout the Downtown core/ Spring Garden Road area. And it's not like there has been any sign of sidewalk repairs either.
It certainly is ugly, and yet there are no shrill cries for it's removal, no concerns of dropping property values, no councilors spouting soundbites for reporters. Clearly, in this specific case, the medium is not the message, or to paraphrase George Orwell, All graffitis are equal, but some graffitis are more equal than others.
I'm just saying...
3 comments:
The difference: this guy has permission to spray the sidewalk.
Yes - but the rap on Graffiti is not permission as such, but that it is an eyesore - so which is more of an eyesore? And if permission is the issue, then why drape complaints up in talk of decreased property values, and ugliness, rather than deal with the actual issue?
All just food for thought...
Ugly or beautiful, if someone paints on my house without unauthorization, it's a problem. If someone sprays a tag on a hospital, it's a problem. If someone marks up every utility box in the neighbourhood, it's a problem. I don't care if it's gorgeous or gruesome, it doesn't belong.
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