To me, freedom of expression, at least in the Constitution, seems pretty straight forward. Yet, society has separated expression into good and bad. What defines good expression and bad expression? Who knows. It's all opinionated. But, most artists who paint large pieces of art on the sides of two-story buildings are not looking to lessen the beauty of their city. It is rather the opposite. There's a difference between the murals of iconic figures in Detroit and the obscenely-graphic images on trains that appear as though they were drawn in under a minute. Graffiti is art, as long as it does not cross a certain line. That is when it becomes vandalism; that is when the right to freedom of expression becomes abused.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Graffiti and Vandalism
Along with many of my classmates, I agree that there is a difference between graffiti and vandalism. I see graffiti as well-illustrated street art that conveys a message or theme and rightfully represents the community it is in. And of course, I believe vandalism is the abuse of that right to express art. Vandalism consists of hateful words or unsettling images that do not add anything to a community but fear and/or disgust. And unfortunately, it is these gang tags on buildings and hateful messages in alleyways that give the term "graffiti" such a bad reputation.
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I really like that you described vandalism as the abuse of the right to express art. Saying it like that is not only concise, but it also places graffiti on a spectrum, instead of just sorting it into "good" (art) and "bad" (vandalism). I think that's how I've been thinking about graffiti, but I couldn't think of such a neat way to say it.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree; when street art becomes hostile towards people and life in general, it becomes more of a symbol of hate than a statement made with art. Graffiti is the use of free speech and open space to make a statement and add personal/community value to a place, whereas gang tagging and similar violent depictions only aim to incite violence and claim territory.
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