In today’s society, the topic of graffiti is often brought up by people, in an effort to decide whether young vandals leaving behind messy scribblings are producing art or crime. It is true, I myself notice graffiti work around the train line on my way to and from work each morning, and can only say that it provides a certain amount of curiosity. Political statements, ideas and true artworks may be a strong declaration of beliefs and emotions but, at the end of the day, this work is illegal, and must be stamped out of today’s youth and furthermore, society at large.
Giving in to the crime of graffiti artists – by giving less harsh punishments, allowing legal graffiti zones and addressing this issue with a tone of ‘what can you do?’ – is merely fuelling the flame for these cowardly criminals and treating the law as if it is completely negotiable. At any rate, considering graffiti ‘art’ and making legal provisions for it is almost as ludicrous as turning a blind eye to drunk drivers in an attempt to allow people in society a good time.
This is an issue that has gone too far and frankly, I’m sick of hearing about it. The question of whether youths, under the cover of darkness, vandalising property that it not their own and rarely leaving personalised items or clues is art leaves me speechless. It stuns me to this day how our government has still not been able to remove this stain from our streets – or at the very least, tone it down to a manageable rate.
That being said, I am well and truly aware that I am one of the few people on this side of the graffiti issue. This phenomenon – following the ‘hip hop culture’ – has become so widely accepted by the Australian government that its society recognises graffiti as one of the norms of our cities and even a part of everyday life. I am certain, however, that if it was your property being vandalised (with little retribution made by local government and even less sympathy from neighbours) that you might feel a...