“I can see both sides, ya know. It is vandalism, it’s someone else’s property and yet it is bigger than that. We need graffiti. Its’s a source of empowerment.”
“You can’t confuse the issues. It is wrong to violate someone else’s property. You can not solve one wrong with another wrong.”
“I know. Is it right that only large corporations and people with money have the ability to dictate what we see? I would much rather see a large beautiful piece of graff then another advertisement for Mc Donalds that is impacting my subconscious for commercialism. I understand that it is someone else’s property. When I see graffiti on the side of a building that most people would never have access to and it is a prime spot to speak your mind then I think its awesome that someone took that space back. It’s like they are reclaiming it for the people.”
“I think what you are really talking about has to do with a societal issue. It is an imbalance of power and the lack of opportunity to speak one’s mind, share your thoughts and stand up for yourself. Those are very important issues. They are separate issues though than whether or not it is wrong to tag someone else’s property. How would you feel if it was your building?”
“Well, that’s why I can see both sides. If I had a building and someone tagged it I would hunt them down. Of course I would be furious. I am not going to let someone disrespect me like that.”
“Exactly. There can be more than one truth. It can be wrong for artists to tag someone else’s property AND graff can be a beautiful form of self expression and empowerment.”
“When I go to NYC, I see the best gallery in the world and its real and its free. When people want to tell us what art is and they don’t want to acknowledge that something can be artistically beautiful and come from poverty, that art doesn’t have to be painting with a brush on canvas then eventually someone is going to slap some graff on a building and it is going to bring about change. We need change to show people that their way isn’t the only way. Graffiti comes from repression.”
“I agree. I also think it is a violation of someone’s rights to protect their own property. You can not justify one wrong with another. It is wrong that most people in this country don’t have the opportunity to discover themselves or express themselves in healthy and supportive environments and yet that doesn’t make vandalism right.”
“What about government buildings or abandoned buildings or trains?”
“They still belong to someone.”
“Yeah, well I don’t care what anyone says, trains with graffiti are just better than trains without, it makes waiting for the train easier.”
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