Artistic Graffiti?

I don't quite understand why people deface public property. The people who clean graffiti work for the city, and the person who vandalized the property pays for its eventual removal with their own taxes. With that in mind, it might be easy to label this vandal as "stupid" and lacking foresight, but if we dissect the messages written, we might find this rapscallion intelligent—even if their trade is disreputable.


I find this first graffito tag to be quite ironic. I define the word "ironic" as the aesthetic exploitation between what is known or expected and what is experienced. The tagger is aesthetically aware that his own message is a criminal act violating Chapter 9.58 of the San Jose Municipal Code. The City of San Jose defines "graffiti" as the "unauthorized inscription, word, figure, mark, design or other inscribed material that is written, marked, etched, scratched, drawn, or painted on any real or personal property." In the eyes of the City, this "Don't be a Criminal" graffito is written by a criminal. This tagger has cleverly exploited the medium in which the message is expressed. While not the most amazing irony, it certainly is a valiant effort.


This second graffito tag is interesting based on its message. "Fame is hard to come by." I believe the author of this message is using "fame" not to mean "famous" like a celebrity, but "fame" as in living a life to one's own personal best. Reaching your own maximum potential is a difficult task for youth today. Drugs, gangs, vandalism (glaring eye) all distract youth from attaining their ultimate "fame." This tagger, by saying "fame is hard to come by," might be referring to themself: "Reaching my own potential is difficult because I have devoted myself to a life of frivolous graffito tagging." Again, while the act of vandalism is less than admirable, the self-awareness and heightened critique of society may be admirable.


This third tag is by far the least impressive. First of all, "Fuck" is spelled incorrectly. I have no patience for purposefully misspelling words. A typo or error now and then is perfectly acceptable, but the purposeful manipulation of words for no apparent aesthetic reason is the unnecessary degradation of the language. But I do wonder what this tagger meant by the phrase "Fuck Everyone." Did they mean "Have intercourse with everyone"? or "Disregard everyone"? This ambiguity makes the sentence somewhat interesting, although I find the lack of irony and lack of self-awareness to be less exciting than the author's previous two artistic exploits.

By blogging about the tagger, I might be gratifying the tagger, perhaps even motivating them to strike again. But I don't think I am condoning the act of vandalism, in fact, I think it quite ridiculous and unethical. What I am doing is dissecting the author's skills at art and observation. I think it incorrect to label this individual as "stupid." The tagger is actually smart and clever—they just need to find a better medium in which to express their artwork. Public benches that cost taxpayers money will hardly win the favor of the artistic community. But if they wrote a blog or opened a gallery, I would certainly give the person my full attention and respect.