Graffiti is an act of vandalism, but has become recognized as a legitimate art form by many people. Street artist Banksy has been made famous by his highly recognizable political pieces, which now sell second-hand for upward of $300,000.
Banksy’s pieces critique consumerism, materialism, property rights, torture and a plethora of other political issues. As an artist Bansky is set apart by a unique mindset — he is not out to make money, but to make a statement — and that is the difference between art and vandalism.
We’ve all seen the statements written on bathroom stalls and carved into lecture hall desks. However, these statements don’t tell us anything worth knowing. It makes no real world difference if the person who sat at my desk before me wants me to call his ex-girlfriend’s phone number for a “good time.” It also has no real world impact if you carve Greek letters into a desk, to which someone will undoubtedly add “is gay” or “sucks.” But what this does achieve is that it costs the university you are attending money.
It was pretty cool in the sixth grade to “tag” or write a funny joke above the urinal like, “why are you reading this when the joke is in your hand.” But by now — when you are in college — you should have outgrown this phase.
Of course, there is the always creative and popular F word that for some reason vandals cannot resist writing on bathroom stalls. No one thinks you are cool because you choose to write swear words on bathroom stalls.
Or perhaps you are just super bored in your chemistry lecture and happen to have a paperclip and a hankering to carve your BFF’s initials into the desk you are sitting at. Chances are he or she will never know you did it. So just bring a doodle sheet and pen next time.
Graffiti artists like Banksy often face harassment and scrutiny from police because of the nature of their artwork. People who are actually trying to make a statement about the world and how we should change it are
finding it harder to get their message out because of juveniles who rack up maintenance costs for schools and businesses, which in turn makes police crackdown on graffiti and vandals.
You might think it is cool to carve your Greek letters on everything or write some witty joke on the bathroom stall door, but it’s just vandalism — not art. So if you don’t have an artistic statement to make, save the tag line and leave graffiti to the professionals.