Graffiti decriminalization

A new and distinct culture among young people in the US emerged in the latter decades of the 20th century. Although it is maybe seen as being new, graffiti art has been around for ages. In the 1960s, New York City's streets were the birthplace of modern graffiti art, and the graffiti subculture quickly spread to other nations (McAuliffe, 2012). The graffiti subculture involved spray-painting the exterior walls of numerous structures in cities and villages. The paintings convey various social themes, including social, economic, and political issues. While the legality of graffiti largely remains a debate among the public and various governments, spending on graffiti prevention and control measures remain high. Appreciation of graffiti as an art or its criminalization has continued to receive mixed reaction among sociologists and the public as well.

Criminalization of graffiti is founded on the lack of understanding of this artistry by the public other than the youths. Graffiti language is always stylized and better understood by people who understand this secretive style of word. With only a small group of people understanding the messages portrayed by the graffiti, a majority of the people remain secluded by this unique form of art. This may, therefore, contribute to the rejection of graffiti works by the majority of the people. Rather than concentrating on its seclusion, through the unique style, a more intent-focused view should enable people to understand the writers of graffiti.

Importance of Graffiti

Graffiti as an Art; not a Crime

Graffiti can be considered as vandalism, yet there are those with an artistic eye who will dependably discover a message or significance in it. Graffiti is an art. Art is often communicated in many forms like writing, drawing, dancing, and singing. However, graffiti is another unusual form of art. It is through this unique style of artistry that one can uncover the hidden meaning in graffiti (McAuliffe et. al., 2011). Graffiti is often regarded as vandalism. But the fact that graffiti does not get legal approval or consent does not imply that it is not an art.

This acknowledgment of graffiti craftsmanship by the art world is essential for two reasons. One as a result of the social, political, and financial impact of the artistic world, its acknowledgment of graffiti workmanship as art builds the mindfulness and general comprehension of the fine art. Two, this acknowledgment keeps the broad speculation that all spray painting is vandalism and along these lines something that dependably ought to be annihilated. For, in reality, graffiti craftsmanship does not need to be legal to be considered as an art, albeit, thoughtfully, this may be the purest substance of the artistic expression (Mazower, 2008). What makes a difference is that the artistry is delivered by a graffiti artistic style.

Graffiti as a Means of Self Expression and Communication

Graffiti is a form of self-expression among the writers. Rather than treating graffiti as a criminal activity, perhaps it would be best to understand the drive that leads them to write. Writers of graffiti express their emotions and feelings in the form of painting images and stylizing their writings. The existence of illegal graffiti points to economic as well as political and social problems as its primary causes (McAuliffe, 2012). Youths turn to illegal graffiti to show their anger against unemployment, boredom, ignoring of youth engagements and lack of opportunities. In their use of art to convey their dissatisfactions, a more solution-oriented approach should be adopted by the concerned institutions to address the concerns so raised. It, therefore, is a platform for expressing opinions.

Graffiti as an art is lovely since it is somebody's method for communicating his or her story or dreams. Single word or figure can mean everything to somebody. Individuals have their own particular identities, thoughts, and encounters, and at times a work of graffiti can be their approach to indicate it to the world. Artisans can be vandals, yet that doesn't mean vandals can't be specialists. Craftsmanship doesn't need to be lawful to be recognized as an art (Mazower, 2008).

Social Identity

A label name is a graffiti artist's mark and recognizes their subcultural character from others. Executing a one of a kind and predictable tag is the primary sign that an individual is nearly turning into a regarded graffiti author (McAuliffe et. al., 2011). A great part of the graffiti experienced in real urban areas displays adapted letters illuminating the label names of graffiti journalists and additionally groups. A label name—normally not quite the same as an artist's genuine name—may be seen composed with nothing else around it or marking a graffiti piece, much in the same way specialists sign their work of art. Labels are by and large scribbled upon the surfaces of high activity districts for an immense gathering of people of onlookers to see. Watching a tag on a surface conveys the message. Writers use graffiti to attain fame and acquire distinct social identity, apart from mentoring fellow writers who subscribe to the similar graffiti subculture.

Graffiti as Provider of Aesthetic Beauty

Graffiti provides aesthetic beauty to the streets and buildings where they are painted. Colorful paintings in our streets can help us beat the boredom in our traffic jams. Captivating to the eyes, as they are, painted images and writing on street walls attract the attention of the public and give them need to understand the message carried in the graffiti (Mazower, 2008). Like other forms of art, the beauty or satisfaction derived from graffiti is so intrinsic in value.

Graffiti as an Advertising Tool

Graffiti can form an excellent tool for advertising by the companies producing youth-related products. Wide acceptance of graffiti by the youths makes it an excellent tool for promotion. Young people would most probably want to be associated with products that understand their language (McAuliffe et. al., 2011). Companies dealing in youth-related items can use graffiti to tame the youthful market that would want to identify with graffiti.

Graffiti as a Source of Income

Graffiti skills are a source of income to the writers. Shows and exhibitions in of graffiti items may earn the writers income as they are appealing to the public. Acceptance of graffiti would boost the artists (writers) economically as they may translate this special artistic knowledge to incomes. Keeping stereotypes aside, welcoming graffiti in the world of advertising would generate income to the graffiti artist. A conscious action by the governments to adopt an accommodative policy to help in stopping illegal graffiti would turn the skills of writers into financial fortunes.

Conclusion

Inside criminological rational discussions, spray painting should be reconfigured as something more or other than a wrongdoing to be counteracted or as an issue to be fathomed. Graffiti dwells at the convergence of complex issues to do with causality, character and, maybe, in particular, the specialist of different bodies (scholarly, social, city and juridical) to order the reprimand of artists who stamp images on different landscapes. Given the measure of assets spent on spray painting expulsion, it is judicious to thoroughly consider the meanings of graffiti.

It becomes apparent that criminalization of graffiti needs to be expeditiously reviewed. An inquiry should be made on whether proximity to graffiti automatically implies involvement in criminal activities. There needs to be precisely determined where there is any mischief caused by graffiti art. Another inquiry is to review whether it is legally essential to associate spray painting with vandalism. It becomes important to establish whether the individuals who paint street buildings, institutions, and buses and cars are same as those breaking into properties and stealing. Assertions made from these inquiries should then form the foundation for decriminalizing or otherwise, criminalizing graffiti art.

Graffiti art is a long-standing practice, and its prevalence suggests that it is here to stay despite various anti-graffiti measures. This assertion does not, however, imply that the preventive and control steps against graffiti are an exercise in futility. The statement recognizes the determination of graffiti writers and the continuous entry of the youths into the graffiti art despite the apprehension of other graffiti writers. The governments thus have a responsibility to ensure it does not deliver a developing populace of people whose characters have been permanently set apart as criminals.



References

Ferrell, J. (1996). Crimes of style. Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality, Boston.

Mazower, M. (2008). Mandarins, guns and money. The Nation, 287(10), 36-41.

Mcauliffe, C. (2012). Graffiti or Street Art? Negotiating the Moral Geographies of the Creative City. Journal of Urban Affairs, 34(2), 189-206.

McAuliffe, C., & Iveson, K. (2011). Art and crime (and other things besides…): Conceptualising graffiti in the city. Geography Compass, 5(3), 128-143.

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