Graffiti, graffiti all around, sometimes up sometimes down but always around, is it coming to your town or is it already there?
Having lived abroad and now currently living in Switzerland I found I have mixed with different cultures, religions and a variety of different people along the way, but one thing that seems pretty much in common is the different variants of vandalism, for a better word. Whether we decide to hide behind the softer term; Graffiti (as if this is ok), or Tagging, Scrawling, Scoring, Scratching, Knifing, or whatever term you wish to make up or use, it is all plain and simple vandalism. I admit that some graffiti (unauthorized writing or drawings on a surface in a public place), is artistic, but then this is also depended on the eye of the beholder and could therefore be offensive to another.
So should we allow it, tolerate it, or do something about it? Having lived in London, Amsterdam and now Switzerland and traveled extensively throughout Europe, I find this is not just a UK problem but a world problem. If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting Switzerland you will be shocked by the amount of Graffiti as it’s everywhere. Especially at the train stations, which is normally the first thing you see when arriving in such a beautiful country. Why, I ask myself is there so much? Well unfortunately I don’t have the answers, but do have a possible solution!
Get tough, zero tolerance! I agree with freedom of expression and democracy but is this is going just a little too far, as a more suitable forum can be used for people to be heard or even seen (maybe not something these people would like as they are normally hidden). Anyway going back to my point, I can not believe the amount of Graffiti in Switzerland as it seems to me to be the greatest and most visible in Europe. A possible solution could be; if all aerosol cans (which are the most common instrument used) can only be purchased by someone who has registered (name, address and id), then surely this would start to build up a pattern of the types of user. Okay, some people buy aerosols for other purposes, as I remember popping down to my local Halfords store when I was younger and buying several cans, but then this was to do body work repairs to my cars. Maybe another idea (this is being introduced to 12 regions in the UK), to have what they call ‘Graffiti watch’ patrols, who monitor new/fresh graffiti and they steam clean this off straight away, therefore leaving no visible trace, which may deter the culprits as their nice handiwork will be a costly waste of time. Also tougher penalties if (which seems pretty hard) once caught, together with a ‘mug shot’ of them in the paper to embarrass them further and also top this off with a nice fine, community service and criminal record.
The problem may never go away, but we need to try to curb this, especially the spraying or etching of public transport windows, private residents walls, bus stops, letter boxes, road sighs, bridges, lampposts, trees (yes this seems crazy), trains, trucks, commercial building, you name it, you will find a tag everywhere. Look out for yourself when you are next on a train, especially in Switzerland!
I appreciate Tagging and Graffiti are not the same, but the common denominator is most of it is unauthorized and vandalism and needs to be stopped or designated areas set aside where it can be tolerated and controlled, such as some of these artistic pictures taken on a perimeter wall of a building/construction site in Brighton.
Although (giving some credit), graffiti that is artistic could be put to some good use at designated areas, such as under some bridges, along a train track, on a temporary fence around a building site (as noted), or where the artist has been sanctioned to carry out an artistic project for the local council, etc. But Tagging, well this is the lowest form of vandalism and is no better that a dog leaving its mark on a lamppost.
So should we allow it, tolerate it, or do something about it? Having lived in London, Amsterdam and now Switzerland and traveled extensively throughout Europe, I find this is not just a UK problem but a world problem. If you have ever had the pleasure of visiting Switzerland you will be shocked by the amount of Graffiti as it’s everywhere. Especially at the train stations, which is normally the first thing you see when arriving in such a beautiful country. Why, I ask myself is there so much? Well unfortunately I don’t have the answers, but do have a possible solution!
Get tough, zero tolerance! I agree with freedom of expression and democracy but is this is going just a little too far, as a more suitable forum can be used for people to be heard or even seen (maybe not something these people would like as they are normally hidden). Anyway going back to my point, I can not believe the amount of Graffiti in Switzerland as it seems to me to be the greatest and most visible in Europe. A possible solution could be; if all aerosol cans (which are the most common instrument used) can only be purchased by someone who has registered (name, address and id), then surely this would start to build up a pattern of the types of user. Okay, some people buy aerosols for other purposes, as I remember popping down to my local Halfords store when I was younger and buying several cans, but then this was to do body work repairs to my cars. Maybe another idea (this is being introduced to 12 regions in the UK), to have what they call ‘Graffiti watch’ patrols, who monitor new/fresh graffiti and they steam clean this off straight away, therefore leaving no visible trace, which may deter the culprits as their nice handiwork will be a costly waste of time. Also tougher penalties if (which seems pretty hard) once caught, together with a ‘mug shot’ of them in the paper to embarrass them further and also top this off with a nice fine, community service and criminal record.
The problem may never go away, but we need to try to curb this, especially the spraying or etching of public transport windows, private residents walls, bus stops, letter boxes, road sighs, bridges, lampposts, trees (yes this seems crazy), trains, trucks, commercial building, you name it, you will find a tag everywhere. Look out for yourself when you are next on a train, especially in Switzerland!
I appreciate Tagging and Graffiti are not the same, but the common denominator is most of it is unauthorized and vandalism and needs to be stopped or designated areas set aside where it can be tolerated and controlled, such as some of these artistic pictures taken on a perimeter wall of a building/construction site in Brighton.
Although (giving some credit), graffiti that is artistic could be put to some good use at designated areas, such as under some bridges, along a train track, on a temporary fence around a building site (as noted), or where the artist has been sanctioned to carry out an artistic project for the local council, etc. But Tagging, well this is the lowest form of vandalism and is no better that a dog leaving its mark on a lamppost.
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