GRAFFITI .. art? // destruction of private property?

Im not talking about peoples houses, cars.. stuff of that nature.

the things that catch your eye, and make drabb corners of society into somthing more.

“Imagine a city where graffiti wasn't illegal, a city where everybody could draw wherever they liked. Where every street was awash with a million colours and little phrases. Where standing at a bus stop was never boring. A city that felt like a living breathing thing which belonged to everybody, not just the estate agents and barons of big business. Imagine a city like that and stop leaning against the wall - it's wet."

a quote from the british artist "banksy"

Well I will tell banksy...It depends if the person who drew on the wall, isn't a person who could be racist, sexist, classist etc...

If there was a city awashed with millions of colours and [safe] little phrases, then it would be counted as art...Rather than destruction of private property..

When i was in greece i seen graffiti on every corner. most of it was good art but some of the words were obscene. i think if the graffiti it accually meaningful with out disrespecting something then it is beauful.

This is a rather interesting subject -- If we lived in that type of world, then nothing could be perceived as offensive. We would have to live and breathe everyone else's opinions and sayings. We'd have to embrace racism, nudity, sexist phrases and pictures, profanity ... etc. Everything would have to be considered as art. There's no fine line between what is and what isn't art either, so to repremand someone and tell them that they can't write the word "Damn" on a building would be taking away their freedom of speech and expression.

I'm torn on the subject. You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

OH MY GOD.
No. just absolutely no. graffiti anywhere, ruins what it is on. Unfortunately there is a lot of graffiti in a lot of places and is what makes it look so freaking UGLY. I'm glad graffiti is illegalized but I wonder if the soddy teenagers would find it ironic and stop if it was temporary legalized. I dunno, I think graffiti is horrible, people writing rude things about other peoples mums in carparks and their names on the side of nice buildings doesn't really attract me. Graffiti is nasty, and I'd hate for other strangers to have the freedom to come and spraypraint my house with their own random thoughts and little shitty insights. I hate graffiti and everything about it, I think the bright colours are hideous and really ugly everything up, london is 30% ugly BECAUSE of graffiti, so I definitely think that is a bad idea. Graffiti is immature, it's not art, it's somebody spraying a can to ruin another persons wall. It's annoying, the government has to get cleaners to wash it off, and we'd be much better without it. Graffiti is disgusting, intruding, rude, ugly and disrespectful.
x

Well thats very biased i must say. you do know that in every sect of anything, almost ever... there are bad eggs
and people who dont know what thier doing. people who know what their doing dont write on houses, cars and stuff like that. the ironicness and stoping would not occer.

isnt this place for random thoughts and shitty insights?

whats wrong with bright colors?

and further more what defines ART..

I was going to say the same thing Bob! Its everywhere in Philly,I really like some of the murals, there is nice one on a wall with a beautiful scene of a whale jumping, I like it. Names written all over private property is a whole different story.A world filled with beautiful colors and positive thoughts would be refreshing.

So you'd LIKE a world full of cartoons on old buildings or nice buildings and everybody has the freedom to draw what they think is an original piece of 'art'? If you want to paint, do it on paper in your own house, not on the side of a building. I'm sorry but no, I'd rather not walk around and see flashy colourful art everywhere, where nice clean looking buildings could have been. You must have no idea how crap it really would look, or we have VERY different taste. Going along to a wall and becoming an artist so everybody can see? Please, kill me now. Bright colours or even just somebody talented drawing on a run down wall where nobody would complain, I still don't see the POINT, when it would look better on PAPER.
x

I believe it is the latter of the two.

I love some graffiti it lightens up some really dull places. But it has to be tasteful and expressive not just someone writing they're name trying to be cool. The berlin wall when it existed had some amazing graffiti on it. It should be legal but to those who actually want to artistically express themselves and not just leave a tag so that they're mates will think they're cool.

I don`t think it should be everywhere , but there are places in the city where I think it fits in,There are communitys where people get together and decide on a theme.Ideally they need nice new buildings but in many poverty areas thats not going to happen ,but then I work with kids in an art room so I guess I`ve come to appreciate the meaning behind much of their drawings.

Some people have real talent when they graffiti, I find it interesting when I'm stuck at the intersection because of a train and its alot more easier to sit and wait when you can look at the creations and graffiti on the trailers, its alot better than staring at the old rusted brown train itself. so I do agree, they should let people graffiti on some specific items, not houses or anything like that, but trains and even the outside of some shopping centres maybe. but only good graffiti, not just kids with a spray tin that write there name and the paint runs and its boring and you cant read it lol and in the long term it looks poor, and the place looks abandoned, but get the kids with talent for it.

Cities should allow graffiti, yes. Why not? Cities are already overcrowded, dense, colorful, unatural places.

I write graffiti myself and have for years, Gotta say im pretty good. Graffiti is a culture,its got years and generations, music and support. I dont care if you dont like graffiti its an art and will NOT stop. I recently was paid commision to paint a wall in some mall. Whens that last time you made 740bucks for an hours work.

...nevermind.