do as i say.

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I Stumbled across an article twice today about Chicago's Graffiti Blasters program.  Apparently this program has been in effect since 1993 and has taken it upon itself to remove graffiti from private property, with or without the owners consent.  According to the mayor who instituted this program, Richard Daley, "graffiti made entire communities appear ugly and threatening." These Graffiti Busters have recently gone as far to destroy an art piece that was commissioned by the owner of the building; covering it up with brown paint.  The before and after of the mural can be seen here.  I personally don't find it all that attractive of a piece, but I do believe it was meant to be a commentary on the surveillance cameras that have been installed on many Chicago streets and any artwork that is against police surveillance i can get behind.  Even if it wasn't about surveillance I would still support the artist over the government.  What they did is willful or malicious destruction or defacement of private property, which is the very definition of vandalism.  It is ridiculous that the government can get away with doing exactly what they claim to be fighting.

I don't believe that all graffiti is art, some of it is foolish vandalism such as that of Mook
who destroyed public property just to become a legend in Pittsburgh.  Very little of his work is actually creative or meaningful.  It's just stupid scribbles so he could receive his 15 minutes.  

But there is artistic graffiti out there.  Such as the work of Banksy who does a great deal of political and cultural pieces in England, or that of Peter Gibson who does a great deal of roadway art, or even the artist who painted these creative storm drain characters.  These are artists, not vandals.  They make the ordinary boring streets extrordinary and demand that our minds be awake and open.  Humanity is stuck in a rut without dreams without questions, these artists are in our faces demanding that we wake up and pay attention.  I doubt the government sees these people as being on the same plane as gang members and thrill seekers, but they pursue them anyways.  Is it just to prove a point that no one is above the law except the lawmakers themselves?  Or is it because these artists are encouraging people to wake up and that scares authority figures.  Perhaps i've been reading one too many graphic novels, who knows.   

People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.

You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.
Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it. Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.
You owe the companies nothing. Less than nothing, you especially don't owe them any courtesy. They owe you. They have re-arranged the world to put themselves in front of you. They never asked for your permission, don't even start asking for theirs. ~ Banksy




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