A Way Of Escape

What is graffiti? Do you consider graffiti as a form of art? In today's society, graffiti is seen as a negative aspect in our society. Many people say that the presence of graffiti contributes a sense of dirtiness to the society and heightened a fear of crime. Typically, people see graffiti as an act of vandalism created by gang members and kids who have nothing else to do but want attention. There are many reasons as to why people do graffiti. For some it is to get back at a world that has long broken them and to rebel against the society they consider so corrupt and unjust. For others, it's for the pleasure of the art. Gary Glaser in "Going up in LA", states: "The kids can't get on television, so they tag". In my perspective, kids don't tag because they can't get on television, they tag because it's a form of recognition, expression and escape.

Recognition is what these kids want. They want to be known for their art work. Many kids are simply interested in seeing their names in so many places as possible and visibly as possible, while some kids are more comfortable to find secluded warehouse walls where they can practice their pieces. Taggers often use graffiti as a way of expressing their individualism. Behind each graffiti artwork there is a story that no one knows about. Their feelings and thoughts are put into visual for society to see. Taggers also use graffiti as a way of escape. Most taggers use graffiti as a lifestyle, living off of their artwork by selling them to people for money who are fascinated by graffiti or painting murals up in storefronts to attract customers. Most of these kids you might say, don't see graffiti as vandalism, but see it as a lifestyle for them.

As we look around us, we see graffiti everywhere, and not by taggers I might add. We see graffiti everywhere from election signs from "Vote for Me" on every street corner to papers taped onto stop signs