"Let each man exercise the art he knows."
-Aristophanes, Wasps
Two posts in one day, I must have a lot to say. I rhyme all the time; I'm a poet and I don't even know it!!!1111 HEE-YUCK. :B
On to other matters. Las Vegas has a big problem with graffiti; it's everywhere. Walls, mailboxes, people's mothers, everywhere. Now, I don't have a problem with grafitti if it has an artistic intent; I am all for it if you want to turn an abandoned building into a beautiful thing (private property, probably should ask permission first). Turning ugly things beautiful is a good first step in making the world a better place (maybe we should send all the graffiti artists to Washington!).
However, most graffiti around here doesn't have such a well-intentioned purpose. It is usually a scribble of a gang name or a fucking obscenity, and it has no purpose at all. What good does it do to spray a barely-legible name unto a dumpster? Does it show that you own that dumpster? Or that your territory extends to that dumpster? Maybe we should invade the dumpster and spread democracy to it.
Mayor Goodman (or as the Las Vegas Superbum calls him, "King Oscar") has had some interesting solutions to this problem. Take a look at this:
July 23, 2006Las Vegas mayor suggests medieval stocks for graffiti vandals
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Mayor Oscar Goodman is suggesting a strange, new punishment for graffiti vandals: bind them in a medieval-style stocks and give the public a chance to paint their faces.
"This would be a great deterrent," Goodman said, adding the city attorney's office was researching whether the proposal was constitutional. "I want to see if it falls under cruel or unusual punishment. If not, great. Let's put it into effect."
For months, Goodman has complained about so-called graffiti taggers and even proposed that removing their thumbs in public would serve as a deterrent. Until recently, he wouldn't back down from his proposal.
"We were not going to cut thumbs off," he said. "That was to begin discussions on the issue."...
http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2006/jul/23/072310708.html
Oh, excellent idea, your Majesty. Brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase "going medieval" on someone. Though I must admit, I'd enjoy painting someone's face legally and completely against their will, but that is way too extreme and will solve nothing. They'll get caught, get a make-over, wash it off, and go right back to defacing public property. I think maybe the King had a little too much to drink when he came up with that idea:
On March 3, 2005, Goodman was speaking before a group of fourth-graders at Jo Mackey Elementary School. When asked what he would bring if marooned on a desert island, the mayor replied 'a bottle of gin'. Further, when asked about his hobbies, the mayor named drinking as a favorite. Later, asked to comment, Goodman was unapologetic. "I'm the George Washington of mayors. I can't tell a lie. If they didn't want the answer the kid shouldn't have asked the question."...
He's a loveable goof, ain't he? Loveable, but none too bright. I've even heard it suggest that tagging be made a felony in order to deter offenders! I'll admit, I heard this on the news months ago, so I have no citation and no further information so feel free to discredit and/or prove me wrong, but making it a felony charge wouldn't help either. It'll just throw these people in jail, both the scum and the actual artists, and make them registered felons. They won't be able to get a job once they get out of prison because of that felony charge, and will have an almost impossible time redeeming themselves, being forced further into the life of crime.
"But Joshie, if we can't cut off people's thumbs or destroy their lives, what can we do?" you may ask. Why not take a look at the city of Philadelphia? Why not take the people caught tagging, send them to less-than-pretty parts of town, give them paint, and let them loose? Let them express themselves, have them paint murals and clean up the ucky-ness? The Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network does just that, and from its founding in 1984 "over 2,500 murals have been created across the city and over 40,000 walls cleaned of graffiti" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia_Anti-Graffiti_Network). Why not? Do something with these people, make the city more beautiful! Look at Chicano Park in San Diego, for example. Right in the middle of a ugly barrio, a stone's throw from the loading docks on San Diego Bay. But what do they have there? Murals! All over! And sculptures! And sporting grounds! If only the rest of the city were like that!
But I guess some people would rather play little games and come up with stupid ideas instead of trying to solve the problem. Oh well.J.C.
(P.S. Really, James Carville, please grow a new face. It's like Truman Capote got his head caught in a blender.)
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