Mindless vandalism
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9:50 am, December 21st, 2008 - 27 comments
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The intersection of The Terrace and Salamanca Rd is the best graffiti spot in Wellington – big bare concrete wall, huge audience. For several months, ‘Kiwibank – gone by lunchtime’ has been written in large letters on the concrete wall. Recently ‘and National too’ was added below, and, then, a stencil of a police officer with a pink stab-proof vest beside it.
Now, someone has gone and done this.
Mindless vandalism.
[PS. my favourite piece of graffiti at the moment is on upper Dixon St. It is pink lettering about a metre high and 15 metres long and reads ‘you can’t imagine how much fun we’re having’]27 comments on “Mindless vandalism ”
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Is this something the council allows, in terms of art? or does it cost them money when they try to clean it up? who owns the wall?
Perhaps the graffiti was done by police in order to justify surveillance of the area.
I think it would of been done by some white kid who thinks hes know all about African American street life just because mummy bought him a Eminem tee shirt from kmart.
Jesus Brett, relax.
It’s just a fucking wall.
Brett, speaking of mindless vandalism, how about yours of this beautiful language of ours? Mate, it’s only a little thing but it gets annoying seeing it on here nearly every day.
It’s “could’ve” or “could HAVE” , not “could of”…
Please, mate?
Captcha: Hunts Clarke
It must be a generational thing, but I can’t make out the letters. What does it say (if anything)?
it is mindless.
Im guessing it was just done by some hoodlums who dont give a stuff about politics – not uncommon.
and Brett, graffiti happens, the council does do clean ups, but like litter its always going to come back.
Graffiti is certainly akin to littering. Both annoy me but on occasion I can understand a motivation for graffiti. I can’t think of his name (or nom de guerre) but that guy who does the really good stuff and is making big bucks for his art is an example. It will come to me eventually.
What I cannot understand is why people litter. It is really shitting in your own nest.
Also, Chris G, I hope you are sitting down because it will be a shock to you to learn that some people do not care about politics. Wierdos.
Banksy might be who you’re thinking of John, there are plenty of others but he’s one of the most recognised. Here are some good local examples.
Chris and SP, political expression is not necessarily more or less important than any other form of expression. Things you put up on walls do get covered up and added to – that’s part of the culture and part of what makes it interesting to many people.
You can always go and add your two cents to the wall tonight if it’s that important to you.
Deedub:
Language of ours?
I thought Maori was our language.
Anyway I would like to know how much money is spent in every city in New Zealand cleaning up this sh*t.
Brett, it’s not difficult to find out. Just go to the websites of the local bodies – they’re always bitching about how much they spend on grey paint. New Plymouth District reports that they spent $154,000 last year. What a waste.
154 Thousand dollars to cover the mess of these little sh*ts.
What should happen is, they should be sent to work at a McDonald’s or some fast food restaurant and have their wages go to the council to pay for cleanup.
Felix, thanks but it came to me eventually.
I was thinking. Are blogs electronic graffiti ? Somebody sticks something on the wall and others admire or throw crap at it. I guess it is all about getting your point of view out there and being noticed. Even if it is by people who think you are a dickhead.
At least with blogs nobody has to clean up afterwards. I hope.
Or the councils could just stop wasting our money and do something useful instead and you could find something important to complain about.
So you think its a good look to have this crap all over the city?
Relatively harmless. In general I don’t think it’s any worse than a lot of the other crap I have to experience in the city.
The shitty architecture, the petrol and diesel fumes, the embarrassingly short-sighted town planning, the ever-present advertising, the non-stop parade of ego, the incredible banality of the mass culture etc.
A bit of paint doesn’t really bother me as much as all this other crap.
What bothers me is that its unlawful.
Brett,
As it is to cross the road within 20m of a pedestrian crossing. Are you going to call everyone who does that “little sh*ts” and describe their road crossing behaviour as “crap”?
As it is to rape and murder. Is “little sh*ts” and “crap” adequate to describe that?
As it is to grab the shoulder of a stranger when you slip on a banana skin and start to fall. “little sh*ts”? “crap”?
Not all unlawful acts are created equal. What is it that bothers you about this one?
Ask this question to any shop keeper who HAS TO PAY to clean up the mess.
Surly your not saying, that someone who drops a banana skin is the same as someone who spraypaint’s without permission someone’s fence outside their home?
You know what really bugs me at this time of year Brett? The little shits who think that towing a boat behind your car means you can park anywhere you like. Very frustrating. I feel a stabbing coming on.
But back to the point, it’s not the unlawfulness that bothers you at at all – it’s the monetary value attached to removing it.
Which returns us to the same question as before: Why throw so much money and resource at this relatively insignificant problem?
Westminister – the new letters says ‘Over’, someone’s tag.
Berlin has some awesome graffiti. I always remember seeing these 10m high letters 15m off the ground on a concrete wall, nothing around for the person to stand on. they must have abseiled.
Its the fact that some kid thinks they have the right to spraypaint my fence and my neighbours and without having to pay for the mess because the adults who look after him, just shurg their shoulders like its no big deal.
That’s exactly how I feel about people who build god-awful houses and apartments where I have to see them.
That’s a far more permanent and damaging form of vandalism than a bit of paint on a fence, yet it’s completely legal.
Its legal because the builders had permission, I didn’t give permission for that little snot to spray paint my fence, like he did every weekend for a year last year, either did my neighbors.
I think your opinion would change if it happened to you.
At this juncture I would like to say that I give permission for kids to paint walls in a temporary fashion. I don’t give permission for anyone to build horrendous eyesores that are not temporary. Somehow I doubt my permission will be taken into consideration.
Brett Dale: “Language of ours?
I thought Maori was our language.”
Do you speak or write that any better? 😉
Seriously BD, there really are bigger things than grafitti to get so het up about, eh?
It’s been with us throughout civilisation and it’s not going to go away no matter what we do – and some of it IS worthy as art and satire – of that I have no doubt.
Yes a small percentage of it looks good, but if they are spray painting someones else property without permission, then its a crime.