Alexis Antoniadis / Roundup
Freedom of expression does not exist in this country. Expression is merely a trend of what is acceptable and what is not.
To majority graffiti is not acceptable.
We live in a country that boasts about our freedom of this and that. However if you read between the lines you notice that there are a handful of restrictions that contradict our country’s first amendment.
Graffiti is art. It’s an expression of ones feelings, and it anonymously delivers a message to whoever is open to receiving it. It’s an artistic outlet that is discouraged by majority of the public.
It makes me wonder if Vincent Van Gogh decided to create one of his famous paintings on a bridge instead of a canvas would it still be considered a masterpiece?
I am not saying that all graffiti is a Van Gogh masterpiece, the words that are scribbled over murals is nothing but a child’s first grade spelling test, and that should not be classified as graffiti or art.
Dozens of graffiti artists get recruited into groups that are filled with criminals and menaces to society.
How is it that people expressing themselves through art are on the same level as a person who killed another human being?
Graffiti is stereotypically related to gang violence and opts as a red flag to communities that gang violence is present.
Even if that may be true, Graffiti is also a political statement, a story into someone’s life, or even beautiful mural that is created for the enjoyment of the human eye.
By taking art off the walls doesn’t solve our failing economy, crime rates, or the publics overall health.
The Graffiti Control Amendment Act implemented in 2009, section 195 of the Crimes Act 1900 provides for up to five years imprisonment for maliciously damaging property.
Graffiti artists are facing five years in prison for expressing themselves artistically with markers and spray cans.
What about the real criminals who are eligible for parole in three years even though they committed actual violent acts?
I would much rather have my tax dollars go elsewhere, instead of housing these artists for art that is questionably dangerous.
If America is so riled up on paintings on walls, where is the heat when it comes to video games?
Don’t get me wrong I am a huge fan of them, but there are red flags, and violence that stew up in games just as much or even more than graffiti.
The British American Journal released studies that shows that violent video games can be related to violent crimes such as school shootings.
For instance, a man who “slapped” his partner’s 15-month-old daughter because she interrupted his Xbox game, and as a result the infant died.
This goes to show that there is no escaping crime no matter what we restrict.
Violent criminals are out there, no matter how many markers or spray cans we take away, or how many artists we lock up violent people will always be out there.
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