The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon

The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon

The student news site of Los Altos High School in Los Altos, California

The Talon

Graffiti: Expression at Its Greatest

Graffiti has been scrawled and scratched and painted and marked on all sorts of buildings for centuries. It has been praised and scorned in varying degrees of intensity. But no matter the opinions or wielding of words, graffiti has made its mark on history and should be recognized for such an achievement.
When the Berlin Wall came down, it was not by the fists of the west or the suppressed moans of the east. It was by those who risked everything in front of the firing squads to scrawl “FREEDOM” in bright red paint. These men and women, pranksters and gangsters, served the world as martyrs for the future, and it is they who must be thanked, along with the piles of empty spray cans.
It must not be forgotten that freedom of expression is a right. Any mean spirited despot can banish those who offer advice; it takes far more discipline, even sheds of honor, for them to tolerate jeers addressing their incompetence without lashing out. For no matter how many times they recite the sticks and stones proverb (both of which they fear immensely) indeed words too can hurt them.
Whether spoken orally, or branded on walls, words offer means for the masses to incite themselves, and with waves of revolution comes change. Peer pressure is not (and has never been and never will be) restricted to high school settings, and when every brick of a wall spells “Freedom,” it will come down.
Take a look at the numerous sketches of “Kilroy” and how he “was here” all across Europe during WWII. Kilroy is a drawing of a man’s face and large nose peeking over a low wall, and always was accompanied with the words “Kilroy was here.” At one point, the appearance of a simple doodle and its English caption caused a burst of panic when its presence in a secure German installation could not be accounted for. Were spies lurking in the corridors of so seemingly secure a military base? Kilroy was graffiti, and he certainly helped the war effort. Does he classify as vandalism?
Anything so rooted in decades of modern history should deserve a certain degree of respect. Graffiti has spread far and wide, in so many forms and must be attributed for such vivacity.
Grafitti artists create colorful, creative and unique works. Graffiti are a way for people to express themselves when cities would otherwise very easily become drab and washed out. The vibrant colors is a necessary breath of fresh air with a unique touch. Graffiti appeals to the rebellious human nature, and in doing so, is an experiene in life.
Messages on walls are nothing new, and no sane person can possibly hope to eradicate innocent scribbles forever. Nor should they want to. Graffiti is here to stay, and for the time being it is perfectly content to remain eye candy.

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