Although graffiti is often considered as an eyesore, the graffiti in the Kaka‘ako area is considered street art and is pleasing to the eye. (Photo credit: Joie Nishimoto)
You see it everywhere. Walk into a bathroom stall, and bam! It’s plastered all over the door.
Graffiti.
Well, on one hand it gives you something to read while you do your business.
But what is the point of spoiling things that don’t belong to you? What is the point of writing your name all over the place? Are taggers not competent enough to remember their own names so therefore they must write it out all over the place as a reminder?
What I really don’t get is why you would defile someone else’s property or belongings.
$50,000 is used each year to clean up the vandalisms and that’s just what the Department of Transportation spends to wipe out graffiti on the state roads and freeways, according to Hawaii News Now.
What a way to use our tax money.
Then you have the small businesses. Imagine what they have to go through to cover up the mess. It takes time and money to scrape, paint over or scrub away unwanted tagging.
It seems that humans have downgraded a few levels on the evolutionary chain. Tagging your name all over the place is equivalent to a dog urinating to mark its territory in my book.
Yes graffiti can be viewed as beautiful to some. Personally, I think the artwork looks amazing. Take Kaka‘ako for example. The buildings all around are covered with spectacular artwork done by some extremely talented artists. It’s simply wonderful to take a peak into the creative artist’s mind, see what they envisioned.
But like everything else in life, there is a time and a place for everything.
Graffiti should only be executed with the consent of property owner.