Originally posted by DJNEOFORM...

In a related story/anecdote:

Sagan was known to have a bit of an ego. In 1994, Apple Computer began developing the Power Macintosh 7100. They chose the internal code name "Sagan", in honor of the astronomer. Though the project name was strictly internal and never used in public marketing, when Sagan learned of this internal usage, he sued Apple Computer to use a different project name. Though Sagan lost the suit, Apple engineers complied with his demands anyway, renaming the project "Butthead Astronomer". Sagan sued Apple for libel over the new name, claiming that it subjected him to contempt and ridicule. Sagan lost this lawsuit as well.

Originally posted by ! PHOENIX !...

That last pic is bootylicious!

Originally posted by DJNEOFORM...

how clever.

Originally posted by ASHTRAY G I R L...

nothing wrong with Tears for Fears lyrics!!!!


they RAWK!@

Originally posted by VIOLENCE INC....

i find it kinda funny, i find it kinda sad that the dreams which im dying are the best ive ever had.

I've said this before....
Article 1)
graffiti as art.
Art. That is a very abstract word. Let's review it's meaning shall we?The Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines art as: the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects . That is all well and good. Now is a tag creative? imaginative? or aesthetic? That's another questionable answer. In my personal opinion, it is not. It is ugly, unattractive, unimaginative, and not creative in any way, shape or form. It even makes its surroundings less appealing.

Article 2)
"People have been writing their names in weird places since the cavemen."
You're an idiot.
A) They did not write their names.
B) They drew animals and the hunt. More likely than not as a guide for younger men who did not have the experience of the hunt. It was instrumental to the survival of their community. It was not because they wanted to advertise their names to people they don't know, nor was it because they were so interested and deep-rooted followers and lovers of the so-called hip hop culture .

Article 3)
Graffiti affects society as a whole.
Graffiti really does affect society as a whole. Why do you think the (oh so horrible and hated) government cleans up graffiti when it is somewhere it's not supposed to be? Because they like wasting money? Money that could easily be spent on helping the poor you love so much? And are tagging so desperately to help? Hm. Let's think for a moment. Does the "Man" want to waste money on cleaning graffiti? No. Why not? Because he could spend that money on social benefits for the people who will be re-electing him next term. And how does tagging fit into this equation? Like so:

Tax Money = Taxes collected from the poor, the middle class and the rich.
Correct? Correct.
Now here is where it gets tricky.
Tax Money is spent on: Social Benefits, Re-election campaign, Social Insurance, Bien-etre Social, Roads, Health, Education, Graffiti removal (very simplistic, but I'm trying to prove a point)
Now the money spent on the removal of graffiti could be used in more efficient ways. And don't doubt that it's not a lot of money. It is. You've all said it before: "If I don't do it, there will be 10 people ready to take my place." So for every person who stops, its increases exponentially 10 TIMES! Wow. That's a lot of money! Enough even to start a new welfare program? I wouldn't know. But I hope you can see my point.

Article 4)
Graffiti as evolution.
Evolution. Wow. That's deep. I think he was trying to make some sort of artistic creation with that comment. (Sorry.) But I complettely agree with FLEKO on his statement about it getting commercialized and becoming useless. Graffiti did, I assume, evolve from somewhere, something. Something with a meaning, with a purpose. It no longer has that meaning or purpose. It is destruction. And (if any of you have read Graham Greene) destruction may be an artform. But in this scenario, I don't see it that way. Tagging has lost its meaning. It no longer symbolizes the frustration with the powers that be. It symbolizes teen angst and attention-seeking. If you have a problem with the "powers that be," take it up with them. Not with the people who ride the bus every morning. The reasons for this are twofold:
A) Tagging is almost entirely incomprehensible and illegible.
B) People ignore it. It is everywhere. One more or less won't change the world.

(Unfinished) Conclusion
Vandalism is bad. It's meaning is lost. It is a mindless self-indulgence. If you want to chagne the world, do something constructive, not DEstructive.