Writes of Passage: Why I Advocate for Street Art
Writes of Passage: Why I Advocate for Street Art
Raymond Salvatore Harmon, an American street artist, once said: "Art is an evolutionary act. The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. At no point is art static. There are no rules." Many would claim that this statement is arguable, but looking throughout history, one can clearly see the constant changing of stylistic preferences in all art, from cave paintings to the Sistine Chapel. One particularly revolutionary style of art is the relatively new concept of street art. Originating in the early 1980s, graffiti became an international craze within the decade. A great deal of people would argue that it is beneficial to communities to outlaw graffiti, but in reality there is no evidence to back up their opinion. Graffiti is a form of art, and there are many reasons why it should be made legal. One of the most prominent arguments against legalization of graffiti is the Broken Windows Theory. In a report written by James Wilson and George Kelling, we are told that crimes that are ignored or pushed to the side are the reason our society is degenerating morally. These "broken windows" will lead to the complete degrade of society. If the government lets one thing slide, people will become more and more immoral and the law will become more lenient. However, as recently proven in a social experiment done by Bernard Harcourt, the Broken Windows Theory is not, in fact, correct. When the police department adjusted to fit the requirements made by the Broken Windows Theory, the only aspect people took notice of was the decline in crime. However, other factors, such as the 1990s crack-cocaine epidemic, were completely ignored. In the midst of this epidemic, the crime rates soared, as would be expected. However as the epidemic ebbed, so did the crime rate. This occurred shortly after new policing methods were installed. Many people credited the new methods of policing with the decline in crime
Raymond Salvatore Harmon, an American street artist, once said: "Art is an evolutionary act. The shape of art and its role in society is constantly changing. At no point is art static. There are no rules." Many would claim that this statement is arguable, but looking throughout history, one can clearly see the constant changing of stylistic preferences in all art, from cave paintings to the Sistine Chapel. One particularly revolutionary style of art is the relatively new concept of street art. Originating in the early 1980s, graffiti became an international craze within the decade. A great deal of people would argue that it is beneficial to communities to outlaw graffiti, but in reality there is no evidence to back up their opinion. Graffiti is a form of art, and there are many reasons why it should be made legal. One of the most prominent arguments against legalization of graffiti is the Broken Windows Theory. In a report written by James Wilson and George Kelling, we are told that crimes that are ignored or pushed to the side are the reason our society is degenerating morally. These "broken windows" will lead to the complete degrade of society. If the government lets one thing slide, people will become more and more immoral and the law will become more lenient. However, as recently proven in a social experiment done by Bernard Harcourt, the Broken Windows Theory is not, in fact, correct. When the police department adjusted to fit the requirements made by the Broken Windows Theory, the only aspect people took notice of was the decline in crime. However, other factors, such as the 1990s crack-cocaine epidemic, were completely ignored. In the midst of this epidemic, the crime rates soared, as would be expected. However as the epidemic ebbed, so did the crime rate. This occurred shortly after new policing methods were installed. Many people credited the new methods of policing with the decline in crime