Positive And Negative Effects Of Graffiti

Graffiti is a public form of expression that is often underappreciated and misunderstood, leading it to being viewed as the meaningless and destructive work of delinquents. However, some people can read between the lines and acknowledge the talent and message of the graffiti artist. This divide in understanding and opinion is what makes the graffiti culture unique and influential. The presence and perspective of graffiti in a neighborhood contributes to the ambiance of that area and influences the residents, which could lead to either the gentrification of urban areas or the expansion of the graffiti culture and, possibly, the crime culture. “Graffiti,” used as a general term, is often defined as “an unauthorized act of inscription onto …show more content…
Graffiti, itself, is typically considered a crime, or more specifically vandalism, on the basis of the writers and artists usually putting their pieces on both public and private property without permission, which is considered illegal. Various styles of graffiti, for instance gang graffiti and certain types of tagging for example, are executed with malicious intentions and spread hateful messages. These types of graffiti are primarily done to mark and claim gang territories, cause chaos and destruction, express rude or vulgar political opinions including racial slurs, and spread negative emotions. Also if a lot of the graffiti in an area is gang related or offensive, then that area is more likely to obtain a larger gang presence which would result in more crime and turf wars. Obscene street art also contributes to spreading an overall feeling of fear and unease among the law abiding citizens in that community. Additionally, the ‘broken windows theory’, which positions that “if a window in a building is broken and is left unrepaired, all the rest of the windows will soon be broken; that by breaking the codes of order we invite further disorder to occur,” often is said in association with graffiti (McAuliffe and Iveson 130). The ‘broken windows theory’ promotes the belief that excusing graffiti would encourage …show more content…
However, street art also plays an important role in the gentrification of an area. Gentrification is the process of renovation and revival of deteriorated urban neighborhoods through means of a high influx of more affluent residents, which often results in increased property values, unfortunately displacing many lower-income families and small businesses. In some instances, graffiti is one of the primary causes of gentrification. When powerful and upper class citizens or city officials witness copious amounts of graffiti in a certain area, they are sometimes inspired to renew and cleanse the area so that the more wealthy patrons can make ‘better’ use of it. The neighborhood then either gets repainted or people get displaced from their homes and the old graffiti-covered buildings are torn down and replaced with new, expensive homes, high-end apartments, and stores meant for more affluent patrons (Deutsche and Ryan 94). Meanwhile the displaced lower class residents and families are forgotten by the government and are forced to resort to finding new homes on their own because they can no longer afford to live in their old