Like in my last response on the topic of music, I also have a strong opinion on graffiti, and the negative social stigma attached with it. When most people hear the word graffiti, they don't think of brilliant street art that conveys some type of deep message, whether it be religious, socio-political, economic, or even just satire, but instead they associate graffiti with "hoodlums" and gang activity. This is such a shame because while this type of graffiti exists in areas you would expect it to exist in, a lot of graffiti is quite beautiful. A few friends of mine (all IU art student grads) have done some graffiti on campus, and around Bloomington that is still there to this day. None of it is offensive, in fact, some have positive messages that are being relayed, and most of the people I have asked about it actually enjoy it, yet every once in a while I will go to check out a specific location that I know was previously "tagged" or graffiti'd on, just to see it painted over with white paint that doesn't even match the surrounding areas. I get that they are trying to prove a point by erasing the artwork there, but at what cost? Spots like these just look poorly taken care of, and rather than seeing a person or two every now and then standing in front of and admiring the graffiti that was once there, now there is just an empty wall that looks like it was painted by underpaid amateur painters.
All of that being said, I love how graffiti is used on the West Bank as a sort of political commentary. Just like any other art form, it is a stress dump for these graffiti artists, and one that can sometimes carry an important message. Especially in areas of great turmoil like the West Bank, where I can see it being extremely difficult to get your voice heard, resorting to eye-grabbing tactics such as graffiti is to me, an extremely resourceful, and artsy tactic.
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