Generally I enjoy it, but there’s a lot of situations where I wish there was some sort of middleground between 
and 
Traincabs with windows covered make people feel so much more unsafe, since outside onlookers can’t see if something is happening inside.
I get sad when I see historical buildings with a bunch of tags on them. You might think that’s silly - I would imagine some do, since I’m personally cool with newer “uglier” buldings getting tagged. So if you feel like that about all buildings and can’t relate, try to take it to extreme examples: The pyramids with tags on them, terra-cotta soldiers with tags on them, cave paintings, nature reserves, animals… All of these have been tagged. If you find those apprehensive, then start from there and go as close to “pretty and old building” as you can get until you find it acceptable again. Hopefully you get where I’m coming from then.
I know graffiti and tagging is ancient - there’s 1000-year old tags in pompei (and on pyramids) but I think that’s a reductive argument. Our notion of history, culture, preservation and so on has changed a lot since the time of widespread slavery. Had the roman empire existed today, then I’d also be mad about a legionairy tagging the walls of Versailles.
On the other hand Brechts old theatre in Berlin, which used to be some big old royal theatre, has massive red X’s painted over the coat of arms that decorate the stage, and that’s cool as fuck. So it’s not something that can easily be categorized one way or the other.
But otherwise I love it. I love seeing the signs of an underground anti-authority art movement in the world around me. I love seeing the art. I love seeing how it develops. I love seeing advertisements covered. I love it when it’s pretty, I love it when it’s juvenile, I love it when it’s insightful, I love it when it’s political and I love it when it’s crude.
I wish there was some solution. I’d love to hear other peoples thoughts.
Repulsive and antisocial. I wouldn’t want to live around somebody with this attitude, unless of course you mean painting their own personal property.
I feel you. Personally, I’m not really with it, but I see the argument for it. I’m like super tapped out of the scene, but it was a contentious subject 15-20 years ago when I was somewhat tapped in, and I’m sure it still is.
To be clear, I’m also not even close to the definitive arbiter of all things graff, I just have some personal experience with it insofar as it was a rather large part of my adolescent identity — driving around looking for spots with the homies, racking paint, drinking and smoking, cyphering, and writing my name on walls and shit.
I was (and still am) a country kid who wound up in the city through a bizarre set of circumstances. Looking back, I wasn’t much more than a tourist who happened to stick around longer than most. It was being a tourist, though, that got me into activism, social justice, and eventually involved with socialist orgs, homelessness outreach, and youth advocacy. Grateful for my experiences. And I may or may not still carry a streaker or a mop whenever I’m in the city, just to let ‘em know I’m still alive.