Yeah, I hate tags and graffiti. I am a Finnish dude living in New York City. As you probably know, this city is riddled with graffiti. I can understand that it is a form of art, but I still don’t approve of public buildings, walls, staircases being used as a canvas to display this kind of art. Maybe the solution is to specify certain areas — specific walls — where these taggers can display their art?

Well that is the proposal of the Helsinki youth board to have “legal” walls – but the “stop tagging” project says that it’ll undermine the “zero tolerance” policy.

BTW I remember my first time in the 1980′s NYC was full of graffiti – then in the 1990′s after the facelift projects I was amazed seeing the subway pristine, the onece saw a tag and then came up two subway guys, one with green and other with the beige paint in the bucket and painted it over – and it hadn’t been there the previous day…

How is NYC these days – still never asleep?

Phil…It appears to me that this website is under constant denial of service hackers ,who are determined to disrupt this site so much you will lose all the people who have been enjoying your website since you started.
It sucks that these A-HOLES have a personal mission to destroy the best English language blog by an American in Finland because they hate
freedom of speech….SHAMEFULL…SATANA PERKELA!

I agree, this site has had many disruptions over the last few weeks. I am also waiting for your next post Phil, though your guest bloggers are good.

At last we can see some open discussion about the zero-tolerance anti-graffiti campaign!
I don`t think a social issue that should be dealt with such “black and white”-manner even exists, and I`m sure graffiti is definetely not one.
Letteing the “zero tolerance” go doesn`t mean allowing some kids to tag someones private house or anything like that. And alot of people are thinking like theres nothing between poorly tagged historical buildings and absolute zero tolerance.

I don`t see how a designated graffiti area wouldn`t work, if the society otherwise enforces a strict attitude towards graffiti done in wrog places.
Like, you can`t go play golf in a mall or someone elses yard either, but it`s ok to do it in the golf course. And since golf is the sport of “establishment” and graffiti just the opposite, couldn`t making graffiti “official” help it get rid of the rebel roots, which the conservative seem to despise? That might even help the future graffiti generation to let go of illegal graffiti: the possibility to paint legally could make the risk of getting huge fines not worth it.

Turku is actually planning on having legal graffiti walls.

It is really very simple. IF YOU DON’T OWN IT, DON’T PAINT ON IT!!!!!!!!!!! I have lived in Chicago, Miami and Boston, Graffiti everywhere. It is a total lack of respect, I have seen some very creative and artistic murals that I stopped to look at but at the same time I know that my apartment manager didn’t approve it and we all end up paying for the clean up. Designated areas are not the answer either, Graffiti is a “damn the man” activity, it takes the thrill out of if it if it’s legal. The kids who would do it in the legal area will not be the same kids that paint the rest of the town. The penalties should be tough and dramatic, enforcement would be a different issue all together. If you want to paint something, try something you own.

I hope that someone in the gov’t knows the difference between “real” (arty) graffiti and tagging. The former is cool by me, the latter is a blight whose perps should be shot on sight. I exaggerate, but only a bit.

I also read that the city wanted to stamp out postering, which is just plain foolish. Posters tell me about upcoming gigs and protests, and not incidentally improve the appearance of building sites (and traffic light control boxes too).

But I’m really sick and tired of tagging. Done by a bunch of bratty two-year-olds who want to smear their sh*t all over town. What gives? Compensating for their puny schwantzes? Go smear your sh*t somewhere else. Bah humbug!

Yes, banning posters in the spirit of “graffiti zero tolerance” was totally ridiculous. For example some “ventilation booths” (or who know what function those things have..) at the corner of old bus station allways had posters torn out “to keep the city clean” but they allways left behind a surface with poster shreds all over. And that didn`t look clean at all. Then along came new posters, soon torn off, shreds left..

Posters don`t really have nothing to do with graffiti: they are messages from active people who are creating their own, independent culture to add some colour and life to their city. In their words Helsinki cit officials are encouraging art and culture, but it seems only when they can have corporate sponsors and ad revenue. (Remember those benches with poems from a telecom company?) It`s really a shame that grassroot independent culture, initiated by the people themselves is often not only ignored, but often even discouraged.

l want job in filanda