Res ipsa loquitur.

Firebelly,

I see graffiti as someone altering another's property without their consent, not art. It doesn't matter if you think the message is noble or artful. If I think pink cars are beautiful and help raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer, does that make it OK for me to krylon your car and bike pink?

I don't agree with your view of the sprayer being a crusader for a cause.... The times I have dealt with graffiti, It really wasn't about art and cause. It has always been more to do vandalism. It's more like busting out windows with crowbars than promoting a cause.

I don't condone graffiti by any means. The message is important though. Especially considering that people feel alone in the battle against economic disparity. The point is, we as consumers choose our economic fate. We vote with our dollars, and we can choose whether or not to support industries that take advantage of us.

I think the deep graffiti around the east side is probably someone's attempt to get people talking about this kind of stuff.

Consumers can change the economy by uniting and supporting companies that benefit local communities instead of the wealth of big city venture capitalists.

I always hear excuses about how it can't happen because of the people factor, but it's necessary that we connect. Even people that don't drive are affected by the rapidly increasing cost of fuel.

If we cut back demand, oil company profits will fall. The difficulty here is that we have to connect to make these changes.

Cosmopolitan people can use public transit to commute. The buses are actually pretty efficient with a monthly pass (buying a daily pass is a hassle). If more people ride they'll add more routes and more buses. If it grows enough we may even get a train system of sorts. Shared ride systems use much less fuel and benefit local economies in unbelievable ways.

If the bus isn't an option, try arranging rides with neighbors and colleagues. There's no need for everyone to drive everyday. We all live in the same city after all.

[/soapbox]

As an Eastsider I haven't seen this particular brand of graffiti - probably because I tune it out as gang stuff. I'll look for it - anything positive is better than gangbanger stuff. Maybe somebody could suggest to whoever is doing it to do it OVER gang graffiti and not all over the side of somebodies home or business.

And public transportation in this city blows...

I grew up around there and it has always been there. I remember when WISH TV paid for it to all be covered up but by the matter of weeks it was there again... Just a bad side of town. Stay North and South and you will be good.

That's a problem though...I don't WANT to move north or south, though it'd be easier. I want to live in a diverse neighborhood. The problem with that seems to be the punks driving out people who have the income to keep the eastside of town a vibrant part of the city. Stores close or move to where theres more money. Or they have such a paltry variety of stock that those who live here are forced to shop elsewhere, making the problem worse. IT STINKS!

LOL, you want to live in a "diverse" neighborhood. If by diverse you meant full of crime then ok.

Is there a common denominator between graffitied walls and cigarette butts? In other words, littering? And why are some people so trashy? Don't they care about their neighborhoods?

Graffiti is for cowards. If you want people to unite, give them a place and a voice to unite. Don't junk up the city. This isn't Sarajevo.

I may or may not have allegedly done some tagging in my day. You can call it wrong. You can call it stupid. But to call it cowardly is just silly. Taking a risk for the sake of self-expression is considerably more courageous than sticking to only what's socially acceptable. The only problem I have with graffiti is when it's uncreative. For example, I don't need to see "Reginald Loves Boo Boo". I'm happy for Reginald, don't get me wrong, but his statement doesn't really inspire.

My biggest problem is that is so disrespectful, so much so that, at least for me, any possible importance of the message is lost by the act of invading and violating another's property, I think today there is more opportunity than ever to convey a message. In the history of this city and country have there ever been more available forums to communicate a message? youtube, facebook, music venues, progressive art galleries, publications and forums just like this one. I've been here since '72 and I believe there have never been more opportunities than there are today. I really think the motivation is vandalism, not cause.

I fully support graffiti as it is one of the four elements of the hip-hop culture. But I feel legal walls are the best place for it, like the one's you'll find in Broad Ripple alleys. I know a lot of the local graf artists in town and for them it's rarely a message they want to put up, it's either about art or getting their name up in the city. Even the political messages throw ups are just another way of getting your name up under a veil of some sort of message.

Wheat paste posters can be removed much easier than spray paint, so I don't mind those as much.

That's like saying terrorism is courageous because they do it for "self expression."

Strapping a bomb to yourself takes balls the size of Detroit. The fact that you disagree with something that someone is doing doesn't make it cowardly.

Graffiti aside, what's it take to get people to connect and combat the rising cost of living, government corruption and the great economic divide?

Centuries ago philosophers pondered the same question. Sadly, not much has changed. I'm not sure anyone can really answer the question about what it will take. Change may be gradual and almost imperceptible. I know you fancy the idea of revolution, but not all revolutions happen quickly or obviously. This one may even be underway as we speak if people are changing the way they think and behave.

People can combat the great economic divide by getting a better job.

Some would argue that revolutions need not be united by a common cause or even awareness of the other participants. The revolutionary spark could be a single event or character, but could also be a myriad of causes only acted upon at a personal level. The issues that may motivate someone in the Midwest to rally for change could be quite different than those motivating someone on the West Coast, yet their goal would be the same. They would be unknowingly united for the same cause, yet for different reasons.

Indeed.. there are special people or events that initiate change though. There's a catalyst in every revolution that sparks a change in people and unites them for a cause. In our current situation the catalyst is so abstract that there's nothing in particular to target as a scapegoat. It's important to realize that we are responsible for our government and our way of life. It's our job as citizens to discuss problems rationally and make an effort to transcend them. That's why our constitution can evolve as our circumstances change.

It takes all of us to make it better though.