The following writing was from a paper I wrote in 12th grade for my SUPA (Syracuse University Project Advance) Writing class. In the following text, I touched upon the ways in which Graffiti can be used as a form of cultural resistance, a way to self- identify, and how identifying it as cultural resistance paves way for it to be political resistance as well.
Date: 01/16/2015
Graffiti: Viewed from the Eyes of Society
Pexels: Tobias Bjorkli
When the word ‘graffiti’ is heard, gang activities,
violence, and vandalism usually come into mind.
To think of and define graffiti in this way is too broad of a
definition. The stereotype of deviant subcultures, such as gangs, and the
deviant subculture’s behavior explains why graffiti is perceived in a negative
way. As Emmanuel A. David said, graffiti artists make up a subculture that
resists the norms of the dominant culture through contributing “to the
production of new spaces, as well as new cultural meanings and social
interactions” (Stanczak 234). In the expository text, Cultural Resistance Reader (2002), Stephen Duncombe, an associate
professor at New York University, explains how art is a form of Cultural
Resistance by addressing that art provides " a sort of 'free space' for
developing ideas and practices" (5). By giving the readers with
information about the forms in which cultural resistance could take form in and
how the actions of the individuals of the resisting subcultures deviate, Duncombe
builds his claims about the definition of cultural resistance. With the
definition of cultural resistance, the readers would then be able to
differentiate cultural resistance from mere violence.
Since gangs are
immediately seen negatively because of the hackneyed idea that gang members are
violent, people predominantly relate all gang activities, one of which is gang
graffiti, as ‘illegal’. This causes people to view graffiti, in general, as an
act of violence against the higher powers. Putting the stereotypes aside, gangs
have used graffiti to make themselves known as a way of forming status.
According to Jeff Ferrell, gangs use
graffiti for the reason that it is “a powerful alternative process for shaping
personal identity and gaining social status” (38). This need to form an
identity and status could be connected on how graffiti artists wanted to be
heard.
Much like graffiti, the word deviance can be
misinterpreted if it is looked at an ample aspect. The true definition of
deviance is an action done that is against the social norms. When it says that
an action is done against the norms that are included in a society, most people
think that the action done is a violation of the laws. Being considered as a
deviant subculture the action of graffiti is immediately seen as a juvenile
action, which leads them to the conclusion that all groups or individuals that
are related to graffiti movements are juvenile.
Pexels: Isaac Weatherly
One form of graffiti is called graffiti writing. This
form "has spread from its origins in New York City to cities throughout
the United States, Europe, and other world regions" (Ferrell 33). Why do
graffiti artists resist? In the same way that graffiti is used by gangs to
create status and identity, graffiti writers who most commonly consists of
youth use graffiti to create identity and change the flaws of the society. By
resisting the urban control made by the institutions against graffiti, they
make it possible to "reclaim public space for at least some of those
systematically excluded from it, and thus resist the confinement of kids and
others within structures of social and spatial control" (Ferrell 35). The
cultural resistance demonstrated by graffiti is a way "to resist and/ or
change the dominant political, economic and/ or social structure" (Duncombe
5).
Graffiti is resistance in a way that it creates room in
the society for those who have a different way of thinking. The space that they
acquired through resistance enables them to be heard. They expose or want to
acknowledge the existence of some of the political and societal issues being
ignored by the dominant culture through creating controversies due to their
deviant actions with the use of visual resistance. With this participation of
deviating from the social norms, they do not harm it but do the complete
opposite. They contribute to their community that they are a part of by showing
how they want change to happen and with that, people take notice. By taking a
step of exposing either local or global issues, "local issues become
global issues, global issues become localized, and regional boundaries collapse
and expand into both local and global categories of analysis" (Stanczak 232).
By creating an image for themselves, they hope to be heard “For graffiti
writing not only confronts and resists an urban environment of fractured
communities and segregated spaces; it actively constructs alternatives to these
arrangements as well” (Ferrell 37).
Duncombe mentions the " political potential of
culture" (2). Graffiti does not only exist as a form of resistance to make
change, it is also considered as a form of resistance to give people a chance
to participate in the political activities in their community. This is because
"cultural resistance is political activity: writing or rewriting political
discourse and thus political practice" (Duncombe 8). Graffiti writing
plays its role as a form of political activity when an individual from the
subculture ideologically decides, with the influence of the subculture they are
in, what form of politics seems just. They become self- aware, decide who they
are and what they want, and decide who and what they are as an individual in
their community. Once an individual learns who they are in their community,
they would be able to see the importance of community as a whole and apply
their passions to politically contribute in their community. A minor action
that is subconsciously done by graffiti artists can contribute to not only the
social, but also the political well- being held within a community. Such occurrences
happened when California's TIK crew "violate the city's everyday ethnic
segregation by incorporating kids of various ethnic backgrounds" (Ferrell
38). This was done when there was still an evident racial segregation in the
U.S. Even though the crew did not intentionally include artists from different
ethnic backgrounds for this purpose, they unconsciously resisted to the norms
presented by their society during that time. By including individuals of
different races, they show their support of equality among races by giving
people from other ethnic backgrounds the free will to be included in a
subculture. This will contribute to the community since "How culture is
received and made sense of --- its interpretation --- determines its politics
as well" (Duncombe 7).
"Cultural resistance can also be thought of as
political resistance" (Duncombe 4). The generalization of graffiti having
a notorious label is the reason why institutions such as the government make
laws against graffiti and also why it is viewed as vandalism. The government
views graffiti as a rebellious act since "Rebellion is where cultural
resistance contributes to political activity against the powers - that -
be" (Duncombe 7-8). Jeff Ferrell mentions
the Albuquerque Police and how
they "use U.S. Marines in antigraffiti operations, deploy undercover
transit and police officers in the guise of high school students and
journalists... and set up sophisticated sting operations to apprehend graffiti
writers and stop those who sell spray paint to them (1992)" (Ferrell 36).
Because of the repression through the use of law enforcers, people resist with
greater force to protect their rights. The youth who participate in the Hip Hop
subculture most commonly use graffiti to protect their freedom of speech
(expressed through graffiti), which people with authority try to suppress
through antigraffiti groups.
Pexels: Thitaree Sawettatat
The public space
versus private space conflict has been another factor that contributes to how
graffiti writing is seen as a rebellious act. Since the only way graffiti
artists could create and share their ideas is through the use of spray cans and
a part of a wall, they do it in public spaces for other people to see. As the
title of the space suggests, it is owned by the public, which is another reason
why they paint graffiti in such public spaces. But the government suggests
otherwise. To have more control over the
deviating subculture, they argue that public spaces are actually private spaces
that are owned by the government. The ones who hold power form antigraffiti
groups with the justification that graffiti writers are breaking the law by
defacing private property.
The increasing retaliation of the graffiti writers results to more repression from systems to take back control. Wanting order back in the community, the increase control for stopping graffiti activities is ensued. The controlling individuals feel that the deviating subculture creates problems and chaos, that is why "graffiti as a cultural practice is often considered a criminal practice, most often by structures of authority that criminalize alternative spaces to perpetuate systems of domination and maintain mainstream cultural boundaries" (Stanczak 233). This is because of the boundaries that separate the culture as a whole from the deviating subculture, which in this case is graffiti. The invisible barrier that separates the two is made based on “the cultural dimension of these political, social, and identity – based expressions” (Stanczak 234). The political institution's added control on the youth through suppressing their freedom makes it possible for the resistance to intensify.
Asides from resisting for their freedom, graffiti artists give an increased response to the societal control the authorities are trying to advocate because of the adrenaline rush that comes along with it. The thrill of what could happen from their actions make it more exhilarating. For protective measures, they also "wear latex gloves when they tag or piece" (Ferrell 36). They transform pressure from official authorities to pleasure by expressing it through graffiti writing. What the authorities do not realize is that "the more they publicize the crackdown, the more active the taggers will become" (Ferrell 37).
One instance in which people from the graffiti subculture
resisted the suppression presented by the dominant culture is when a man named
Fred Radtke, who is infamously known as the 'Gray Ghost', tried to stop
graffiti activities in Baronne Street, New Orleans. The Gray Ghost is known for "covering all types
of graffiti with gray paint, regardless of the color behind it" (Stanczak
226). The responses from graffiti artists came back tenfold. There were
"stencils depicting a portrait and the words 'I LOVE FRED' " on the
streets, almost as a way to mock Fred Radtke from his efforts of stopping
graffiti activities. The individual who is trying to "silence expressions
on the street" (Stanczak 227) is also the one who is making the graffiti
movement go forward. This so called "Band- Aid solution" formulated
by the Gray Ghost made the graffiti activities thrive more in New Orleans (Stanczak
226). The irony of the events shows how direct resistance aids to the
acceleration of political action for change, which the people of the resisting
subculture are hoping for. The resistance does not only exist to show the
dissatisfaction of a group of people, but it also exists to "construct
alternative arrangements" (Ferrell 33) for which two different culture's
could negotiate and coexist.
Cultural Resistance does not only refer to the act of
resisting the norms provided by the dominant culture's structure, it also
pertains to the act of individuals from a deviant subculture and how they
contribute to sharing new ideas by developing it through communication. The
graffiti subculture can be considered as “a group that has been cut off, or
more likely has cut itself off, from the dominant society in order to create a
shared, inclusive set of cultural values and practices" (Duncombe 7).
Graffiti creates "an alternative system of public communication for kids
who otherwise have little access to avenues of urban information" (Ferrell
37). The distribution of ideas through
the use of communication in visual art form aids to the development of ideas by
forming social identities and statuses. Their interaction does not only create
ideas, but also a culture wherein each individual creates "deep social
bonds" as they "share time and resources" (Ferrell 38).
Graffiti does not only affect those who are within its
own deviant subculture, it also affects the people who are against their views
and ideas. As mentioned, Fred Radtke gained his name, the Gray Ghost, through
covering graffiti art in New Orleans. Both graffiti artists and some citizens
reacted similarly from the actions done by the Gray Ghost. As expected, the graffiti artists did not
like their art being covered since it shows that they are being dismissed.
Meanwhile, "...some citizens were upset about the approach to the graffiti
problem" (Stanczak 226). The reactions
from both sides show that even groups from different sides could agree on a
certain topic. Since the opposing sides agreed on something, it gives more
chance for more agreements to come by. This shows that graffiti art as a
cultural resistance does not only exist to resist, but it also exists to create
a revolution that results from a great number of individuals of opposing sides
to cooperate and change the faults of their society.
Graffiti writing, as said before, was immediately
connected to gang activities. But if graffiti writing is heard by people living
in cities such as New York City, they may think of it as a normal day- to- day
occurrence. This is because graffiti writing became prominent activity in their
community that it started becoming a part of their mainstream. Once a
subculture gains attention and includes more individuals to become members of
their subculture, it becomes a culture. It has served its purpose of making
changes and is now being treated as another form of art within that community.
Today, graffiti is seen as a way to create art pieces. A
person may argue that graffiti still serves its purpose of creating self-
identities. In truth, a subculture and its position of whether it is considered
as a cultural resistance or not depends on how it is used and how people view
it. Graffiti can arguably be a form of resistance that is used to form self-
identity, even in communities where it is already considered a mainstream,
based on how it is presented and how much impact it gives to the people within
that community. This could be seen when Banksy, a graffiti artist, created an
identity for himself through graffiti art. He not only used graffiti art to
present the societal problems that exists in our community today, but also used
it to create an identity for himself without using his real name. The way that
he used graffiti would be an example of graffiti used as a way of resisting.
But other graffiti art that are not as significant as Banksy's would not be
considered as a way of resisting to culture. The graffiti subculture has
successfully become a culture when people from the dominant culture took notice
of their continuous actions of resistance, which resulted into the start of a
form of revolution. This revolution causes changes. When the revolution or
"the complete overthrow of the ruling system" occurs, “the culture of
resistance becomes just culture" (Duncombe 8), because by then it will be
considered as a norm that is included in the society.
The culture of graffiti is slowly becoming a just a culture because of the impact that it already had in our society, which is mainly cities such as New York and California. The resistance that it has showed through the years in the cities shows how a cultural resistance strives to be included in the society without being changed by the norms provided by it. Not only does graffiti represent acceptance into the mainstream of society, but it also represents socialization between individuals from people within the graffiti culture and the dominant culture. As they resist the norm, it removes the wrongs in the society and makes it better as both the ideas from the graffiti culture and the dominant culture diverge.
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Works Cited
Ferrell, Jeff. Crimes of Style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality. Boston:
Northeastern UP, 1996.
Duncombe, Stephen. Cultural Resistance Reader. New York:
Verso, 2002.
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