Campus "Voice
323.2011 I The Blue Banner 1 13
Graffiti artists mix rebellion and beauty
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Chris Fish
cafish@unca.edu
Staff Writer
“The Simp-
j sons” shaped my
way of living.
I Without this
show, I would
not be aware of some works
of literature, elements of pop
culture and the fact that every
one is extremely deprived of
social norms. It was this show
that raised me, and it was the
first to introduce me to excit
ing elements of the world my
sheltered little redneck town
tried to hide from its impres
sionable youth.
And, like many other things,
it was “The Simpsons” that
introduced me to street art.
“The Simpsons” were cultur
ally aware and they saw the
rebelliousness of graffiti. The
show’s main hero, Bart Simp
son, the modem day equivalent
of Holden Caulfield from “The
Catcher in the Rye,” tagged his
school with art depicting his
hatred for his principal, society
and just writing things for the
pure hell of it.
Yes, “El Barto” was quite
the public nuisance, defacing
his school and striking fear
into the heart of his town. He
was out there somewhere, and
the town knew it by the marks
he left. He was a hero for the
downtrodden, and he fought
for the other misfits in his
town, always letting the elites
know they were not safe from
his graffiti attacks.
So, what separates “El
Barto” from the “moms” tag
seen throughout town? The
artist or artists behind this tag
have let Asheville know of
their presence, whether or not
people are completely aware
of it. They are hying to say
something and, whether this ,
word is representing a gang or
A popular place for graffiti in
a person’s admiration for their
mother, they have the right to
express themselves.
But is it really expression if
it’s not wanted?
This is the main problem
with graffiti. While some peo
ple are open to artistic expres
sion on the side of buildings
that are beautifully thought out
portraits no different from art
constructed for a canvas, most
could agree the word “moms
written on everything is a bit
obnoxious.
So, the question that comes
to mind is where is the line
between art and vandalism?
No matter how beautiful or
Dustin Stuart/Asst. Photography Editor
Asheville is the River Arts District.
MADNESS
continued from page 13
students need is the burden of
finishing work from March
that they were too distracted to
complete.
Maybe the second option can
be a healthy solution.
“A holiday from all the work
would be nice, but we had that
already over spring break,
Stanton said. “I just wish
professors could accept an
assignment late so I can take
time to get refocused on school
work.”
Look, we know we’re here ^
as students, and as students it s
well-crafted a graffiti por
trait may be, it is still illegal
without having the permission
of the owner of the building or
wall the painting exists.
“As long as it’s artsy, I’m
for it,” Coleman Durnford, a
senior botany student, said.
“I really think it’s cool how
the city employs people to do
it on places like the bridges,
but some of the stuff looks like
trash.”
Not all street art is for rebel
lion.
The street artist known as
Banksy has received interna
tional acclaim for his con
tributions. His work is quite
our expectation to get what
ever work is assigned to us on
time, but that doesn’t mean
we can’t talk to professors and
ask them to be flexible if we
can’t complete an assigment
promptly.
Professors would be much
more satisfied knowing that
you’re taking that initiative
remarkable. In the early ’90s,
he began free-handing his art
on London streets. Now, his
works have been sold for thou
sands of dollars to art connois
seurs, solidifying his place as
one of the greatest street artist
of our time.
Even though Banksy has
received the praise he has so
wholeheartedly earned, not
everyone is pleased to have
his art represented on their
establishments.
The Westminister City
Council voted in 2008 to
paint over some of his work
that read, “One Nation Under
CCTV.” One council member
even went as far as to tell Time
magazine that Banksy, “has no
more right to paint graffiti than
a child.”
Just like the saying every
one has heard a million times,
“One man’s trash is another
man’s treasure,” street art is
still viewed as trash by most of
the population.
Police have even started
cracking down on some street
artists in Asheville. A 21-year-
old Fletcher man was arrested
after he was caught painting
the infamous “moms” on a
wall. The police intended to
make an example out of him
to the rest of the street art
community, but “moms” still
continues to be seen through
out the city.
So, the legacy of “moms”
still terrorizes a community
despite the arrest of an indi
vidual.
Maybe he continued to do
his work to make a statement,
or maybe he was not alone in
the act of producing his arf.
Maybe some people believe
some things should be stood
up for and expressed no matter
how others react.
I think “El Barto” would
agree with that.
Drivers need
retesting
with age
than turning it in late without a
reasonable explanation.
Now this won’t guarantee an
extension, but hopefully it can
prevent March Madness from
turning into academic mad
ness, a three-week process af
ter the tournament where your
grades are more unpredictable
than my busted bracket.
Natalie Pearson
ngpearso@unca.edu
Sports Editor
Last year a
Californian father
of two was stmck
down and run over
unloading his shopping in a
Costco parking lot. His children,
who were inside the vehicle, were
thrown out due to the impact and
suffered minor injuries.
The driver of the vehicle said
he accidently pressed the gas
instead of the brake. He was 86
years old.
Accidents happen, but our
86-year-old joy rider isn’t the
only aged driver this has hap
pened to.
We are plagued with commer
cials to buckle up, stop drinking
and driving and not text behind
the wheel, but one key area of
motor vehicle safety is ignored —
when are you too old to drive?
Modem day medicine is con
stantly fighting the aging battle,
but cures for poor driving are not
yet on the radar.
We’ve all witnessed elderly
drivers snaking in front of us
on the highway, making terrible
judgment calls at intersections
and driving 20 mph in a 45 mph
zone. Besides frustrations, real
health and safety issues are on
call. The elderly behind the wheel
need to be stopped.
Although it could be argued
that with age comes experi
ence, the Insurance Institute for
Highway Safety reports that crash
rates and fatal crash rates per
mile traveled increase starting at
age 70 and rise markedly after
age 80. Also, the OLR Research
Report concludes that at 70, there
is a sharp increase in fatalities per
1000 accidents.
Despite this concern, the
number of drivers 70 and older is
growing rapidly. As of now, only
two states in the country call for a
re-test of the road at age 75. Only
three states require a vision test.
The Californian father eventu
ally recovered. The elderly driver
got his license revoked, but didn’t
face any charges.
Accidents happen, but over and
over again is not acceptable.