Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Aug. 25, 1980, edition 1 / Page 12
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A-UNvvrTh3 Daily Tcr H; vr.'cny. August 25, 10CO '3 Q . 0 O r j J I ; i O J . 1U Irr.rir.- ycursdf in the bathroom cf a pcpulcr Cfcr?d Hill nightspot, confronted with tht t:3 qu::tin smlllzd cn a will: -ca cc'i jJJ: a Corf, h-,- would you csk .;.? : -' If you ere like most people, your concern would' be with the-foremost social -and personal issues of the day: ' Is there rc''y a Bigfoot? . . . When's the new. Blazers album cobtin - cut? . , ' - r ' - v -r "Is Frank Zappa .really Leon Redbone?;'; , . . Throughout' Chapel . Hill, 'from' campus i;-. tuildirts to t?.rs, bathroom, walls .are one of-" the rr.ost, common and effective forums for opinion. Graffiti,' defined in a Pine Rocrn " .bathroom as "the incoherent babbling of the,; voicelessly T?.zi subconscious," range; A'; widely in quality from the mindless ' filth which dominates, many walls to such erudite". ' revelations as There- is no gravity: the Earth SUCliS. . '(- . - Stalls are filled with bits of friendly , advice Watch out for limbo dancers as well as indispensable facts Forty-seven ' people fell off their bikes in Iowa last year. You can sit and ponder-philosophies drink, therefore I am or inspect the foreboding beginnings of new political movements Reagan for 'Shah!-- . ".; Whatever the message, graffiti is certain to ' . be provocative: Cod b dead. 0 ' For every statement of such stark intensity, there is bound to be a rebuttal: No he isn't he's just resting. Right Cod prevents wetness. This is all absurd because Cod simply doesn't exist. Yes he does, but he's kind of wimpy. Cod will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today. Obviously, bathroom walls reflect a great diversity in attitudes and preoccupations. But sex, evidently, is foremost on the minds of -most .pen-wielding bathroom users. Most of the wall space is taken by smut. But even the sex-minded writer is not always witless. One wrote: Chaste makes waste. In bars graffiti artists often deal with the suds that send them to the writing room. This place doesn 7 sell beer, it just rents it. ? " ' , f Dedicate yourself to life, liberty, and the . pursuit of happy hour. . Other minds seem to be preoccupied with . famous words. . To do is to be. -Bacon To be is to do. -Shakespeare i Dooby dooby do. -Sinatra - . , Do be a Do Bee -Miss Mary Anne And still others only want to stir up controversy. .-. . ' ' Humpty Dumpty was pushed! Blasphemy! Politics is another popular subject for wall discourses. Much is written on the issues of the draft and the nuclear arms race, and presidential candidates are belittled on many . walls. Often, a sense of political futility can be detected in bathroom scrawls. If pro is the opposite of con, is progress the opposite of Congress? Famous tie: Hi, I'm from the government and I'm -?re to help you. Comments are also made on world affairs. Iran is stuck between Iraq and a hard place. - ''' Even the subject of child-rearing is dealt with: . Give your child mental blocks for Christmas. So ' bathroom walls provide free and interesting reading on a wide array- of topics. And everyone reads them. "Something to do," is the reason mos$ people give. "I read it because it's something no one would ever say in public," one student said. "It's like reading underground literature." One graffiti reader said he preferred "the dirty stuff that gets down to the nitty-gritty." But most read the walls in search of wit, often preferring clever political statements like: Serf's up. -Karl Marx Some say they are offended by the obscenities, but read the walls anyway. Opinions and policies also differ among those who have the job of cleaning the walls. Linda's manager Linda Williams paints her walls often. "I don't mind the clever stuff," she said, "but the obscene things bother me." Williams said her bathroom walls get written on even before she can finish a paint job. "I don't think there is a cure," she lamented. Troll's manager Roger Meylend takes a different stance. : "People can write whatever they want, it's all right with us," he said. The walls at Troll's get painted once or twice a year. On campus, removihg graffiti is a ' fairly expensive operatidn," according to Housekeeping administrator David McCauley. He said that janitors try to keep bathroom walls as sterile as possible. I But a clean wall never stopped a determined graffiti writer. He always has something to say, and is blessed with the ability to boggle minds. Water invented huthans to transport itself , from one place to another. He has a fresh perspective to share. Revolution is the fesull of one society pregnant with another. Then America needs an abortion. No, induced labor. ' He is an inhibited comic, sharing his wit in its only acceptable place v y r - VV v , , : - :. . - ... . ': . v ; S"' )'i- A-.-':A :A.-V " i.- '' ' . :- J , "A GOV-.. w .. fV - Ji iivc ; A typical sarrplcr of tha wisdom of Chcpel Hill's bathroom wall 3 ...with a few obscenities carefully obliterated OTHWtt Coopw f" . ,i j. "---"J4 .ifi x o Books for study and for pleasure reading! v o Tho latest hardcover offerings, plus a large selection of back-list titles! Children's books! A delightful collection for youngsters, from pre-schoolers on y up- ' ' o Paperbacks! Our Paperback Gallery offers an amazing variety of books on all subjects! ." - ."""V Original Art! Etchings, lithographs, signed and limited, plus custom framing (University Mall only). Service! Fast, friendly help in finding just what you want and "special ordering" what we don't have in our big stock! ? " " ' ' I I ft O JJl h" i s i o Hi! U9 ET Franklin St7 Open 10 to 10 daily 1-9 Sunday 929-0111 V 1. University Mall Ktcs Drive Open 10 to 9:30 c! 1 to 6 Sunday 929 mil 9t9-942-5t65 Kng of The Road U Enterprises R .(3C3PC!L' COQELiL AI! 71 n ii ... -0 " fi U I Chapel Hill, NC E-S 'E2ZSS28 (wsSSi'SB CTkB CmZmS tfeJ Trip$ 'to All Airports. All Air Conditioned Cars ' Local & Regional Calls 101 South Estcs Drivo r fl n? ( ''V . ', Jl THIS YEAR IS GOING TO BE TERIFFIC! VISIT Furniture Oontcl 3 VIN- UNC Directors chair-No purchase nucessary 3 GET- 50 off 1st mo. rent on 9 mo.. lease bd CHOOSE- Record Album from'Record Bar, with rental 7 ENJOY- SPECIAL STUDENT GROUPINGS HWY 15-501 5400 CHAPEL HILL BLVD DURHAM, NC 929-5075 Chapel Hill ( 493-2564 Durham x 876-7550 Raleigh n
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Aug. 25, 1980, edition 1
12
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