web: 38 - talking with your kids about graffiti

8/7/2019 Web: 38 - Talking with your kids about graffiti

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Authorised by the New RealityPO Box 2096, Fitzroy, MDC, Victoria, 3065, AustraliaPrinted by the New Reality Ministry of Propaganda

[email protected]

The New Reality have been made aware of a scourge that isenacing the very existence of civilisation across the globe - the

error of graf ti.

To this end, the New Reality have taken it upon ourselves toroduce a series of informational pamphlets to assist the public ineaching an understanding of this hideously complex issue. Guestditor Steve Beardon, prominent anti-graf ti campaigner and voice

of reason against unapproved self-expression, presented the Neweality with a series of arguments, each more reasonable than

he last, until we relented and allowed him the space in this issueof Web: to present his philosophy to the public.

All hail the buffed walls of the New Reality!

ermission is the key. Without permissions of all kinds our lives areaunted by the spectre of illegality like a deranged artist painting

on any available surface with their own entrails. The demons of theower depths are haunting the walls awaiting their chance. Everydaub of paint, every swish of the spray can is bringing them ever

loser to breaking through into our level of existence.

e can forgive Steve Beardon his casual plagiarism, for in hisfervent quest to keep the streets safe for at painted surfacesteven obviously cannot afford to stop and attribute every source

- there is a war to be won and in any war the rst casualty is atainted surfaces. In the Paris uprising of 1968 the Situationists

n amed the situation with their criminal acts. Beneath theaving stones - the beach was written on the walls. Today in theranbourne such criminal activity would be faced with the strictest

ntervention and diversionary programs the law could apply.

There is a proper place for political sentiments to be expressed, and

hat is at the ballot box and in paid political advertising in reputableewspapers and in reputable electronic media owned by reputableold white men in reputable suits and ties. Expressing an opinionwithout permission is no different to setting an orphanage ablaze.

imply because the history of graffiti is as long as the history of ivilisation is no reason to believe that Steve Beardon is engaged

n a futile effort to control how people express themselves.

emember - the enemy of progress is a teenager with a felt pen.That is all.

Web:ssue 38

ctober 2007


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R.A.G.EResidents Against Graf ti Everywhere)

age is an emotion one would feel if ones private property wasvandalised, be it damaged by wasps or the target of graf ti. Rages an appropriate response when we take time and effort to keep

our property in good condition, or when someone changes lanesn front of you without indicating.

ur aim is to work on strategies with governments at all levelsand the public to educate and share our opinions on the evils of graf ti desecration. Ultimate ly, it is desired to have no graf ti or vandalism anywhere in the world. As with everything, this idea issomething that is progressive and requires constant reviewingand reassessment, but not changing.

e see graf ti on paling fences, public monuments, along road andail corridors. Some graf ti is colourful and quite impressive, but

t has not been commissioned, it was not wanted by people whoare against graf ti, and it i s vandalism. The place for art is where itwould be appreciated, which is out of sight in galleries that are bigold buildings, not little strange warehouses down laneways.

O GRAFFITI VANDALISM ANYWHERE - THAT ISHAT I, TEVE BEARDON , AM WORKING TO ACHIEVE!

Councillor Steve Beardon(left) and a man with abeard (right)

.A.G.E for the future!itizens Against Graf ti Everywhere suggests the required levelf rigour and appropriate punishment metered out to serial graf tiffenders. The jailing of Noam Jason Shoan for three months in

August 2007 is but the rst step on the ladder to a clean environment.

ermission should be sought before any form of decoration is

pplied to an exterior building surface, or indeed any interior urface which is visible from the outside.

ermission is the key. Without permission, any piece of art isendered graf ti.

owever this permission should only be given after the designsave been approved by an appropriate elected body such as the

ocal council or a suitably quali ed federal politician. The recentans on a variety of forms of public entertainment such as moviesKent Park) and computer games (Getting Up: Contents Under

ressure) are only a beginning.

hen James Joyces Ulysses was banned in Australia until the950s, it showed the kind of desicive, forward thinking leadership

hat made winning the cold war possible.

urther back in time, James Cagneys depiction of a crime lord inThe Public Enemy with his iconic cry of Top of the world, Ma!was the pivotal moment in the slide towards the modern malaisewe nd ourselves in today. Without such moments of cinema anditerature there would be no graf ti crime and the world would be aetter place for all walls.


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eigo Rivera (Mexican), Keith Haring (homosexual), Jean-ichel Basquiat (black, drug addict) are all seen as heroes in the

graffiti underground. But in a chilling prophesy they are all dead- proving that the wages of graf ti are a harsh mistress.

rivate citizens who all ow graf tists to be painted upon their roperty, especially in the form of non-heritage colours are

doing nothing more than contributing to the downfall of westernivilisation as we know it today. The reason these murals arearely tagged or painted over by other vandals can only be put

down to the intimidatory nature of the gangs who painted them.ecret gang markings are encoded into every l arge mural as aerritorial warning to other graf ti gangs.

The internet offers an even wider audience to these vandals,who publish their mess on the web, unlike the beautiful R.A.G.Ewebsite (see http://au.geocities.com/ragepages/aims.html).

motionsage. Along with Love, Fear and Confusion, Rage constitutes the

strongest of emotions humans can experience. Surely this is aworthy cause, worth a lifetime of devotion to photo opportunities withocal newspapers. Troubled youth, disadvantaged by socio-economicfactors and peer pressure would fall in amongst the notorious gangsof the south-eastern growth corridor, and possibly with the notorious

rips or Bloods, or some other gang from Los Angeles.

esidents Against Graf ti Everywhere. No matter where thegraf tist plies his evil trade the stoic members of R.A.G.E feel thedire implication of the crime. A teenager writing on the securitywall dividing Israel and Palestine, the scratching in the stones of he pyramids - even the 4000 years separating the heinous act

and our viewing today of their tagging does nothing to lessen theain of the Pharaohs, legal owners of the pyramids.

PARENTS NOTE: If you see some strange letters or writing on your childrensooks, notebooks or in their room , they could be a graf ti vandal. You should

take note of it and ask them what it means. If they are uncommunicative andseem preoccupied they may be part of a gang who are plotting to paint colourfuland intricate murals on a wall which is most probably private property! Or it could

e calligraphy, which is well known as the precursor to gang tattoos. Copperplategothic is the chosen mode of expression for the Emo movement, who areenowned for their tattoos and lame music and hair.


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Waging War on Graf tiraf ti is done without permission. Exactly like spam and junkail, graf ti invades our streets, our places of work and even our

omes. Vigilance is necessary and effective. If a wall is tagged,ake sure it is painted over as soon as possible. If it is tagged

again, make sure it is painted over as soon as possible. If it isagged again, make sure it is painted over as soon as possible.f it is tagged again, make sure it is painted over as soon asossible. If it is tagged again, make sure it is painted over as soon

as possible. If it is tagged again, make sure it is painted over assoon as possible. If it is tagged again, make sure it is painted over as soon as possible. If it is tagged again, make sure it is paintedover as soon as possible. If it is tagged again, make sure it is

ainted over as soon as possible. If it is tagged again, make suret is painted over as soon as possible. If it is tagged again, make

sure it is painted over as soon as possible. If it is tagged again,ake sure it is painted over as soon as possible. If it is tagged

again, make sure it is painted over as soon as possible.

187 Lil Weasel is obviously a death threat to a gang member il Weasel. Luckily for the residents of Cranbourne, Lil Weasel

lives in Los Angeles, in the state of California, which is over sixhousand kilometres away. Gang members can cross out the

graf ti of another gang with a puto mark, but only in the unlikelyevent they are Latino and from LA. Serious injuries have resultedwhen rival gang members have been caught crossing out (or

dogging) a rival gangs graf ti, but again this occurs in a cityacross the other side of the Paci c, the worlds largest ocean.

n the movie Escape From New York, Kurt Russell played thecharacter of Snake Plisken. The New York portrayed showedgraf ti everywhere, an obvious extrapolation of what wouldhappen should Donald Pleasence ever become President.

There is an obvious link bet ween Donald Ple asence and gra f ti. Many of themovies in which he starred depicted super villians, gangs and cats, all renownfor their lin ks to notorious gra f ti gangs in New York and Los Angeles.John Carpenter was right. Again.


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West Coast Gangs and Graf ti in Cranbourne

Taggers often get together in the form of a crew. Graf ti isa criminal act, much like striking, forming a picket line andsecondary boycotts. It is little known that such infamous LAgangs the Crips and the Bloods have extended their reacho Cranbourne. Gang graf ti is more territorial than taggingrew graf ti and often is meant to proclaim imaginary territorialoundaries, such as those distinguishing the City of Casey from

he City of Stonington. Gang graf ti is Notoriety Driven, Bragsabout or Announces a Crime and is meant to Chall enge or

isrespect, such as boastful comments about prison sentencesanded out to other an members or raf ti artists.

This process may go on for many years, but eventually theaggers will give up or move on somewhere else or leave school

and get a job, leaving them with no time for tagging, or perhapseven go to university. After all, he or she cant say Thats mef the tag has been painted over. One day the tagger will stopagging and become a valuable member of society. Then theyoo will get their thrill from attending meetings and working with

disadvantaged youth in diversionary programs.

hy do vandals tag?Tagging is a thrill the likes of which are unavailable without the

se of drugs. The thrill of getting away with anti-social behaviour akes tagging and graf ti in general a gateway crime. The desire

for risk taking behaviour, needs continual updating, each xAfter the painful experience of seeing their tags painted over theagger obviously is getting such a visceral thrill from overcomingheir fear of getting caught that their next step will be to embark

on an orgiastic spree of tagging, covering all around them with

seeming indecipherable inscriptions.

Tattoos are nothing more thanpersonal graf ti. Under newlegistlation tattoos will bepermitted, but all designs must rst be submitted to local council prior o being applied to skin. Existingattoos must also be checked for

tag-like qualities and painted over as required.


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ttp://www.starnewsgroup.com.au/story/10860

Graf ti game ban win for campaigny son oonan

2nd March 2006 09:09:01 AM

Erasing the problem: Graf ti ghters councillor Steve Beardon and councillor Wayne Smithtook up a successful campaign to ban a video game promoting graf ti in Australia.

TWO Casey councillors believe their successful campaign to ban a video game promotinggra t as set a prece ent or t e rec ass cat on o ot er t t es n ustra a.

Cr Beardon and Cr Smith this week praised a recent decision by the Federal GovernmentsClassi cation Review Board to refuse classi cation of controversial computer game MarcEckos Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.

e oar c a me t e game, w c rewar s p ayers or tagg ng pu c property w e eva ngolice and other graf ti gangs, might promote or inci te a crime.computer game t at s re use c ass cat on cannot e so , re or mporte nto t e country.

Australia is the only country in the world to ban the game.Cr Beardon, co-founder of RAGE (Residents Against Graf ti Everywhere), said he and Cr

mith launched the Victorian campaign to ban the Atari game last year.He claimed the game incited criminal behaviour and violence toward authority.

e a t e support o many po t c ans ere an overseas, nc u ng t e mayor o ew or (Michael Bloomberg).

wrote to tar , t e ustra an e era overnment an o e t roug t e press toarness community awareness and support for the banning of this game.

As this game was modelled on graf ti culture and even designed by ex-graf tists, it wasimperative that it be banned so as not to further give street cred to the illegal activity, he said.Cr Smith said the ban was a victory for the protection of young people from games glorifyinggra t an ant -soc a e av our.This game was rewarding criminal activity and sending a message to kids that it was OK tocomm t ega acts.I think this win will set a precedent for the banning of other games that promote illegalactivities.It is signi cant that Casey played a part in an international campaign, he said.

The video game ban comes in the wake of threats made agains t Cr Beardon by graf tists whoast wee warne o pay ac or s ant -gra t stance.Vandals have threatened to paint Cr Beardons face across Melbourne and published messageso ate on a we s te promot ng gra t .I have received plenty of threatening comments over the years and its never stopped me before.I certainly wont be backing down. Why should I? I would be conceding defeat if I stoppedcampaigning, he said.The matter is being investigated by police.

The wave of vandalism, which included 8m murals of Shoans markings sprayedon countless trains, caused more than $50,000 damage.

He was arrested in July 2005 after police raided his father s St Kilda at andound 46 spray cans and artwork featuring his Renks tag.

In March, magistrate Sarah Dawes chose not to convict Shoan because she saidit would interfere with his prospects of working overseas as a graphic designer.

You are a talented artist and I accept you are genuine in your remorse, she said.

Shoan was a hard-working young man who pulls his weight at work and atome, Ms Dawes said back then.

She ordered Shoan do 250 hours of community service and pay $30,000estitution to companies, including Connex, Yarra Trams and V/Line.

Judge Wood yesterday overturned the ruling, saying it was far too lenient.

He said Shoan had set out to commit a sustained and relentless project of damaging property and deserved jail.


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The New Realty and R dot A dot G dot E dotesidents Against Graf ti Everywhere (R.A.G.E.) is a little known

group based in the thriving metropolitan hub of Cranbourne,estled deep within the city of Casey. The cunning acronym wasonceived by visionary Steven Beardon as the emotion felt whene looked upon a fresh, steaming piece of graf ti marring and

otherwise pristine wall. How dare some delinquent leave their uvenile territorial pissings upon the property Steve Beardon had

worked so long and hard to deserve!

teve Beardon looked deep within his soul and decided that linead been crossed. A line which was drawn across the face of

he city in indelible ink and traf c paint, a line that encompassedour very way of life, the ability of our civilisation to distinguish

etween good and evil, to distinguish between when someone hasermission to write on a wall and when they did not. This woulde his mission in life, this would be the driving force that propelledim through existence.

Zero Tolerance - the path to inner peacef youre not for us, youre against us. On one side of the fencehere is art, such as that seen in galleries*. One the other side of he tracks there lies the scourge of graf ti.

ltimately all art will be sanctioned by an of cial body, generallyocated with your local council. This body will be composed of

hose citizens who have proven themselves responsible with aistory of responsible and of sound thinking will arbitrate over

when a work of art has crossed the li ne from art to graf ti. Keenotarians and property owners who have been victims of graf ti

will be encouraged to apply.

Once graf ti is control led in this way, the same permissionscheme can be expanded to other areas of community unease,such as lm, television and books.

* Unless the gallery is showing graf ti. Obviously, this will be banned by legislation.


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onsider the Dig tree of Bourke and Wills, irrevocably scarred byhe scratching of the ill-fated expedition. Did Wills ask permission

from the traditional owners of the tree? No, he simply hackedaway with no consideration of how his tagging would be seen byhose who next passed by.

This local zero tolerance approach is but the rst step. In later hases the good citizens who constitute the R.A.G.E. membership

will petition the United Nations and APEC member nations toresent a coherent plan to ght graf ti across the globe.

The War on Drugs, then the War on Terror, now the War onraf ti. This i s a ght we must win, or the forces of evil wil l have

riumphed. If you are not with us you are against us and thereforea graf ti vandal, or more aptly, a graf ti terrorist.

n 1999 advice was sought from the of ce of the then mayor

udolph Guiliani. The zero tolerance policy of New York andobert Mugabes Zimbabwe had proved remarkably effective at

educing graf ti crime against the state, civic and public proper ty.

The New Reality suggest the a new phase of the War on Graf tishould begin. This will necessitate a name change to CitizensAgains t Graf ti Everywhere (C.A.G.E.)

What is Graf ti?raffiti is a criminal act, along with its culture. By definition araffitist is a vandal and a criminal. The difference between artnd vandalism is permission. When you go to art school youbtain permission to do art. If you dont, its graffiti. Billboards arert, as they have permission from the owner of the land they areonstructed upon or the building upon which they are attached.treet signs, lines painted on the road (by properly sanctionedouncil officials of course) and sky writing are art because theyave permission. However, simply giving permission for an

artwork which is in the graffiti style does not make it art. Some

weak-minded councils actually commission large scale muralsn council property in the misguided notion that this will givesense of self-respect and pride to those who may otherwise

aint illegally. But instead of encouraging legal graffiti, councilshould instead try to divert young offenders into commercialrt programs so otherwise disenfranchised youth can become

valuable members of the advertising world.


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ssue 38Septe

You arrive punctually at the university, you pick your way past theyoung men and girls sitting on the steps, you wander bewilderedamong those austere walls which students hands have arabesqued withoutsize capital writing and detailed graf ti, just as the cavemen felt theneed to decorate the cold walls of their caves to become masters of thetormenting mineral alienness, to make them familiar, empty them intotheir own inner space, annex them to the physical reality of living.

If on a Winters Night a Traveller talo Calvino (1979)

web: 38 - talking with your kids about graffiti

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