Beat on the Street — Should Art be Censored?
Last week New Leipzig Mayor Alan Flassed decided to flex his authority and whitewash a graffiti wall clean.
The tagged brick stack was adjacent to one of the more wealthier subdivisions (in an already wealthy suburb of Sunrise City), which had neighbors and local figureheads in an uproar. Many locals thought the wall was tacky, ugly and did not fit into the local vibe.
However, there were those who supported the wall’s place and meaning. Many local artists felt it was a place to run to and turn your mind into something colorful. Local artist and pro-wall advocate “AG Loko” said,
“It was an escape from your daily routine,” clearing his throat with a large upwind, “Local artists weren’t the only ones who used it — students, John’s and Mary’s from all different backgrounds sought refuge in the wall and were granted so. They plastered the wall with the colors straight from their imprisoned minds and unleashed a window of beauty on a dark world. Those who were there to admire these creations saw light through their third eye. I’m sad to see it go. I hope, someday, it’ll return.”
I asked him what the next step is, but he was unsure. “There might be a protest here later this week,” he said while admiring the now white wall behind us “but honestly I’m not sure. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone starts painting a new world right over covered one.”
I thought about this and my developed my own opinions. I, for one, am and always will be a pro-art, especially in forms that are considered to be more risky than others (as this is). Heck, I even left a little bit of myself on that wall some odd years ago. Yeah, it was a confusing time in my personal life.
But the fact remains the graffiti was on part public and part private walls. Therefore Johnny Law can do whatever they really please with the pieces of work on them — even if it means eliminate them. Sighs.
I decided to walk around town to get other people’s opinions. There was a coffee shop a few buildings down, so I decided to set up camp there. I bought an medium America-No! from Grizz’s Cafe and pawed at passing by pedestrians. Here’s what I heard:
Rex T. : “What do you think about the wall being gone?”
Evinn L. 26, cashier at Sea-Gulf Oil: “Please stop.” He said raising his right hand up at me. He showed me his inner palm and an invisible ‘Get out of Questions Free’ card to my face. “New Leip is a shit hole and will forever be one — with or without that wall. I don’t f*cking care, don’t worry about it.” He continued to walk down the street, face an inch or two from his phone.
Carolyn M. 65, retired banker, now art collector: “Can you see it from my perspective? All the art I own I had to pay with my husband’s hard earned cash. All the art he owned he got from his father, he bought it with his labor-some mill job. Art can’t be free.”
When I asked about pro bono art shows she remarked, “Well, art that’s worth bragging about isn’t free. If you’re a successful and popular artist, you don’t have to do stuff like that.”
Skyler F. 19, college student: “Haven’t you heard about Kim Kardashian? Makes me sick. There are more important things going on in the world right now than that stupid wall.” She walked into Grizz’s, ordered an iced caramel macchiato and took Snapchat and Instagram photos of it.
OJ L. 46, local artis-I mean guy: “That wall was part of the chemical combinations that made this side of Sunrise City holy!” he exclaimed with a familiar voice. People started to look at us awkwardly. My back started to humidify. “It’s a real f*cking shame they plastered a layer of white frosting all over it. Shame! Damn shame! Of course, white — so the people around here can feel more comfortable with the color they associate most with; the people, the emptiness, their fake, hollowed out society.”
Tirya R. 17, student at NLHS: “I had just got out of a real shitty relationship,” she said looking at the wall, which sat a few blocks from my sidewalk table at the cafe. “I bought a can of spray paint and spread my arms out as wide as they could. Do you know what happened next?”
Rex T : “No?”
“I flew. I took off and soared into the horizon. The grass is greener on the other side of the hill. I never felt so free. I knew I could get into a lot of trouble, but I felt like I was always in trouble. With him, with my parents… I don’t know. For some reason, with that wall my worries seemed to melt away. I was at peace.”
Greg S. 58, restaurant owner: “You look like a hippie,” he said, not sure if jokingly, while glancing at my beard and glasses. I told him I write for The Casual Holster and was curious what he thought about the wall. He told me, “Oh, so you are one. A liberal paper spreading hogwash. Go figure. You know, one of my favorite presidents tore down a wall. Nah, you wouldn’t know that. So, you want my take? Here, write this down — if you want to see stuff like that, go to Sunrise City and it’s inner communities. You can find it there — but bring a gun if you know what I mean. The wall didn’t belong here.” I told him I didn’t understand what he meant. He laughed and told me, “you won’t write mine, will you?” and walked away.
Tom G. 33, : “Honestly, I don’t think half of the people who wanted the wall gone knew it even existed. They just want something to complain about.”
I asked Tom whether or not he thought it was a good thing the wall is gone. He had an unique perspective, “I guess, kind of yes. I mean, I liked the wall and I liked the pictures on it. I liked how artistic people from all over the city, really, came to put their mark on it. But — look at us now. New Leip has made local headlines and people are here to talk about art. There’s going to be a protest here for art. There are people who are against the wall, but they too are talking about art. Well, some of them. There’s talk about opening a local art gallery and featuring local artists. And I’m sure with that wall being gone, there’s going to be more artists from the area rallying together to make something new. I guess that’s kind of a Jesus complex, but maybe that’s what New Leip and Sunrise City needed.”
I never thought of it from that angle, but he’s completely right. New Leipzig, the suburb that almost never was, is your typical Midwest suburban town that you could buy at Toys ‘R Us for your Barbie and Ken doll. Well, minus the palm trees, but you get the point. It’s your cookie cutter town baked at the right temperature, so your taste buds suspect something’s too good to be true. It’s the kind of place where you’ll get so comfortable you’ll lose yourself.
What better way to wake up people from their comfortable lull than to show them art? Well, in this case censor art — but is that not art itself? Everything that is going on is art’s specific purpose, isn’t it? It’s supposed to offend us. It’s supposed to make us think. It’s supposed to cause commotion, emotions, reactions, voices, opinions, different stories and viewpoints. It’s converging people from an middle/upper class outer city suburb with inner city lower class artists. If art is to be censored, isn’t this the best scenario us wall supporters could have asked for? I think so.
I walked by the wall before leaving and brushed my fingertips across where many got lost in. I took a few steps back and stared at it for a few minutes admiring what the wall has become — a big glowing whiteboard ready to welcome whatever we decide next. Whether or not we like it, we are all painters.
