I'm not a fan of graffiti, especially of the 'squiggle' type. In fact I'm not a fan at all unless it is well crafted, and done where it has been either allowed or commissioned.
I am certainly not a fan of squiggles on ancient buildings or walls, and I detest them in, or around, the nearby churchyard.
Yesterday I was walking up this lovely old brick path on the West side of the church when I spotted something unusual on the huge stone gravestone which has been set into the path.
When I got closer I saw that some idiot had written ' Here lies Olli. RIP. He bombed the hill skateboarding'.
I suppose the idiot who wrote it thought he was being funny, or maybe he thought it looked better like that. Unfortunately he's written it in indelible ink, and it will now need to be properly cleaned.
I really don't understand the mentality of these people who go around defacing anything that takes their fancy. I really do think that, when caught, they should be made to clean away their scribbles, and then apologise to whoever was involved; in this case to Father Dominic, and the whole church congregation as well; and to me!
Is there any excuse for such behaviour? No, I don't think there is!
I am wondering if these were children who weren't told "no" when they drew on the walls at home because "we can't inhibit his artistic ability" or some such nonsense. So they grew up thinking they could scribble anywhere they wanted and they do.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid that in many schools children are encouraged to draw and paint on the walls, but I expect that their teachers forget to tell them not to do it elsewhere.
DeleteIt's really a matter of education.
ReplyDeleteEducation and respect. I presume these children have neither.
DeleteGrrr....
ReplyDeleteDouble Grrrrr....
DeleteRespect, manners, nobody's got any these days. I think we're all fighting a losing battle here....
ReplyDeleteAnd some of these people find supporters, so we stand no chance.
DeleteI wish that the idiot's parents could see what he has done.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, looking back at your response to River, I have been in hundreds of schools but I have never been in a single one where teachers encouraged pupils to draw and paint on the walls.
DeleteIt was very common down here. In fact I actually look out on one huge example right behind our house. A very large and badly painted green Octopus.
DeleteSame as what YP said, no school I know has ever encouraged this and within my own extended family it was never allowed either. They were allowed chalk drawings on the concrete driveway because it could be washed away by hose or rain. But ONLY on OUR driveway. They were also allowed to "paint" the house or fence with a big brush and a bucket of water, but ONLY water, which dried and disappeared. And again, only in our own backyard.
DeleteWhen I was teaching I always made the children work on paper which was then pinned to the wall, but these days it's painted direct. At the primary School behind us the walls are painted direct, with one awful 'Octopus' on an exterior wall. They call them 'Murals', when they leave school we call it Graffiti.
DeleteIf I found the little swine that defaced the gravestone, I'd make him clean it, with his tongue!
ReplyDeleteX
And I'll stand over him with a stick until it's all licked-up.
DeleteI really don't like graffiti in any shape or form .... not even sure about Banksy considering it encourages some to steal it to make money ! .... and, the bad stuff just makes the environment look run down. As for your church path ..... triple Grrrrr !!! XXXX
ReplyDeleteI think they do it to make places look shabby; they hate things to look smart.
DeleteAgree!
ReplyDeleteGood. We are not alone!
DeleteThis kid has no idea of what's right or respectful . He probably wrote it to give his friends a laugh. Pity he wasn't caught and made to clean it off.
ReplyDeleteIt's still there, and probably will be for ages.
DeleteThe kid probably did this to impress his/her friends. Stupid and thoughtless. The act of defacing gravestones is criminal. With some investigation (among the skateboarding kids), somebody in the know could reveal the bad actor. What does the church plan to do?
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I haven't yet spoken to Father Dominic, but I do know that he really hates graffiti, we were talking about it just a week or so ago.
DeleteSo very, very sad. Any chance of CCTV in the area?
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is, but these types always wear all black with 'hoodies' anyway.
DeleteHow awful! The thing that always annoys me is that there are others who were there, or who know about it. The kid could be identified. His friends are as morally bankrupt as he is.
ReplyDeleteIt's actually much more pronounced than in my photo. It really is horrible.
DeleteWhat possesses them to deface a gravestone? Although from a distance, in the first photo, it looks more like a badly cemented temporary repair to the nice brick path.
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