The apparent purposes of the Bob Jones bathrooms are multifold. Most people use them as a quick (sometimes) toilet opportunity. Others use them to work out their own angst-driven personal struggles. The janitors here work hard to maintain a clean facility, and some students work (maybe not as hard) to leave their mark on it.
As such, there is a fragile balance between both opposing sides.
Inked graffiti is scarce around here because of the smooth surfaces that most stalls are comprised of. Sharpie and other brands wipe right off, with the proper cleaning agent. In an effort to make their mark “permanent,” some individuals have chosen to practice a very, very, amateur form of scrimshaw. Using a sharp instrument, some unsavory sayings have been carved upon the bathroom stalls right outside of Mr. Miller’s office.
However, some intelligent, skilled individual has come up with another solution: Postage labels. If you recall, there were several examples of this fine work slung up around the school over the past year. One of note was a particularly sinister looking illustration of Obama giving a speech stuck to the courtyard doors by the cafeteria.
Sadly, when new doors were purchased and fitted, the art was lost. I know of only one surviving example, and it is in a location that I will not advertise, for the sake of preservation.
Graffiti is a somewhat controversial thing. What some people see as art, others see as the destruction of property. For me, there is definitely a dividing line between the two extremes. If I like it, or see creative value, it is art. To me, art adds value to property. However, if it is lame, or I don’t like it for whatever reason, I may consider it as vandalism.
To close, I leave you with a nugget of honesty: I would like to see more quality work in our bathrooms. Nothing stupid, nothing profoundly racist, and nothing that should be taken down. The graffiti artists of Bob Jones really need to step it up, and, as things stand now, you’re making us all look like stupid teenagers.
