Oh those Romans.....

In doing research for my English class, I stumbled accross some striking evidence that the ancient Romans were no different from our civilization. In the perserved ruins of the city Pompeii, archeologist have found what they beilive to be one of the most compelling pieces of evidence on the use of modern graffiti. Carved on the city walls are various phrases that gives us insight into what the people of Pompieii were like. Some phrases included...

Pecunia non olet -"Money doesn't stink".

Lucrum gaudium -"Profit is happiness!"

Luci Istacidi, at quem non ceno, barbarus ille mihi est. - "Someone at whose table I do not dine, Lucius Istacidius, is a barbarian to me."

While these phrases show liking or dismay, other messgages recovered from the ruins were highly sexualy oriented. It seems as though the Ancient Romans though nothing wrong graffiti and accepted it as part of daily life.

In doing more reasearch on why Graffiti is Rhetorical, I have come to the hypothesis that graffiti is nuetral in the way people think about vandalism. It is only though the spectators own personal judgement on graffit that he will consider it vandalism.

The War of Words

If you haven't noticed, a war of words has been brewing up against the Democratic Presidential Candidates Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama. In my English 1312 class we have been studying the effect use of Rhetoric and it's powerful impact on the masses.
Barack Obama, who proves to be the voice of the young, has gained many followers due to his fluid style of persuasion and knowledge. Barack's speaking has been credited as one of the best speakers of our time. His ability to stir the emotions of America has led to the comparison of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
In recent allegations however, Hillary Clinton the Senator from New York, has launched an attack on Barack's credibility on the sources of Baracks rhetorical speeches. She successfully pointed that Obama's "Just Words" speech was actually the words of Deval Patrick (one of Obama's friends and co-strategist.)
In today's society the credibility of a person is always questioned, and in my opinion should be questioned. Barack Obama has made a mark on American Rhetoric, but are they actually his own ideas?

Graffiti is X

In today's society graffiti has shrouded itself with images of inner-city buses, old steel trains, and non-working pay phones. Many also believe that graffiti is something new, a response to the conservative past of an older generation. We now know however, that graffiti has existed ever since the first man marked his cave with stone and rock. To me the connotation that graffiti is ugly and serves no purpose in American society evolved in the 1990's and has grown to become either as a nuisance or original thoughts of self-expression and identity. An art and a form of personal philosophy, graffiti is rhetorical because it allows people to gain insight of an ideology belonging to a younger generation.

The picture above was stenciled on the corner of Mesa and Executive shortly after President Bush declared war in Iraq. This stencil clearly shows that graffiti can be political and convey a message of opposition.

Art or Vandalism?

According to El Paso's Newspapertree.com graffiti has become an increasing issue among citizens and politicians alike. While I would agree that graffiti can at times be a sight for soar eyes, it may also be original forms of pop-art and culture. In my opinion people need to differentiate themselves with gang-related graffiti and what is now known as "street art". While gang-related graffiti is used to mark territory and show honor to a gang, street art on the contrary is used as means of artistic expression. The street artist I do know personally all say that they are contributing to a new rising art movement. I'm sure driving around El Paso people have noticed "Elma the Giraffe" or the "Androgynous Face" posted in random places. Now while these postings may be aesthetically appealing to some, they have become a nuisance for others. In order to deal with this "problem" I propose that we do what major metropolitan cities have done, that is have designated graffiti spots for artist.

Which one?

I have put myself in a dilemma, well if you can call it a dilemma. My good friends Jackie and Sonny have invited me to live with them in Austin this summer. I know most are probably thinking, "Living in Austin doesn't sound like a dilemma!" but wait there's more (cue dramatic orchestral number.) I haven't told my best friend Berny yet. The original plan was for her and I to live together in San Antonio this summer. We both would work full time during the duration of the summer, and in the fall we would go back to school in San Antonio. Now don't get me wrong, San Antonio seems like a nice place to raise a family and from what I've heard they have some excellent schools. But if your a big fan of anything artsy-fartsy, like me, then Austin is probably a better choice. I don't know how exactly I'm going to tell Berny yet, but I should probably get it over with.




P.S. Last Saturday I had mentioned that I worked for a Fashion Label Phar-Out last summer. The pictures above are some samples. These cardigans where hand selected by Urban Outfitters for the Re-construction label and are being sold in select stores nation wide.