Graffiti has become lame

Every day I drive down Greenwood, I seem to notice a new "tag" on the side of a building or on the face of a road sign. It upsets me. And not because it defaces the look of some one's house or because someone is clearly breaking the law. Nay, it upsets me to see such a lack of creativity coming from today's hoodlums. If you have the guts to spray paint something, why not create something interesting? Are you really going to risk a misdemeanor charge by spraying "MBT" on the side of a trash can? My personal favorite is the tag "jeans". At least this person went with a noun, and not just their initials. And contrary to what you might think, "jeans" actually makes me think a bit. I digress. But seriously, where is the creativity? Remember back in the 80's when graffiti artists spray painted murals on NY streets? Boxcars, underpasses and buildings were layered with intricate designs that could easily be classified as art--at least to most. These were images that drew attention to not only the works themselves, but to the landmark that was being "defaced". In their own way, these misdemeanor works of art add a depth of character to the landscape. They are a base form of artistic expression and they deserve respect.

This is a plea to all the lame Greenwood spray painters and taggers. You make Seattle look weak. How can we ever attain the level of coolness that NYC and Chicago have attained, when our street artists can only manage to spray paint their initials? I know there's creativity out there. I sense the artist within you yearning to be expressed. Take the $45 you'll blow on "Halo 3" and go buy 5 different colors of spray paint. Think of all the cool images you conjured up the last time you smoked pot. It's still lame, but hopefully you see where I'm going with this. I'd rather drive down Greenwood and see a unicorn with a joint in its hoof, galloping down an escalator, than "MBT". Make us proud.