April 27, 1988, Page 6 |
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ftfc.1
Hi
M
The words of the prophets are written
on the subway wall
—From "The Sounds of Silence"
By Simon and Garfunkel
Defined merely as "an inscription or
drawing made on a rock or wall" in Webster's Dictionary, graffiti (or as in tbe
singular, graffito) has, in all our lives,
touched, tormented, taunted and perhaps
even traumatized us at some point
Of all the graffiti in all the world,
though, bathroom graffiti is (come on, ad-
mil it) the most read.
The privacy of an enclosed stall affords
our anonymous poets an opportunity to
vent their anger, flaunt their wit or publicize thoughts they wouldn't dare la
their best friends be privy ta
A random sampling of the rjathrooms
at CSUF proves the hallowed halls, or
stalls, of higher learning are fair game for
these potty-poets.
"It's pretty raunchy, especially some of
the stuff in the library bathroom," said a
business student, who wished not to be
named. She added personally, she had
never written on a bathroom wall and
people who do must be "pretty stupid"
The worst she'd seen, she said, was on
the wall of the first stall in the women's
room on the first floor of the library. She
explained it was a lament from a woman
not able to have a baby because she was
lesbian.
"Who would even write that?" the business student asked, shaking her head with
disgust
In an attempt to understand the psyche
of the latrine-limerist. Dr. William Coe,
pro-fessor of psychology at CSUF,
guessed there might be certain categories
of "graffitists."
Coe, who said he's never studied the
subject of graffiti and doesn't pay much
attention to it, suggests there might be a
number of variables including age and
motives that would give a clue as to why
a person would choose to leave hi
thoughts scrawled near a toilet.
He added, "Unless you know each per
son doing [graffiti], it's hard to general
ize."
Surprised that even the women's resi
rooms had fallen prey to these random in
scripu ons, Coe questioned if indeed it wa
women leaving their mark. "I could se
some guys getting drunk and sneaking it
there [women's rooms] to write on th
walls just as a prank."
Bathrooms near the Bucket seemed, t
Coe, to be the most logical place wrier
one would find graffiti.
"It's dangerous to overgetieralize, bi
you might categorize these people o
their motives instead of the type of pea
son they are.
"It could be just a prank or anger over
cause like patriotism or Jesus. Of course
once in awhile it could be just weirdos."
Coe said he doesn't believe there are
lot of "weirdos' scribbling their mes
sages, but more likely people who have
purpose.
"Most people would probably have
purpose, like aggression, if the graffiti j
anti-foreigner. They want people to pay ai
tendon. They want the readers to have
response and have a certain response."
Evidenced by the business student
reaction, graffiti does elicit a response.
Though not all students are so a
fended.
One student, another business majc
also wanting anonymity, even suggeste
the maintenance crew put up large pads (
paper on the waits for the express purpo*
of self-expression.
"People are going to do it anyway," f
reasoned, "this way the janitors wouldri
have to clean il everyday, they could ju
put up a fresh sheet of paper."
As to why people might be tempted i
lay ink or lead on bathroom walls, if
business major paused and said, "There
not a whole lot to do while you're sittir
there." He admitted to wall writing in h
past, bul professed never to have indulge
Object Description
| Title | 1988_04 The Daily Collegian April 1988 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1988 |
| Description | Daily (except weekends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif. : BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels ; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Assocated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
Description
| Title | April 27, 1988, Page 6 |
| Alternative Title | Daily Collegian (California State University, Fresno) |
| Publisher | Associated Students of Fresno State, Fresno, Calif. |
| Publication Date | 1988 |
| Description | Daily (except weekends) during the school year. Microfilm. Palo Alto, Calif. : BMI Library Microfilms, 1986- microfilm reels ; 35 mm. Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- |
| Subject | California State University, Fresno -- Periodicals. |
| Contributors | Assocated Students of Fresno State. |
| Coverage | Vol.1, no.1 (Feb 8, 1922)- to present |
| Format | Microfilm reels, 35 mm. |
| Technical Information | Scanned at 600 dpi; TIFF; Microfilm ScanPro 2000 "E-image data" |
| Language | eng |
| Full-Text-Search | ftfc.1 Hi M The words of the prophets are written on the subway wall —From "The Sounds of Silence" By Simon and Garfunkel Defined merely as "an inscription or drawing made on a rock or wall" in Webster's Dictionary, graffiti (or as in tbe singular, graffito) has, in all our lives, touched, tormented, taunted and perhaps even traumatized us at some point Of all the graffiti in all the world, though, bathroom graffiti is (come on, ad- mil it) the most read. The privacy of an enclosed stall affords our anonymous poets an opportunity to vent their anger, flaunt their wit or publicize thoughts they wouldn't dare la their best friends be privy ta A random sampling of the rjathrooms at CSUF proves the hallowed halls, or stalls, of higher learning are fair game for these potty-poets. "It's pretty raunchy, especially some of the stuff in the library bathroom," said a business student, who wished not to be named. She added personally, she had never written on a bathroom wall and people who do must be "pretty stupid" The worst she'd seen, she said, was on the wall of the first stall in the women's room on the first floor of the library. She explained it was a lament from a woman not able to have a baby because she was lesbian. "Who would even write that?" the business student asked, shaking her head with disgust In an attempt to understand the psyche of the latrine-limerist. Dr. William Coe, pro-fessor of psychology at CSUF, guessed there might be certain categories of "graffitists." Coe, who said he's never studied the subject of graffiti and doesn't pay much attention to it, suggests there might be a number of variables including age and motives that would give a clue as to why a person would choose to leave hi thoughts scrawled near a toilet. He added, "Unless you know each per son doing [graffiti], it's hard to general ize." Surprised that even the women's resi rooms had fallen prey to these random in scripu ons, Coe questioned if indeed it wa women leaving their mark. "I could se some guys getting drunk and sneaking it there [women's rooms] to write on th walls just as a prank." Bathrooms near the Bucket seemed, t Coe, to be the most logical place wrier one would find graffiti. "It's dangerous to overgetieralize, bi you might categorize these people o their motives instead of the type of pea son they are. "It could be just a prank or anger over cause like patriotism or Jesus. Of course once in awhile it could be just weirdos." Coe said he doesn't believe there are lot of "weirdos' scribbling their mes sages, but more likely people who have purpose. "Most people would probably have purpose, like aggression, if the graffiti j anti-foreigner. They want people to pay ai tendon. They want the readers to have response and have a certain response." Evidenced by the business student reaction, graffiti does elicit a response. Though not all students are so a fended. One student, another business majc also wanting anonymity, even suggeste the maintenance crew put up large pads ( paper on the waits for the express purpo* of self-expression. "People are going to do it anyway," f reasoned, "this way the janitors wouldri have to clean il everyday, they could ju put up a fresh sheet of paper." As to why people might be tempted i lay ink or lead on bathroom walls, if business major paused and said, "There not a whole lot to do while you're sittir there." He admitted to wall writing in h past, bul professed never to have indulge |
