What graffiti means

Eight members of the DPM crew have been sent to gaol for a graffiti campaign they ran between 2004 and 2006. DPM crew leader, Andrew Gilman, received the harshest sentence of two years imprisonment when the trial concluded at Southwark Crown Court this week. Ironically, while awaiting trial, Gilman was employed by the BBC to add some authenticity to the set of popular soap opera, East Enders - proving that what is crime in one context is art in another.

I looked up the word on Dicionary.com, a great site that aggregates entries from a range of online dictionary services, giving you a comprehensive picture of the meaning and nuance of a word. The most interesting explanation I found for graffiti is from the Online Etymology Dictionary:

1851, for ancient wall inscriptions found in the ruins of Pompeii, from It. graffiti, pl. of graffito "a scribbling," a dim. formation from graffio "a scratch or scribble," from graffiare "to scribble." Sense extended 1877 to recently made crude drawings and scribbling.

From this, we can assume that graffiti, like cave drawings, have been around for a long time, a natural outcome of the human instinct to self-expression, using whatever tools are available. The same instinct is apparent in the wonderful graphic art that emerged in a soviet union where materials were in short supply with the exception of pencils.

The DPM crew targeted railway properties and trains and their arrest was the outcome of a major investigation by the British Transport Police. It is quite understandable that train and railway companies don't want people painting their property without permission. However, the rail traveller in England is surrounded by a vista of dirty and neglected sidings, tunnels and train stations. Personally, I am rather grateful to the street artists that care enough for these dingy surroundings to try and make them more attractive. The owners of these properties are the true vandals perhaps.