Tagging

Tagging is the form of graffiti which is mostly discriminated against. Penn Staff Writer Jacques Prudent (2009) explains that it started in 1960’s from two people by the names of Cornbread and Cool Earl, as a way to get their name out there. People would literally write their names on any property they could, not caring if they got in trouble for it, so they would get recognized. Tagging is the side of graffiti that would be considered as vandalism because people preform it on other people’s property without their permission. As everyone knows, vandalism is, and should be, considered a crime. Richard Lachmann (1995) speaks in his article "Crimes of Style" about graffiti  vandalism and how the government has dealt with it. He says that the Mayor Koch "ordered the cars on one subway line painted white (making those cars in fact more vulnerable to graffiti) just so he could hold a press conference and announce that his administration would "keep the subways white" (Lachmann, 1995).

Tagging does not have much creativity to it as it is merely a quickly scribbled down name, not to be admired. Tagging was the first style of graffiti and it is shown through its simplistic form. It was the starting grounds for many innovative graffiti artists and was what inspired them to develop their own styles and use their abilities in a positive way, through throw ups and bomb art. People can achieve graffiti murals without first learning how to tag, so tagging is not a necessary part of becoming a graffiti artist, but it is always good to know its roots. I believe that tagging should be a crime if done without permission on other peoples properties but I do not think that it should stop graffiti artists in any way from creating incredible pieces of work through throw ups and bomb art.