Some people are upset at this or that government decision or some activity, and in response they go out and "tag" a building - a mosque or whatever - with spray painting some messages.
The government has completely flipped out over this, finding ways to call it terror, threatening all sorts of punishments...
why is this so bad? Sure, it is bad. It is vandalism, it is graffiti, it is filth.. catch the vandals and punish them as vandals. But to consider them terrorists? a little bit of spray paint has to take up so much of the governments energy and concern?
If these price taggers were going out in the dark of night and beating up Arabs or government officials and representatives, I would understand - but all this just for some spray paint?
Those who care so much about some spray paint should come out to the parks of RBS (and plenty of other places) and see how much graffiti has been sprayed, vandalizing park equipment, walls, benches... walk around the neighborhood and see spray paint on walls of buildings, basketball courts, stores, etc. some of the graffiti is artistic, some religious (usually either something about rebbe nachman or about guarding one's eyes) while much of it is crass and offensive.
what's the difference between this graffiti, that it seems authorities don't give a hoot about, and that graffiti that gets them so worked up?
Government-people: it is just graffiti. catch the vandals, and punish them in accordance with the law. Don't make a bit of graffiti into something more than it is.
By the way, this does not preclude tracking the price taggers and making sure they don't turn into terrorists...
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Exactly please read: Shiloh Musings: "Price Tag" Vandalism, Who's Guilty? thanks.
ReplyDeleteRafi,
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you get your news about price tag attacks, but they are far more than just graffiti.
First off, the graffiti itself should be considered a hate crime, in the same way that tagging a shul or graveyard with swastikas would be considered a hate crime - crime focused on a specific ethnic group meant to intimidate.
But price tag attacks DO often include violence, both towards property (destrying vehicles and trees and etc) as well as having escalated to physical violence. Perhaps, if the govt had taken these attacks seriously when they were just graffiti, they would have been stopped before they escalated to the property and people attacks - but they were jews.
Just like one day Bennet called Palestinian stone throwers terrorists and should be tried for attempted murder, yet the very next day, when Jews were throwing stones - nothing! a soldier was put in the hospital and the stone thrower was out of lockup before shabbat began.
What do you think would happen if Arabs/Palastinians/Muslims had price tag attacks against jews?
they do and they are mostly ignored
DeleteProperty damage is not violence.
DeleteThrowing rock,s, smacking people over the head with iron bars, stabbings and beatings are not property damage although that runs into thousands if not millions of shekels. They don't get nearly the play the Jewish price tag attacks get. Nor all the arrests and detentions "in case" or "it looks lie" or that the police think they can pressure an admission.
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Israeli_price_tag_attacks
ReplyDeletethe shas champ
ReplyDeletehttp://thepartialview.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-story-behind-viral-picture-of-nyc.html