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VIDEOThe Writing's on the Wall
Graffiti reveals darkening social mood.
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“A false sense of importance thrives in New Canaan!!
“This is rampant all across the USA. Please attempt to see the good in all. Namaste.
“This country needs to learn to take care of each other!
“CEO Citigroup (C)! R. Rubin. B.L. Madoff.”
Click to enlarge
Strange, I thought, that such literate graffiti would find its way into the public domain.
Granted, New Canaan, Connecticut isn’t that far from Wall Street. Some may argue it’s even closer than, say, Greenwich Village. But the point is, we’ve come a long way if fired hedge-fund guys are channeling their rage and frustration into petty vandalism. Or if the perpetrators were of the young, adolescent sort, maybe we’ve come even further.
The link between economic decline and a rise in crime has long been documented.
According to Reuters, there’s been a “44%…rise in certain types of crime… attributed to the United States' worst economic and financial crisis in decades.” Similarly, sociologists note that crime has increased during every recession since the 1950s.
A lot of the crime we’re likely to see in the months and years ahead will be related to the housing crisis, as people struggle to pay their mortgages and look for ways to cut corners. The Mortgage Asset Research Institute reported a 45% spike in mortgage fraud in the second quarter of 2008.
But crime is one thing; social angst is quite another - and it’s perhaps best documented by the poetics of anonymous graffiti artists. After just a little bit of the ol’ Googling, I was able to find quite a few examples of how the recession has found its way onto our walls.
Take a look:
Minyanville Professor Kevin Depew has a lot to say about socionomics, and where we’re headed as a culture. This week, in response to a reader's question about Burger King’s (BK) new “Angry Whopper” campaign, Depew wrote:
“This won't be the last manifestation of social discord and anger we see in the months ahead. As negative social mood increases in intensity, we can expect these types of reflections to match that intensity.”
And the writing is clearly on the wall.
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