Graffiti is an expression mankind has done since its origin. It is evident with the ancient petroglyphs that can be found around the world. These rock art panels show symbols that were typical of ordinary life at that time. The meaning of many of symbols are left to our imaginations. I am certain that there are many people that would take offense with my equating ancient petroglyphs with graffiti, but if you look around our world today you will see that the need for human expression using symbols is very much alive as it was thousands of years ago. Today our cultural expression is done with tattoos on bodies and painting highway overpasses. To paint up a building or mark your skin is a modern form of cultural expression we tolerate as a norm in society. When we look at petroglyphs that were created thousands of years ago we instantly develop a respect for them as being markings from an ancient civilization. If someone today was to mark up a canyon wall with modern day rock carvings we would call it graffiti, a destructive act. Our current method of making human symbols can be debated by some as an art form and by others as a destructive act.
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