My friend spent a few days painting wildflowers on the outside of her San Francisco house. Within hours, photos of her work appeared on social media, and shortly after that, there were groups of tourists on the opposite sidewalk, taking pictures.
My friend’s neighbors noticed too. They complained about the tourists, describing them as a nuisance. Eventually, they put enough pressure on my friend for her to paint over the flowers. The way I remember it, I was more upset than she was.
Unlike my friend’s flowers, most graffiti is neither decorative nor interesting, instead resembling a tide of letter soup that has flooded the streets, leaving marks up as far as arms can reach. Interesting graffiti is the exception, and I think the photo below is a good example.
