Graffiti

[maude]

Is it me,why is the delightfull countryside in France,and towns,plagued by mindless graffitti?No where seems to be safe from isolated farm building to car parks and town houses from this blight!Is it due to absolute boredom of the youngers,and how with the price of paint in France can they manage to perpetuate this terrible spoil of a beautifull country.Perhaps if the older generation of French openned their shutters before june,july,and august,they may spot this crime and do something about it!What a pity!!!

                       Despairing Maude

[Furry Knickers]

I have even seen sheep sprayed with graffitti both here and in France. I love sheep too! Don't you just want to hug a sheep when ever you see one?

I had a lamb called Dave, He tasted great!

[0BRIAN WOODHEADI,m here in franceddMMyyyy0Falseen-USI,m here in franceTrue]

We had lamb for tea yesterday,think it was called "is it ready yet"

 

[Sprogster]

I am surprised someone has not raised this before.

Although, graffiti is a common problem in cities everywhere, it is definitely far more pervasive in France.

Is it because it is more tolerated in France, as an artistic expression maybe?

We met American friends in France last year in, who loved the country, but were perturbed by the amount of grafitti, which they even found on historic buildings in places like Avignon and Aix.

As a visitor to France and the UK, to me it is a far more noticeable problem in France, for whatever reason.

[Clarkkent]

Perhaps it is a modern expression of the earlier habit of painting Dubonnet adverts on every available wall.

[Tourangelle]

I find it really depressing too. Here in Lyon it is really bad in the nicest parts, I don't know why. The council has a unit who go around and get rid of some of it off public buildings, and I know one place where they go at least monthly. I remember being similarly shocked when I went to Montpellier, and yet I don't remember seeing much on recent visits to Amiens and Caen. Is this a north south divide à la francaise?

[RayB]

[quote]I am surprised someone has not raised this before. Although, graffiti is a common problem in cities everywhere, it is definitely far more pervasive in France. Is it because it is more tolerated in F...[/quote]

>>Is it because it is more tolerated in France, as an artistic expression maybe?<<

The thing that occurs to me is that many, if not most, of them DO have notable artistic talent and skills. It is a pity that they don't channel them into more productive and community friendly ways.

We are able to just sort of tune them out and really don't 'see' them anymore.

[Piprob]

I defy anyone to name a place with more wall daubing than south London - SE London in particular. Even the New York sprawl is cleaner.

I loath and detest the stuff. Oil slicks are more artistic. However, since cavemen started it, and even the ancient Romans joined in, for graffiti I fear, the writing will never be on the wall.

[Lizzie15]

Ok, Ok I give in... I read this with amazement. I've owned a house here for the past 8 years and I can't say that I've noticed graffiti.  Is it really any worse in the cities than any other cities in a large lump of the World? In the rural areas I certainly haven't been aware of a problem?

 

 

[SaligoBay]

I don't know if it's worse, Lizzie, but it's pretty much everywhere.  Someone mentioned Montpellier, and it's true, all our visitors comment on it.   All those quaint little lanes in the old city centre, and every single door, even the lovely embossed wooden ones, are covered in graffiti.   Now and again there's a reasonable bit of artwork, but it's rare.  On the approx 15-mile drive to work, I would say that there's something sprayed on every possible piece of wall along the way.

And what about that dreadful concrete bridge in Carnon-by-the-Med?   I think many of you would be surprised that such monstrosities exist in France, it really is the pits!!   Graffiti'd all over, inside and out, it's an absolute eyesore.     Strangely, it doesn't feature in any of the touristy pictures! 

 

 

[Iceni]

[quote]Ok, Ok I give in... I read this with amazement. I've owned a house here for the past 8 years and I can't say that I've noticed graffiti. Is it really any worse in the cities than any other cities in ...[/quote]

I am with Lizzie15 on this - far less than the bit of the UK we lived in - and that was fairly rural North Essex.

Some on the sides of main roads on the routes to Cahors but almost nothing at all in our bit of France - again I think it is an areas based thing.

[Dick Smith]

I agree, Di. I travel on the train into Victoria every day, and the graffiti, especially 'tagging' is appalling. Every surface is covered by the filth. In our bit of Normandy there is almost none - there was a bit just outside of Sourdeval a year or so ago, but it caused comment. I know it is different in cities, but in the UK it now spreads out for 20 miles or so from the centre.

[Tourangelle]

Here in Lyon what depresses me the most is that it is done on people's homes. Not that I think that public places should be a free for all, but it seems that there is absolutely nowhere left untouched. I don't think you see it on the walls of people's houses in Britain. It is not even interesting stuff, most of the time. I know that in some places you wonder, well, is it graffiti or has somebody actually got that done for them, but here it is just silly scribblings, not even a picture. For instance, somebody has recently written their name on the traffic lights on my road. It is just a scrawl but it is a mess now. I wonder if it is the same people who burn litter boxes, a lot of that goes on. Oh, and I supposedly live in a nice part of the city...

[Cat]

As we're on the subject of graffiti, did anyone happen to catch the end of Watchdog last week?

They showed a new Spiderman toy, it's a lorry that opens up to reveal a miniature city, complete with artistic looking graffiti on one of the walls.  Trouble is, the lorry was made in Spain, and apparently no-one realised that the four letter word (starting with "F" and sounding rather like "duck") featured prominently in the graffiti wasn't exactly appropriate for the target age range

Spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can?

 

 

[Furry Knickers]

I SAW THAT TRUCK!

Can you imagine if you really could have a truck that turns into a city? WOW! You can bring your own city with you to France and to Intermarche and Stoc too! I love the pear tarts from Stoc!

I am going to write to DAF Trucks to put it to them! I think it would be a sure fire winner that would sell like Kylie's underpants! 

I think that the word "F*ck" is appropriate for todays kids, I hear them as young as 3 using that word and worse! It is part of their everyday vocabulary here in Wyre Piddle.

[RayB]

[quote]Here in Lyon what depresses me the most is that it is done on people's homes. Not that I think that public places should be a free for all, but it seems that there is absolutely nowhere left untouche...[/quote]

Further to my earlier comments, check this out -

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/21/otr.green/index.html

[SaligoBay]

After reading that I wondered if maybe he'd done the bus shelter at the end of our road, it says "Nike ta mère".    Then I thought no, anyone with that much integrity would never work for a sports multinational, would they?

[Teamedup]

Saligo, I hate that.....I HATE THAT, if that is what you have around you, well it is horrible.

[SaligoBay]

Sorry TU, it is horrible, and that's where my son goes to wait for the school bus.  And right outside the collège, on somebody's garden wall, in huge letters, "Légalise cannabis" and "Marie-Juanna te quiero".   Not rude, but not inspiring either.  I'm surprised no-one's tried to clean it off, but I suppose it would just get redone. 

[Furry Knickers]

On a stone wall outside The Wrinkled Pig And Flute Maker Pub in County Kildare, there is sprayed in large purple letters " Keep Ireland tidy, dump your rubbish in England"  I was disgusted! How could they ruin such a lovely wall!

[SaligoBay]

[quote]Is it me,why is the delightfull countryside in France,and towns,plagued by mindless graffitti?No where seems to be safe from isolated farm building to car parks and town houses from this blight!Is it ...[/quote]

Mentioned this thread to TOH, who said knowledgeably that graffiti has always been a problem in France.  Said he was "gobsmacked" at the graffiti over all the walls in Rouen University when he was there in 1978.

And there you have it - just thought I'd pass that piece of wisdom on!

 

[Mochas]

I was quite surprised to read of the graffiti problem in France though on thinking about it I suppose the larger French cities aren't going to be any different to those anywhere else.

As I keep telling my English friends one of the advantages of spending time in my small and civilised corner of Charente is the virtual absence of graffiti, litter and binge drinking amongst the young. The only anti-social element I've found where the the situation is worse in France is the amount of dogmuck on the pavements...a case of tread carefully for you step on our turds, perhaps?

[Tresco]

Seen a bit near Bordeaux, xhich is 80K from us, perhaps a teeeny tiny bit near Cognac 12k from us. Perhaps it's just where you have to travel to and from places.

TOH went to a church recently, A very, very  old church. It's famous for its Medieval Grafitti. He brought some leaflets back for me. The pictures remind me of the 'grafitti' on the coronation chair in Westminster Abbey, very, very old.

The Bayeaux Tapestry has nothing on this stuff, but I can imagine those 12th Century mothers pulling their 14 year olds by the ear and saying 'Waddayadothatfor?'

Are some of us not just getting on a bit?

(By the way, I have never done any myself, and i'm not that mad on it, but I do think everwhere I go here is relaitively free of it, compared to everywhere I went in England).

tresco

PS. The church was in a place called Moings, Dept. 17

 

 

[LesleyD<P> <P><P>a bientot<IMG src="http:forums.livingfrance.comimagesline.gif"><BR>LesleyD<BR><P>]

I've got to say that the parts of France that I have visited have far more graffiti than the parts of England that I have visited --- having said that, I haven't been to London for  40 years !

There's a serious problem with graffiti in Belgian cities too.

Here in the Lakes I can't remember having ever seen any.

I think "La Belle France" deserves it name but I do wish they would get their act together on graffiti and dog mess.

 

[bedders]

Well i'm amazed at the comments regarding graffiti. In the past year or so, we have diven the best part of 8,000 miles on holidays, not into cities i'll admit, but have yet to see any graffiti at all, honest.

This compares with a Nottingham local tv article where a correspondent was sent out into the city centre and in one stint photographed 360 different examples of graffiti. I think it averaged 1 example every 10 seconds.

As i mentioned we steer well clear of cities, but the small towns and villages were, for us, graffiti free.