Journal #4

One of the major aspects of everyday writing is the setting, or time and place, of the writing. As mentioned in "(Meta)Physical Graffiti: "Getting Up" as Affective Writing Model", subway graffiti started in the late 60s as a response to "intense social upheaval, economic transformations, and cultural change". It was in this time, in New York, that the youth used graffiti to communicate and gain respect. The scene, being on subways and building walls, is everyday because it is in fact seen every day by many people. The material they write on says almost as much as the message it carries. Because of this very public setting, the communication between groups of gangs/individuals/etc, is open to anyone. There is no limit to what can be written or where it can be placed. Because of this, the audience (the public) sees things that they cannot help but react to in some way or another.

"The music moves you, in spite of your wishes or desires." With this statement, Edbauer claims that graffiti "hits" the individual and gives them a sensation that they cannot make sense of at first. It is an involuntary action that cannot be explained but rather just experienced. Once it has been interpreted, though, a reaction will form and with it comes the possibility of a reply to the original message. I agree that "the world is a text in which we are always acting, and writing occurs inside this ongoing public conversation." The public can see any piece of graffiti and come to their own conclusions about it. This allows for the sharing and circulation of ideas amongst a large group of people. I agree with Taylor in that "The specific scenes that you are involved in create a circulation of ideas of an great amount of places, with the same scene." People will likely notice a piece of graffiti that in some way pertains to them, and that similarity creates a group of people who share beliefs.