Graffiti Debate

As part of a unit of work on 'Finding Your Voice' you may choose to hold a debate in class about graffiti. The children get very involved in finding out about the pros and cons of graffiti and discuss to what extent it is art or just a mess. This is also a good time to find out about the world-renowned Banksy from Bristol, UK. Below are the ideas that children in one of my classes came up with.

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For Graffiti

Graffiti can show messages
Graffiti can be art 
A way for people to share their feelings and ideas freely
It can help to improve the look of an area
Kids are having fun and they’re not causing any other trouble on the streets
Before graffiti artists, streets were grey, dull, boring and bland places to be. We need to stop neglecting them of some colour
The town looks a lot more attractive because of the graffiti
Museums and art galleries are now considering graffiti as art and placing it in their own buildings 
Graffiti attracts locals and tourists from around the world
Spray cans are cheaper than using paints on canvas
We paint on walls so that we don’t waste paper. Our art means that we are  ‘green’ and don’t harm our planet

Against Graffiti

Waste of money cleaning up
Waste of important police time cleaning it up
We could be spending council money on more important projects
Affects shop owners who have to clean their properties
Money to clean it up comes out of our pockets
More graffiti means fewer customers in shops or to an area. Fewer customers mean less income/salary/wage
Has ruined walls, play equipment and trees in the park so children are too scared to go 
The so-called ‘artists’ should be fined to pay for the damage
The streets are fine the way they are- we don’t need any colour to brighten them up
We want to keep the streets clean and green and free of mess
Graffiti is pollution (visual). The sprays also give off toxic fumes (gas)
Why should it be up to teenagers and kids to decide what our streets look like?
Every time you graffiti, it is still illegal so these vandals may as well stop.
Bad influence on children, who may pick up a bad habit or see something inappropriate
Surely it makes more sense to paint on canvas. Then you can actually sell your work 
for money
Graffiti has destroyed road signs and made it confusing for road users to follow