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I live in one of the graffiti capitals of the world. Everywhere you look, you see "tags" of cryptic names and gang symbols. Apparently, there is some sort of status associated with putting your name on a mail box or bus stop. The worst, of course, is when someone puts their tag on the side of a family's house or fence. Some people have to constantly remove spray paint from their property, only to see it happen again shortly after.

The current most effective method is to remove the "tag" as quickly as possible. The idea behind this is to deter the person from doing it again. Realistically, why would they risk doing it if it will only disappear within 24 hours? Makes sense, but you have to realize that these people do not think logically, or they would not be doing this in the first place.

To effectively combat graffiti, we have to look at the people that are creating the problem. Generally, the creators of graffiti are young men, ages 13-17, maybe 18 at the oldest. Now there are some that are older, but generally, I would deduce that the majority are in this age group. Next, we look at why they do it. They are young men, trying to fit into a group, and trying to look cool to all of their friends who do the same thing. "Hey guys, look at the bus stop, I tagged it. It says my name. It shows that I hang out here. I am now cool."

This is where the psychology comes into play. If you can change the purpose of the "tag", you can prevent the youth from wanting to do it again. How do you do that? You change the "tag" into an insult. What is the most insulting thing that you can call youth trying to fit into a group of other youths? Insulting their status or sexuality. You can also get creative and add your own insults. So, if someone "tags" the mailbox by your house, instead of removing the tag, change the tag into an insult. For example, if "Billy" puts his name on your mailbox, you combat it by spray painting "is gay," or "is a loser" after his name. Billy will certainly think again before tagging that mailbox. If you are lucky, he may even remove the tag himself.

In closing, I want to say a couple of things. First of all, this is not condemning homosexuality in any way. I support peoples' right to choose their own lifestyle. This is simply looking at the psychology of the people creating the graffiti problem. That is what is most insulting to them. Secondly, as much as I think this approach is effective, I don't recommend most people use it on their property, as it could potentially lead to reprisal from the "tagger," or even in some cases, the police.

Learn more about this author, D. Trump.
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