Vandalism: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia
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Line 1: {{short description|Deliberate damage or defacement of an object or structure}} {{
{{pp-move-indef}} {{pp-vandalism|small=yes}} {{More footnotes needed|date=November 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
[[File:Progression of Vandalism in a restroom.jpg [[File:Lead Photo For Swimming pool sanitation0-46353521407581866.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Vandalism on a street sign, making it read "i Swim in Poo"]] {{Pollution sidebar|Visual}} '''Vandalism''' is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.<ref>{{cite web |title=Oxford English Dictionary |url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/vandalism |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731060431/http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/vandalism |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 July 2013 |access-date=25 April 2015 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> The term includes [[property damage]], such as [[graffiti]] and [[#Defacement|defacement]] directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The term finds its roots in an [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]] view that the Germanic [[Vandal]]s were a uniquely destructive people ==Etymology== [[File:Genseric sacking rome 456.jpg
The [[Vandals]], an ancient [[Germanic people]], are associated with senseless destruction as a result of their [[Sack of Rome (455)|sack of Rome]] under King [[Genseric]] in 455. During the [[Age of Enlightenment|Enlightenment]], Rome was idealized, while the [[Goths]] and Vandals were blamed for its destruction. The Vandals may not have been any more destructive than other invaders of ancient times, but they did inspire English poet [[John Dryden]] to write, ''Till Goths, and Vandals, a rude Northern race, Did all the matchless Monuments deface'' (1694). However, the Vandals did intentionally damage statues, which may be why their name is associated with the [[vandalism of art]]. The term ''Vandalisme'' was coined in 1794 by [[Henri Grégoire]], [[bishop of Blois]], to describe the destruction of artwork following the [[French Revolution]]. The term was quickly adopted across Europe. This new use of the term was important in colouring the perception of the Vandals from later Late Antiquity, popularizing the pre-existing idea that they were a barbaric group with a taste for destruction.<ref>Merrills and Miles 2010, pp. 9–10.</ref>
Historically, vandalism has been justified by painter [[Gustave Courbet]] as destruction of monuments symbolizing "war and conquest". Therefore, it is often done as an expression of contempt, creativity, or both. Courbet's attempt, during the 1871 [[Paris Commune]], to dismantle the [[Place Vendôme|Vendôme column]], a symbol of the past [[Napoleon III of France|Napoleon III]] authoritarian Empire, was one of the most celebrated events of vandalism. [[Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche]] himself would meditate after the Commune on the "fight against culture", taking as example the intentional burning of the [[Tuileries Palace]] on 23 May 1871. "The criminal fight against culture is only the reverse side of a criminal culture" wrote [[Pierre Klossowski|Klossowski]] after quoting Nietzsche.<ref name="klossowski">See [[Pierre Klossowski]], ''Nietzsche and the Vicious Circle'', first Chapter: What is the value of culture if those who are exploited by it destroy it? ''"En sorte qu'il nous faut être bien loin de vouloir, du haut de notre sentiment de nous-mêmes, imputer le crime d'un combat contre la culture exclusivement à ces malheureux.'' Je sais ce que cela veut dire: le combat contre la culture. (...) '' je me campronnai avec une conviction sérieuse à la valeur métaphysique de l'art, lequel ne saurait exister à cause des pauvres gens, mais doit accomplir des missions plus hautes. Mais, en dépit de mon extrême douleur, je n'étais pas en état de jeter la moindre pierre à ces profanateurs qui, pour moi, n'étaient que les suppôts de la culpabilité universelle, sur laquelle il y a beaucoup à méditer!"'' Nietzsche quoted by Klossowski pp. 29–30 French edition, who adds: ''"Le combat criminel contre la culture n'est lui-même que l'envers d'une culture criminelle"'' ("The criminal fight against culture is only the reverse side of a criminal culture")</ref> In a proposal to the International Conference for Unification of Criminal Law held in Madrid in 1933, [[Raphael Lemkin]] envisaged the creation of two new international crimes (delicta [[jus gentium|juris gentium]]): the crime of barbarity, consisting in the extermination of racial, religious, or social collectivities, and the crime of vandalism, consisting in the destruction of cultural and artistic works of these groups.<ref> ==As a crime== [[File:Abgesägte Leiter.jpg|thumb|Vandalized shooting stand in [[Germany]]]] [[File:Vandalismus ve vlaku.jpg|thumb|Vandalized [[seat]] inside a [[Passenger car (rail)|passenger car]] on a [[train]] in the [[ Private citizens commit vandalism when they willfully damage or deface the property of others or the [[commons]]. Some vandalism may qualify as [[culture jamming]] or [[Breaching experiment|sniggling]]: it is thought by some to be artistic in nature even though carried out illegally or without the property owner's permission. Examples include at least some [[graffiti]] art, billboard "liberation", and possibly [[crop circles]]. Criminal vandalism takes many forms. [[Graffiti]] on [[public property]] is common in many [[inner cities]] as part of a [[gang]] culture, where they might be used as territorial markers.<ref>Ley and Cybriwsky 1974.</ref> Line 37: In elections, opposing candidates' supporters may engage in "political vandalism"—the act of defacing opponents' political posters, [[bumper sticker]]s, billboards, and other [[street marketing]] material. Although the nature of this material is temporary, its effect can be long-lasting as it may reflect both negatively and positively on the candidate whose material is being vandalized as well as on the presumed candidate whose supporters are engaging in the vandalism. In addition, activists may use the tactic of [[property destruction]]<ref> ===Motives=== Line 56: In view of its incivility, [[punishment]] for vandalism can be particularly severe in some countries. In Singapore, for example, a person who attempts to cause or commits an act of vandalism may be liable to [[imprisonment]] for up to three years and may also be punished with [[Caning in Singapore|caning]]. Vandalism in the UK is construed as an [[environmental crime]] and may be punished with an [[ASBO]] (Anti-Social Behaviour Order). In the 1990s, former New York City mayor [[Rudolph Giuliani]] cracked down on "quality of life crimes", including graffiti. NY Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern described graffiti as "a metaphor for [[urban decay]] perhaps best shown in '[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'" adding that "New York City will not be like that".<ref>{{Cite news| issn = 0362-4331| last = Hicks| first = Jonathan P.| title = Mayor Announces New Assault on Graffiti, Citing Its Toll on City| work = The New York Times| access-date = 8 May 2018| date = 17 November 1994| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/17/nyregion/mayor-announces-new-assault-on-graffiti-citing-its-toll-on-city.html| archive-date = 9 March 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210309062159/https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/17/nyregion/mayor-announces-new-assault-on-graffiti-citing-its-toll-on-city.html| url-status = live}}</ref> ===Cybervandalism=== {{expand section|date= Cybervandalism is vandalism on the internet. For example, [[vandalism on Wikipedia]] involves adding questionable content, removing content, or changing content in order to make it questionable, generally with the objective of harming Wikipedia's reputation. Forms of online vandalism have been recorded, the most common of which is [[website defacement]]. Vandalism on [[Web mapping|web maps]] has been called "cartographic vandalism".<ref>Ballatore 2014.</ref> Cybervandalism could be said to be a form of creativity and artistry. An example of this was when the Cheltenham paint festival was cancelled due to [[COVID-19]], and artists still proceeded to celebrate their artistry virtually.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://creativefolk.co.uk/cheltenham-paint-festival-goes-virtual-during-lockdown/|title = Cheltenham Paint Festival goes virtual during lockdown|date = 12 May 2020|access-date = 21 April 2021|archive-date = 21 April 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210421130535/https://creativefolk.co.uk/cheltenham-paint-festival-goes-virtual-during-lockdown/|url-status = live}}</ref> Line 108 ⟶ 109: * [[Broken windows theory]] * [[Criminal mischief]]
* [[Iconoclasm]] * [[Latrinalia]] Line 114: * [[Malicious mischief]] * [[Vandalism of art]]
==References== Line 123 ⟶ 120: ==Other references== {{refbegin}} *{{citation |last1=Ballatore |first1=A. |title=Defacing the map: Cartographic vandalism in the digital commons |journal=The Cartographic Journal |year=2014 |volume=51 |number=3 |pages=214–224 |arxiv=1404.3341 |doi=10.1179/1743277414y.0000000085|bibcode=2014CartJ..51..214B |s2cid=1828882 }} *{{citation |author=Cohen, S. |editor=Ward, C. |title=Property destruction: Motives and meanings |publisher=Architectural Press |year=1973 |location=London |pages=23–53}} *{{citation |author=Goldstein, A. |title=The Psychology of Vandalism |publisher=Plenum Press |year=1996 |location=New York}} | |||