Linguistic Language

[Gillian W.]

There is a difference between top down and bottom up signs. I never really thought about it before but depending on what the sign is we take it at different levels of seriousness. Most people pay attention to the signs from the government and other officials. If it says to not park on the street people are more likely to listen if it’s an official government sign than if it’s a handwritten sign posted on the pole. It makes sense that there are two types of signs. I just never considered the difference and how we react to them differently. The authors in the book say it’s on a continuum instead of black and white. The examples in the textbook make sense to me, but what would be the middle of the continuum? In other words, would there be a type of sign exactly in the middle between top down and bottom up? The examples that were in the book were closer to being top down than bottom up.

Another section of the book that caught my eye was the section of graffiti. The book says that graffiti is a transgressive sign because it is in the wrong space. Graffiti is an unsanctioned urban text and tries to compete with the sanctioned texts. Graffiti is interesting because there are no limits to what people write, and no limits on who will write with it. Some people see it as another way to communicate their feelings and opinions. They think it’s a great way to remain anonymous but still, be heard. I suppose that if someone did it the right way, it could have a huge impact. Other people don’t share the same opinion. They think that it looks messy and uncalled for.

I don’t think I have a solid opinion on graffiti. I think it is important for people to have a voice and to be able to express their opinions and feelings. I also agree that sometimes people don’t feel like they are being heard. Especially places where opinions are allowed and people are encouraged to do so, everyone has the right to be heard. But I also see why people think it is uncalled for. People who do graffiti do not always care where they do it and could end up causing owners to spend a lot of money and that is not fair. I have also noticed the graffiti I have seen around me isn’t always very nice. There must be a better way to get a point across than painting on other people’s property. I can’t seem to find a good middle ground except that if someone wants to do graffiti he or she should do it only on his or her own property. But the downside is that not as many people would see it as opposed to when it’s written on a bridge or on the sides of trains.