There’s no denying that for many of us the days since Nov. 8 have taken on a nearly apocalyptic portent. Those who warned us that no presidential election could lead to changes overnight woke up the next morning (and every morning after) to visions of a new and surreal reality, as though we had passed into the timeline of The Man in the High Castle (maybe we’re living Season 2). What’s been so world-shaking in the aftermath is that not only did we not accurately know our country, but we don’t even know our own city, or even our Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Not even a full week after the election, The F.B.I. reported a 6 percent rise in reported hate crimes, and only a few days after that Brooklyn Heights’ own Adam Yauch Park was found tagged with swastikas. While we have to leave most of the hate crimes to authorities to handle, people around the city have taken up the call to get rid of the hate messages themselves. So here are some suggestions for DIY graffiti solutions to defuse the messages of hate you may find in your own neighborhood. This is New York City, after all: if we can’t win a tagging war on home turf, what the fuck are we even doing?
All photo illustrations by Chris Giganti.
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Rump Roast! Who doesn’t enjoy that? And look how steaming hot it is! Could anything be more welcoming to someone? Even if you don’t eat meat, imagine how great the sides are going to be! Yep, no hate or fear here; just a whole lot of full bellies and open pants buttons.
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Sometimes all you need is some tight editing for clarity and accuracy to turn hate into a socio-political call to action!
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Nobody fucks up MCA’s park and gets away with it! Instead of some bullshit (incorrect) swastikas, how about a message of love? Literal love! Ok, it might still be a little inappropriate for a children’s playground, but what kind of world are we living in where natural acts of love are considered immoral while a person can get elected to the highest office of the land despite making unsolicited statements that characterize sexual assault? That’s a serious question … what number Earth is this? Do we have to destroy another Earth to keep the multiverse from collapsing?
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Baseball! We can all get behind baseball, right? That’s got to be at least one common thread between people who can’t even discuss basic human decency without getting into a heated shouting match. Take me out to the brawl game, amiright?
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I think this is something we can all get behind for the next four years.
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Sure, this is probably a little problematic in a country that’s already transphobic, not to mention the movie got 10 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. When life gives you anti-Semitism, sometimes you’ve got to make anti-Semitade, which isn’t a thing, but it’s also no longer anti-Semitism.
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It’s Roboctopus, the robot octopus! Everyone loves Roboctopus, and Roboctopus only loves two things: Fresh seafood and hugs! That’s all that was written into his programming! Something tells me we’ve only just begun Roboctopus sightings. We could all use a hug.
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All she wants is to hear from you, not about bullshit like “white genocide.” How long has it been since you called her?
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The possibilities of erasing hate are endless, and thank goodness for that, because it seriously doesn’t look like any of this is going away anytime soon. Of course, not all of us are talented enough to realize our artistic visions (I certainly needed to call in the cavalry for mine!), but for those of us without spray cans there are just as useful, and legal, ways to help out. There’s no dearth of causes that could use your money, and calling your elected officials to make sure your priorities are at the top of their list is great, but if you feel a particularly strong tightness in your chest at the sight of swastikas and white supremacist slogans, the ACLU and NAACP Legal Defense Fund are working specifically to offset racial inequalities and infringements on the rights of minorities. Roboctopus says, “Give, and give often!”
Roboctopus help us all.
Follow Eric on Twitter: @primesilver.
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