University of Virginia Library

Writing On The Wall

Remember the days when the closest thing
to a skin flick was "Some Like It Hot"
starring Marilyn Monroe? And remember the
days when the only substitute for a porno
book was "Candy?" And remember the days
when the only things written on bathroom
walls were phone numbers, lewd jingles, and
Chinese proverbs?

Well, in the last half decade many things
have changed. The acclaimed movie, "I Am
Curious (Yellow)" now pleases some and
nauseates others in theaters all across the
nation. The book "Naked Came the Stranger"
provides both escape for its readers and a
hearty income for its twenty-seven authors
who enjoyed spoofing authoress Jacqueline
Susann. Even the graffiti which has always
been plentiful has enlarged its scope to
include, in addition to the age-old features,
political commentaries, sexual caricatures, and
names of gut courses.

We wish to make no judgment concerning
the transition in two of the media mentioned.
Rather, we would write it off as progress and
allow the value judgments to be made by the
individual as he sees fit. We do, however, feel
that some notice, whether in the form of mere
comment or critical judgment, is necessary
with regard to the inscriptions found on the
walls of the restrooms.

Our quarrel is not with what is written,
drawn, or otherwise exhibited in these areas.
We support, and practice, freedom of speech
extensively. We do not feel that such
freedoms should be exercised at the expense
of others where one's audience is, in effect,
captive and where such expressions of
sublimated drives can affect the task at hand.
We wish to inhibit no one arbitrarily.

Our disagreement is with the destruction
done to public, to University property. One
needs to spend only a few hours at the
University to notice that vandalism of this
nature is pervasive; it is not confined to the
bathroom walls as in the days past but can be
found in every building, in every bulletin
board, and in every elevator in the University
community.

Not all of this scribbling dates back to as
far as the Monroe flick. Three weeks after it
was opened last year. Wilson Hall bore the
sears of the community voyeur. Every
bathroom and several of the bulletin boards
were adorned with such graffiti ad nauseum.
And only two weeks ago the elevators in
Newcomb Hall were scrubbed clean of all the
writing and art work in them only to be
decorated anew one day later with slogans
that ranged from "Off ROTC" to "kill a
commie for Christ." Most recent of these
displays is to be found not in the bathrooms,
not in elevators, not on bulletin boards, and
not on the white pillars in front of New Cabell
Hall - but out in open view subject to the
gazes and cries of disbelief of everyone. The
display to which we refer can be found on the
green Dempster Dumpster trash bin in front
of Newcomb Hall where some individual
found it necessary to wish Lenin a happy
birthday.

Ideally, we would hope that such practices
would be ceased. We feel that the University
community, a community of students and
scholars, is an inappropriate place for such
exhibits of graffiti. We are not so optimistic to
think that a crusade of this nature would
bring favorable results. However, we do hope
that if such practices must continue that the
individuals responsible will confine the progenies
of their imagination to the bathroom
walls, the elevators, and the library carrels.