January 15, 2007
February 8, 2007
The fabulous Gaudí dragon in Parc Güell has been vandalised by some 22-year-old ‘punk’ asshole (click on thumbnails to enlarge pics). It’s actually a fountain and was one of the highlights of visiting the park when Nog and I were there last month. I really felt sad and sickened when I saw that photo of it all smashed up in the paper today.
And also really 
casa azahar 
I quite understand. The more I see of what people do for kicks, the more I appreciate my plants.
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I’m with you, Ivan. What is it with young men and destruction? Perhaps if he had opportunities to be creative and imaginative – through art or gardening or music or cooking or something – he wouldn’t have felt the need to be destructive. I hope the authorities make him fix it, manually, piece by piece, so he can appreciate how much effort went into making it.
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I think the sentence for that kind of destruction should be the same for major theft — since it’s destroying a cultural property, and denying enjoyment of it to everyone else!
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This pic shows the dragon from the front, with the water coming out of its mouth.
I imagine it’s going to take ages to repair as they’ll have to copy the original polychrome ceramic tile pieces as well as reconstruct the facial structure.
The idea that anyone might get some sort of kick out of doing something like this is just mind boggling.
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When I am rational, I agree with Spacecadette. When I am irrationally furious, I feel like the sentence for that kind of destruction should be that we bang on HIS face with a blunt instrument until it has the same kind of damage that the fountain does.
I have NEVER understood vandalism. Fortunately for us, we have no public art in this town. Our little vandals have to content themselves with shooting bbs through the plate glass windows of stores along the main drag.
But what are we to expect of a culture that is happy to say “Bomb them back to the Stone Age,” about political enemies.
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“Fortunately for us, we have no public art in this town.”
Hmmm….
I’d rather have the art, even if it does get vandalised from time to time.
And do you have any idea of how much it costs to replace a plate glass window? Either way it has to be paid for, and it seems reasonable that those responsible should have to pay.
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Well, I have to admit that the statement Noggin is replying to made NO SENSE whatsoever.
I wish we had public art, art in the real sense. What we do have is murals all over down town courtesy of the high school art department. Some of them are okay, but many of them are God-awful, and none of them rise to level of what I consider art. The closest thing we have is a large sculpture in front of the high school which is supposed to be the Flame of Knowledge, but everybody calls it the Silver Snake of Knowledge.
I also have to say that my attempt at sarcastic humor obviously fell completely flat. Sorry. I am quite aware of what plate glass windows cost, and in no way shape or form do I consider it okay to run around breaking things for the fun of breaking them, even boring plate glass.
What I was trying to imply, and failed to get across, was that at least when the little jerks vandalize something in this town, they are vandalizing something that is not a priceless work of art. Granted, it costs a lot to replace a window, but it is a flat piece of featureless boring glass, and not something that will be difficult if not impossible to repair. I remember when the person who took a hammer to Michaelangelo’s “Pieta” in Rome and wondered then what kind of soul can destroy something so wonderful. The dragon in that fountain is on the same level. Actually, I like it better than the Pieta. . .
For a very long time in this rather insular community (which is run by a “Good Ol’
Boy” network the likes of which you would not believe!), the scions of the wealthy could get away with anything short of murder, and did. People would not complain about them, because the Network might become displeased with you if you did. Then it might be difficult for you to get a loan, or the police and emergency services might be slow to respond to you.
Fortunately, the town has grown, the GOB network has begun to lose power, and things have changed radically for the better. The last batch of little SOBs that were driving down main street exercising their bb guns were caught and their parents forced to pay for the restoration and the kids had to do community service to boot.
The only thing I hate worse than vandals is people who litter.
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