Graffiti in New York City

📖 Bài đọc (reading passage)

Graffiti in New York City
Spray-painted graffiti can be seen on city walls or on trains in many cities, and New York is no exception. Since the late eighties, New York City’s policy on graffiti has been based on the broken windows thesis. This theory, introduced in 1982 In Atlantic Monthly by James Q Wilson and George L Kelling, argues that petty non-violent crimes such as the creation of graffiti increase overall crime. The theory reasons that if minor signs of disorder such as broken windows and graffiti are left unfixed, potential criminals assume that chaos reigns, and commit more crimes. As Lieutenant Steve Mona of the New York City Vandal Squad state in his anti-graffiti program, ‘Graffiti gives the look of disorder, as if nobody is in control. Graffiti is the first sign that a neighborhood is falling apart.’

New York has spent a large amount of time and money fighting graffiti in the belief that these efforts will send a message that there is someone in charge, and overall crime will fall. However, while the application of the ‘broken windows' thesis is credited by some as causing the fall in crime in New York, there is little evidence supporting this. Instead, many criminologists attribute the reduction in crime to a collection of causes, only one of which is the attention to small, visible crime by the police. However, of these small crimes, graffiti still gets a particularly bad rap from the New York City Transit Authority. According to its website, 'Graffiti has long been viewed as the most obvious sign of urban blight.' Reasons for concern expressed by the Mayor of New York about the presence of graffiti include the belief that graffiti is a threat to the quality of life in the city, and that it leads to greater acts of crime. The Mayor also argues that it causes millions of dollars of damage to property holders and to the city, and that graffiti tags (decorated initials) are a means of communication for gangs.

While the Mayor's contentions are valid, they only apply to the most degenerate types of graffiti. City administrators lump together all forms of graffiti: artistic, meaningful, and gang-or drug-related, into one undesirable group. This oversimplifies the realities of street art. Graffiti artist Dmitri Wright comments: 'Graft has a multitude of forms and meanings but a lot of the connotations of the art form and how it is linked to street culture create a divide. All its opponents need to do is look at some of it. It is absolutely spectacular, but sometimes people can't get past their own culture.'

The beautiful graffiti-art that can be found today throughout the city, on commissioned walls and in art galleries, is an expression of New York like no other art form. Its artists either come from the city itself or are drawn to the city from around the world. Surely, in the right context, graffiti-art can become a powerful tool to promote New York City’s identity and originality. Although graffiti first emerged as an illegal form of expression, its influence on the art world is increasingly present, and many large-scale pieces are impressive not only in their size, but also in their artistic themes and techniques. Today, New York graffiti-art on canvas can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

Graffiti New York-style has its roots in a social movement of young people in the seventies and eighties, and the themes in graffiti-art were undeniably a reflection of social factors at play in New York. The city's youths wanted to speak out about the issues that affected them and have their messages heard. Kids with nothing more than ingenuity could gain recognition as minor celebrities. Graffiti artist King Bee explains: 'In the world of graffiti, every writer or artist, one way or another, participates in the fame game. They all seek recognition for their creativity in the who's who in the graffiti game.'

Graffiti grew in part out of a reaction to the fact that the city was becoming covered in advertisements. City administrators did not see the connection between the rise of advertising saturating the landscape, and the increasing saturation of the city with graffiti. It was a natural progression that the youth of the day would use the same tools to sell themselves that the corporations were using to sell products to the public.

When considering approaches to the graffiti issue, there should be more productive ways to combat graffiti than simply banning it. The most common alternative suggested is creating a legitimate outlet for the graffiti urges of young people. Private groups such as The Phun Phactony have put this concept into action. Pat DiLillo, founder of The Phun Phactory, explains the logic behind his organization: 'I figured if I created a place for the young people to paint [graffiti], then it would eliminate the legal graffiti. Many of these artists start out as vandals. There is nothing for them to do; there's no youth program or anything.’

Many graffiti pieces in the city, far from being related to juvenile delinquency, are dedicated to powerful social issues. Though their messages may be the same, ties between the city and graffiti artists are rarely sought and never formed, although many socially influenced pieces display the potential for creating such bonds. By providing a legal medium for the artistic impulses of the city’s youth, the city could form a relationship with that generation as well as gain a beautified urban environment.

❓ Câu hỏi (questions)

The broken windows theory states that

poor neighbourhoods have high crime rates.

crime rates rise unless small offences are dealt with.

the destruction of property is a serious form of crime.

authorities should prioritise crimes where people are physically hurt.

The writer states that graffiti started in New York because

more people came to live in the city.

young people were competing to be the best graffiti artist.

people realized that graffiti was less harmful than advertising.

young people adopted the publicity tactics of companies.

According to Pat Dilillo, what is the answer to New York’s graffiti problem?

designating special areas for graffiti

showing people the artistic elements of graffiti

giving teenagers activities other than graffiti

covering up illegal graffiti as soon as it appears

In the final paragraph, the writer recommends that the city authorities should

examine the real causes of graffiti

develop a connection with graffiti artists

work with young gang members to prevent crime

consider the problems that are faced by graffiti artists

There is clear proof that the application of the ‘broken windows’ theory led to a lower crime rate in New York.

City administrators fail to distinguish between graffiti as vandalism and graffiti-art.

The graffiti-art that can be found in New York is of the highest standard in the world.

Graffiti might be an important way of raising New York 's profile as a unique city.

Graffiti has had minimal impact on the art world.

List of Endings

graffiti has the capacity to transform a dull city environment.

graffiti creates an impression that the law is not being obeyed in the community.

graffiti will never be accepted by the public as a real form of art.

those who create illegal graffiti should be forced to remove it.

some individuals do not see the beauty of graffiti because of their backgrounds.

teenage lack suitable ways to spend their time.

graffiti artists are motivated by the need to have their work acknowledged.

graffiti results in great monetary cost to New York and its citizens.

Lieutenant Steve Mona holds the opinion that

The Mayor of New York states that

Graffiti artist Dmitri Wright thinks that

King Bee is a New York graffiti artist who believes

Pat DiLiio of the Phun Phactory claims

🔥 Answer key (đáp án và giải thích)

Giải thích chi tiết

☺️ Ứng dụng Linearthinking để giải quyết dạng bài Multiple Choice

Step 01: Read the question to understand (main idea + detail)

Simplified: The broken windows theory states that …
Main idea: Câu hỏi yêu cầu xác định nội dung cốt lõi mà học thuyết “broken windows” khẳng định.

-------

Step 02: Locate relevant information

🔍 Từ khoá: “broken windows”, “crime rates”

=> Dựa vào các từ khoá trên -> Tìm được trích dẫn ở đoạn 1.

-------

Step 03: Read relevant information to understand (main + detail)

📌 Trích dẫn: “The theory reasons that if minor signs of disorder such as broken windows and graffiti are left unfixed, potential criminals assume that chaos reigns, and commit more crimes.”

Simplified: if minor signs of disorder are left unfixed , potential criminals commit more crimes
Main idea: Bỏ qua những vi phạm nhỏ → tạo cảm giác vô trật tự → dẫn đến gia tăng tội phạm.

-------

Step 04: Compare meaning with meaning

❌ A. poor neighbourhoods have high crime rates.: đoạn không nói nghèo là nguyên nhân; trọng tâm là việc không xử lý các vi phạm nhỏ, không phải điều kiện kinh tế.

✅ B. crime rates rise unless small offences are dealt with.: khớp hoàn toàn với lập luận “if minor signs of disorder are left unfixed … commit more crimes” → không xử lý vi phạm nhỏ thì tội phạm tăng.

❌ C. the destruction of property is a serious form of crime.: học thuyết không đánh giá mức độ nghiêm trọng của phá hoại tài sản, mà dùng nó như dấu hiệu ban đầu của sự vô trật tự.

❌ D. authorities should prioritise crimes where people are physically hurt.: đây là chính sách ưu tiên, không phải nội dung mà học thuyết đề cập.

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➡️ Đáp án: B. crime rates rise unless small offences are dealt with.

Xem full giải thích

IELTS Reading Practice

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