Sir, – As predictable as birds migrating with the seasons, this summer has once again brought about the bizarre trend of bored teenagers spray-painting “the male organ” on a variety of walls, lampposts and bins in towns and villages across the country. Their artistic abilities vary, but the theme remains constant.
In my own village I have seen the insignia on a lamppost, on the windowsill of a shop (done during the day as the shop has shutters at night), in a section of freshly laid concrete at the local sports grounds and more recently on the side of a council bin.
With regards to the latter, the artist was apparently unconvinced by the clarity of his image and as such he felt obliged to caption the masterpiece, telling those unfamiliar with decoding abstract art what he had produced.
Unlike many, I do not find the phenomenon shocking or vulgar, merely perplexing. Picture the scene – a 14-year-old boy bored off his head has a brainwave. Procure a spray-can and draw said appendage on an item of street furniture. The mind boggles. – Yours, etc,
CORMAC
MAC CATHMHAOIL,
Saintfield,
Co Down.