When the
artist, Plastic Jesus, started posting “No
Kardashian Parking Any Time” signs around Los Angeles, I laughed a little
to myself. Especially when Khloe’s Yukon
was recently driving through Montana, causing
trouble. Ignoring how impossible it
must be for them to parallel park their gigantic, expensive cars on the roads
of L.A., the signs are a statement about the obsession society has with celebrity. But, the LAPD feels differently. A
representative from the LAPD said, “It’s a pretty clear case of vandalism,
regardless of the artistic intent.”
But is
it? First, when looking at the signs, no
other signs were manipulated, destroyed, or even moved from their positions
above and below the no-Kardashian signs. Also, this is a form of speech, and as
the First Amendment of the United
States Constitution tells us, and which is extended to the states through
the Fourteenth Amendment,
we have a protected, fundamental right to express our ideas, so long as they do not incite violence or
disturb peace. Keeping in mind that
the ideas expressed are protected differently depending on their nature and
forum, Plastic Jesus’ expressions were peaceful and not even as obscene as some
celebrity spending habits. To call them
vandalism, almost inviting a complaint that would lead to the signs removals,
is unnecessary and borderline restrictive.
We all like
a little drama, as long as it’s not our own, and many of us are willing to pay
to watch it unfold, but every now and then, someone comes along and reminds us
to live in our own lives, instead of those lives we have created (and
destroyed) on television. This is not
vandalism, it is expression. Not to
mention, maybe it could alleviate some of the paparazzi-induced, SUV-laden,
celebrity-hunting traffic, and L.A. needs any break in traffic it can find.
Amanda Marston
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