The violent illiteracies of the graffiti, the clenched silence of the adolescent, the nonsense cries from the stage-happening, are resolutely strategic. The insurgent and the freak-out have broken off discourse with a cultural system which they despise as a cruel, antiquated fraud. They will not bandy words with it. Accept, even momentarily, the conventions of literate linguistic exchange, and you are caught in the net of the old values, of the grammars that can condescend or enslave.

Summary

This quote suggests that the acts of violence, rebelliousness, and unconventional expressions like graffiti or adolescent silence are deliberate and tactical. These forms of expression deliberately reject and defy a cultural system that is seen as deceitful and outdated. By refusing to engage in conventional discourse, these individuals challenge the established order and refuse to be oppressed by the rules and structures dictated by traditional language and communications. They see linguistic exchange as a trap that perpetuates old values and hierarchies, preferring instead to express themselves through alternative means.

Topics