Hunglish.orgGraffiti is widespread in Hungary with very little purpose behind it except to cheapen the surfaces it defaces. It is a problem that under communist rule received little to no attention unlike today.
Written by Scott Savoie
One of Hungary’s biggest problems, I believe, is widespread graffiti and vandalism.
The evidence of things being spraypainted, marked, or simply scored into all easily accessed surfaces is everywhere.
This even occurs in otherwise “nice” neighborhoods.
In North America, this is far less common. Widespread graffiti and vandalism is most conventrated in the innercities. Even then it is mostly in the slums. In fact, that’s how you know you’re in a slum in North America: by the graffti.
In Hungary, it is considered normal behavior to write or carve your name onto someone else’s primary residence. It is only considered rude to paint over it, and so defiling someone’s tagging is considered taboo.
BKV has never removed a tag from one of their vehicles.
The graffiti isn’t the colourful, pretty stuff, except along a small section alongside the HÉV.
Most of it is black or silver spraypaint or indelible markers. Tags are mostly senseless letter combinations, scribbles or initials. Many borrow from already famous three-letter combinations like AOL, MP3 etc. I suupose these guys think they are getting famous...
In rare cases there are actual words to read, but the messages scrawled usually have something racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic or xenophobic to offer. Something like “Fradi supporters are fags!” or “Gypsies go home!” are witty by Hungarian standards.
To me, graffiti is an example of a crime with many victims and no beneficiary. It is simply poor people trying to make others poor as well. And often succeeding.
I suppose I would understand such civil disobedience under Soviet occupation, but I am told that they didn’t do it back then.