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Update: it appears that after this article was posted, the site StillFree.com added a disclaimer that reads in part, "You, the viewer of the preceeding are hereby advised that the video does not depict a real event. It is intended for the sole, limited and express purpose of entertainment and to induce you, the viewer of the video, to think critically about freedom of expression and speech and the government's responses to the same." The disclaimer is not on the page with the video itself, but on a second "links" page. So we can rest assured that the video is fake... a rather convincing fake, but fake nonetheless. I'm leaving this article in place for the purpose of discussion of Ecko's motives, but removing the link to his site, lest I be accused of participating in anyone's marketing camapaign :-)
In another short video, Ecko complains that graffiti as a form of art is being stifled by politicians. While he says he does not advocate graffiti as vandalism, he believes that when it is produced without destruction to other people's property, it is art and is protected by the First Amendment. As an example, he says, "in America, you can join the military at 18 years old and fight for this country overseas. You can file a lawsuit at the age of 18, get married and start a business. But in New York City, you can't buy a broad-tip marker or a can of spray paint until you're 21. If you have a marker in your pocket, you can be arrested and thrown in jail. Many other cities have similarly overbroad laws. The fact that ignorant politicans continue to enact laws targeted against one of the most recognized artforms arguably that my generation delivered to American popular culture and the world just doesn't sit well with me."
Ecko says, "The President is the leader of this country. His highest responsiblity arguably is to protect our freedoms, and the first among those is our right to speech. That's why I tagged the President's plane. The President can't fly around like a rock star, talking about how America is the greatest country in the world but ignore what makes it great. I thought the idea of spraypainting the President's plane would be a great way to open a dialogue and encourage a new way of thinking."
I'm not posting this to glorify Ecko's video. In fact, I find it curious that someone who claims to abhor vandalism and has a disclaimer on his site that reads "Marc Ecko Enterprises does not condone illegal activity, acts of vandalism, or the destruction of other people's property" would depict someone trespassing on government property and spray-painting an airplane. Our right to free speech doesn't mean the right to use the resources of others without their consent. Then again, you could argue the video itself is art, and no actual airplanes were harmed in the making of the video.
I think the man has some very good points about the erosion of liberty in this country, and I certainly share his distaste for the President. And there's something about tagging Air Force One that strikes me as pretty funny too, especially in these days of supposedly heightened security in the Orwellian post-9/11 world. Maybe if nothing else we can say that a determined person bent on destruction is going to get past whatever security we dream up, so limiting our freedoms in the name of security is foolhardy.
What do you think? Share your opinions below.
---Nick
