If you’ve ever been to Europe, or just about anywhere outside of the U.S. for that matter, you know that graffiti isn’t really a concern anywhere but here. I guess I should say that no one cares about getting rid of it anywhere but here. As a result, graffiti’s everywhere. Some of it’s downright artistic, I was amazed. But some of it isn’t. In the power plants, it generally isn’t.
The walls, doors, and especially the elevators in the German plants in which I’ve had the pleasure of working are absolutely ripe with graffiti. In the states you’ll see the occasional “NO SMOKING” sign turned into a “kNOw SMOKING” sign, but not much beyond that. I guess after having weeks on end to see all this crap, and trying to decipher it in a foreign language (foreign languages, to be more accurate), I started finding it really interesting. Here’s what I saw. Be warned, some of it’s pretty crass, but I felt if I wanted to paint even a remotely accurate picture, I had to include it all…
Ok, so this isn't graffiti, but it shows a pretty prevalent dynamic in these plants. The two flags that have been vandalized are the German and Turkish flags. I haven't seen a whole lot of it with the people I've met, but I do know there's a fair amount of animosity between the Germans and the Turks. Europe is a surprisingly racist place.
The inside of an elevator door.
If I'm not mistaken, this translates roughly into "Fuck the Germans and the police" and then down in the corner "and your momma." Some things never change.
Kevin and I scratched our heads about this one. Wish I knew what it meant. Feel free to enlighten me.
I'm guessing this is either anti-semitic, or anti-anti-semitic. I'm pretty sure it's anti-semitic.
That dude was here.
Krakow? Anyone from Poland?
How do you say "Dolla Dolla Bill Y'all" in German?
I just liked this little guy. A very industrious centipede.
The utility that ran the plant is RWE. This was actually pretty clever, peeked out from the elevator door as it closed.
Now this one used to say RWE = Nazis. Found it interesting that this was like the only piece of graffiti in the entire plant someone felt the need to clean.
Ok, vulgar I know, but this was on damn near every elevator in the plant so I pretty much had to include it. You can imagine the door opening for yourself.
This dude came, saw, and conquered.
And last but not least, I think the most artistic little 'piece' I saw in the plant. This one took some talent.
I hope you found that stuff half as interesting as I did. It’s bed time. I’ve got a long day at the plant and on the road on the agenda for tomorrow.
Adieu from Cross Lanes, West Virginia
-B. Littleton.
