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Comment by WDCDev | Hacker News Reader

I REALLY want to explain this away as the complaining from some grumpy park rangers. Then you have these stories and you begin to wonder if there is something generational going on.

Prom Date spray painted on Black Rocks -http://jonathanturley.org/2015/05/08/destinys-child-police-s...

Casey Nocket - http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2014/11/08/ams-woma...

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Those are good examples of the thoughtlessness.

One possible solution is to have clearly delineated public art spaces. Tout Quarry is an example from the UK.

http://learningstone.org/?page_id=23933

> Tout Quarry Sculpture Park began in 1983 with artists residencies, where well known and emerging artists created both temporary and permanent work in response to the labyrinths and gullies of quarry workings within the 40 acre site – giving back to the Quarry where in the past so much had been taken away for buildings in London and around the world. This first Landscape and Environmental Sculpture project was significant in shaping PSQT’s creative and educational work and helped to save the historical quarry environment from further mineral extraction through a yearly artists residency programme that has brought a new experience and dimension to the quarry, with an unprecedented involvement of the community and visitors within the landscape

Why jump to a generational explanation?

It could just as easily be a function of population growth, easier access (e.g. more info available about how to get outdoors), better marketing by the NPS to attract more visitors, etc. More people visited the parks last year than ever before.

Because in both cases I linked to, the perpetrators were under the age of 25.

Sure it's anecdotal ... but you did ask.

One of the articles you linked to mentions two boy scout leaders (both over the age of 25) who destroyed an ancient natural formation for a Youtube video. They escaped prison and a felony sentence and got a fine.

(That's probably a good thing; I'd have preferred it if they'd had to place some signs as a restorative justice gesture).

But wouldn't you expect most vandalism in general is done by people around 25 and younger?

I would expect most of the mining company executives organizing whole mountaintop removal are well over 25, since most executives are over that age. Goes a little beyond graffiti.

He would, yes. That's the point.

To say it is a generational thing doesn't mean it is always the current young generation, it means it is specific generation(s), i.e. generation X, millenials, etc.

Corporate exploitation of our natural resources is an entirely different topic. There are some tangential parallels, but overall I find that analogy pretty weak.

Instead of generational, maybe it's just something 20-somethings do?

This was painted over 100 years ago.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinborland/5539302816/

Growing up near there, abusing the wilderness like this was always viewed as something people used to do, but we've now learned from our mistakes and take care of the wilderness so it sticks around for those after us.

Maybe younger people are just becoming further removed from the abuse of the past, so they are forgetting the hard-learned lessons.

The difference between then and now is that there is much more awareness about what is considered right and wrong with regards to our national parks. Not only that, but folks are much more educated now then they were 100 years ago.

You would think that that would translate into fewer of these types issues in our parks.

Punishments need to be adjusted. As it is, people think that this sort of vandalism isn't a big deal. They may not respect our national parks, but maybe heavy fines and stints in prison for serial offenders will get through to them.

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