"Stay Dumb" Tacoma

When I saw the writing on the so-called wall a week or two ago I didn't think much of it. The graffiti, however, was boldy impressive in size and color but oddly clear in its script. Most graffiti eludes me but for its sometimes artisic qualities. The script its written in is pretty hacked up english letterz that I'd probably only learn if I downloaded a similar font to my computer. The "Stay Dumb" message, however, is completely clear. I'm not sure where the message comes from but I first saw it on a new retaining wall put in place just below downtown Tacoma near a field of train tracks along the waterfront. The letters of the tagged message are probably 20' high and in bright, neon colors. Since the wall was put in place to shore up the hillside above, this is the only graffiti that's hit it. Althought impressive in boldness and scale, I didn't think much of it outside of driving past it until tonight when Sarah and I saw another occurance. We left the Tacoma Costco and headed east on 38th Street and, while sitting at a light just before crossing I-5 I saw the "Stay Dum" graffiti sprayed in simple, black paint on a nearby light switching box just to the side of the intersection. This display is really basic and shows no artistic quality whatsoever and is, in fact, dummer because this time "dumb" was spelled without the "b". Nevertheless, I'm curious. Is this really a gang or group of kids causing trouble? What about some kind of underground art/socio-political art project? My vote goes to some cave-dwelling nerds finally striking back at the everyday, common dummard with messages mocking the masses. If anyone has any info, feel free to comment here. If you know who did it, I'd love to do an anonymous interview to get to the purpose behind their message. Stay tuned...

Update - It's just a nickname (2005-05-24)
I found a comment on a blog by a parent of a former student of the local Stadium High School. According to her, Stadium isn't "that great of a school--all the kids called it Stay Dumb and High." So, it appears since I first saw the graffiti on May 6 it was probably just some seniors making their mark before graduation.

Comments (15) | To Top

5/24/2005 @ 8:34pm

Great words to have no future by.

by Sherry

5/28/2005 @ 5:18pm

I saw the same one on 38th St just two hours ago. Funny...

by Dave

5/28/2005 @ 7:18pm

Stay Dumb and High is an extremely clever play on their school name though,

I bet whoever thought of that went to college afterwards.

by JD

5/28/2005 @ 7:54pm

My thought exactly. We also had another sighting last night of another large example of the grafiti at the base of an overpass on I-5 (maybe Pacific Ave) here in Tacoma. Funny, though, that they don't add a "Class of '05" or anything. Just the words "stay dumb".

by KevinFreitas

6/24/2005 @ 11:11pm

yo...glue one puts that up...he goes to the art institute of seattle and graduated class of 2000...hes stuck in his good ole high school days i geuss.

by me 253

8/23/2005 @ 12:15pm

Shut your trap, ME 253, Too much info

by Deal TNK TITS

10/5/2005 @ 6:00pm

You're commentary is awfully short sighted
"a gang or group of kids causing trouble?"
Why does it have to be a gang or a groupe of kids causing trouble just because it's graffiti.

There is alot more to the graffiti you see everyday in this city than just "kids causing trouble". Gang related graffiti makes up about 1percent of the what you see on Tacomas streets..the other 99 percent are what you describe as "some kind of underground art/socio-political art project?"

by NO

10/5/2005 @ 7:11pm

Hey I'm all for that. I saw a train car covered in graffiti Sunday that was really cool looking. Plus, I saw some serious examples of beautiful graffiti on a recent trip to NY. It's definitely art in most cases but the "Stay Dumb" examples of late aren't usually quite as artistic as I've seen.

Before even knowing it related to Stadium High I actually really liked the social commentary in it -- like government or giant corporations preferred dumb/ignorant societies that will believe whatever they throw at us and that they want us all to "stay dumb". Nevertheless, it's a pretty damn funny nickname.

by KevinFreitas

5/15/2006 @ 5:41pm

keep on trying to figure out what he means. sadly, you're always going to stay dumb to graf.

by mochie-san

5/26/2006 @ 8:40am

listen your way off base on your comments on graffiti. all of society finds it perfectly acceptable to use OUR art in commercials and mass media campaigns to spark interest in the youth in whatever ill advised interest they have, yet whenever its seen on streets or signs its vandalism? you gotta be joking me. we're artists. we do what we do because we love it and no that there is nothing compared to the whole world being your canvas. most of you think you can just pick up a can and write? well lets see... do you know what a throwy is? tips? bombing? pieces? cmon now kids. if your gonna write and article about something get your facts straight. we are a movement not failure kids fucking up. get over yourself and your preconcepted images. we're smart or you wouldve caught us already. i dont necessarily like stay dum crews style but yano what they get up and the fact that you now have to notice them makes me laugh in your face

LAZY PHUCKS & HA

-ddddddddddddopey

by Anonymous LP

5/26/2006 @ 9:03am

I went to a recent meeting in Tacoma and there's tons of talk about a skate park and open graffiti art wall. I don't know the terminology but I've seen some incredibly artful graffiti and think it does deserve recognition and places for it to be done. The "stay dumb" stuff just isn't as brilliant as some graffiti art I've seen.

Would a graffiti art wall or two in Tacoma be something that would get used? I'd certainly love to see what people come up with to do on it.

by KevinFreitas

5/31/2006 @ 4:49pm

what makes graffiti so unique is how it enables people outside of modern institutions (i.e. art academia, corporate america, governmental agencies) to produce art/messages that will be seen by a potential audience of thousands and thousands of people ad frequentia. in the present day if you do not have oodles of cash, corporate sponsorship, of an endorsement by the self-proclaimed "experts" of the art world, you are not allowed to express yourself to the world around you via forms of mass communication. however, if you pick up a can of paint, marker, stencil etc...you can deliver a bold message to everyone in a way that gets people's attention. by participating in a legal wall project, the writer essentially concedes that she/he will follow the rules and only write things on the little wall assigned to them. i say fuck that.


if stay dumb only wrote on legal walls would we even be having this thread?

by mochie aka little yellow pentaskull

3/2/2007 @ 12:27am

the internet is one big trap..

by grafhead253

4/19/2007 @ 2:16pm

the inly reason dis iz gettin any atation si cuzz its illeagle an only thought of a hoodlums form of art...but it aint so don't go wrightin bout nuffin u don't kno about
k
laterz

by cotten mouf kills

1/24/2008 @ 1:49pm

acually lol you guys are all dum it's a graffiti crew just shows how stupid you guys really are

by anonoymous