The Art of Politics & History of Graffiti

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to Frankly Speaking, your weekly destination for insight and
inspiration with your host, Frank Morangos. Frankly Speaking is sponsored
by a Heppa four two one Chapter of North Miami
in partnership with the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of North Miami.

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Welcome to another broadcast of Frankly Speaking, directly from the
iHeart Studio located in beautiful West Palm Beach, Florida. As
my producer Brian Mud indicated, I am your host, Frank
Morangus in for the next thirty minutes, I'll provide you
with frank talk and a lively interview concerning the influence
of the ancient Hellenic ideals, values, and faith on our

(00:47):
contemporary culture. To do my part to help make America
Greek again. On March of twenty eighth, President Donald J.
Trump signed an executive order to make Washington, d c.
What it should be, in his words, the pride of
every American to whom it belongs. He went on to
promise to do everything he could to make the nation's
capital into one of the safest and most visually striking

(01:10):
cities in the world. Trump's executive order established what is
officially known as the DC Safe and Beautiful Task Force,
comprised of members of key government agencies. The task Force
is directed to advance nine interrelated initiatives. Number one, strictly
enforce quality of life laws in public areas like drug use,

(01:32):
unpermitted demonstrations, vandalism, and public intoxication. Number two to maximize
immigration enforcement, to apprehend and deport dangerous illegal aliens. Three,
assist the DC Police Department to recruit and retain its officers.
Four keep dangerous criminals off the streets by strengthening pre

(01:52):
trial detention politics. Five expedite concealed carry licenses for law
abiding citizen. Six. Cracked down on fair evasion and other
crimes on the DC Metro system. Seven rapidly clear all
homeless encampments on federal lands. And eight to restore and
beautify federal buildings, monuments, statues, memorials, parks, and roadways. The

(02:16):
executive order also includes a most important ninth objective, namely
to remove graffiti from commonly visited areas, thereby ensuring the
cleanliness of public spaces and parks. Our nation's capital, Trump said,
is the only city that belongs to all of us.
It must be a symbol of pride for the American

(02:37):
people and a safe location for public servants to do
the people's work. While for many the personalities of President
Trump in the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle may at first
seem incongruous, a closer and more objective review would reveal
that they actually have much in common, especially when it
comes to their understanding of beauty. In short, they both

(03:00):
appreciate the esthetics of functional objects like buildings and infrastructure.
President Trump may or may not have studied Greek philosophy. Nonetheless,
his intense desire to beautify what he considers ugly, chaotic,
and lawless may actually extend beyond that reduction of diseased
potholes and graffiti to a variety of civic and political

(03:21):
benefits for the greater community. For Aristotle, beauty and more specifically,
what he referred to as do kalon the noble, is
interconnected with civic pride, particularly with the framework of his
ethics and political principles. He viewed beauty as closely tied
to objective qualities such as order, virtue, and aesthetic symmetry.

(03:44):
He believed beauty could be appreciated to the senses, particularly
cited hearing and often connected with an object's functionality, and
in the context of art, he emphasized the imitation of
reality as an essential component creating beautiful works. Aristotle considered
beauty of virtue, meaning it was a quality that contributed

(04:06):
to a well lived life, what he calls of the monia.
Beauty in this sense, extends beyond mere aesthetics to encompass
the noble and graceful found in various actions. For Aristotle,
acting in a virtuous manner like courage, honesty, moderation, and
peace mindedness whence considered beautiful and noble. He argued that

(04:28):
humans are naturally political animals, meaning that we are designed
to live in a community. The police, as he referred
to the community in Greek, should serve as the environment
in which citizens can cultivate virtue and achieve of the moonia,
a well lived, virtuous and harmonious existence. Civic pride therefore

(04:48):
arises from the sense of belonging and identification with a
flourishing and virtuous community. For Aristotle, as with Trump, citizens
who actively participate in the political life of such a
well governed state must seek justice and not lawlessness, thereby
contributing to the beauty and flourishing of the community as
a whole. According to Aristotle, beautiful buildings should nurture a

(05:12):
strong sense of civic pride. They should exist to motivate
citizens to act virtuously, not only for their own sake,
but also for the better men of the police. In turn,
he believed that this pride will encourage individuals to pursue
excellence in their civic duties and contribute to the common good.
In essence, Aristotles saw connection between individual virtue, the beauty

(05:37):
of noble actions, and the esthetics of architecture. When combined,
these components create beauty and the flourishing of the community.
For this most famous Greek philosopher, civic pride born from identity,
which such a well governed and virtuous police would in
turn motivate citizens to cultivate a virtual life. He viewed

(05:58):
esthetics therefore, as beauty as intrinsically linked to order and
not just about pleasing the senses. So we emphasize beauty
as the power that engages the intellect and promotes a
deeper understanding of truth and virtue. So, in summary, we
could say that Aristotle's perspective on aesthetic beauty is multifaceted,

(06:19):
encompassing order, symmetry, imitation, emotional impact, and its connection to
virtue and a meaningful life. While he did not explicitly
address ugly buildings in his writings, his perspectives on the
power of esthetic provides a framework for understanding what might
constitute personal, political, as well as architectural ugliness. So, for Aristotle,

(06:44):
and ugly building might therefore be one that appears chaotic
or disproportionate. He might be one that fails to adequately
serve its intended function, appearing unstable or impractical. In addition
to building might be considered ugly if its design is
poorly reflects or imitates the principles of nature or a
harmonious ideal. In the end, a building might be deemed

(07:07):
ugly by Aristotle if it lacks order, symmetry, appropriate size,
and functionality that he considered essential for beauty. Apart from
reducing crime and restoring the DC buildings back to their
original grandeur, for me, one of the most important aspects
of President Trump's executive order is the ninth objective to

(07:30):
remove graffiti from the capital's commonly visited areas, ensuring that
cleanliness of public spaces and parks. According to Wikipedia, graffiti,
sometimes referred to as graffito, is understood as a writing
or a drawing made in a wall or other service,
usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from

(07:55):
simple written autographs to elaborate wall paintings. I've existed since
ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, the
Roman Empire, and for the purposes of frankly speaking to
ancient Greece. The oldest written graffiti was found in ancient Rome,
dating back twenty five hundred years ago. Graffiti in ancient

(08:16):
Rome was a form of communication, however, and was generally
not considered vandalism. However, certain graffiti was seen as blasphemous
and was immediately removed, such as the Alexaminos Graffito, as
it is called, which may contain one of the earliest
depictions of Jesus. The Alexaminos Graffito is a scratching on

(08:38):
a wall in a room near the Palatine Heal in Rome.
The plaster graffiti was immediately removed and is now located
in the Palatine Hill of Museum. The graffiti features a
human with a head of a donkey on a cross
with a text written in capital Greek letters Alixamanos Sevetetheon,

(08:59):
translated as Alexaminos worships his God. Modern graffiti is a
controversial subject, said to have begun in the New York
City subway systems and in Philadelphia in the early nineteen
seventies and later spread to the rest of the United
States throughout the world. In most countries, marking or painting

(09:19):
property without permission is considered vandalism, and yet during my
recent visit to Italy, Spain, and France, I was shocked
to discover the high degree of graffiti throughout small as
well as large cities. Apart from Europe and Asia, the
oldest known examples of graffiti in America are those found
on train cars created by hoboes and rail workers in

(09:42):
the late eighteen hundreds. Since then, I am sure that
all of us have had the experience of sitting at
a railroad crossing and waiting for freight train to pass
through town and watching hundreds of interesting graffiti on the
rail cars. Some of it can be quite artistic. Some
of it, however, expresses anger rage, others express love, some
express gang affiliation, Some are lude, while others are quite

(10:06):
beautiful and impressive. Painting graffiti on trains is appealing activity
for several reasons. First, trains are large canvases. They travel
through various neighborhoods and cities, allowing graffiti artists to showcase
their work to a wide audience. Two, Graffiti often embodies
a sense of rebellion against societal norms. Artists feel a

(10:29):
connection to the urban subculture that values self expression and
challenges authority, so painting on trains could be seen as
an act of defiance against conventional art spaces. Many graffiti
artists understood that their work is temporary. Trains frequently get
repainted or cleaned, and the transient nature of graffiti can

(10:49):
add to allure. The idea that their work might be
only visible for a short time can drive artists to
create more boldly. Five, Graffiti is a strong community aspect.
Artists often seek recognition from their peers in the wider public.
By painting on trains, they can gain notoriety within the
graffridi community and beyond. And Finally, the act of illegally

(11:12):
painting on trains can be thrilling. The risk of getting
caught can heighten the experience, making it more exciting for
some artists. As for whether artists expect to see their
work again, it varies. Some artists might hope that as
trains travel throughout the nation, their work will be seen
and appreciated by other multiple times. Others may accept that
their work is likely to be covered or removed quickly,

(11:35):
rather than its long term visibility. They view the act
of creating the graffiti itself as their primary reward. The
point is that someone somewhere and at some time felt
that they needed to make a mark and to leave it.
Before concluding this week's monologue, I would be remiss if

(11:55):
I did not refer to the idiom. The writing on
the wall originate from the biblical story of the fifth
chapter of the Old Testament Book of Daniel. The idiom
refers to a graffiti like statement of impending doom for
the empire of King Belzizzar. According to the biblical story,
at a feast held by Belzazzar, a mysterious hand interrupted

(12:18):
the festivities by writing a cryptic phrase on the palace wall.
When the king's wise men failed to decipher the graffiti,
the prophet Daniel was summoned to interpret it. He revealed
that the words signified God's judgment. Belszzar's kingdom, Daniel said,
has been numbered, weighed and found wanting, and will be divided.

(12:41):
Although the king refused to heed the warning, his kingdom
finally did fall. The writing on the wall graffiti should
serve as a powerful metaphor for us today. It should
help us recognize that the ugliness of unkempt buildings, deteriorating roadways,
runway crime, arrogance, and chaos are signs warnings of impending failure.

(13:05):
The story emphasizes that even powerful empires are subject to judgment.
It highlights the importance of cultivating the aspiration of living
a virtuous, a beautiful life. In the final analysis, I
guess this is where Aristotle and President Trump's perspectives on
beauty converge. They both advocate for the life sustaining power

(13:26):
of political, civic, and personal beauty. They both stress the
need to leave a mark of beauty on a community surroundings,
and if we are honest like them, we too want
to leave such a mark in our respective police. The
question is what kind of mark will we make when
we return? It will be joined by a good friend,
Doctor Constantino Sebakos, a medical resident of Florida International University

(13:51):
in Gainesville, Florida.

Speaker 3 (14:00):
We thank the AHPPA four to twenty one North Miami
chapter for their sponsorship of Frankly Speaking. They promote the
ancient Hellenic ideas of education, philanthropy, civic responsibility, family, and
individual excellence. Through community service and volunteerism. They offer scholarships
annually to support students seeking higher education. A HEPPA supports
other organizations, including the Saint Basel Academy in New York,

(14:23):
IOCC hurricane relief efforts, and the local Annunciation GOOC. If
you're interested in donating to help support these efforts, email
a HEPPA four to twenty one North Miami at gmail
dot com.

Speaker 2 (14:36):
Welcome back to Frankly Speaking from introducing the greater public
to the rich history, culture, and faith heritage of the
ancient Greek history, and to discuss how that history may
provide some insight to us today. The show will also
include an interview with noted Greek philanthropists and successful local personalities,
and then to promote the news and happenings of the

(14:57):
local Greek community of South Florida. So we're fortunate today
to have doctor Constantinos Sebakos, known by his friends as Coosta,
on the phone with me from Gainesville, Costa. Welcome to
frankly speaking, thank thank.

Speaker 4 (15:09):
You for having me. It's a pleasure to be on
the show.

Speaker 2 (15:11):
No, it's our privilege to have you on. I know
that you're working as a medical resident, and I know
your time is very, very busy, so I'm so happy
that you put some time aside to speak with us.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
You're very welcome. It's my pleasure to be here.

Speaker 2 (15:26):
So Constantinos, tell us a little bit about your background.
You know, it was always amazed when I first met
you and your parents, especially your mother, how dedicated she
is to the church and dedicated to the Greek culture.
And every time I speak with you, I know that
typically you mix Greek and English in the conversation, so

(15:47):
I know that the Greek culture has influenced you tremendously.

Speaker 4 (15:50):
Definitely, the I think the Greek culture has had a
significant influence in my life. My parents Panajota and Vasili.
They were both born in in Greece. My dad grew
up in Fiedbos, which is a town near each and Olympia,
the birthplace of the Olympics, and My mother also grew
up in a small town in the island of Avia,

(16:11):
or specifically a peninsula which is just northeast of Athens.
And you know, I think their upbringing instilled in me
the traditional Greek out of values that emphasized the importance
of faith, family, community, hard work, education, and hospitality towards others.

Speaker 2 (16:31):
How did they meet, so it's.

Speaker 4 (16:34):
Actually pretty interesting. They met through one of my uncles
that married my mother's sister, and my dad was visiting
in Greece and he met my uncle on a bus
and they started talking and my uncle talked about my mother,
and from that conversation, my dad ended up meeting my mother.

(16:56):
He fell in love with her, and they ended up
getting married. And that's how my mother ended up coming
to the States and specifically to South Florida.

Speaker 2 (17:02):
So how long did they date before they got married?
Because it sounds similar to my own parents. My mother
actually went to Greece on a visit and they did
what they call proxigno, you know, matchmaking, and she was
married within a month.

Speaker 4 (17:17):
So I think I can't remember the exact timeframe, but
I wouldn't say it was an exactly of proxigno. They
told my dad about my mother, and he met her,
and I don't really think they really dated much. They
probably went out a few times and shortly after they
ended up getting married, so probably close to what you
would call it Broxenno.

Speaker 2 (17:36):
So how quickly did they move to the States?

Speaker 4 (17:39):
I think probably within a year my mom was able
to move into the States. My dad was already living
in South Florida, in Miami in particular atas.

Speaker 2 (17:47):
Oh, I see, I see what was he doing? What
was his occupation?

Speaker 4 (17:51):
So my dad left Greece early on when he was
eighteen years old and he headed over to Germany. Always
good with his hands and fixing things when he was
in Greece of small motorcycle scooter shop, and when he
went over to Germany, he really earned learned the art
of a typewriter repair and he became really an expert

(18:14):
fine mechanic and was a wizard, I would say, with
anything mechanical. So he dealt with typewriters, logistical machines, clocks
and so forth.

Speaker 2 (18:24):
Oh, that's something I never knew about him. And it's
interesting that he represents so many Greek Americans, Greeks who
were born in Greece, but matriculated over this country and
started off in menial jobs and became very very successful.

Speaker 4 (18:41):
Yes, he had a you know, a great time. I
think in what he learned and the people that dealt
with in Germany. I think that's what propelled him eventually
to come over.

Speaker 2 (18:51):
To the States with And they had two children, yourself
and your sister.

Speaker 4 (18:56):
Yes, I have one older sister, Joshi, three years three
years difference, and that would be a Lenny. She was
also I think a big influence in my life because
I'm actually a first generation a college student. And really
I think she paid the pathway for me. My parents
always you know, push the importance of education, of hard work,

(19:18):
you know, going through through middle school, high school, because
of decisions she made that you know, the influenced my decisions.
For example, undertake the high school curriculum where I was
involved with the International Baccalauia program, which you pretty much
take intense of high school courses that prepare you for

(19:40):
like a college career.

Speaker 2 (19:43):
Well, you have a distinguished academic career. You are now
a medical doctor. I mean it's something that the majority
of Greek Americans aspire for their children. They want their
children to have a better life than they and if
you could be a lawyer or a doctor, they would say,
you know, then have been successful.

Speaker 4 (20:01):
I would think so that is I think with all
the Greek parents, they always you know, push for the education,
wanted to see their kids succeed, to be successful and
to live happy lives for the helping others.

Speaker 2 (20:16):
I mentioned in my monologue Gusta that the Greeks are
been around for four thousand years and they've had two
empires Alexander the Great and we talked about the Byzantines,
and I would be suggesting that there's another empire, and
that's the empire of reason, of knowledge and philosophy of education.
And I think you're you're a result of that. I

(20:37):
think that many many parents that matriculate to this country
want their children to have a good education. Would you
agree that that is a characteristic of the Greek ethos?

Speaker 4 (20:48):
Yes, I think that in the Greek ethos it's important
for us. One thing that we push, we promote education,
and that's kind of like one of the things that
are have organization stands for to promote the ancient Hellenic
ideas of education and philanthropy. So it's definitely I think

(21:08):
ingrained in our culture.

Speaker 2 (21:09):
Tell us a little bit about a Hippa because a
HEPPA is the sponsor of one of the sponsors of
this show. I thank them very much for their generosity
and support. And I understand you've recently been elected president
of the chapter for twenty one.

Speaker 4 (21:24):
Yes, that's correct. So the HEPPA stands for the American
Hellenic Educational Progressive Association. It was initially founded in nineteen
twenty two. Our particular North Miami chapter of the HEPPA
four to twenty one chapter was found in nineteen sixty three,
and really the mission of our HEPA and just the

(21:45):
greater HEPA in generals to promote ancient Hellenic ideas of education, philanthropy,
civical responsibility, integrity, family, and just excellence through community service
and volunteerism. You know, I've been fortunate. I've had a
good group of a HEPPA brothers that have surrounded me,
including George Kylis, Mark Pappas, Lea Fanaciomimi Kalis, and George Karanichus.

(22:09):
I was recently elected as president in artist of September.
And you know, through their guidance, we've been able to
have a pretty robust scholarship program to help you know
the next generation of Greek Americans.

Speaker 2 (22:24):
I Heppa has been tremendously influential in South Florida. As
a matter of fact, I found out not too long
ago that I Heppa your chapter four twenty one actually
spearheaded the founding of the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church of
North Miami, which is the co sponsor over the show,
and it held its first liturgy in nineteen sixty five

(22:44):
in December. So a Heppa has been involved with faith,
it's been involved in education. I know that you had
a was it a nursing home of some kind of
a retirement building at one point.

Speaker 4 (22:59):
Yes, we had a retirement building that housed individuals that
were greater than fifty five years old in the North
Miami community. Now the Hepa National is completely in charge
of that, so it has stayed to taking care of retirees.

Speaker 2 (23:18):
Fantastic, And I would be remiss if I also didn't
share something with our listeners that you recently got married
and I participated in that wedding ceremony, didn't I.

Speaker 4 (23:29):
Yes, you did. I recently married the love of my life,
Maria Kapsis, on January nineteenth, and I would have to say,
that's one of the best moments of my life, and
you definitely participated in you made the experience.

Speaker 2 (23:44):
Well, I mean you were shining during the service. Obviously,
she's captured your heart. You know, she's a pharmacist, and
I wonder if she put any special potient together. I
knew something like that happened, very.

Speaker 4 (23:56):
Possible, But she caught up my eye from the first
moment I met her. I was over in New York
in the Bronx, and I was attending the local parish
that I would frequent on Sunday's, Saint Peter's, and she
happened to be visiting that Sunday. In the moment that
I laid eyes on her, you know, she was very

(24:16):
stunning and I'm just thankful that afterwards, during the coffee hour,
that we were introduced to each other. You know, the
rest is history.

Speaker 2 (24:25):
Yeah, well, I wish you many many years. Before we
end our interview, I want to ask you one final
question that pertains to something new in our society today,
and that is AI. As a medical student, as a
physician now in residence, what's your opinion about the use
of AI in medicine. Where do you see this going.

Speaker 4 (24:46):
I think AI has a lot of good that it
can do. You know, I think if you're searching for
it in initially maybe to find some sources, it can
serve as a good resource. But I think for new learners,
new people that are like medical students and residents, you
have to be careful to just develop a good sound
fund of knowledge and then kind of like use that

(25:09):
to fill in the gaps. My fear is that, you know,
like the new learners are going to start using this
as their go to and then we're going to have
like kind of Swiss cheef knowledge. Yeah, but I think
it has the potential to do a lot of good.
There's actually a program called the Open Evidence that's AI,
but specifically geared towards the medical field and doctors, and

(25:31):
I like to use it because it gives us some
good information and it brings up like many good sources
and then I can go within the source to find
more information that I'm looking for. So I think you
just have to be mindful of, you know, just getting
a sound fund of knowledge if you're a new learner,
and then kind of like utilizing that to your benefit
to help your patients.

Speaker 2 (25:50):
Yeah, thank you for that for that insight. I know
that Brian Mudd, my producer, is looking to use AI
and get me out of the studio. He won't need
me anymore. He can do frankly speaking through an AI.
But seriously, thank you Costa for joining frankly speaking, and
I once again please convey my appreciation to the members
of a Heppa for their sponsorship.

Speaker 4 (26:11):
You again for having me Okay, God.

Speaker 2 (26:13):
Bless thank you for joining me today on frankly Speaking.
Before concluding this week's broadcast, I want to discuss the
word graffiti that formed the basis of today's monologue. The
word graffiti ultimately traces its origin back to the Greek
word garraffine, meaning to write, to draw, or to scratch.
This Greek root is the foundation of the Italian word graffito.

(26:37):
As I mentioned in my monologue, in ancient times, the
graffiti of autographs and simple images were carved on stone
walls with sharp objects or with chalk or coal. Over
time that the term evolved to encompass any form of
writing or drawing left on public spaces. So, as mister
Gus Portocolis insisted in my big fat Greek wedding, there

(26:58):
you go, give me any and I will show you
its Greek root. Thank you for joining me today on
Frankly Speaking, a show that seeks to provide frank talk
and lively interviews about the influence of ancient Hellenic ideals, values,
and faith on our contemporary culture to help make America
Greek again. If you would like to share a question
or suggest a future guest or topic, I'd love to

(27:20):
hear from you at Frank at franktalkradio dot com.