Beachgoer shares photo of upsetting discovery along beloved shoreline: 'We shouldn't be condoning this'

A Reddit user sparked a debate when they shared a divisive image of a spray-painted rock at the beach.

The photo shows a cute smiling face with a top hat, which left the original poster feeling "so conflicted." The character is apparently a common sight in the Tasmanian town. While insisting they do not condone graffiti, they were still charmed by the face, saying: "He makes me smile. Every single time."

Others were less sympathetic to that view.

"I enjoy this graffiti artist's work. I don't think a rock at the beach is appropriate, though," one commenter said.

Another added: "Graffiti at the beach is especially trashy. I hate this."

One user mentioned the difficulty that comes with trying to remove spray paint: "Gonna be hard to contain the chemicals required to clean this off the rock surface too. Stop trying to make this dumb graffiti seem like it's anything more than that."

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The discussion brings attention to an important element of enjoying nature — namely, the civic responsibility for everyone to treat green spaces with respect. Tagging natural spots with graffiti isn't just an eyesore for others; it's also an ongoing problem at beaches, mountain ranges, and parks worldwide.

As the National Park Service notes, every piece of graffiti drains staff time and resources. Time that could be spent more productively is instead wasted cleaning up after others. Accordingly, the park urges visitors to "take only photographs, leave only footprints." It's a maxim that can be applied to every natural space.

The thread highlights the importance of taking local action to stop the degradation of beaches and parks. While a few commenters spoke of the artistic merit of the image, most condemned it, and one commenter was particularly emphatic.

"There is no artistic element to it at all," they wrote. "It's just vandalism, which costs taxpayers money to clean up. We shouldn't be condoning this kind of crap."