west by northwest (by midwest)

oxen oxen oxen

On one of my evening walks to Liberty Park, I noticed graffiti spray painted in bright blue on the sidewalk in front of Smith’s. The graffiti was neat, obviously a stencil, and it read: oxen, oxen, oxen.  Now, I notice it every time I walk past. For some reason, whenever I read it, I feel the impulse to stand up straighter.  Maybe it is because I become aware of whatever load I am carrying, or how my posture reflects loads from days past.  Or maybe it’s because the word “oxen” makes me feel a little guilty about whatever I might have purchased (usually nothing).  Something about it feels like an accusation - politically charged, an anti-consumerist message.

But what makes this so effective?  Is it the placement - right outside the driveway to the grocery store?  I don’t think so, because in some ways, I find the placement offensive.  If this indeed is an anti-consumerist message, why does it target pedestrians?  Why not target the parking lot?  (Or was that simply too risky in terms of getting caught — or getting hit by a car)?  Beyond that, a grocery store seems an odd target for an anti-consumerist message, unless the target is poor food choices — processed food, wasteful packaging, etc.  Maybe “oxen” just refers to the extra body fat so many carry, and in that case, the placement makes more sense.

It is the one time that Salt Lake City feels like Portland, that I get a sense of an underground here - an angry subculture that inserts itself into daily activities without invitation.