“Today’s piece was going to be an op-ed column in the New York Times,”writes Banksy on his website. “But they declined to publish what I supplied. Which was this…” The op-ed, which he then mocked up to look like the Times, is critical of the new One World Trade Center building and is tied to the reveal of today’s public art in Greenpoint, located on Noble Street right off West Street. “This contains blocked messages,” reads the white painted letters on the wall, making his point all the more ironic… and meta. UPDATE: The NYT confirmed the submission. “He did submit an op-ed and art,” said spokesperson Eileen Murphy. “We couldn’t agree on either the piece or the art, so we rejected it.”
“The biggest eyesore in New York is not the graffiti, argues Banksy, it’s under construction at ground zero,” screams the headline. And then this apt architectural commentary:
That building is a disaster. Well no, disasters are interesting. One World Trade centre [sic British] is a non-event. It’s vanilla. It looks like something they would build in Canada.
Here’s the rest of op-ed Banksy claims the Grey Lady rejected:
He’s got a point. There’s no replacing the Twin Towers.
UPDATE 2 (10/28): ANIMAL’s Krystyna Printup reports the Greenpoint piece has been buffed.
(Photos: Aymann Ismail/ANIMALNewYork, Buffed photo: Krystyna Printup/ANIMALNewYork)
Banksy can go to hell!
WTF Are you smoking dude? Do us all a favor, gtfo of this country and never return. You are such an ignorant piece of shit.
Maybe the Times rejected the op-ed because it's a pointless waste of space? You don't get published in NYT for free — you earn it by being interesting, not by trying to stir up outrage.
If your life has sunk to the point where you care what a vandal thinks about anything, you have made some serious wrong choices in your life.
I'm so tired of Banksy.
What is so freakin ironic is that New York, New Yorkers and just about EVERYONE hated the original twin towers as they were being built and shortly after they were finished….
I agree with lakawak in that you highlight that Banksy is just an opinionated vandal. He is just one opinion, not an embodiment of American sentiment. No need to care about his insensitive opinion.
The terrorists did win. We have an agency that spies on US citizens as well as international leaders and citizens, a major deterioration of civil liberties all around (see phone tapping by local and district police, the TSA checking bags and patting you down in the NYC subway, military courts for non military personnel), two failed wars, assassinating US citizens on international grounds, and a shitty building that took 7 years just to break ground on.
This is a nation that is reeling. I saw a comment on Gawker regarding the NSA and Angela Merkel. The commenter noted that Germans are two rallies away from 1936. If anyone's close to fascism it's the United States.
This country was destroyed after 9/11. Anyone that was 18+ on that day is a fucking coward if they can't admit that this country has been beyond fucked since that day. Banksy noting that this city has been lost since 2001 isn't news. It's a fact that our country has continued to deny for 12 years.
Fuck banksy, for christ's sake. What an overrated vandal, and a what a bunch of pretentious farts that pretend that he is relevant for some reason that they, and only they, can grasp.
I love all the commenters here. Couldn’t agree more. Banksy is a glorified vandal. The parade of pretentious hipsters who love this guy should carry him on their backs as they march into the sea for the last time. And take Cristo and David Blaine with you.
Banksy stick to your street illustrations,they're cute,sometimes clever. Your Op Ed is simply wrong, clearly you never visited the Twin Towers.
"…Something they would build in Canada"? FYI, Poutine is the most uncompromising objet d'art in the known world.
Don't shoot the messenger.
Banksy is right the place sucks. It looks like a little scared child thinking please don't hit me, don't look at me, let me hide in the corner and hope no one notices me.
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