BUBBA GLYPHS - A WHOLE NEW CATEGORY:

Christensen, Dickey, and Freers, 

Rock Art of the Grand Canyon Region,

2013, Sunbelt Publications. p.222.

There is a term that has been coined to describe the markings left on rock art sites by the morons who vandalize the cliff faces and boulders throughout North America - Bubba glyphs. This descriptive term uses the word Bubba in the most pejorative meaning of the word - an ignorant, unthinking, uncultured slob who would deface these examples of ancient art without a second thought. 

First chamber of Sandia Cave

with painted graffiti,

New Mexico. Internet photo.

I have, unfortunately, too many examples of Bubba glyphs in my photo collection as I am sure many of you do too. I am not sure why I prefer the term Bubba glyph to the term vandalism unless it is the colorful implications referring to the person doing the marking, as I said above, an ignorant, uncultured slob - a Bubba. Also, vandalism implies just doing damage to what is there, Bubba glyph implies the adding of new markings (glyphs) - by Bubba - it is tighter in meaning as well as more colorful.

De Beque Canyon, Mesa

County, CO., Aug. 1981,

Peter Faris.

Our definition of vandalism is changeable, it keeps moving. For instance, leaving one's name carved into the rock used to be acceptable, think of all the emigrant's signed rocks along the route of the Oregon Trail. They did not think twice about doing it, and it was a perfectly commendable way of attempting to correspond  in the middle of the 19th century, and indeed, now we value them as historical documents. But today we would call that vandalism and there are legal ramifications. One person's signature is another person's vandalism. But Bubba remains constant. An ignorant, uncultured slob then would be an ignorant, uncultured slob now. A definition you can count on.

I have included a few examples here to illustrate the phenomenon. What examples have you seen?

NOTE: One image in this posting was retrieved from the internet with a search for public domain photographs. If this image is not intended to be public domain, I apologize, and will happily provide the picture credits if the owner will contact me with them.

REFERENCES:

Christensen, Don D., Jerry Dickey, and Steven M. Freers, 

2013      Rock Art of the Grand Canyon Region, Sunbelt Publications, San Diego.