Artist Gives Mamdani A Big Middle Finger
Loosely speaking, in the philosophy of art, there are two types: interpretive and literal. Staten Island artist and activist Scott LoBaido’s latest creation needs no interpretation. He has created a giant, provocative “middle finger” sculpture directly in front of New York City Hall. The unauthorized 6-foot installation featured a plaque reading “Vaffanculo” and was designed as a bold protest against progressive Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In case you’re wondering what “Vaffanculo” means, it’s the Italian word/phrase that the middle finger says non-verbally.
LoBaido is known for his patriotic American Flag artwork and is often called “America’s Artist” for painting thousands of Old Glory murals on firehouses, police stations, and schools across the United States to honor veterans and first responders.
He is also no stranger to peaceful political stunts. He once tossed pizza over the City Hall gates to protest a potential ban on wood-fired ovens. He also admitted to attaching fake flower arrangements to the tops of speed cameras around Staten Island in a vigilante effort to obstruct them, famously declaring himself the city’s “Beautification Squad.”
Mamdani’s socialist/communist agenda promised many things that were not grounded in reality. His proposed pied-à-terre tax is an annual property tax surcharge on out-of-town owners of luxury secondary residences, commonly known as pieds-à-terre, that are often vacant or not used as primary residences.
Mamdani has also proposed higher taxes on individuals earning more than $1 million yearly alongside corporate tax increases. He apparently fancies himself as a modern-day Robin Hood, but his tactics have infuriated many.
The debate intensified after Mamdani filmed a cringeworthy viral video outside billionaire Ken Griffin’s Manhattan penthouse promoting the luxury home tax. In response, Griffin later threatened to halt a planned $6 billion Manhattan office development and to move 1000 well-paying jobs to the Miami area.
The socialist/communist mayor also plans to open five government-owned grocery stores. The average cost to open a private grocery store ranges from one to three million dollars. Zohran Mamdani’s government-run fiasco will cost about $30 million. The store will be approximately 20,000 square feet, not that large by industry standards. For example, close to where I live, there are two Publix supermarkets within a mile of each other. One is around 39,000 square feet, and the other is between 45,000 and 49,000square feet. Neither cost anywhere near $30 million dollars to open.
Tensions in the city are escalating, and if Mamdani continues to run the tax base out of the city, they won’t be improving anytime soon. LoBaido’s finger sculpture probably won’t be around long, but it represents what many New Yorkers are feeling.
Mamdani is woefully unprepared to be the mayor of any city, especially one the size of New York. His Marxist policies are doomed to fail, just as they have countless times throughout history.
