OUGD401 - Studio Task 3: Politics, Society, Culture & History

Manifesto
Definition
man·i·fes·to

noun, plural man·i·fes·toes.

a public declaration of intentions, opinions, objectives, or motives, as one issued by a government,sovereign, or organization.

A manifesto is a published verbal declaration of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government. 

A manifesto usually accepts a previously published opinion or public consensus and/or promotes a new idea with prescriptive notions for carrying out changes the author believes should be made. It often is political or artistic in nature, but may present an individual's life stance. 

Manifestos relating to religious belief are generally referred to as creeds.

http://www.brucemaudesign.com/4817/112450/work/incomplete-manifesto-for-growth
http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/first-things-first-manifesto-2000
http://www.rachelcarterdesign.co.uk/Never-Give-In-Manifesto/.UQ2Q2aVkLkc
http://www.aiga.org/a-design-education-manifesto/
http://www.libdems.org.uk/our_manifesto.aspx
http://www.core77.com/reactor/04.07_chochinov.asp

In pairs we were given four topics and in two minutes, had to write down ten words each we associated  with the word: Politics, Society, Culture & History.

Politics

• Government
• Shambles
• Money
• Cash
• Law
• Benefits
• Court
• Scandal
• Priminister
• Agreement
• Lies
• Parliament
• Plebs
• Meetings
• Politicians
• Parties
• Votes
• Elections
• Democracy
• Scandal

Society

• Illegal immigrants
• Big
• Industrial
• Selfish
• Different
• High Class
• Low Class
• Careless
• Segregated
• Expanding
• Multicultural
• Communities
• Jobs
• Divided
• Classes
• Riots
• Affect
• Economies
• Integrated
• History

Culture

• Ever-changing
• Unique
• Commercialisation
• Consumerism
• Lazy
• Technology
• Internet
• Twitter
• Apple
• Glamorisation
• Multicultural
• Wide-ranging
• Consumer
• Benefit
• Social Networking
• Encompassing
• Divided
• Technology
• Society
• Change

History

• War
• Conflict
• Simpler
• Outside
• Better
• Kinder
• Rememberance
• Motivation
• Hard-working
• Tradition
• Ancestors
• Influences
• Struggle
• Overcoming
• Scandal
• Destruction
• Improvement
• Monarchy
• Armies
• Honour

We then had to categorise them into good things and bad things (and both if applicable).

Politics

Good: Parliament, Meetings, Politicians, Parties, Votes, Election, Democracy, Government, Money, Cash, Law, Court, Priminister, Agreements

Bad: Lies, Plebs, Politicians, Scandal, Shambles, Money Cash

Society

Good: Big, Industrial, Different, Expanding, Multicultural, community, Jobs, Affects, Economics, Integrated, History, Classes (High & Low)

Bad: Illegal Immigrants, Industrial, Selfish, Different, Careless, Segregated, Divided, Riots, Affects, Classes (High & Low)

Culture

Good: Multicultural, Wide-ranging, Consumer, Social Networking, Encompassing, Technology, Society, Change, Ever-changing, Unique, Commercialism, Consumerism, Internet, Apple

Bad: Consumer, Benefit, Social Networking, Divided, Technology, Change, Commercialism, Consumerism, Lazy, Internet, Twitter, Apple, Glamorisation

History

Good: Simpler, Outside, Better, Kinder, Remembrance, Motivation, Tradition, Hard-working, Ancestors, Influences, Over-coming, Improvement, Honour, Monarchy, Armies

Bad: War, Conflict, Influences, Struggle, Scandal, Destruction, Monarchy, Armies

We then had to made five statements for each of the headings.

Politics - For

1. Politics resolves issues & how to avoid them again.
2. Politics keeps a society together.
3. Politics means we can vote & elect.
4. Politics creates law & agreements.
5. Politics means democracy in this country.

Society - Positive

1. Society is always expanding.
2. Society gives a sense of community & togetherness.
3. Society is multicultural and always learning.
4. Society creates jobs & affects lives.
5. Society holds the country together.

Culture - Like

1. Culture is technological based & continuing to improve this way of life.
2. Culture is always changing & updating itself.
3. Culture is created by the wide range of individuals.
4. This culture is one where information is easily accessible for anyone in the world because of the internet.
5. This current culture means small ideas and individuals get recognised and their voice heard because of social networking and the internet.

History - Good

1. History is good because it shows us our mistakes.
2. It allows us to look back & see how we got where we are today.
3. History is good because it shows old traditions, why they were important, and why they are still important.
4. History shows how we overcame issues and hard times in life.
5. History shows how we used to live, and how everything used to be.

We then swapped papers and had to write the following statements in the bottom boxes, without seeing what they had written.

Politics - Against

1. Politics creates conflict between the people of the country and the people running the country.
2. Politics is full of politicians who are corrupt and claim to do right by the country, but just ruin it.
3. Politics of full of lies and deceit.
4. Politics makes a joke of benefits.
5.  Politics is always full of scandal.

Society - Negative

1. Society is full of illegal immigrants & people who falsely claim.
2. Society is starting to be very anti-social.
3. Society is selfish in the way many people live their lives.
4. Society is completely divided.
5. Low class society are the ones who always complain about not getting jobs, but then would rather sit and home and claim benefits.

Culture - Don't Like

1. Culture is getting overrun by people claiming other people's ways, perceptions and beliefs are politically incorrect & offensive.
2. Culture is working as a mass market.
3. Culture is getting lazy.
4. The glamorisation of culture is affecting lives in a negative and damaging way.
5. It is a commercial culture based on the need for unnecessary products & Lifestyles.

History - Bad

1. People never learn their mistakes from history.
2. History still creates conflict in today's world.
3. The destruction in history is still clear today.
4. History shows how little we have changed.
5. A lot of what our ancestors did in history will probably be in vain because someone is always unhappy and wants change.

My views:

Politics

My view on politics is that it is a necessary element in any society. Without it, the society would very much crumble and have no basis to create a mutual understanding between people. It keeps order and laws, influencing behaviour and the overall atmosphere of a society. A good political society is one where democracy is there and everyone gets their say.

Society

Society is the thing that hold people together. Without societies the world would be completely segregated and there would be hostility. Although technology is influencing the way societies run, it creates an understanding between different cultures, and makes it easy for anyone to learn new things, get jobs and gives a sense of togetherness.

Culture

Culture is in a state of ever-changing in this time. Technological advances have a huge affect on this. The internet is such a huge part of the world culture that it allows small and unknown people to have their voice and opinions heard. The negative of this mass culture is that many people are living in a negative world where they feel they have to look and be a certain way to be thought of as normal. It changes people's perceptions on their life and the lives of people around them.

History
History is one of the most important things in life. It shows the wins and fails of life, where us as a general population can improve. It shows us the mistakes we have taken, and why we should avoid going down the same path again, however sometimes this is definitely not the case. There is still conflict in the world even though history has taught us what can happen because of this. History allows us to see how different our lives are to what they could have been and what the lives of people were like in the past. It influences technological and scientific advances, as well as political.