what is it to be a good person?
we live in an un just system based on exploitation and inequality. how can we exist within that and stay positive?
media and writers over associate advertisers (creatives) with the consumer society we live in as opposed to the companies funding and directing the advertising for their capitol gain.
- first things first - Ken Garland, 1964.
a creative manifesto produced in boom time. felt frustrated that creatives were wasting talent on marketing pointless products/services. was a call for designers to do something more with their talent - a sigh on the waste of creative talent in the capitol system. about proposing the reversal of priorities.
was replaced by FTF2000 by ADBUSTERS mag which advocates middle class revolution to the middle class - think of selves as a very political and active journal. decided to redraft the manifesto. the tone changes from a cry about wasted talent to a more critical stance particularly on advertising in line with capitol progression. talks about designers applying their skills to promote the most mundane products and their time and energy is used to manufacture demand for rubbish and waste. eg - involvement in promoting credit cards is encouraging peoples involvement in capitalist debt cycle and are trapped in consumer system.
manifesto states designers are uncomfortable with this, stating that it changes the way people think and feel unnaturaley. say that there are other causes that require creatives help - but then what is worthy and unworthy and how do we judge that? becomes very preachy depending on how causes are chosen. say that if a creative who promotes comapnies that produce consumer items you are unethical becuase you perpetuate a consumer/capitalist society.
they do things like culture jamming - messing with logos and doing 'political' street art and have things like 'buynothingday' and 'turnofftvweek'. in favour of visual communication and anti capitalist politics.
milton glasyer signed the remaifesto - none of the signers have any problems becuase their all reslly rich and successful and so can afford snobbery and the freedom to act how they want.
should be targeting capitalism and consumerism as opposed to advertising and advertisers.
- meme warfare -
memes can change behaviour and minds supposedly but really just replacing capitalism with anti capitalism and still the same basic machine - not exactly ethical in its own rights.
- victor papanek -
'most things are not designed for the needs of the people but for the needs of the manufacturer to sell to the people'
mnost design wasteful and exploitative and he tries to achieve ethics but goes over the top and targets advertisers overly as opposed to the companies etc. however, he sees a grander purpose for creatives and the individual. people are ignoring design solutions for the sake of profit.
- the design problem -
all creatives in the world only touch the tip of the iceberg making thinks sell whereas the 90% underwater is untouched and ignored by all.
- how do we determine what is good? -
creatives pretty much automatically have to work within the system but we can choose to work ethically still. have to refer to the age old philosophical debate of good vs evil.
. subjective relativism
- there are no universal moral norms of right/wrong
- all persons decide right/wrong for themselves
. cultural relativism
- the ethical theory that right/wrong depends on time/place
- not all cultures are the same though
. divine command theory
- good actions are aligned with the will of god
- bad actions are contrary to the will of god
- the holy book helps make decisions
- kantism -
- peoiples wills should be based on moral rules
- therefore its important that our actions based on appropriate moral rules
- determine appropriate moral rules kant proposed 2 categorical imperatives:
1. act only on moral rules that you can at the same time universalise - if your act would cause probems if everyone followd it then dont do it.
2. act so that you always treat yourself as ends in themselves, and never only as a means to an end - using people for your own benefit is not moral.
- utilitarianism -
john stuart mills theorised principles of utility - greatest happiness principle.
- an action is right if it increases total happiness of the affected parties and vice versa. happiness has many definitions; advantage, benefit, good, pleasure.
- a rule is right if it increases total happiness of the affected parties and vice versa.
both pertain to rules and you have to give up your liberty to do them.
- social contract theory -
hobbes/russeau
- an agreement held between individuals by common interest
- avoids society degenerating into a 'state of nature'
- morally consists in the set of rules
- we trade some of our liberty for a stable society
these ethical theories can provide possible solutions for critique of FTF.
should be aiming for socially and ecologically responsible design.
do a mix of pro bono and salaried work. social tithe.
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