Symbols and distractions
The use of symbols plays a big part in the control and re-writing of our history. Whether the symbols represent national interests, or commercial interests, they create the same effect. Namely; the domination of resources, capital and people. Here we will look at diversions, symbols and distractions, used to smother debate and high-jack history.
1.6
Useful symbols
What do we mean by symbols; Symbols, on one hand are useful for recognizing a thing or an idea. The introduction of a red box, surrounding warnings on medicine bottles, cut drastically the amount of people taking the wrong dose, or the wrong medicine by mistake. However the opposite danger is; when we mistakenly recognise the symbolism of colours; to represent sectarian divides; flags to represent the collected thoughts of populations; or, corporate brand emblems; to represent lifestyle. Symbols are useful; if they represent the thinking behind the symbol. The danger is when the symbol super seeds the thought, and is seen as the idea or end in itself.
Symbolic plagiarism
It is interesting every year or so when people review past fashions, they tend to laugh at the ridiculousness of them. The fashion industry turn over billions in profits; producing mostly low quality goods and clothing; People laugh? In schools there is a growing tendency; to teach students art lessons, using fashion as a template. Not in any way to educate them in assessing bad or useful design; It’s an easy way to get through a lesson; when children can rhyme off and visualize 50 designer logos and all the paraphernalia of the cool fashion concept; that invades their daily work and play.
School; far from enlightening students; on the facile nature of fashion; positively, encourage it as a career and teaching tool; after all it is a £b industry; immaterial of the consequences of how it is produced, and marketed; (sweat shop, media saturation). The danger here becomes- Art and craft is put aside as a learning tool of cultural study; and history of art and design is relegated to a catalogue of plagiarism; for a fashion industry; whose only concern is exploiting the next new look; and the cheap labour that will produce it.