Design with or without politics - Reloaded (part 2)  

On Democracy and design...
I made in the Spanish version a list of the most relevant points I fund.
I won't do it again in English. There are many many interesting points, and provably each one would find different ones.
I find it too reveling. In many subjects. The same that had happen to me when I read some years ago "On Originality" by Koen De Winter (his own Manifesto if I may say). Reveling something so in front of our eyes....
The idea of ""Democracy"" (and design) itself, these days, is quite timely/opportune.
And I also find between other things, the answer to the question:
(that was made once from Koen about one n a half year ago, and by SDR two weeks ago)
Why designers could act in social/political issues?
My partial brief answer would be, that the consent/permission was given indeed for others, that have already used and even modified our perception of design, the notion and what design is for. They are indeed markets (hidden way to say corporations), and we have been accepting it very happy, almost without realizing. Using design only in one way (just the superfluous one), ignoring more and more all the rest issues.
We always do politics when we design. Even if we ignore this, even if we say "we are NOT doing politics", we are DOING politics, we are doing politics of the negation, the don't doing. Is design by omission. That's indeed the Market's way of design.
(Sorry for using the word Market-Corporation. I'll try to find a better word. I'm afraid that when I use this would be read it as a Anti-capitalist. But by using the word "Democracy" allowed me to accept it (the market version) very happy, but also make me to accept to include AlL THE REST of ours democracies.)

Gustavo...
A lucid discussion of the issue. This man knows his stuff and has thought it through. I wish I had found him BEFORE I had felt compelled to think this stuff through, for he and I came to similar conclusions. Alas, he was more eloquent.
Note that he says complaint and criticism without proposed solution and action are something to be wary of. I agree.
For societies to move forward, peoples must once again decide that things can be done to improve things. They have to throw off the hoary notion that they must design brilliantly within time worn paths. A cheap chair can be made from many things, not just petroleum products. Grocery bags do not have to be made from petroleum. Etc.
We do not have to have grandiose justifications like avoiding global climate catastrophe to do the humane thing. We can go back to doing the humane thing, because it is humane.
The humane choice: we must once again rejoice in making it in all actions, all professions, all work.
We cannot let the propaganda of the power structure comprised of oligarchy and its state and corporate agents, and especially their oily taste makers, tell us that we are loathsome creatures needing to be disciplined and reigned in, so that there is plenty left for the oil-agarchy.
We have only to resume the path of humane choice in all the millions of choices that are made each day by professionals and the oligarchy and its state and corporate agents will see the world change before their very eyes. They will have to run to catch up. And they will. Running after society, not leading society is what they do best and with least harm.