Speculative and Critical Design
This Carnegie Mellon University course is led by PhD candidate Deepa Butoliya. By developing the class’s critical sensibility to design and introducing a pluriversal approach, Deepa believes she can assist her students in utilizing methods of Speculative Design, Critical Design, and Design Futures to create alternative futures for the marginalized.
Works Referenced in Design Assignment | 11.15
Appleby, George A., and Jeane W. Anastas. Not Just a Passive Phase: Social Work with Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual People. Columbia University Press, 1998.
Asphodel, Autumn. “Misconceptions of Mental Illness | Why Don’t People Understand Mental Disorders.” Mental and Physical Health, Autumn Asphodel, 11 Aug. 2015.
Barry, Dan. “Realizing It’s a Small, Terrifying World After All.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 20 June 2016.
Baumle, Amanda K., and Dudley Poston, Jr. “The Economic Cost of Homosexuality: Multilevel Analyses.” Social Forces, University of North Carolina Press, Mar. 2011.
Caroll, Heather. “Serious Mental Illness and Homelessness.” Treatment Advocacy Center, Treatment Advocacy Center, Sept. 2016.
Casellas, Gilbert F. “EEOC Enforcement Guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act and Psychiatric Disabilities.” EEOC, 3 Mar. 2009.
Eby, Douglas. “Pain and Suffering and Developing Creativity.” Talent Development Resources, The Creative Mind, 24 July 2016.
Foulkes, A.P. Literature and Propaganda. Routledge, 2013.
Heroux, Paul. “Bathroom Bill Myths & Facts.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Apr. 2016.
Huberman, Ben. “We Need to Be Braver: Voices for Diversity in 2016.” Discover, Automattic, 17 Dec. 2016.
Insel, Thomas. “Post by Former NIMH Director Thomas Insel: The Global Cost of Mental Illness.” National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 28 Sept. 2011.
Kendall, Paul. “Why do so many liberal parents hate Thomas the Tank Engine?” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 28 Mar. 2016.
Lowder, J. Bryan. “I Was Born Homosexual. I Chose to Be Gay.” Slate Magazine, The Slate Group LLC, 11 May 2015.
“Mental Health Treatment: Past and Present.” OpenStax College Psychology, Rice University, 2 Aug. 2017.
The National Institute of Mental Health. “Technology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment.” The National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Feb. 2017.
Newitz, Annalee. “The Strange Past and Promising Future of the Lobotomy.” Wired, io9.com, 31 Mar. 2011.
Pelz, Bill. “Mental Health Treatment: Past and Present.” Therapy and Treatment, Herkimer College.
Russell, Stephen T., and Jessica N. Fish. “Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Youth.” Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 28 Mar. 2016.
Shidlo, Ariel, et al. Sexual Conversion Therapy: Ethical, Clinical and Research Perspectives. CRC Press, 2002.
Design Assignment | 11.15
Throughout the course of the semester, I have studied speculative and critical design. Now that I have a firm understanding of the field and its critique, I am beginning to construct my own version of practice, which I explored in the class final project.
Topic: gender and sexual minorities (GSM); individuals who live with “mental illness”
Research Question: How are these marginalized groups depicted in the media and pop culture?
Purpose: Currently, the majority doesn’t seem to care if stories about these marginalized groups are incorrect so long as those stories make sense to them and promote their agenda. These falsehoods often develop a negative perception, a ramification that necessitates immediate and continued action.
Intention: If these issues are unveiled, then the majority can no longer be blind to the effects and their impact on others’ lives.
To achieve this, people must learn how society views these marginalized individuals.
I designed an intervention with the intention of provoking meaningful discussion. The end-goal is for each person to react and change their personal and societal misconceptions.
Audience: I intended to unveil society’s reinforced misconceptions to the current U.S. majority.
Intervention: For the purpose of my project, my intervention was in effect framing “social rules” as propaganda.
According to Merriam-Webster, propaganda is defined as “ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one’s cause or to damage an opposing cause.” Generally, propaganda is created for a wide audience and can be translated into various contexts. As Adolf Hitler famously said, “All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.” Therefore, propaganda, has a large-scale consequence, socially, locally, and potentially globally.
Concept: A society’s predominant beliefs and biases tend to be reflected in artifacts. Those artifacts include children’s books, which are used to teach lessons and provide guidance. Because these books have a strong influence on young people, society’s misperceptions are conveyed. These misperceptions are often about people who are regularly marginalized.
Concept Validity: According to Ben Huberman, Editorial Team Lead of Automattic, “The effects of bias — including the many instances of unintentional bias — reach us everywhere, including the products we use to communicate with others.” Because of this, it is important we invite those who are often underrepresented to share their perspectives. I believe it is our duty as makers to create artifacts that bring to light these views until it is possible to successfully and consistently produce inclusive designs.
With regard to the creation of a children’s book series that facilitates propaganda efforts… it’s not a new concept. For instance, Little Golden Books’ The Little Engine that Could — Dr. Sigman explains, “When one of [the engines shows] signs of independent thinking and disobeys instructions, you can be sure that the troublemaker will, literally, go off the rails. The underlying message is simple: conform to society’s expectations and you will be rewarded; rebel and you can expect to be punished.” This book has been enjoyed by kids across generations and its message has been effective.
Artifact: Based on the popular Little Golden Books, I designed a storybook series, which parents are encouraged to read aloud to their young children.
The first book in the series tells the story of a boy with the signs of depression and anxiety. The mom “mothers” him but is ignorant of her own child’s underlying condition, while the dad chooses to gloss over and hide his son’s feelings (behind a “happy mask”).
Other titles include When Lawrence Knew he was a Ladybug (about gender dysmorphia), How Prudence the Penguin Lives at Both Poles (about bipolar disease), and Why Reggie the Rooster Doesn’t Date Chickens (about LGBTQ community).
Consideration: What if society’s misconceptions are intentionally reinforced by parents, because they read Little Golden Rule Books to their children?
Theme of Collective Work: Protest — to demonstrate strong objection to a course of action adopted by those in authority.
