What's The Story Northern Tory?

51

CULTURAL PROBE5S2 .

To ease into the cultural probe method, I began by conducting a series of
interviews with both working class conservative voters living in midland/
northern towns and individuals from working-class backgrounds that ultimately
moved away, asking about how their view on politics has developed over the years
and how it has appeared in their personal relationships.

I structured both the questions for these interviews and my initial survey on
the back of Rob Fitzpatrick’s ‘The Mom Test’ (2014). In order to get emotive and
meaningful answers from research collaborators. Fitzpatrick devised a series
of methods in which we can obtain meaningful answers through our research,
removing the leading-questions and evoking an authentic response. When
phrasing my questions, I refrained from boxing the answer into one word -
instead prompting for a story, or a list. I also left the questions, though geared
towards my topic, free from leading language.

Leading from this, when conducting both surveys or interviews - I consulted “The
Little Book of Design Research Ethics” produced by IDEO.org (2015). Following
their three pillars of: respect, responsibility and honesty - I was sure to maintain
humanity at the core of the project, and due to the polarising nature of my
subject, my collaborators permission and comfort was of highest priority.

I made sure to ask their permission and boundaries when it came to speaking
about such topics, to ensure the most enriching experience on both sides.
Many I interviewed requested anonyminity due to the incivility present in the
world of politics. The interviews were conducted in varied locations due to
Covid-19, however maintained a collaborative warm atmosphere. I was sure to
be transparent about the nature of my research, opening the interviews with a
conversation about the project and what I intend to use their input for, I also
offered to answer any questions at both the start and end of the interview.

53

EXAMPLES OF

MY ‘MOM TEST’ QUESTIONS:

Do you read the news? Where do you get it from?
Recount the last time you ingested the news and how it
happened (e.g. walking down the street you saw a headline
or scrolling through social media you see a post, do you
click through to read etc.)

Do you share the same political stance as your family?

Is sharing the same political views as your family
important? Describe your personal relationship with
politics between your familial bonds.

IN54

HOW DID IT FEEL TO GROW
BEYOND YOUR ROOTS?

JASMINE. 29
BORN: HINCKLEY
LIVES: EDINBURGH
MASTERS DEGREE IN
CHILD PSYCHOLOGY

55

Where are you from, and can you describe your childhood
surroundings i.e. ideologies, family structure, dynamic etc.?

I am from Hinckley, it was a sh*thole full of chavs and backwards-
thinking folk. Right-wing ideologies. Though our parents were
kind of more liberal/I think, we were definitely working-class
though. However, I know for a fact mum is now right wing...
how unfortunate. Nuclear family I guess. Parents argued a lot
and then broke up when I was 15. It wasn't the most peaceful
upbringing tbh, lots of stress and mum liked to scream a lot
and I honestly felt like I had no support whatsoever. School was
stressful and disinteresting, kids were chavs, small-town minds
and that kind of thing.

Did you enjoy your time spent there - would you ever go back
and why?

I hated my time there and would never go back if I can help it.
Or maybe I'd go back to see the graveyard, that's the only place
I really liked or felt relaxed in. I wouldn't go back because it has
such a negative, depressing energy there. And the small minded
people would stunt my self-growth.

Do you reminisce on these times with a differing sense now and
why?

I am more detached from my experiences there now and so I can
reminisce in a sense though I choose not to. It's interesting to
think about though- I can think more objectively about it now I
suppose in the process of psychoanalysing myself lol.

Tell me about a time politics has caused a divide in your family.

Ha! Well... There's a clear divide in our family between left and
right. It's the older generations who are more right-wing and
then the younger or more well-travelled/worldly (dad I guess)
who are more left-wing. I have witnessed you be berated by
them countless times - from arguing about brexit as you pull
your hair out at their ignorant responses grounded in prejudice,
to having to continuously block them on facebook to avoid the
onslaught of racist, discriminatory fake news they’ll flood my
timeline and inbox with.

56

Is sharing the same political views as your family important?
Describe your personal relationship with politics between your
familial bonds.

I share the same political opinion with some of my family but
not with others. I am happy to agree to disagree for the sake
of harmony though it can obviously be frustrating. It is ideal
if it were the same but it's not massively important to me as
I understand it's very unlikely to be the case in most families/
situations and realistically people are always going to disagree.
And I don't interact with my family super-often anyway for it to
be a massive issue.

Now tell me a personal experience in which you’ve found
yourself in unproductive political debate outside of your family,
why do you think it became unhealthy?

Recently I got into a heated discussion with my friend about
Brexit- he voted to leave and said he would stand by that
decision and there are lots of reasons to leave the EU. I tried
to explain my side, politically and personally. But he wouldn't
accept the ramifications and makes out as though " everything
will be fine" because "they are going to make a good deal" and
makes out as though remainers are overdramatising it when
we're really not. It annoys me so much when people don't even
research things and just regurgitate shit they hear on the news.
And so many people have so much to lose, yet some people
are so arrogant they don't even understand that. It became
unhealthy because it's a personal topic for me and it represents
so much more than just the objective short-term consequences.
It annoys me when people don't see the bigger picture. It
became unhealthy because neither of us were willing to concede
I guess.

57

List 3 to 5 political topics you’ve found yourself debating
about, and why

So, based upon recent conversations, definitely Brexit, Boris
Johnson, Tory government response to coronavirus, Nicola
Sturgeon's speech where she undermines Boris, and animal
testing? Because they are all relevant topics right now and
people tend to come down on either side. It annoys me when
people are purposefully antagonistic and play devil's advocate
when I vocalise my opinions. I never start an argument or even a
political debate. But it just seems to trigger some people.

Give your top 3 reasonings for your political stance.

My political stance I guess is just intrinsic to my personality.
I like to think that I am very open-minded and accepting of
others, morally-guided, I'm not a huge fan of capitalism, I think
the world is unfair and messed up because of people's egos
and greed. Everyone is so bloody selfish that they can't even be
bothered to recycle or take any responsibility for their carbon
footprint or how their actions affect others. The environment
and the animals on this planet as well as poorer human
communities are absolutely at the top of my list of what should
be prioritised. I think there needs to be a massive shift in
society and I just think people should stop being so self-serving
if there's any hope for future generations. The opposing side are
a lot more self-serving and see things from only a very narrow,
mostly nationalistic perspective.

Where do you believe the communication gap lies that
prevents healthy conversation?

Communication gap? Because both sides I guess refuse to
listen to the other and these views are so polarising and
politicians don't help with their propaganda and arrogance.
We don't even know what the truth is anymore. I think people
believe whatever they choose to and so are biased in what they
will listen to or will cherry-pick what is said to suit their own
narrative/agenda. Hmm... there are plenty of reasons I guess.

IN58

HOW DID IT FEEL TO GROW
BEYOND YOUR ROOTS?

*requested anonymity. S. 52.

BORN: BRAUNSTONE
LIVES: COPENHAGEN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

59

Where are you from, and can you describe your childhood
surroundings i.e. ideologies, family structure, dynamic etc.?

From a rough area of Leicester called Braunstone. The postal area
of where we lived could also be called Narborough Road South
on mail so my mother insisted that was where we lived. So, a
lower working-class neighbourhood inhabited by residents with
aspirations to be upper working-class. Father ran his own small
roofing company and mother worked in the hosiery industry for
a few years before becoming a full-time housewife when I was
around 10 years old. I was often left home alone as a child for
hours on end while they would go to the pub, so I would not say
I was close to my parents. I never felt like I fit in with the families
values. And they also felt it.

Did you enjoy your time spent there - would you ever go back
and why?

Not particularly although we did have a very large green outside
the house where I spent most of my time playing football with
friends. Would I ever go back there to live? No. The people are
small minded and stunt my growth. I have found so many more
fulfilling experiences outside of Leicester, and the UK in general.

Do you reminisce on these times with a differing sense now and
why?

No, I don’t tend to romanticise memories and remember them as
they were - quite a tough, not particularly happy upbringing in a
dog-eat-dog neighbourhood.

60

Tell me about a time politics has caused a divide in your family.

Growing up I never talked about politics with my family although
it was clear that both parents voted conservative. As mentioned,
misguided working-class aspirations led them to believe that
the Tories would look after them. In recent years there has been
resentment on my part due to them voting for Brexit for clearly
immigration-based issues, even though both their grandchildren
and their son lived abroad at the time. Clearly their voting
choices contributed to creating a great deal of uncertainty over
all of our futures - and this remains the case.

Is sharing the same political views as your family important?
Describe your personal relationship with politics between your
familial bonds.

No, and whilst it would be nice to be able to have sensible
discussions about politics with them I prefer to avoid it
completely. I don’t have the patience or the inclination, to take
on the conservative propaganda machine.

Now tell me a personal experience in which you’ve found
yourself in unproductive political debate outside of your family,
why do you think it became unhealthy?

I was debating a conservative on the matter of clapping for the
NHS and the farse that was clapping for Boris when he was ill. I
was trying to understand why they believed he deserved a clap,
however they thought I was being disrespectful to even ask -
resorting to hostility and name calling.

List 3 to 5 political topics you’ve found yourself debating about,
and why

Brexit for the reasons outlined above. Recently, the handling of
Covid-19, due to the mass hysteria drummed up by confusing
and vague government messaging etc. and racially driven voting,
many times I find myself arguing with straight up racists.

61

Give your top 3 reasonings for your political stance.

Belief in: Humanism. A fair society. Global co-operation with local
economies. OR Evidence, Facts, Common-sense.

If you wish, please state your opinion on conservative voters
and politicians.

They are all c*nts.

Where do you believe the communication gap lies that prevents
healthy conversation?

Government-sponsored propaganda and an avoidance of the
truth.

There is also the issue of bi-polar politics in the UK which
synchronises with the cultural inability of many people to
debate political positions without resorting to name-calling and
aggression.

IN62
WHAT CONTRIBUTES
TOWARDS YOUR
CONTENTMENT IN
WORKING-CLASS
NOTHERN TOWNS?

JOHN. 56

BORN: MANSFIELD
LIVES: MANSFIELD

WAREHOUSE
MANAGER.

*requested anonymity.

63

Where are you from, and can you describe your childhood
surroundings i.e. ideologies, family structure, dynamic etc.?

I’ve been born and bred in Mansfield, Nottingham and proud. We
have a large family, and are quite close - not many of us have left
Mansfield so we’re all knocking around somewhere in the local
area, which is nice. Growing up I was one of 9 kids. We did not
have any money - my father worked down the mines, and hated
it, my mother stayed at home but cleaned houses on the side
for extra money. My father was an angry man, as were most who
worked as hard as he did. My mother bore the brunt of his rage
mind you, he wasn’t so aggressive with my brothers and I. You
could say we struggled, but I think it built character. We were,
are, and always will be working-class and proud. Proud to be
English as well!

Would you be able to describe your relationship now with your
hometown and family?

Not much has changed, back in my day most people stayed in
their hometowns. Doing trade jobs, roofing, down the mines,
carpentry etc. - we couldn’t swan off to college or university like
these kids today can. So my mates, my family, my job...all here
and stayed here with me. Working hard and getting by, never
understood the need for university.

Talk about your hometown’s political standing, does it
adequately represent your interests and values?

In Mansfield, we have Conservative MP Ben Bradley - he’s a good
lad, I mean all politicians are crooks - but he’s alright! I mean I
try not to concern myself with politics too often, but recently
with Corona and that, it’s gotten a bit mental and unavoidable.
I took an interest in politics when Brexit first got suggested as
it answered a lot of my prayers to be frank, I’ve always voted
conservative as I care about keeping Britain for the British.

64

Tell me about a time politics has caused a divide in your family.

The lot of us who stayed in Mansfield don’t really argue about
this stuff. It’s rarely a topic of conversation...and we all relatively
agree on what we believe. We have a couple of younger kids on
my brother’s side that don’t agree with us though, they can
be counted on to cause a ruckus at family events. One of his
girls started a massive row at Christmas this year because the
election was brought up, and Brexit. I am not ashamed of voting
leave. Or conservative. These kids don’t know what’s good for
them.

Is sharing the same political views as your family important?
Describe your personal relationship with politics between your
familial bonds.

I would say yes simply because my family rarely argue about
politics and all share the same opinion but my nieces do create
a lot of tension when attending family gatherings, they’re so
sensitive. Any joke or any throw away comment gets attacked,
they seem so angry - all the time. Must be exhausting, also so
pointless. These left wing fanatics just end up looking crazed
when they go on their rants! I just want to have a simple family
meal and they’ll bite my head off!

Now tell me a personal experience in which you’ve found
yourself in unproductive political debate outside of your
family, why do you think it became unhealthy?

Oh christ on a bike, I unfortunately ran into the cult of
Jeremy Corbyn earlier this year before lockdown. Absolute
shambles, how can they support that tw*t! He’s an anti-semite
communist, everyone knows that. The kids today just love the
idea of never having to work hard! They’re living in a fantasy
land. Work hard for your livelihood. No freebies. I had a group of
what looked no older than 20-year-olds call me a ‘dirty n*nce’
just for asking what they were there for!

65

List 3 to 5 political topics you’ve found yourself debating about,
and why

I don’t concern myself with politics often so it’s mainly just big
things, brexit, immigration, the whole Covid-19 situation. And as
for why, it’s the usual stuff - bunch of lefties call me a racist for
caring about my family - I am not a racist. Hard working British
people just do not deserve to have their rights taken away by
these foreigners.

Give your top 3 reasonings for your political stance.

Keep Britain British, Economic Growth, Stability.

The world would be burning if Corbyn won last December.

If you wish, please state your opinion on labour voters and
politicians.

Communists.

Where do you believe the communication gap lies that prevents
healthy conversation?

These crazy Labour supporters just don’t understand how life
works, they’ve forgotten what is right. There is so much anger
and childish behaviour, if they tried to live my childhood they’d
understand how lucky they have it now. There is an obvious lack
of respect on their part.

IN66

WHAT CONTRIBUTES
TOWARDS YOUR
CONTENTMENT IN
WORKING-CLASS
NOTHERN TOWNS?

VIRGINIA, 77

(S’s Mother)

BORN: -
LIVES: GLENFIELD

RETIRED
HOUSEWIFE.

*requested anonymity.

67

Where are you from, and can you describe your childhood
surroundings i.e. ideologies, family structure, dynamic etc.?

New Parks, Leicester. I was the second oldest of 9 brothers and
sisters, so I had to mature quickly to help around the house. My
parents didn’t have a happy marriage, my Dad being abusive to
all of us. We didn’t have time for politics, we just worked to get
by. We had to work. My Dad would work so hard that we were
so scared of his outbursts of rage that we wouldn’t talk to him
or go into rooms he was in. I fell pregnant at 19, so then I was a
mother myself.

Would you be able to describe your relationship now with your
hometown and family?

I see the twins a lot. My two younger sisters, my family get into
trouble so some of us aint in contact anymore. My younger
sisters and their families are close, we stayed in Leicester and
see each other a lot. My son has moved abroad...and my two
granddaughters. We don’t see each other much.

Talk about your hometown’s political standing, does it
adequately represent your interests and values?

I live in Glenfield now, but that’s still in Leicester. I couldn’t
tell you who or what our mp is other than I know we’re a
conservative town. At least I hope we are.

Tell me about a time politics has caused a divide in your family.

Granddaughter visits. She always has a problem. I don’t
understand her, probably never will. My son and granddaughters
are very difficult. They’re just ungrateful for what we have in
England and don’t understand we have to protect our own.

68

Is sharing the same political views as your family important?
Describe your personal relationship with politics between your
familial bonds.

No. Don’t care about politics. I just vote conservative, always
have as I believe they’re doing the best job. I believe politics does
not need to be brought up in arguments, I get annoyed when it
is.

Now tell me a personal experience in which you’ve found
yourself in unproductive political debate outside of your family,
why do you think it became unhealthy?

Well other than my granddaughter, politicals don’t cause me
issues. My people agree with me. I talked about the Corona with
my granddaughter recently though. She was very angry at the
clap for Boris’. But Boris Johnson is the best prime minister we
have had since Winston Churchill. He is doing the best he can,
and even got corona himself! Awful to wish anything but well on
him! He deserves our respect.

List 3 to 5 political topics you’ve found yourself debating about,
and why

Don’t talk about it much but I like brexit and whenever my
granddaughter mentions Jeremy Corbyn. [eyeroll]

Give your top 3 reasonings for your political stance.

There are foreigners murdering people and terrorising our
country and we’re expected to vote for a communist who
supports them? The reason I vote conservative is to keep my
own safe. We want a stable economy, not chaos.

69

If you wish, please state your opinion on labour voters and
politicians.
Idiots.
Where do you believe the communication gap lies that prevents
healthy conversation?
I laugh when someone is getting angry at me for my political
opinion - there is no reason to be upset over someone else’s
ideas. People need to mind their own business.

70

“...makes out as though “I am not ashamed of voting
remainers are overdramatising leave[...] These kids don’t know
it when we're really not.” what’s good for them.”

“In recent years there has “I am not a racist. Hard
been resentment on my part working British people just
due to them voting for Brexit do not deserve to have their
for clearly immigration-based rights taken away from them
issues” from these d*rkies.”

“I was trying to understand “Boris Johnson is the best
why they believed he deserved prime minister we have had
a clap, however they thought since Winston Churchill. He
I was being disrespectful to is doing the best he can, and
even ask - resorting to hostility even got corona himself! Awful
and name calling. “ Left wing idiots wish death on
him! He deserves our respect.“

“Whilst it would be nice “...they [left wing] seem so
to be able to have sensible angry - all the time. Must be
discussions about politics exhausting, also so pointless.
with them I prefer to avoid it These left wing fanatics just
completely. I don’t have the end up looking crazed when
patience or the inclination, they go on their rants! I just
to take on the conservative want to have a simple family
propaganda machine.” meal and they’ll bite my head
off!”

“[Why don’t you support the “They’re living in a fantasy land.
opposing side] Because they Work hard for your livlihood.
are all c*nts.” No freebies.”

fig.7 comparitive diagram of interview statements.

71

The interviews helped provide insight into the communication gap between
strained family members. This allowed me to start framing my project
around these specific subjects in which productive communication becomes
stunted. I produced a comparative study of quotes from answers of each side,
highlighting where the block in communication lies (fig.7).
The elements of miscommunication are apparent, and the areas of aggravation
show a clear pattern. There are clear trigger events that catalyse incivility. The
government’s current handling of the pandemic being a one of them. In order
to further the research I then conducted another cultural probe in the form of
card sorting.

RDCA72
SO

73ING

>>
RT

74

I produced several iterations of
sorting cards. I tasked people with
sorting these words into meaningful
groups. I chose this method of
research as I believed it helped gain
insight into what ideologies and
communities of people make up an
individual's immediate paradigm
bubble. Through this, I can then draw
upon patterns in the groupings, and
see which areas the communication
gap presents itself. I initially drew up
lists of political trend drivers* (see
fig. 8) that I had identitifed from my
research that seemed to be swaying
both parties voters. This way the
simple words evoke a response for the
participant, allowing them to instantly
have an associated feeling and thus
creating meaningful groups based
upon their own life.

I quickly realised that due to the
polarising political nature of my
subject, many words used lend
themselves to key topics in political
discourse. I finalised my sorting
words through dissecting key
areas of conflict and addressing
the microaggressions that present
themselves in political debate,
sometimes in forms of prejudice, as
well as the terms that may invoke
memories of their own personal
experiences.

* A trend driver is a series of factors that catalyse
change, as well as addressing the institutions and
policies that affect stakeholders at hand. I have
framed my trend drivers around the UK political
sphere.

75

TREND DRIVERS:

WHAT MAKES US POLITICALLY TICK?

institutional: economic: education:

RACISM BREXIT UNIVERSITY
DESCRIMINATION HOMELESSNESS TRADE JOBS
JUSTICE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE
NHS ANIMAL TESTING STEREOTYPES
INJUSTICE DISPARITY PREJUDICE
SEXISM CSR FAKE NEWS
PATRIARCHY UNEMPLOYMENT VALUES
ANIMAL RIGHTS STABILITY FEAR
PRISON WAR IGNORANCE
MILITARY LABOURER RIGHTS GEOGRAPHICAL
TERROISM AUSTERITY PRIVILEGE
POLICE BRUTALITY POVERTY ACCESSIBILITY
CLIMATE CHANGE PRIVATISATION ENCOURAGEMENT
TAXES
INTERNATIONAL TRADE
NATIONALISATION
HOUSING

personal: SEXUALITY SOCIAL BUBBLE
SAFETY INHERITED ATTITUDES
RELIGION FEAR
ANGER LOCATION
PRIVILEGE RACISM
UPBRINGING PREJUDICE

fig. 8: political trend drivers I mapped

76
fig. 9: Jo’s meaningful Card Sorting groups.

I envisioned conducting this exercise with both demographics of my target
demographics, both 50+ residing in Northern England as well as younger 18-24
individuals. However, with the pandemic gaining momentum - lockdown halted my
plans and I only managed to conduct one in person interview.
I tasked my pre-social distancing collabrator, Jo 55+ Female from Coventry, with
sorting these words into meaningful groups as I made us a coffee (see fig. 8).
I was sure to leave Jo by herself to produce groups without my intervention or
presence as to feel comfortable sorting the groups into set categories. As per
IDEO.org’s ‘Little Book of Design Research Ethics’ (2015) I wished to treat my
collaborator with respect, making her feel safe by introducing the probe with a
conversation - opening up the floor to any questions, making sure she was fully
aware of the nature of my project. I was sure to leave her to herself as to not put
pressure to conform to my expectations, and making her a coffee gave me a real
reason to not be present - further lessening the likihood of fear of judgement.

77

CULTURAL PROBES. >

IN PERSON SORTING CARDS.

Through my conversations with Jo, I learnt that she has lived in Coventry all of her
life, and comes from a very working class family. Although she votes conservative,
she doesn’t necessarily associate entirely with conservative values. She mentioned
how her younger relatives had been a positive influence on her and that although
some of the groups she produced reflected her confusion/curiosity towards other
groups. Stating that although she doesn’t understand, that doesn’t mean she
hates them (making specific reference to homosexuals, and certain religions).

When we take a closer look at her groups (see fig. 9), we can see there is a heavy
emphasis on negativity towards the more ‘modern’ (meaning more widely used
not newly invented) trigger words, i.e. transgender, veganism etc. whereas grouped
the more localised and positive descriptive words together i.e. working class, NHS,
English.

She explained that her meaningful groups just ‘jumped’ out to her, although some
were harder to fit than others. She ultimately relied on her personal paradigm to
dictate groups, opting for familiarity as her safe space. This seems to be a pattern
for all small-town conservative voters; working hard is seen as a stable trait of
‘working-class’ towns. They see any change in the 9 to 5 standardised work life we
know today as a direct threat to their livelihood - this also includes changes in their
‘traditional’ paradigm, often leading to xenophobic ideas as more unfamiliarity is
presented to them alongside our growing globalisation.

When lockdown was first instituted I decided to provide a WeTransfer link for
my collaborators to download the Sorting Cards themselves. This also allowed for
a much more organic response, as they were the sole person in the room when
conducting the probe. I was sure to introduce the collaborator by explaining my
project. I also believed it important to simply check in with them as our current
pandemic is causing many individuals to feel a lot of stress. I was sure to encourage
them to take this probe and carry it out on their own time. I also asked them to
provide a short introduction as to have them be in control of their narrative given
to the reader. I unfortunately only successfully conducted one other session. But
never the less, it provided such valuable insight.

CULTURAL PROBE78S.

> SOCIAL DISTANCING SORTING CARDS.

fig. 10: Laura’s meaningful Card Sorting groups.

79

The main method of communication for Laura and I was
email, as she was not able to video call comfortably due
to living situations. However, I did have a phonecall with
her as a debrief after the probe. Conversing with Laura
about her meaningful groups, she noted that her main
method was natural association, she initially spread the
cards out on her table, looked at them all and registered
what her instant ‘feeling’ was to each card shown.
Through this she then made her meaningful groups.

The group in which she put herself allowed me to see
that the main trend driver for her political values can
logically be attributed to the ‘personal’ political drivers
I outlined previously. Identifying as a Lesbian woman,
with a large circle of LGBTQA+ members as a part of
her support system allows for her personal drivers
to often align left, as it has been long documented
that conservative values often do not align with
the gay community. With the 2019 Conservative
manifesto having little progress in the rights of the
LGBTQA+ community with only three short mentions
appearing in the manifesto, and making no mention
of gender identity or trans people (Cooper. J, 2019).
It can also be seen that interestingly, she placed the
nationalities together, i.e. Arab, English, Polish etc. in
stark contrast to Jo’s segmentation of these cards
around her groupings. This allowed me to see there is
a communication gap in regards racial and xenophobic
attitudes regarding the two sides.

Laura explained she placed the cards for ‘Muslim’ and
‘Burqa’ with her self proclaimed “Right Wing” group
as she instantly thought of the discrimination these
two trigger words face, and she noted how she was
uncomfortable at the realisation that these words now
have an almost negative association for her in the sense
she associates them now with the racism and hurt that
humans can pass on to one another.

Talking to Laura was very insightful as she allowed
me to see her inner workings in a very authentic way.
It was interesting to see that the incivility of society
had begun to manifest in her own personal paradigm,
with her subconscious linking the subjects of this
discrimination to the act itself.

80

THE 5 WHYS

Due to the limited time I now had for
research, I opted for a lean approach,
while also maintaining my projects
core of personal storytelling beyond
politics.

Therefore, I decided to explore some
lean methods of furthering my
research as the deadline approached.
One of which being Sakichi Toyoda’s ‘5
Why’s’ method. I believe this method
is appropriate at this stage as I have
already gained enough insight to
have reasonable grounds to make
informed decisions that can guide the
questions into meaningful findings.

The 5 Why’s method is an extension
of the empathy map, it allows me to
identify my users behaviors, needs,
emotions and pain points quickly
(playbookux, 2020).

As research became quite
overwhelming, I decided to use this
questioning method on myself. I
fall into my own user group, and
these simplistic and lean questions
helped clear some of the fog I was
experiencing in regards to the project.

81

PRIMARY PAIN POINT:
POLITICAL DEBATE
CAUSING FAMILIAL STRAIN

Which political trend driver causes the most
friction between you and your family?

> Racially charged immigration policies, lots of ignorant opinions that lead to
voting in their disinterest - I cannot sit silent while I hear them speak such
nonsense.

Why?

> They’re older, set in their ways, and quite bigoted - so it makes productive
conversation very hard, my values are often belittled and brushed aside as
jokes just because I am younger and I often get aggravated by their teasing and
dismissal furthering the incivlity.

Why?

> They’re in a very white, working class, aging location in which they have deep
set roots. They cannot see outside of their own paradigm as they rarely, if ever,
had to. Me challenging them is alien, I directly contradict with their personal
paradigm therefore they assume gang mentality and shun my opinion with little
regard. I get very defensive of my values and cannot fathom why one would be so
discriminatory in this day and age, so I get quick to anger.

Why?

> They’re comfortable there, and would feel lost without their social circle. They
believe their values are correct as they have ‘always been’, they assume they
know what is best for my generation, just because they’re fearful of the change
we’re calling for. I don’t think it is correct for white people, especially younger
generations, to allow passive racism - among elders or not. I have a strong will to
correct and point it out - even when it feels like shouting into the void.

?? 82 ??

Why?

> They are content in their ignorance and refuse to accept the injustice and
failings of neoliberalism as to call for change to counter their personal paradigm,
leaving them feeling vulnerable and unsafe - as per the entrapment of neoliberal
capitalism. And it is important for us to hold fellow white people accountable
to bring about change or, at the absolute very least, make them feel so
uncomfortable they are forced to face the error of their ways.

Why?

> Poverty and struggle has become ingrained in working-class culture, to suffer is
to be ‘accepted’, there is a dark humour collectively embraced by the UK, however
I believe it’s predominantly exemplified in the working class communities of
the UK. This allows for the sheer disparity to ring as a part of their identity and
culture, rather than seeing it as deep systemic disparity that doesn't have to be a
part of their life.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>> >>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>

Through asking myself the five whys, I even provided an insightful answer for
myself! The concept of internalised struggle being a part of working class culture
is very prevalent in preventing healthy conversation. I believe in order to tackle
the issue at hand, I must utilise the historical satirical humour to my advantage.

83

4.

MAYBE SATIRE IS KEY?
PROTOTYPING & CREATING.

84

IDEATION SPRINT

WHAT COULD SOLVE THIS WICKED PROBLEM?

I began by mapping out my thoughts as to what drives
political incivility.

85

Through my research I divised five methods of approaching the problem, with my collaborators and
peers voting on each.

Rationalising my research findings The most engaging concepts seemingly
into a viable end result was difficult, fell into the realm of gamification -
as political incivility is such a multi- many felt the tone of a ‘family game
faceted problem. It is important to night’ to be an attractive ambience
investigate the scope of a project such for opening up civil political debate.
as this, such a complex subject has This led me to explore different facets
the ability to transcend the players of conversational prompts, games
themselves, exploring more abstract and toolkits that can help this area of
concepts as to what is best for conflict.
humanities future.
By drawing on topics that have been
Therefore, I hosted a series of ideation sources of political contention for a
sprints to find the link between what lengthy period - such as “Social media”,
my research found to be the political “Communism” and “Terrorism”, you
drivers that sway the public vote and could potentially provide a means to
solutions that can help ease these understanding the current political
areas of strain. To further stretch polarisation today through a means
the conceptual boundaries of this that lessens the extent of political
project, I used this sprint to then incivility.
lead conversations with those who
wished to stay updated on this project I began to experiment with different
surrounding which conceptual idea concepts, referencing many pre-
would be most favourable to them. existing card games and seeing where
Some ideas took the form of questions there is a gap in the market that I
that could be potentially leading for can fill in solving this wicked problem.
players to think critically and elaborate These explorations can hopefully
on their own ideas and opinions. encourage individuals to collaborate,
converse and find common ground
This allows for them the space to In a political climate that considers
freely express their realities such as economic growth more valuable than
“What are British values?”, giving the human life.
collaborators a prompt and also the
scope to understand the basis of their I landed upon the concept of a satirical
own identities. playing card game that addresses these
heavy issues of disparity and poverty
in a satirical - yet respectful way.

KI KI
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LIFE

Life$kills. The game that provides a playful take on
our painful reality.

SM CAPITALISM AUSTERITY NEOLIBERALISM CAPITALISM NEOLIBERALISM CA

SM DISPARITY NEOLIBERALISM CAPITALISM AUSTERITY NEOLIBERALISM DISP

AUSTERITY NEOLIBERALISM DISPARITY NEOLIBERALISM CAPITALISM AUSTERIT

EOLIBERALISM CAPITALISM AUSTERITY NEOLIBERALISM DISPARITY NEOLIBERA

EOLIBERALISM DISPARITY
KILLS.

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89PAR

Welcome to Life$kills. The game that provides a

DISplayful take on our painful reality.
This card game ultimately outlines the long-ingrained
power inequalities of our society, all made possible
through neoliberal capitalism.

So what is neoliberalism? Well hopefully we can teach
you with this game. However, If you’d like a hearty
explanation - feel free to scan the QR code to the
right to be directed to the piece of writing I did that
inspired the production of this game. It contains a
much more extensive definition of neoliberalism .
However, for those who don’t have time, it can be
boiled down to being a 'blind faith in free-market
capitalism to distribute societal resources most
efficiently and justly'.

However, as Life$kills shall demonstrate, the reality
of this model is capitalist-class monopolies on basic
necessities, price-hiking during crises, poverty and
disparity between classes, etc. Neoliberalism believes
that we are all born on ‘a level playing field’ - as to
say, if we all work hard enough we all have potential
to succeed. However, adopting that opinion is to
neglect the centuries upon centuries of inequality
and suffering producing the steep power imbalance
we see today. Colonialism and imperialism saw so
much theft of wealth, culture, and humanity that
POC and minority communities continue to suffer
from, facing discrimination, dehumanisation and
often death. This is why wealth often stays with the
historically Western wealthy, being passed through
the generations. The vulnerable continue to suffer
and die at the hands of this system, with disparity
only getting worse.

Life$kills does exactly that - being a variation of the
Swiss playing card game ‘Asshole’, we aim to highlight
this act of theft of basic necessities. How wealth
is taken through surplus labour, exploitation and
unforgiving systems - maintained by the capitalist
class through manipulation, privilege and fear

ITYmongering.

90

OVERVIEW:
The aim of Life$kills is to get rid of all of the cards
in your hand in order to win a position for the next
game. The first person to get rid of all of their cards
is awarded Capitalist Class*, second is Upper Class,
third is Middle Class and fourth will be Working Class.

* If you have a straight white male playing among you, sorry to say
it - but he is automatically given ‘Working Class’ at the start of
the game - while the remaining players hash it out to see the other
positions. This is because straight white men often experience
privillege without even thinking about it. Putting them in the
position of vulnerablility there’d otherwise rarely experience helps
facilitate healthy progressive conversation.

There are four suits; food, salary, news, and
healthcare. These are there to represent some areas
in which the Capitalist Class control and/or highlights
the disparity within neoliberal countries. The game
is framed for England however, can be applicable in
other neoliberal settings.

The cards are ranked in the following order: Ace, King,
Ober, Under, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6.

However, number 7 has the ability to become a
‘chameleon’ card. This means when paired with
another card, it becomes that value. I.e. one 7 and
two Kings becomes three kings. However, 7 is just
worth 7 on it’s own. The 7’s have taken the form
of socialist initiatives, such as the NHS, Universal
Credit, Food Banks etc. that , in theory, support the
vulnerable.

91

92

AUSGAMEPLAY:
• You need 4 people to play Life$kills, dealing 9 cards to
>each player.
• In the absence of a straight white male, the first round
is solely used to set in place the power inequalities.
Think of it as the historical prelude to modern neoliberal
capitalism through colonialism and imperialism.
• To begin, the first player starts by putting down
anywhere from 1 to 4 of the same value card (i.e. three 8’s,
two aces, four eights etc.)
• The next player must then put a card down that is higher
value than the previous player’s.
• However, if the initial player played more than one card -
all rounds after must also follow suit. E.g. if three 8’s were
placed first, the following player must put three 9’s or
higher in order to play.
• If a player can’t or doesn’t want to play, they can skip
their go. This means they can’t rejoin the game until a
new set of starting cards is played.
• Once no one can (when cards reach highest numerical
value) or want to beat the cards on the table, the pile is
discarded and the player that won (placed the highest
card) gets to start the next round.
• Winning a round is the only way to get rid of really low
cards, as there will not be an opportunity to ever place
the lowest card in the rounds.
• If a player finishes their cards, being awarded their
position, the player to their right plays the new starting
cards.
• If playing with a straight white male, this initial round
is still applicable, however - the results may have to be
reshuffled to make place for him as Capitalist Class.
• Once all positions are decided, the next round is played
in the same way. However, there is now a twist - we’re in
modern neoliberalism.

>>93 TER

• To demonstrate this disparity and theft of wealth, the
‘Working Class’ player must deal and distribute the cards.

• The ‘Working Class’ player must also hand over their two
best cards (hidden) to the ‘Capitalist Class’. While the
‘Capitalist Class’ must give them their two worst cards.

• This also works the same for the ‘Upper Class’ and ‘Middle
Class’ players, although they shall exchange a singular
best and worst card.

• Before the start of every round, no matter how the
‘Class’ positions may rearrange, this set up remains. The
‘Working Class’ player must always shuffle, deal and
distribute the cards - as well as giving the ‘Capitalist
Class’ their two best cards and them their worst. Same
with Upper and Middle Class’.

• The ‘Working Class’ player begins the round, as to give a
chance to get rid of their smaller cards. (This compassion
would not happen in the reality of neoliberalism, but hey!
I had to keep the game fun!)

• The same game play resumes as the preliminary round.
However, now power imbalance is in place. Forcing the
‘Working Class’ player to have to become more strategic,
and panicked in order to merely survive a round.

• This game play continues and continues, until you have
other obligations or until you all realise our current Life
Kills, and we need a change in system ending the game
and starting the revolution!

•
ITY

With my target mission being to ease >>94
political familial strain - I have decided
to produce a simple card game that
breaks down the inner workings
of our neoliberal society. As I have
touched upon, I believe there is a clear
lack of understanding concerning
the ideologies governing our lives.
As my survey found, only 21% of
people knew what neoliberalism was
- shocking compared to the 78% for
communism. I wanted to devise a
game that exposed neoliberalism’s
ingrained systemic injustice, and
further educate the players on why
this ideology is not more readily
talked about.

I’ve immersed myself in the world The cards depict iconography of
of neoliberalism my entire third year economic and government figure
of DMC. Tackling such an insidious heads in a satirical and humorous
ideology with vigor has taken a lot out manner. It’s provocative nature shall
of me. I feel I owe it to myself as well. hopefully instill the desire to converse
To try and encourage, especially in about these topics that are, quite
working-class towns, the questioning literally, ‘in hand’.
of why we allow such disparity in our
society. The inspiration for my card game
can be attributed back to traditional
My research into political incivility led Swiss Playing Cards (see fig. 11). I
me to realise that play is paramount found this inspiration through my
when approaching this project. It’s familial ties to Switzerland - with my
clear we jump to incivility when step-mother being Swiss-German.
discussing our political opinions. This holds personal value to me as
Therefore, with ‘Life$kills’ I was my step mother provided a wealth
sure to create an atmosphere of of experiences for me that helped
play and collaboration through educate me on the vaster experiences
gamification of these very heavy of the world outside of my once small
topics of conversation. This also town view.
allows room for the satirical humour
shared by the working class. The The game itself is an innovative
added buffer of humour can help twist on the Swiss game that's name
with the addressing of important translates to ‘Asshole’. It offers the
topics in a healthier manner, as there perfect skeleton for presenting the
is now a bridge of collaborative and unjust ingrained inequality present
provocative gameplay helping to ease within neoliberalism, while remaining
the communication gap. firmly grounded in the realm of play.

> 95
fig. 11 Original Swiss Playing Cards.

IDE96 ATI

When initially conceiving my meaningful suits to
replace the Swiss cards’, I leaned upon my political
trend drivers outlined earlier. I divided societal
resources up into appropriate values segments
to represent the inner workings of neoliberalism.
I based my final groupings upon the nature of
neoliberal capitalism and the monopolies and
disparity of wealth it harbours.

fig. 12 Initial breaking down of political drivers and societal incomings.

I ultimately landed upon the four groups of Food, Access to Information,
Healthcare and Wealth. These four groups are meaningful while remaining
universally topical. Access to Information is a more abstract suit that I
wished to highlight as with our growing interconnectivity, information and
news are becoming awash with bias and censorship.

FOOD / INFORMATION /

97

use of iconography
for food suits.
I.e. Ace = Lobster
Köng = Cheese etc.

No. 7 equating to
more socialist aspects
of society.

fig. 13 segmenting of card groups I then attempted to segment these
categories into nine individual elements
to align with the card numbers. I
began by attempting to segment
these elements by ‘luxury’, however,
when producing my final iterations
I realised the iconography of the
capitalist figurehead to be more
important. Rather than changing each
suit to have relevant figures to match
the quantifying number, I opted to
maintain those iconic figures as their
positions in the deck as to show the
stagnant wealth in society and how
impenetrable the capitalist class can be
in a neoliberal society.

ON.
HEALTHCARE / WEALTH.

ITE98
A less traditional iterartion
of the card design. I used a
larger image of Donald Trump
in order to evoke a response.

A more
traditional
iterartion of
the card design,
featuring the
same structure
as the swiss

cards.

fig. 14, 15, 16 hand drawn card iterations.

I drew an initial conceptual hand
drawing for each of my suits and then
proceeded to digitise these using
Adobe Illustrator. I wished to pay
homage to the Swiss Playing card’s
rhythm and balance - referencing each
suits accompanying symbols.

RAT 99

When digitising my suits, I
experimented heavily with the
branding. I was torn between remaining
true to the traditional Swiss cards or
redesigning the card to separate it fro
such a well-known category of cards. I
trialled creating neo-traditional cards
that were more true to the Swiss-style,
however, after multiple iterations,
I decided a simplistic illustrated
approach allowed me to draw more
emphasis to the underlying message of
the game. Relying on iconography and
personal attachment to the capitalist
class figureheads on the card and the
concepts shown adds more spark for
healthy conversation than when the
cards give away all the information.

ION.

fig. 17 initial stages of illustrating my cards.

BRA100 NDIN
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