Prompt Number Two

In 400 – 500 words, discuss in detail how one historical period, cultural genre, or significant text (listed below) not discussed in any other prompt has proved foundational to the world of today.
The main idea in current discussions social, political, or educational is “fairness” and “justice”. During the Industrial Revolution the idea of Social Justice became a rallying banner that well-meaning activists and abused workers joined under in the hopes of making the world a better place. The age of the industrial revolution brought about changes in society that brought about an equality of experience. With the industrial age standardization became more widespread, which helped speed up production which in turn raised demand for manufactured goods. This could be seen as the roots for the beginning of the information age. The printing press was refined for faster output and this helped increase the population’s similarity and familiarity of knowledge. Newspapers went from a weekly publication to a daily publication; the common man now had a consistent source of information, reliable and relevant to his life. News of people from other places, or other classes, or other situations became knowledge in hand. People started forming groups, societies and other awareness assemblies in an effort to fix the injustices or even inconveniences around them. Emerging Modernism introduced the cultural desire to turn from the established philosophies of the previous age (and with it challenge the power the upper class held over the working class). The idea that men are all equal citizens of their nation became an ideal embedded into the consciousness of the Age. Workers banded together to demand better treatment from their employers and they got it. It wasn’t handed to them; they had to earn it with tears, sweat, blood, bruises and often their lives. This willingness for sacrifice to achieve a greater good began to be reflected in art and philosophy. With the technology to get out information and the demand of the readers for news that mattered, even if the abusers of power and station didn’t want to let people know, they had to provide product that people wanted. Supply and demand moved quickly beyond textiles, metals, and foods into information and common cause.
Today we still band together with a common cause or idea. It’s no longer simply unions protecting from employers, but students trying to get their message out. It’s voters demanding accurate representation, mothers wanting better foods for their children, fathers getting together to work on cars or talk about sports. The main focus of social interaction is finding the cause people have in common. High school students are encouraged to start clubs based on mutual interests; language; a pop culture phenomenon like manga/anime or a television show; or an activity such as theater, politics or art. Avid readers start book clubs to talk about how they were inspired, captivated or otherwise stimulated by writing. This seemingly natural inclination is a relatively recent phenomenon in society. The Industrial Revolution thrust upon human nature the longing for camaraderie in activity, an inclination that can’t be stopped without severe repercussions or extreme measures. Social networking sites that started as broad ranged interaction have inspired more specific minded people to branch out more selectively into an idea to draw people together. The effect of developments in technology and the methods used to get there, both for better and worse, are so wide spread in their range and occasionally with unobserved influence that they are taken for granted, or assumed to have nearly always been so. Such is not the case, because the groundwork laid by the forefathers of progress did not happen unintentionally, nor should we expect more progress to be made without similar work ethic or progressive mentality.

Word Count: 590