The Dollar, the Pound Sterling, and the Euro: Technologies that Influence our Perceptions

Upon returning from Italy last January, I was surprised at how much I missed the euro after beginning to use dollars again.  At that point, I wasn’t sure why I had grown attached to the euro.  But now, especially since I am using a currency quite similar to the euro again – the pound sterling – I realize that, in my case, forms of currency have changed my perception of monetary transactions.

Our paper and metal friends, having a party. (Image:  rgbnetworks.com)

                Aesthetically, the dollar vastly differs from the pound and the euro.  While all dollar bills are relatively monochromatic (shades of dull green on beige), each differently valued bill of pounds or euros has its own hue.  Different from the dollar, the pound’s and euro’s bill sizes also change with value – a 5 pound/euro bill is much smaller than a 10, 20, or 50 pound/euro bill.  The size of the bills with the pound and euro increase incrementally, and this leads the currency-holder to quickly be able to determine the bill needed.  Also, the brightly colored bills seem to invite the user to spend them, much like colorful birds hoping to find their mates.

The euro, in its colorful beauty.  Note the architecture featured on it!  (Image: pandaamerica.com)

The pound is a bit more subdued than the euro, but it is still incrementally sized.  (Image:  web)

I realize that I enjoyed these qualities; I liked being able to find the bills quickly, and I also delighted in the colors of the bills and I was excited to have them in my wallet and use them.   In light of these differences and my own personal anecdotes, I wonder about what sort of effect the aesthetic qualities of a currency has on the frequency of transactions within a country.   I haven’t been in England long enough to evaluate the effects of the pound on my spending habits, but I’ve certainly felt the sting of trying to wrap my head around the true value of my purchases (where a 5 pound meal is worth a rough $8).

Furthermore, I’ve noticed that both my classmates and I have had problems acclimating to a frequent use of one and two pound coins when buying things.  Several people have large stockpiles of coins that they do not carry with them – surely this adds up to a large amount of money that has become stale!  As Americans, we struggle a bit because we’re in the habit of stuffing coins away in discreet places.  So, in England, it’s disturbing to realize that you’ve got 14 pounds in coins that you had just forgotten. Ultimately, I wonder if these differences have effects that might be noticed on a societal or economic scale.  Also, does the aesthetic experience of the currency have effects on spending readiness?

Do you really want to part with your friendly Darwin?  Or the beautiful hummingbird?  (Image:  conservationreport.org)

In the process of writing this blog, I also came up with another few questions that might be more related to the course – does a currency help to solidify a country’s perception of its own master narrative?  For those who don’t know what I’m referring to, a master narrative is a description of an object or phenomenon’s history that hopes to explain its entire essence by mentioning and linking several pivotal events or information.  As we realized in class, the process of developing a master narrative can be flawed because the process of writing a narrative inevitably privileges certain historical events, concepts, or figures over others. For example, in the case of the U.S.A.'s master narrative, people refer to the founding fathers and the Bill of Rights, but neglect to include other information such as the presence of Native Americans upon the puritans’ arrival, and the many horrible transgressions against them, such as the Trail of Tears.  How would America be different if Native Americans were part of the prevailing master narrative?

I might argue that currency plays a part in defining a country’s master narrative.  In the U.S., the figures who confront us every day on our currency are figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and others. In contrast, I was surprised to find Charles Darwin on the English 10 pound bill.  Then, when researching past figures on pound sterling bills, I noticed that Isaac Newton and Michael Faraday had been on previous bills.  All of these figures are definitely part of England's master narrative, Cambridge's master narrative, or the master narrative of scientific discovery.  Bearing the symbolic quality of these figures in mind, I speculate that the legacy of the figures on a country’s currency have noticeable effects on the country’s overall image and also its master narrative; although, I must admit that I don’t really know the exact nature of these effects or where to look for them.

Elizabeth Fry also appears on the pound... one must admit that it's pretty freaky to find two important figures you're talking about in class perpetually following you around!  (Image: catalystmin.org)