ECB lets vote on new euro banknotes: They have a bird

First you have to confirm that you are a living person. And not a gannet or Beethoven. The ECB’s homepage then states: “Our euro banknotes are being redesigned – and you can have a part in it!” Among other things, by choosing the bird that you think suits the EU best. Unfortunately, the bankrupt vulture is not available for selection. Neither does the vulture that circles over the ability to make decisions.

The approximately 350 million EU citizens have until September 21st to have a say in what the future euro notes should look like. It is the first complete redesign since the introduction of the euro in 2002; The new grades will not be available until 2028 at the earliest. You can now basically choose between the surprisingly original topic “European Culture” and the amazingly original topic “Rivers and Birds”. These two strands had previously been participatory through online surveys and in committee meetings supported by advisory groups.

The world may have finally entered ESC televoting mode. The outcome is still unclear, but there is a sense of foreboding: the spread of ever more ugliness in the form of the lowest common denominator of taste. At least everyone has a good feeling because being there is everything.

At Lego “Ideas” you can submit your own designs for new building block sets online. Chip manufacturer Lay’s asked consumers for new flavor ideas. One result: cappuccino-flavored chips. Haribo uses online voting for new fruit gum mixtures. The ECB is now doing something similar. Joseph Beuys was almost right when he assumed: “Every person is an artist.” That’s not true, but at least every person with a cell phone is capable of the true gold standard of today: feedback.

Participation is a powerful magic because, on the one hand, democracies as a political form of society are threatened, but on the other hand there are more and more pseudo-democratic offers of participation – on the level of things, since one can, and indeed should have, any opinion on any product. Because everyone’s feedback ultimately protects everyone from having to take responsibility for anything and make decisions for themselves.

Clicking around and wiping away, I guess you can do that?

What, you have no idea, for example, about banknote design? No idea, no strong sense of style and no idea of ​​aesthetics? You don’t know anything about the venerable design history in the realm of money? That the best engravers in their countries once worked to design money as a national signifier? That important graphic artists designed banknotes as ciphers of national characteristics and representative suggestions? All the better: because you can click around, swipe away and find something okay, really great or really stupid for whatever reason: anyone can do that.

So please, let’s get involved. According to the ECB, the theme of “rivers and birds” reflects, at least in theory, the diversity of Europe’s natural ecosystems. For the five-euro note, the wallcreeper is in the running; for the tenner it is the kingfisher. The gannet adorns the 200-franc note. On the back you can see: EU institutions. The topic of “culture” is about Maria Callas, Ludwig van Beethoven, Marie Curie and Bertha von Suttner. The backs consist of everyday cultural scenes. You can see street artists or a children’s choir.

The good thing about this idea: The previous motifs, fictional buildings that no one knows about (which is why they never bother you), become obsolete. The bad news: The design, made up of bureaucracy and participation hype, is uninspired and arbitrary. But perhaps the whole thing is also a brilliant trick by the EU, which has long been thinking about how to abolish the unpopular cash without making a big fuss. The best way is to print money that no one wants – because everyone has decided on it.