Rag Rag : The Rag Rag Annual Magazine, 1958

University of Manchester Student Union

Rag Rag

<p style='text-align: justify;'><b>Content warning: As an historical item, some content in this magazine contains language and imagery that reflect the prejudices of the era, which are offensive, oppressive and may cause upset. This is not condoned by The University of Manchester, but we are committed to providing access to this material as evidence of the inequalities and attitudes of the time period.</b></p><p style='text-align: justify;'>The 1958 Rag Rag magazine was produced by students to raise money for charitable causes across Manchester. This volume cost two shillings, and the editorial apologises for the large price increase over last year’s edition (one shilling). The two main beneficiaries are the Manchester University Settlement and the Children’s Tumour Registry (Cancer Research). Others included family service units, other local hospitals, children’s refuges, elderly charities and societies for the deaf and blind.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>Features include ‘What a life’, an exaggerated portrayal of how a student spends their time each week and ‘The Way of All Flesh’, a parody of a Robert Service poem. There are also jokes referencing football rivalries, nationalisation, post-war credit and devaluation. Cartoons show marriage, courtship and infidelity. Some cartoons show sexualised female imagery and racial stereotypes.</p><p style='text-align: justify;'>There are advertisements for City Secretarial Services, Dickinson’s butchers, Price bakers, British European Airways, Crown wallpapers, The Cripples’ Help Society, Manchester Liners Ltd., McMillan Graham & Co publishing, Thomas Storey unifloats, Walpamur paints and others. </p>