Brand Activism Chronicles Episode 2

The podcast episode discusses the theme of polarization and its impact on brand activism. It explores how brands navigate through polarized landscapes and whether they contribute to polarization or act as agents of positive change. The hosts provide examples of polarization from the Netherlands, Ireland, Japan, and France, such as the controversy surrounding Black Pete in the Netherlands and the conflict between Palestine and Israel. The episode concludes by emphasizing the role of brands in shaping the narrative and promoting inclusivity and understanding. Welcome back to Brown Maximum Chronicles, the podcast where we delve into the intricate relationship between brands and societal issues. I'm your host, Riko, joined by Dean and Mace. In this episode, we pivot our focus to explore the theme of polarization and its impact on brand activism. From political polarization to cultural device, polarization permeates every aspect of our society. How do brands navigate through these polarized landscapes? Can brands play a role in bridging to device or do they inadvertently contribute to polarization? Join us as we navigate through the complexities of polarization in the world of brand activism. We'll uncover the strategies brands employ to address polarizing issues, examine the challenges they face, and explore the potential for brands to act as agents of positive change amidst polarization. This is Brand Activism Chronicles, where we unrival the stories behind brands navigating the polarized terrain of our modern world. Let's dive in. Now, before we get into the relationship between polarization and brand activism, let's talk about what polarization is. The definition of polarization is the act of dividing something, especially something that contains different people or opinions, into two completely opposing groups. It occurs on topics that clearly divide proponents and opponents and the two positions are often in severe conflict. Examples of topics that lead to polarization include gun control, immigration issues, euthanasia, and abortion, which occur in a variety of areas such as political, social, and health. So, what do you think about polarization? Do you have any examples from your countries? Yeah, should I go first? Yeah, you go, Maarten. First of all, thanks to be back here on the podcast. I had a great time last time. So, yeah, of course, we have in the Netherlands a lot of types of polarization, political, social, religious. One example we had for the past years was, did you ever hear about Black Pete? No. You didn't as well? It's like, before Christmas we have like a holiday that a guy comes in here. He's from Spain. It's a fictional guy. It's like the Dutch version of Santa Claus and like in the States or the English countries, Santa Claus has like elves, right? To be his helpers, right? And here in the Netherlands, we have Black Pete. So it's Black assistance from Santa Claus. You heard about that? No. No, still not? So, when I grew up, there was like, how do you say that? I didn't see really anything behind it. It was just Santa Claus, what he's called, and his helper. But when I grew up and a lot of other people grew up, they like associated it with slavery. So, I'll show you a picture later, that it looks like a white guy is in charge and the Black Pete's are his slaves. So for the past few years, yeah, that was kind of a discussion point from lots of different groups in the Netherlands because a lot of the Black people in the Netherlands thought it was associated with slavery and therefore it should be like banished. But like the other side, the white people, they didn't really see that behind it, probably because they're white. But because the story from what everyone is told is like he gets Black because he brings the presents in the houses by going into the chimney, from the roof into the chimney. And that because of the coal, he gets Black because of it. That's how he, but the people from, the Black people in this discussion, they don't believe that and they think it's because he just took slaves from Africa and therefore they are his helpers. So that was a lot of discussion point in the Netherlands. A lot of protest, a lot of discussion in the media and now they like banish that. Now the Black Pete's are other colors. They are, for example, you have a rainbow Pete or you have a cookie Pete. So just the rainbow Pete is like the colors of the rainbow in his face. The cookie is like, this is cookie. So they got their wishes. So that's an example of polarization in the Netherlands. Yeah, I don't know. What do you think of it? Yeah, that's a good example. Do you have one, Dean? Yeah, I do. So, obviously, I'm Dean, here again on Awesome Ireland. I think we, Ireland, we have a pretty obvious one in regards to people, obviously, you know our history and stuff, regarding for the North of Ireland, the whole situation that goes up there. So put some context into what that is. Northern Ireland is under British ruling and under British government. So it's now known as Northern Ireland, which is technically under British law. So it's a part of the UK, where the South of Ireland is a republic. But within the North, there's a massive, massive split within the country. Back in the day... Sorry, what? Splish? A split. So there's a divide, a big divide within the country. Because, traditionally, people, the Irish people who live in Northern Ireland, they'd be known as nationalists. A lot of them would be wanting the North to be a part of Ireland, for Ireland, for Ireland. In that sense, where then the population known as unionists, they'd be maybe Protestant, and they'd be of British descent, and they'd be wanting Northern Ireland to stay as part of the UK. Because for a lot of the younger generations, like people our age, they were raised up within Northern Ireland that's part of the UK, so to them, they want to stay where they're a part of. So there's always been a massive divide up there of two big parties, either nationalists or unionists. And being a nationalist, traditionally, would have been Catholic. Unionist, traditionally, would have been Protestant. But when it's moved on from that now, it's a lot different to what it was back in the 60s and 70s in the North. But saying that there's a massive divide. Because much of the population of Northern Ireland identifies with one of the two ideologies, unionism or either Irish nationalism. But now, as of 2022, there's actually now more Catholic percentage in the North of Ireland than there is Protestants, with 42.3% of Northern Ireland claiming to be Catholic, and 37.4% claiming to be Protestant. So it's switched in that divide, but regarding the ideas of nationalism and unionism, has not flipped as much. So within the North, the whole history of it, we're still under British rule. And it's still there to this day, but a lot of people live in there. There's a huge divide because of that. Because they either feel that they either want to be a part of Ireland, they want to be a part of the UK, or some of them solely who are people, a lot of people of Irish generation to say, I want to be a part of Northern Ireland. They want to be either. You know what I mean? They feel like that's where they're from. So that's an example of polarization anyway from Ireland, which has a big, deep rooted history in Ireland. I think when we're talking, there's a much more recent one, I think, and that speaks to all of us, maybe a little less in Japan, but you see like the Palestine and the Israel conflict now. Of course. A lot of people like us, we're not really in the middle of it, don't really know how to form an opinion because we're not really that educated by the conflict. But you see still, there are like two different camps here. I think this is a big example of polarization right now. For sure. That's an example. Definitely. Obviously, the whole conflict's been on for 60, 70 years. Yeah. But once again, it's really, really big in the media. Terrible things are happening in that sense. And it's just two totally different sides against each other. But saying that, that's just a genocide. But anyway, so yeah. Is there a Japan example of polarization? Yeah. One example from France is about nuclear power. Do you know what is nuclear power? Yeah. It's like with bombs, right? That's what it is. Yeah. Yeah. For the energy. Yeah. Yeah. Like core energy. You mean that. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And do you know the big earthquake in Japan, 2011? And there's a big tsunami wave. No. Yeah. Well, I probably read about it, but not really. Because of the big earthquake and tsunami, one of the nuclear power stations was destroyed. And the area near the station was blocked because of the, how do you call the... It's not radiation, is it? Yeah, like radiation. Radiation. Yeah. Way too low. Yeah. But for health. Health. Yeah. And also, some people said we have to stop using nuclear power. But some people also said it's really main, main energy sources in Japan. So we have to continue or reuse, have to... Continue like producing it? Yeah. Like now it's stopping. The station is stopping, but some people said we have to start, start again. So it's, yeah, polarized. Like someone is... Two different worlds. Yeah. It's that. It's one of the main examples going on in Japan right now. Yeah. About polarization, yeah. Okay. Interesting. Very interesting. As we come to the end of another insightful episode of Brand Activism Chronicles, we hope you gained valuable perspectives on the intersection of brand and polarization. Remember, polarization is complex issues, issues that touches every aspect of our society. And brands have a unique role to play in shaping the narrative. Whether they're amplifying voices, fostering understandings, or challenging divisive norms, brands have the power to make a difference. We encourage you to continue exploring these themes in your own community and conversations. Together, we can strive for a more inclusive and understanding world. Thank you so much. Yeah. It was great to talk about, yeah, about brand activism and about polarization again, and hear the examples from your country. And I'm excited for next week, because it's going to be my turn. It's your turn. Yeah. What is it? How is my next week made? I believe it's youth activism, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so I'm excited about what examples you're going to bring, and I'm going to look for that myself as well. So yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Brand Activism Chronicles. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.