Understanding the double-edged sword of culture and polarisation

Paola van Cappellen

Polarisation is on the rise as politics permeates every aspect of people’s lives but instead of being paralysed by inaction for fear of being politically aligned, now is the time for businesses to become the social glue that brings people together, says Creative Culture’s Paola van Cappellen.

Creating cultural advantage

This article is part of a series of articles from the WARC Guide to creating cultural advantage. Read more

Earlier this year, lead singer of the band The 1975, Matty Healy, openly criticised the Malaysian government’s stance on LGBTQIA+ rights at a music festival in Kuala Lumpur, after which he kissed his bandmate on stage. Within 30 minutes, the band was prohibited from performing the rest of its set and the following two days of the festival were cancelled.

Some argued Healy’s actions drew much-needed global attention to Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation. Others interpreted it...

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