Beyond the optics of purpose

Purpose-driven branding is everywhere. Companies align with causes and signal inclusion - but signaling values isn't the same as shaping culture... or protecting it.

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While pundits opine and rage-baiters perform, something deeper is pulling us away from the values of tolerance, equity, and democratic integrity. Authoritarianism isn't only political - it's psychological. It's a pattern of power rooted in fear, oriented toward control and obedience, and driven by discomfort with uncertainty, dissent, and complexity. It suppresses freedoms and constrains what's possible in relationships, institutions, and our shared future.

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In this moment, brands and leaders have a quiet but radical opportunity: to truly design for dignity, clarity, and resilience. They have the opportunity to address the deeper drivers that make authoritarian promises feel appealing.

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The drift is real: Recognizing the waters we're in

According to the 2025 V-Dem Institute report, the United States is experiencing the "fastest evolving episode of autocratization in modern history" (Nehme, 2025, para. 6), with weakened oversight bodies, attacks on media, and concentrated executive power¹. Globally, the trend is just as stark: for the first time in 20 years, there are more autocracies than democracies worldwide¹.

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In Canada, we might be comparatively stable, but we're not immune. Despite our government focusing policy on defending against this trend, we need to acknowledge: 

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• 27% of Canadians don't reject the idea of authoritarianism for Canada²
• 56% of Canadians don't trust the government to act in their best interests²
• 34% of Canadians embrace populist beliefs, with higher popularity for ordered populism among older demographics, lower income groups, and in Alberta and Saskatchewan³

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This isn't about one party, one country, or one villain. it's about a global cultural shift toward simplicity, control, and distrust. It manifests in attacks on educational institutions and resources, in censorship tactics against journalism, in nationalist rhetoric, and in the destruction of institutionalized checks on power.

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How authoritarianism hooks us: Psychological and social drivers

It doesn't crash in like a wave... most of the time, it's not immediate, loud, or even frightening. Authoritarianism creeps in like a rising tide. It feeds on desires for emotional anchoring and relief when the world feels unstable or overwhelming.

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Psychological drivers

Fear and anomie

Perceptions of economic strain, rising crime, or cultural instability all set the stage for fear. A cross-cultural 2025 study found that fear of real-world dangers strongly predicts authoritarian attitudes, regardless of whether someone considers themselves conservative or liberal in their politics⁴. Anomie, the sense that society is breaking down, leads to political disorientation, making authoritarian promises of "order" more appealing⁵.

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‍Cognitive overload and false relief

Chronic stress and mental overload don't just fray our nerves - they change how we think. In a state of overwhelm, the brain shifts away from the prefrontal cortex (the area for logic and planning) and into reactive, survival-oriented circuits⁶. Emotional stress weakens our ability to analyze, reflect, and plan⁷, and chronic stress can impair memory and our ability to learn⁸.

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Intelligent manipulation

Authoritarianism weaponizes what Kahneman calls "fast thinking" - our instinctive, emotional system - using heightened emotion, symbolism, oversimplification, and charismatic figureheads⁹. It disables "slow thinking" - rational, effortful reasoning - by overwhelming us with fear, disinformation, and loyalty expectations⁹. This way, these beliefs and figures can become the easier, more emotionally gratifying choices to identify with.

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Social drivers

Economic inequality

People who experience economic instability are more likely to adopt a "dangerous worldview": one in which the world is hostile, and safety can only be restored by social hierarchy and strong, punitive leadership¹⁰.

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‍Cultural displacement

To many, social change can feel like cultural loss. Shifts in demographics, gender roles, or traditions may be interpreted as threats to personal identity. Authoritarian leaders frame themselves as protectors of the "real" identity against outsiders, migrants, or marginalized groups^5,9.

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Collapse of shared reality

As information ecosystems fracture and faith in government institutions erodes, people lose trust in truth itself. Without a shared baseline of reality, democracy cannot function. Authoritarian regimes thrive in this vacuum - centralizing power, suppressing dissent, controlling narratives, and dismantling checks that protect the collective truth^5,9.

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Learning to swim: The protective power of critical thought

Critical thinking is a form of self-defense. It’s a capability that keeps people grounded in the face of fear, confusion, and social pressure. Practicing critical thought reduces emotional overwhelm and anxiety, supports more effective coping strategies, builds resilience, and helps individuals recognize and manage their own cognitive distortions^11,12.

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Not everyone naturally leans toward critical thinking, but it CAN be taught, even to those without that strong starting disposition¹³.Yet, despite widespread public support for teaching these essential skills, formal instruction in the classroom is inconsistent and may often be missing critical neurodevelopmental windows^14,15.

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The good news? It’s never too late. Teaching critical thinking later in life has been shown to increase a personal sense of empowerment and security¹⁶. In fact, continuing education in adulthood is directly linked to stronger critical faculties, expanded cognitive capabilities, and better brain health overall¹⁷.  

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In short: critical thinking is the capacity to swim when the waters surge. It’s learnable, it’s trainable, and it’s a survival skill worth practicing.  

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Practical moves for brands, leaders, and organizations

You can't dismantle authoritarianism alone... but you can help give people the tools they need to resist it. The goal isn't to preach, but to help people stay afloat and navigate psychologically, socially, and emotionally by addressing drivers that make authoritarian rhetoric seem attractive in the first place.

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For brands and communicators

• Cultivate Curiosity. Design campaigns, content, and experiences that spark exploration, invite open questions, and model intellectual humility. Curiosity is a quiet act of rebellion in a culture full of cheap certainty. ‍

• Hold Space for Nuance. Simplicity and clarity are key to message comprehension in advertising – but find opportunities to embrace complexity. Normalize “both/and” thinking, and avoid forcing binaries when real life is layered and contradictory. Make room for tension, ambiguity, and growth in the stories you’re telling‍

• Foster Wonder and Connection. Reawaken people’s sense of shared humanity, creativity, and awe—whether through storytelling, immersive experiences, or nature-rooted messaging. These emotional anchors buffer against fear-driven thinking.

• ‍Strengthen Resilience. Equip people to handle discomfort and difference with confidence. Tell stories of perseverance. Build solutions, products, or systems that meet real human needs (not superficial desires) and model courage in action.

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For leaders and teams

• Reinforce Psychological Safety. Create environments where questioning, dissent, and “I’m not sure” are signs of strength. Train people leaders to recognize and reward those moments—not as challenges to authority, but as evidence of critical thinking and gateways to progress.

• Make Emotional Intelligence Skills a Non-Negotiable. Responsible and ethical leadership is a cornerstone to healthy group dynamics, and this requires being able to navigate and hold space for differing perspectives and challenging emotions. Continuous EQ training, especially for anyone in a position of power or influence, is a must.

• Facilitate Emotional Decompression. Organizational disruptions and changes can be hard – someone’s workplace can be the basis of their life for a least 40 hours a week, and it’s a determining factor for many of the resources they might have available to them. Let people fully process the challenges that impact them, and offer space and structures for navigating uncertainty.

• Normalize Metacognitive Practices. Make self-reflection visible and routine. Encourage journaling, thought tracking, and inquiry circles as personal development tools.

• Embed Empowerment into Development Plans. Integrate upskilling plans and critical thinking training into employee curricula and development plans, and consider adding continuing education support into benefit packages.

• Expand Wellness Support to Address Real Stressors. Increase access and support for coaching and counselling resources, and provide practical resources to address career or financial anxieties, nervous system or emotional regulation, or loneliness and depression.

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For organizations and institutions

• Be Present Where You Operate. Don’t just passively sponsor - get involved in the communities where you’re doing business. Host connection events, support charities, and integrate with local businesses. Create touchpoints of connection and reciprocity between your organization and the communities you benefit from.  

• Fund Media Literacy and Critical Thinking Education. Invest in programs that give educators structured, evidence-based toolkits – and prioritize efforts that build lifelong critical thinking habits in both young learners and adults.  

• Treat Job Security, Fair Wages, and Ethical Employee Treatment as Moral Imperatives. Economic instability and perceptions of powerlessness are a gateways to societal fear and collapse. Ethical labour practices are a frontline defense.

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Final reflection: How we stay afloat

Authoritarianism is a political formation, a psychological state, and a social contagion. It’s a reflection of a collapse in how we process uncertainty, discomfort, and difference. As the tide rises – emotionally, economically, politically – some people will already have support. Others will be flailing, breathless, and searching for something to grab onto.

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Brands shape culture every day. They show people what’s normal, what’s possible, and what’s valued. They also have the reach and the platforms to significantly influence how people respond to the world around them. If you want to be a force in the world that matters, walk the talk and ask yourself:

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• Are we helping our audiences explore?
• Do our stories invite nuance and exploration, or suppress it? 
• Are we modelling resiliance, or just avoiding discomfort? 
• How are we having a positive impact on the communities around us? 

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Democracy isn’t preserved by institutions alone – it’s sustained in the minds and relationships of ordinary people. When we nurture critical thinking, curiosity, and courage, we can go beyond resisting the tide… we can redirect the current.

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