The American stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle recently shared a wonderful analogy about what it's like to be a celebrity these days. He describes the experience as being akin to storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, bombs exploding and bullets flying as the battle unfolds around you, while being forced to wear a happy expression on your face the whole time.
His joke resonated because everywhere I look, I notice examples of leaders – those running governments and businesses – doing the same thing. They attempt to communicate a sense of control when they are obviously dealing with brutal technological, economic and climate-driven trends.
It will ultimately prove futile to maintain a forced smile in the public discourse while the running of a business or country is undermined by the various forces at play. No one is buying it anymore. The facade will not hold. It's like circling a giant drain. Eventually, you're going to drown.
Throughout history, leaders have, of course, always played to the gallery. However, in recent decades the proliferation of media and the closer proximity of bigger audiences as a result has raised the likely risk of failure. Since the 1990s, and the emergence of an era of political correctness that coincided with 24-hour news channels and then the rise of digital media platforms, the attempts to be seen to be PC have morphed into what some describe as culture wars. Regardless of the cause, issue or topic in question, we have grown weary of being pandered to.
US President Donald Trump hinted at this collective exhaustion when he mentioned a crisis of trust during his inauguration speech on Monday. That is partly why those leaders who've been the most effective at engaging with a broad group of people on both sides of the political divide have been from the companies, people and institutions that know exactly who they are and what they are about.
John Browne, chief executive of BP between 1995 and 2007 (the company’s golden period) calls this “purpose”. Being able to communicate what this purpose is consistently and directly to your audiences, customers and employees is what matters more than following a trend.
Mr Browne told Bloomberg in September that losing sight of purpose can result in the very backlash that is trying to be avoided.
“I come back to the question of purpose,” he said. “The purpose of a company is to create goods and services which are compatible with society, that actually make money for their shareholders. Companies are not in the business of just doing ESG. When it looks like the company is just doing ESG people react against it.”
Ironically, there is no better illustration right now of how to avoid such pitfalls – by both being able to evolve with the times successfully and knowing yourself and your audience – than the WWE, the professional wrestling organisation.
For much of wrestling’s modern history it had been the ultimate example of maintaining a facade. There was an unspoken pact where everyone involved knew that it wasn’t real competition but to shatter that illusion would have been considered an exercise in corporate self-immolation. The expectation being no one would want to watch it anymore.
However, as the WWE has grown and ridden through many challenges it has learnt it can be authentic without hurting its product. After signing a landmark 10-year distribution deal with Netflix, giving it unprecedented global reach, it marked the moment by broadcasting during its first live-streamed show a promotional video montage that burst the bubble irrevocably. Chief content officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque was straight-faced amid the controversy, highlighting that its audiences appreciated wrestling as an “art form”.
“The reaction seems like we did a good job with it. That was the intent: to capture the emotion and let people know we’re not hiding what we do. I saw a lot of chatter today from people saying, ‘Oh my God, they said heel and face and shoot and work in one promo.’ We’re not hiding what we do. That’s what we do," he said.
Mr Levesque’s response to the noise is refreshing and likely marks the start of a period of maturity in the business world. We will increasingly become familiar with it as more and more leaders recognise how far the landscape has shifted.
It may result in an end to what the British liberal philosopher John Stuart Mill, who wrote the seminal book On Liberty in the 19th century, called the risk of oppression by the tyranny of the majority and that has been a fixture in recent years.
He was a staunch defender, too, of freedom of speech, which so many people are currently claiming to be the custodians of, cynically covering the pursuit of their own self-interests. That is just another form of pandering in the end.
Perhaps the best lesson we can draw in 2025 from Mill – who championed the rights of the individual to strive for a life of originality – is that while originality will always be rejected by the mainstream, it is vital to nurture it for any hope of creating a more equitable world. When the fear of being ostracised just for what you bring to the world diminishes, there is more light and, as a result, fewer dark places from which chaos and havoc can be wrought.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
