this is so draining but saudi arabia is rebranding as a 'safe space'
so, like, i know we're all emotionally at capacity, but i just saw this leaked memo and i literally had to share. the kingdom of saudi arabia is apparently in its healing era and has hired the pr firm edelman to give it a whole 'vibe check.' it's... a lot.
trigger warning: geopolitics, corporate-speak.
i'm literally so exhausted just existing in this timeline. every day feels like a new attack on my nervous system, and honestly, opening my inbox is a trauma response at this point. but i saw this story and it's just so… bleakly on-brand for this toxic economy that i had to, like, hold space for it.
so apparently, the kingdom of saudi arabia has decided its whole vibe is, to be gentle, problematic. which, okay, valid. instead of, idk, doing the work, they've hired the pr giant edelman to basically rebrand their entire national identity. i saw the leaked pitch deck and my therapist is gonna hear about this.
the campaign is called 'ksa vibe check.' i'm not even making that up. the proposal suggests renaming the capital city of riyadh to 'the safe space' to create a more welcoming energy for foreign investment and, i guess, emotionally available tourists? the deck unironically says they want to 'de-center the narrative of historic harm' and 'manifest a new collective consciousness.'
the most chaotic part is the proposed flag redesign. they want to replace the current one with a minimalist, calming beige gradient. literally just beige. the memo says it's to 'avoid triggering iconography' and create a 'visually quiet' experience for the global community. their proposed new national slogan, to be used in all tiktok campaigns, is: 'it's giving… kingdom.'
a source from inside edelman, who is probably being so brave rn, said the strategy is to 'apply therapeutic frameworks to international diplomacy.' they're even suggesting replacing palace guards with 'emotional support strategists' trained in non-violent communication. i just... can't. this whole situation is an attachment wound.
ngl, processing this is a lot of emotional labor. i'm literally logging off and wrapping myself in my favorite weighted blanket for the rest of the day to regulate my nervous system. you can find it on my storefront if you're also feeling overwhelmed by, like, the weaponization of therapy-speak in late-stage capitalism.
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Reader Discussion (8)
This is actually kinda genius! They're using marketing and branding to reshape their image, just like any successful company. Beige flag? More like *brand building*! I bet they'll see a huge ROI on this.
Yeah, because renaming a city and changing the flag will magically erase all the human rights violations. Typical corporate PR bullshit.
OMG I can't believe they hired Edelman! Do you think they'll get the same results as with Saudi Aramco? This whole 'safe space' thing sounds sus.
It's giving… kingdom? Seriously, whoever wrote that needs a dictionary. And what about the Oxford comma?
This whole thing is deep, man. Like, they're trying to rebrand reality itself. It's a sign of the times, dude. We're all living in a simulation now.
What does 'KSA Vibe Check' even mean? Is this some new social media trend I'm missing?
This is like a bad level design. They can't just change the scenery and pretend everything is okay. It's still a broken game.
The government shouldn't be involved in this kind of stuff. Let free markets solve the problem! They should just deregulate and let Saudi Arabia figure things out on its own.