I am in Geneva, Switzerland as an advisor to the United Nations campaign Safe Planet, a program under the umbrella of the Basel, Stockholm, and Rotterdam Conventions on pollutants in the environment. The aim is to educate the global community on the hazardous chemicals that persist in our environment and affect the health and welfare of people.
As an activist for The 5 Gyres Institute, I work to educate the public on how these harmful chemicals adhere to plastic in the ocean which are eaten by fish, and ultimately move up the food chain where they are consumed by humans. In the room (yes, I’m blogging during a UN meeting-shhhhh!!!) are Swedes, Norwegians, Bahamanians, Frenchies, the Welsh, Germans, Czechs, and Netherlanders.
The meeting might sound dry, but the nature of what we’re talking about is far from it.
We’re sharing our cultural perspectives on how messaging and branding is interpreted by different walks of life and how difficult it is to communicate over cultural lines even when we’re talking about a common environmental problem. What I’m hearing in the room most often is that there is an overwhelming tendency to brand messaging in a style that works for Americans, but falls shorts for other nationalities. The result of this USA-centric communication is mistrust and anger.
I consider myself a global citizen, trying to be sensitive to other national ideas and identities, but even at my best, I still make assumptions about how most people will interpret information. Obviously, in a situation like this where in I’m in a U.N. meeting, I can make quick work of my cultural biases because I’m a minority amongst some of the smartest people I’ve ever met – and we’re all working towards a common international goal.
But what about when I’m not at a United Nations retreat? How can I ensure that I have an informed and translatable world view working as an agent for change?
The answer is almost too obvious – and it’s not just about traveling. It’s about taking proactive moves to step outside of one’s own cultural comfort zone and consume information from foreign sources, for better or for worse. It’s about eating strange and exotic foods. It’s about finding foreign media sources whether it’s news, film, or foreign television. BBC. Al Jazeera. If we are going to be part of a globalized society then we have to engage with globally sourced media, not just occasionally, but habitually. Why? Because everyone’s perspective matters. Near or far.