“Stories can hold together groups, communities and armies, inspire action (or inaction) and make people change their behaviour in anticipation of a certain outcome, thereby rendering the expected outcome more likely. There is no weapon more powerful and no driver of change more effective than a good story.”
Narratives and stories are at the very core of polarisation. It is through the construction of narratives that societies form in- and out-group identities, and it is mostly through stories that politicians, media, audiences, and the internet allow the process of polarisation to escalate even further.
As Dare to be Grey strives for a holistic intervention across many different corners of society, we believe it is crucial to have a consistent narrative at the centre of all our activities. We call this narrative: the ‘Grey Narrative’.
The Grey Narrative is the overarching storyline that we present in all our activities, be it online or offline, to live up to the central mission of our organisation: the empowerment of the Grey Middle Ground.
“The Grey Narrative is the overarching storyline of the Grey Middle Ground.”
The narrative consists of three, interconnected layers. The first layer, the ‘core’, formulates the problem of black-and-white thinking. It explains why polarisation is something we need to be wary about and invites everyone to be part of the solution by joining the Grey Middle Ground.
The second layer concerns our definition of the ‘Grey’. Grey, with a capital G, is not just a colour; it is a social concept, an identity. And to illustrate how we envision Grey as a social norm, we present 5 values that, together, should provide a clear framework of how we apply the concept in different situations and contexts.
The third and final layer concerns the ‘Dare’; the challenges we need to face to actually strengthen the Grey Middle Ground. This layer is usually represented through 3 main calls to action, but, depending on the context, can include many other calls to action. This final layer aims to activate our audiences and shows that we can take back the control from the black-and-white extremes.
The core of the Grey Narrative is based on the term ‘black-and-white thinking’, a term which is often used as a metaphor for ‘thinking in absolutes’ (which is especially common in the Netherlands, but also abroad). Our call to ‘be Grey’ is a direct answer to this expression. Within this layer of the narrative, we explain WHY it is important to ‘be Grey’.
To make this aspect as approachable as possible, we present society as a black-and-white colour spectrum in which the absolute colours of black and white on both ends of the line represent the absolutist, extremist groups and opinions of our society. All the other shades of grey — be it that one particular shade that sits perfectly in the middle or the very light and dark shades near the edges — represent the Grey Middle Ground, that, despite its wide diversity, remains connected and accepts the need to maintain our society in a united fashion.
The black-and-white extremes threaten our society by trying to steal all the attention for their own divisive narrative; thereby enforcing it on those in the Grey Middle Ground that do not actually relate to them. To prevent 'us-versus-them’ narratives from gaining traction, we need to take action and rise to the stage to strengthen the Grey Middle Ground.
1. THE GREY SPECTRUM AS OUR SOCIETY
Our society can be represented on a grey colour spectrum. The absolute colours of black and white are located on both ends of the spectrum and represent the extremists (those thinking in binary absolutes) in a society. The wide range of shades in between form the rest of such society.
2. THE EXTREMES AS BLACK-AND-WHITE
The absolute colours of black and white are the extremes of our society that aim to divide it. Their goal is polarisation. They only think in binary absolutes of us versus them, and good against evil. They think in terms of black-and-white. These extremes push for conflict and, in some cases, don’t shy away from violence either. Their worldview is short sighted, provocative, divisive, and causing alienation.
“The people in the Grey Middle Ground understand that our world is not black-and-white.”
3. THE DYNAMICS OF POLARISATION
Often, society follows the polarising example of the extremes, causing a serious downward spiral. Click-bait headlines and provocative politicians gather much more attention, and the audience is always hungry for the next big sensation. From time to time, one can forget that society simply isn’t just black-and-white.
4. THE GREY MIDDLE GROUND
The Grey Middle Ground is the collection of shades of grey that has not lost sight of the diversity of colours and opinions within our society. The people in the broad, Grey Middle Ground understand that our world isn’t black-and-white, but much more nuanced. Only by taking the stage and speaking out, can we recapture the attention from the extremes and ensure that our society will not go further down the negative spiral of polarisation.
Now, however, we are faced with the question of how this colour spectrum translates to our society? What are the social values we need to associate with ‘being Grey’?
Grey is more than just a colour; it is a social concept, an identity. Within the layer of the Grey, we explain WHAT we exactly consider part of the Grey Middle Ground.
The Grey identity, and our ideas on the Grey Middle Ground and the Grey Society that find their origin in this identity, is founded on the principles of democracy, the rule of law, as our societies have developed these over the last few centuries. In our narrative, we identify five core values that together give a complete image of the Grey Identity.
1. DIVERSITY
First and foremost, the Grey society is a diverse and open society. It is a colourful society. There is equal room for everyone, regardless of their background, heritage, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability. This is not just a matter of tolerance; it is a matter of realising that this diversity strengthens our society.
Whether you are situated on the left side of the Grey spectrum or the right, whether you are brightly coloured Grey or are situated perfectly in the middle; there is a fundamental understanding that we share our society with everyone — and that despite the many differences, there are even more similarities to share.
2. DEBATE
Following the observation of this diverse and open society, we cannot escape the fact that in such a society, opinions and political visions are bound to clash. And there are multiple ways one can respond to such a clash. One can decide to turn a blind eye, to remain silent. Or, one can decide to engage with those opposing opinions through debate; to lay bare the differences that might hide underneath the surface.
The collusion of opinions and beliefs is not something negative. It is one of the basic principles of our democracy. By engaging in a debate, problems can be brought to light, people are encouraged to be critical and creative, and new solutions can be found to the problems within our society.
As long as this debate remains open, with respect for everyone’s opinion, and at the end of the day people remain willing to shake each other’s hands - perhaps even enjoy a glass of beer or a cup of tea afterwards - then you know that we, as a society, are capable of dealing with conflicts in a peaceful manner.
“In a diverse and open society, opinions and political visions are bound to clash.”
“Mutual understanding and empathy prevent alienation.”
3. EMPATHY
Even when you might not be able to meet each other halfway, it is still possible to listen to the other person, to place yourself in their shoe and to show empathy, regardless of the differences.
Mutual understanding and empathy prevent alienation and also give the opportunity to emphasise those aspects we do have in common. In the end, almost everyone is striving for the same things in life, despite the many, many ways one might express it.
4. NUANCE
The concept of nuance is present throughout. The nuanced story is the more difficult story to tell, but it is also the more important one.
Controversial issues always have multiple points of view. And although we do not argue that the truth lies perfectly in the middle between two arguments, we do argue that, at the very least, it is even less plausible to reduce it to a black-and-white juxtaposition.
By staying away from black-and-white fallacies, by allowing nuance to enter your personal convictions, the possibility to build bridges will always remain, no matter how wide the canyon between you and the other individual might appear to be on first instance.
5. DOUBT
Having doubts about a certain subject can be one of the most important components of a debate. Those that doubt are the ones that can tip a debate in the right direction. Whenever two parties fight, it is those who doubt that have already been considering the arguments of both sides for a long time. These people are the ones who are capable of looking at the issue from multiple perspectives and understand where the arguments, and the people promoting them, originate from.
When the doubter decides to take the stage, to engage themselves in the debate, it is the moment when both parties gain a new and serious opportunity to find a solution and finally move on.
The narrative of Dare to be Grey goes beyond just formulating a new, Grey identity. It is a call to action, a call to join the movement that aims to strengthen the Grey Middle Ground of our society. To be Grey, an individual or a group can undertake multiple actions. Within the final narrative layer of the ‘Dare’, we explain HOW people can be Grey and how they can better arm themselves against the polarising forces within a society.
To a large extent, the ‘Dare’ encompasses all our various, context-dependent calls to action. However, we have also formulated three fundamental challenges that every one of us can undertake on a day-to-day basis in an effort to be more Grey.
Attention is at the center of the downward spiral of polarisation. The more attention we give to extremists, the more the polarising black-and-white worldview will turn into a reality.
We shouldn’t ignore pressing issues — but we do need to place them into perspective. By refocusing our attention more towards solutions, role models, and bridge builders, we can stop the spiral of polarisation from spinning out of control.
Try to get out of your bubble by talking to people outside of your direct surroundings. Online, you can do this by expanding the kind of accounts you follow, or the groups you are a part of — it’s not just the algorithms that determine what you encounter on your timeline, you can do that just as much yourself.
Offline, engage in conversations with people who have different points of view than you. Get out of your comfort zone. You never know what new insight it might provide you with.
You have to get out there and be active to make a change; join a movement, a social cause, or a political party. Start writing. Start talking. Join Dare to be Grey and be part of the change!
Based on the observations within the MAPI-spiral, we’ve also formulated various calls to action specifically addressing the media, audiences, politics, and social media platforms.
Written and edited by:
Hannah Richter
Jordy Nijenhuis
Edwin van de Scheur
