Brand Safe

Yeah

They taught me “circle back” before boundaries

Now I turn burnout into boardroom pleasantries

Whole office saying “we family” proudly

Till layoffs hit and suddenly it’s “don’t take this personally”

Damn

I know how the machine talk

“People-first culture” while the team can’t breathe, dog

Every mission statement got fine print hidden

Every “thought leader” just a narcissist with rhythm

And religion ain’t safe either

Pastor got stage lights brighter than believers

Whole sermon sponsored, front row cost extra

God somewhere backstage reading the fine texture

I ain’t anti-faith

I’m anti middleman

Too many wolves learned therapy and Instagram

Too many CEOs quoting Buddha in a podcast

Whole time interns having panic attacks off-cam

And me?

I could sell smoke to a stoner

Make a cage feel curated with the right owner

Soft lighting, clean font, earth-tone brochure

Now the exploitation feel wellness-adjacent and cultured

That’s the scary part

Cause I know how to package pain pretty

Turn anxiety into a “LinkedIn-worthy journey”

Turn “barely surviving” into “grateful and busy”

Everybody dying aesthetic now, isn’t it?

Woo

Every movement turn merch eventually

Every rebel get a TED Talk mentally

Every “safe space” got a brand identity

Every “community” just a mailing list with better energy

And maybe that’s why I want old streets in Lisbon

Wine with no phones at the table when we sit down

Conversations that don’t end in conversions

No networking, no optics, no personal brand version

Cause truth don’t need buzzwords

Truth don’t say “synergy” every third word

Truth look messy

Truth don’t monetize healing

Truth don’t need an algorithm to make it feel meaningful

But the machine do

Machine need metrics

Need humans compressed into digestible sections

Need creatives too tired to ask questions

Like why every “dream job” feel spiritually expensive?

See I don’t hate structure

I hate theater

Hate when a soul become a KPI creature

Hate when art start sounding like legal procedure

Cause somebody in finance got nervous about freedom

And once you see behind the curtain

Every polished institution start looking uncertain

Church, corporate, politics, influencer sermons

Same suit, different logo on the person

Still

I believe people good deep down

Just don’t trust systems that need us small to keep crowns.