Season 14 - 2024

Men struggle with their position in society. As a man you are quickly seen as toxic or too masculine. Influencers like Andrew Tate have the solution: the man must become an alpha male again, especially now that the man has been consciously made weak and docile. But what consequences does this image have? And why are these ideas so popular among young people?

In April this year, there was a demonstration against a drag queen story hour in Rotterdam, where children are read to by a drag queen. The reading hours and the LGBTIQ+ community have been under fire for some time, including from radical right-wing politicians and activists. According to researchers, there is a conscious strategy behind these actions: what does this mean and what are the consequences?

In his book Of Boys and Men, British-American sociologist Richard Reeves investigates why many men struggle with themselves and their role in society and what we can do about it. What is the danger if the existing problems in men are ignored? And what does this mean for the rights of women and the LGBTIQ+ community?

What role did the media play in Geert Wilders' election win? The PVV's victory in the last parliamentary elections came as a surprise to many, including the press. How is that possible? A reconstruction of Geert Wilders' election campaign. How does one of the country's most influential politicians deal with journalists and they with him? Frank Hendrickx (de Volkskrant) and Maurice de Hond (Peil.nl) will speak.

The rainbow community is under fire from conservative and radical corners. According to politicians and activists, educating about gender indoctrination and reading to children by drag queens is dangerous. Medialogic examines the force behind these frames and shows how politicians and activists worldwide use anti-gender rhetoric for their own gain, which also puts LGBTIQ+ rights under pressure in the Netherlands.

There was a big fuss last year when it became known that Prince Bernhard's NSDAP membership card had been found in his own archives. But how new was the revelation really? Bernhard has always denied being a member of the NSDAP, and yet historians have previously convincingly demonstrated his ties to Hitler's Nazi party. Why is it that Prince Bernhard's now well-known past keeps leading to new headlines? Media logic about how media, historians, institutions, the Royal Family and politicians have been struggling with Prince Bernhard's Nazi past for years.

Alternatives to cigarettes, such as vaping and snus, are becoming increasingly popular. But a growing group of young nicotine users are becoming addicted to old-fashioned cigarettes through these products. Medialogica investigates the image surrounding the 'new smoking' and the role of tobacco companies and the media.

How did the media attention, political imaging and polarized debate develop around the pro-Palestine student protests in Amsterdam? A look back with the key players, such as Mayor Halsema, the chief public prosecutor, the rector and students of the UvA.

The threat of war is back in Europe and so Defense is expanding, by up to 9,000 people per year. How do you find new recruits for the army, and what images are used to entice them - mainly teenagers - to sign? Medialogica delves into the world of marketing our armed forces.