Topic: Russell Brand

[BER]

What happened to him?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/10/russell-brand-politics-public-figures-responsibility

[AndyMuller]

Fell well and truly down the rabbithole.

[Craig S]

What happened to him?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/10/russell-brand-politics-public-figures-responsibility

There's a lot of money to be made from fuelling the fire of the gullible on youtube.

[Pistolero]

what an absolute prick he is these days....appears that the fervent worship that comes with based, red pilled evangelism has for him, filled the void that drugs/sex/comedy used to...

[meady1981]

His BBC radio shows gave me as much pleasure as anything Ive ever watched or listened to.
But that Guardian piece really sums up my feelings about him at the moment.
I will always think Russel is wonderful, but he's a child. A brilliant giddy enthusiastic child who needs calm people around him to stop going too far and self-sabotaging.
He's obviously not got that at the moment.

These days I listen to Matt Morgans podcasts (who himself has stopped contact with Russel). He was the true comedic genius behind Russel.

[BarryCrocker]

What happened to him?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/10/russell-brand-politics-public-figures-responsibility

Nothing. He moved from one drug (barbiturates) to another (conspiracies).

[PhilV]

Nothing. He moved from one drug (barbiturates) to another (conspiracies).

Guy is a clown. The funny thing about current world is all the nutters now are so visible via Socials and the other crazies can go hmmm yes yes along with them. His Bill Gates rants are mental especially. He also tries to sound clever by constantly placing words which are totally unnecessary into his arguments, it's ridiculous.

Guy is well suited to American media and it's love for mental personalities.

[Sheer Magnetism]

I don't think Brand is a grifter, just a dimwit. But you also have to view him as part of the Ian Brown/Joe Rogan/Jim Carrey/Jenny McCarthy/M.I.A. Gen X wave, people who grew up being taught it was cool and/or morally virtuous to be anti-establishment and see this as a natural progression now that the establishment is very pro-medical industry. Obviously, once you get sucked into online anti-vax spaces, that ends up being a gateway to other conspiracy theories.

[RedSince86]

He's turned into an absolute right wing crackpot now.

Got all those Qanon and anti Vax mob following him and he's like their Internet Overlord now.

I'm expecting him to have his own Fox News show now, especially after his comments on Bill Maher's show about MSBNC.

[Stockholm Syndrome]

What happened to him?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/10/russell-brand-politics-public-figures-responsibility

Thing is I think he is so far left wing that he lines up with the right wing - the horseshoe theory fully in effect.

The type of left wing that claims of the grand globalist conspiracy to make us all slaves, the only difference between this and the right wing is that to the right wing the globalists are the Zionists (and to be fair the extreme left are largely anti-Semitic as well)

Or how the extreme left support Russia and China because they oppose the west and all negative stories about them are misinformation (NATO are in fact aggressors, Ukraine Nazi's, no genocide in China, etc) while the far right support them because they are in fact fascists and allign with their views.

When you hit the extremes I do very much believe they reach the same position on the political grid, and I think Russell Brand is someone who fell down the extremist hole from the left side

[Sheer Magnetism]

Thing is I think he is so far left wing that he lines up with the right wing - the horseshoe theory fully in effect.

The type of left wing that claims of the grand globalist conspiracy to make us all slaves, the only difference between this and the right wing is that to the right wing the globalists are the Zionists (and to be fair the extreme left are largely anti-Semitic as well)

Or how the extreme left support Russia and China because they oppose the west and all negative stories about them are misinformation (NATO are in fact aggressors, Ukraine Nazi's, no genocide in China, etc) while the far right support them because they are in fact fascists and allign with their views.

When you hit the extremes I do very much believe they reach the same position on the political grid, and I think Russell Brand is someone who fell down the extremist hole from the left side

This is true up to a point but the place they meet is in the idea that large systems are ultimately evil and controlling. This is why it's difficult countering these narratives in the internet age: any attempt to deplatform or marginalise these ideas is interpreted as the elites squashing any resistance or questioning.

It's also diificult because some of what they have to say is worth hearing: Big pharma does often operate as a malevolent force, maybe we shouldn't be taking huge initiatives by billionaires in the developing world at face value just because they're being instituted under the guise of philanthropy. It shouldn't be culturally taboo to question the government, unfortunately a lot of that questioning is increasingly being driven and financed by bad actors with ulterior motives. And once generative AI starts being applied to chatbots at large scale, it's only a matter of time before society breaks down completely.

[Stockholm Syndrome]

This is true up to a point but the place they meet is in the idea that large systems are ultimately evil and controlling. This is why it's difficult countering these narratives in the internet age: any attempt to deplatform or marginalise these ideas is interpreted as the elites squashing any resistance or questioning.

It's also diificult because some of what they have to say is worth hearing: Big pharma does often operate as a malevolent force, maybe we shouldn't be taking huge initiatives by billionaires in the developing world at face value just because they're being instituted under the guise of philanthropy. It shouldn't be culturally taboo to question the government, unfortunately a lot of that questioning is increasingly being driven and financed by bad actors with ulterior motives. And once generative AI starts being applied to chatbots at large scale, it's only a matter of time before society breaks down completely.

Of absolutely, the biggest tool that the extremist have at every level, is a degree of being right. Big Pharma is a massive issue, government and corporate control over human rights is a genuine threat, westernization is far from an inherently good thing and mostly just serve to empower a select few governments and corporations.

The problem comes when this idea is used as a baseline for much more dangerous ideologies. Whether that be fair right fascism blaming it all on the Jewish conspiracy and liberal Marxists to create a great reset and cultural genocide, or the far left putting every bit of information and action being made as the globalist conspiracy to control you, or ISIS saying that the way to counter this growing western interest is through Islamic fundamentalism - or frankly any religious group for that matter.

And a lot of the time it also stems down to the idea of a secret club - that you are one of the extra special few who has seen through it, who knows the truth, who has genuine power and knowledge to save the world. You are special, you are smart, you are strong, because you know what is really happening

[S]

He's never been worth listening to.

[John C]

what an absolute prick he is these days....appears that the fervent worship that comes with based, red pilled evangelism has for him, filled the void that drugs/sex/comedy used to...

I use to like his societal justice rantings, and I haven't seen him for a while, but it seems he's strayed in to his own fantastical world of nonsense.

His BBC radio shows gave me as much pleasure

Perhaps he can present MoTD tomorrow?

[TipTopKop]

I realise I'm in the minority on this, but I don't see him in the same light as most do on here.

He's repeatedly said that people should make their own choice on vaccines, that he wouldn't dream of telling people what to do. He's highlighted issues with big pharma, weapons manufacturers and their powerful lobbying of governments.

He's never been anti LGBTQ, trans, or racist. He's always talked about how humanity needs to come together in tolerance and understanding. Some of his ideas might come across as naive, but they've never come as didactic, or malevolent to me.

Maybe I'm just suspicious of people who shout down others. Ultimately, people should think for themselves. You don't have to go all in with everything he says, nor should you just slap a 'conspiracy' sticker on him and dismiss everything he says.

He has some good points, and he can be way off on others too. That's true for everyone.

There are people peddling false theories and misinformation. It is also true the governments have consistently made rules they themselves have repeatedly broken, and made statements that were later found to be untrue.

[markmywords]

I realise I'm in the minority on this, but I don't see him in the same light as most do on here.

He's repeatedly said that people should make their own choice on vaccines, that he wouldn't dream of telling people what to do. He's highlighted issues with big pharma, weapons manufacturers and their powerful lobbying of governments.

He's never been anti LGBTQ, trans, or racist. He's always talked about how humanity needs to come together in tolerance and understanding. Some of his ideas might come across as naive, but they've never come as didactic, or malevolent to me.

Maybe I'm just suspicious of people who shout down others. Ultimately, people should think for themselves. You don't have to go all in with everything he says, nor should you just slap a 'conspiracy' sticker on him and dismiss everything he says.

He has some good points, and he can be way off on others too. That's true for everyone.

There are people peddling false theories and misinformation. It is also true the governments have consistently made rules they themselves have repeatedly broken, and made statements that were later found to be untrue.

Measured issue by issue analysis is not the order of the day

What we have is raw tribalism, anyone that says things which might undermine issues dear to me, needs to be dismissed as heretics and have their intentions mocked, use words like woke snowflake or conspiracy theorist rather than engage with their arguments

[liverbloke]

This is true up to a point but the place they meet is in the idea that large systems are ultimately evil and controlling. This is why it's difficult countering these narratives in the internet age: any attempt to deplatform or marginalise these ideas is interpreted as the elites squashing any resistance or questioning.

It's also diificult because some of what they have to say is worth hearing: Big pharma does often operate as a malevolent force, maybe we shouldn't be taking huge initiatives by billionaires in the developing world at face value just because they're being instituted under the guise of philanthropy. It shouldn't be culturally taboo to question the government, unfortunately a lot of that questioning is increasingly being driven and financed by bad actors with ulterior motives. And once generative AI starts being applied to chatbots at large scale, it's only a matter of time before society breaks down completely.

look around you - it's doing a pretty good job now

paranoia does play its part - how much can you trust anyone? or does it always have to be those in power that we fear?

how do we determine who is mentally unstable and who has a good point of view? who is right and who is wrong?

and therefore who is to the left and who to the right? and could the right be right or could the right be wrong?

and let's not forget that 'left' and 'right' are just labels as a 'leftist' person can have right-wing views - so therefore you can't even belong to the left or the right because they also have their own factions (just as religion)

all these conspiracy theorists need their theories because they need something to belong to - it's like a faith to them

you should always question and always debate - but who is right? only you can judge what is right and what is wrong - it's down to morals, but morals are just a set of principles decided by who? me? you? a democracy? a religion? a dictator? a nation? an army?

maybe mankind is what it is - it can't be bad because it's only humans who have decided what is good and bad

you can't call a spider 'bad' or 'evil' for killing and eating an 'innocent' fly

maybe that's just what mankind is - neither good nor bad just an entity that behaves and acts the way it does - it's a force that has no morals to call its own

take democracy - can we freely walk the streets without fear of being attacked or mugged?

can we leave our houses open at night without fear?

but surely democratic morals are superior to communist morals?

we can justify a killing if it's an act of war but we cannot justify a killing of a serial killer regardless that he has raped, tortured and killed a number of people

whose life is worth more? a soldier fighting for what he believes is the truth or a cruel and sadistic murderer?

'we' make those decisions

i know i'm rambling on here but the nazi's had its fair share of perverts sociopaths rapists paedophiles psychopaths and murders but a lot of the people that worked in the concentration camps were 'normal' people doing a job that they thought was 'right' - all concentration camps throughout history have had a queue of people lining up for those jobs and that sickens me

maybe 'we' the moralists are in the minority - maybe people don't give a shit as long as what they order through amazon, or just eat, gets delivered on time?

by all means rally against an evil multinational company for its wrong-doings, but how have you acted recently?

have you broke the speed limit? tail-gated the car in front because it was going too slow (it wasn't btw)? moaned about someone taking their time at the supermarket tills? lost... your... temper...

these are the small things but they all matter - everything matters - but it only matters to you

life - it's like you're desperately holding on to your pint whilst the whole pub is kicking off around you

(rant over)

[meady1981]

Whatever you think of him, always worth remembering he sued the Sun and donated the money to the HJC

[B0151?]

I used to defend him and even when he seemed like he was getting a bit more out there interviewing all types of people didn't think it was the worst thing. Does seem like he's turned into a massive crank now though,  and maybe there's a certain inevitability to that.

At the end of the day though, it is Russell Brand... if you get your political opinions from him don't think you had much hope to begin with. Think there will always be a sector of the population that way inclined.

[The G in Gerrard]

Saw his show last night. Was great. Funny and likeable.