RUSSELL BRAND is a 'comedian' with a narrow
demographic, who has as much right to a home on the once serious programme
Newsnight, as I have sitting at the side of Her Majesty at the state opening of
parliament. Brand's nebulous political views; his erratic movements and bulging
eyes while in full flow spewing forth the offensive conspiracy theory that the
Bush administration were the masterminds behind 9/11, would in itself be
comedic if it was not for the seriousness of the subject he seeks to reduce to
a mere means of selling his latest, no doubt thesaurus plagued tomb.
Brand
is an extreme example of celebrities pontificating on serious political
subjects, whose views are publicised and taken seriously by the media because
they are offered up by a popular icon whose views on any subject outside of
their immediate star-studded compass are excessively banal, comprising only of
syrupy cliché after cliché; like a contestant in a beauty contest informing the
judges that her ambition in life is to help bring about world peace and end
world starvation.
Russell
Brand however is different. At least the usual celebrity cliché is rational,
even if soaked in saccharine. Brand on the other hand, either has a disjointed
sense of reality that qualifies him for the brain inspector's couch; or he is
just trying to stir up controversy to sell something…another favourite impulse
of celebrities.
It
can only be that Newsnight and the Guardian
(who recently published one of his earlier outbursts of thesaurus ridden prose)
are using him in order to cause controversy to increase (in Newsnight's case) its
much needed publicity for this sinking BBC ship of political discourse, that
was once a respected programme of genuine interest for the metropolitan elite:
or, in the Guardian's case; they,
like the BBC, believe Brand to be an
insightful intellectual of the first order who has important and serious
anti-establishment[1]views
that need airing.
The
average Guardian reader will no doubt
share Brand's conspiracy theory about 9/11, in the same way that they, in the
past, may have shared the Roswell alien invasion; or the Kennedy assassination
conspiracy. In such conspiracies, it seems that it is the Left that are the
most susceptible advocates, because of their socialist distrust of democratically
elected government and its attendant capitalist economic system.
RUSSELL BRAND IS a nincompoop outside of his own
profession of comedy. Although even here I would have my doubts. But as a
comedian he has a following, and in a market driven society like capitalism,
Brand has every right to prosper. But when it comes to politics; he has no more
right to be promoted, or to appear on a supposedly serious political programme,
than any other UK citizen who may have a more interesting and enlightening political viewpoint than the ignominious
Brand.
Politically
the man is illiterate. He believes only in exposing those White House political
ghosts that hovered above, and caused 3,000 people to die after 9/11. Like all
such conspiracy theorists, they have to have the conviction and belief that they
will be proven right in the future. Even if that day comes many years after
their own death.
Brand
believes he will one day be vindicated, as all conspiracy theorists believe, and
will be one day celebrated for their faith in their conspiracies; which is why
they ignore the abuse thrown at them; and why Brand in particular makes his
case so exuberantly on Newsnight.
THE TRUTH IS that the BBC, Channel Four, and the Guardian audiences are all part of the
comedian Brand's demographic; and are as distrustful of all things American as
the liberalarti can be.
Russell
Brand tried his luck in America but quickly folded, as many other unsuccessful
British comedians have, with little if no success (apart from Benny Hill who is
despised on this side of the pond for being politically incorrect). If he had
been lauded by the American public in the same way Benny Hill was, I doubt
if Brand would ever have presented
Newsnight with his conspiracy theory regarding 9/11. He would have kept his
mouth shut until he had milked the American market for all it was worth.
Brand
is an acquired taste beyond the liberalista; but because the liberalista govern
this country from the metropolis, Brand has acquired a reputation among the conurbations'
liberal elite for being amusing; Brand has now been encouraged to think himself
a serious political voice, encouraged by those who bought into his humour.
Russell
Brand has little to contribute. His shallow infantile impulses are either banal
or more likely non-existent, especially when it comes to any kind of
alternative to what he criticises politically. Brand has no solution to the
problems he enunciates via his thesaurus. Brand is a liberal media creation,
and the liberal media are standing by him.
[1]
Anti-establishment in the Guardian
meaning of the term of Tory hegemony; a
cultural rule that died its slow death from the 1960s onwards, to be
replaced by a new dominion which the Guardian and the BBC have been the
standard bearers for, ever since.
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