Russell Brand preaching revolution on Paxman Last Night

BillyMitchel

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Yeah all the big bad government with their scaremongering. Minimum wage at €1.55 and eejits like ben dunne spouting crap like "if you dont understand it just vote no so nothing changes" . Ignorance got a no vote . Just like it got a vote to keep the seanad ( I dont have an opinion either way so wasnt pushed, but my god the amount of idiots around and the rubbish they were coming out with).

Too many people vote against things to keep the satus quo rather than educate themselves.

Like what? Vote yes for jobs?! That turned out well didn't it?

Agricola

Cienciano wrote: »

Sort of sad the amount of people in this thread that dismiss peoples opinions based on someones looks. Do we all need to have short back and sides and a suit for our opinions to count.
Are we that brainwashed? Even after the mess Fianna Fail/property developers/bank executives have made of the country, we can't trust anyone who doesn't look/dress like them?

Bang on the money. Brand will never be taken seriously primarily because hes a comedian / media personality but also because he's a former junkie who is now filthy rich and tends to make women weak at the knees due to his looks. So he has a large number of people who dislike him based on pity, indifference, envy etc And then theres the tight pants and hairdo!

But if you were to strip away the fidgeting, 100 mile per hour delivery, loose the cockney accent, cut his hair and put him in a suit, Im sure a lot more people would be very much in agreement with what he says.
Doe he want to draw attention to himself to sell gig tickets and books, of course he does. But that is not his only reason for speaking out about these issues, you cant fake that kind of passion. If you could every politician would have people in raptures.
He came from nothing and was staring into the abyss on heroin and nearly didnt come out the other end. Hes been at the very bottom himself.
Yeah he has no answers to any of it. But sure who does. He might as well use his platform to draw attention to important issues; such as how public money has been funneled into private banks all over the world and how the system seems to exist to keep the rich rich while making the poor pay the price. We know all about that in our own little island.

RDM_83 again

Whether you Agree or Disagree with his statements, it says a lot about our society and its shallowness that its some one like Brand that is given a major platform to spread ideas.
Take a look at the sheer size of the output Marx had and the fact that he actually tried to think deeply of the systems involved.

Frank Lee Midere

RDM_83 again wrote: »

Whether you Agree or Disagree with his statements, it says a lot about our society and its shallowness that its some one like Brand that is given a major platform to spread ideas.
Take a look at the sheer size of the output Marx had and the fact that he actually tried to think deeply of the systems involved.

And most of it crap too. Marx is a serious thinker for non serious thinkers.

Johro

http://www.newstatesman.com/2013/10/we-could-fix-our-economy-giving-every-man-woman-and-child-6000-cash
Related topic.

For my part, I agree with everything Brand said. It should be apparent to just about everybody by now that the financial institutions dictate policy. Everywhere.
It's about time people stood up to it.

losthorizon

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

And most of it crap too. Marx is a serious thinker for non serious thinkers.

This is going to sound stupid and it is but I have never read Marx (thats not the stupid bit) but Marx has only been given a bad name because of the Communist regimes that have been in place in Europe and elsewhere in the past. They just hi-jacked his name I assume. He probably would have been shocked at what turned out.

just a guess from someone who knows nothing about him. When did that stop someone on AH?

Johro

losthorizon wrote: »

This is going to sound stupid and it is but I have never read Marx (thats not the stupid bit) but Marx has only been given a bad name because of the Communist regimes that have been in place in Europe and elsewhere in the past. They just hi-jacked his name I assume. He probably would have been shocked at would turned out.

just a guess from someone who knows nothing about him. When did that stop someone on AH?

Nothing stupid about that. There is nothing actually wrong with communist/socialist theory, it's designed to benefit everyone. It's how communist governments have implemented it to benefit themselves where the problem lies. The problem is not with the idea, it's with greedy people.

Johro

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Yeah all the big bad government with their scaremongering. Minimum wage at €1.55 and eejits like ben dunne spouting crap like "if you dont understand it just vote no so nothing changes" . Ignorance got a no vote . Just like it got a vote to keep the seanad ( I dont have an opinion either way so wasnt pushed, but my god the amount of idiots around and the rubbish they were coming out with).

Too many people vote against things to keep the satus quo rather than educate themselves.

Vote YES for jobs.....

Johro

“It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”

Attributed to Henry Ford.

Karl Stein

The USSR gave Socialism a bad name.. almost as bad a name as the US gave Capitalism.

Itwasntme.

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

I don't think it's entirely necessary to limit discussion on issues only to people who have "realistic working solutions". Social and political issues tend to be rather complex, to the point where I doubt anyone in this thread, myself included, would be effectively qualified to talk about them, or offer any real solutions to actual issues beyond the slightly biased and ill informed.

What is important is generating a place where people feel comfortable discussing things to begin with and rather than sitting in a place where they feel the need to instantly shore up and defend themselves they might actually learn something.

With regard to Brand, i think he and others like him have an important roll...they generate discussion, they bring the argument and the subject matter to people who may not give it too much thought and in turn those people may be inspired to try and learn more, either to find consensus with him or disagree with him.

I've heard Brand say repeatedly that he is no expert, nor is he really qualified to even attempt to break down such complex issues, sift though the minute details and then offer solutions. And he is right. However, he is qualified and capable, as we all are, to sit there and think "something is going badly wrong" and then use his available platform to see if other people feel the same.

There seems to be a dangerous trend of people dismissing others simply because they can offer us neither salvation nor utopia but there is almost certainly a middle ground that most of our critical thinking will operate in and it should at least be possible to reach the conclusion that discussion is better than silence.

I am quoting this so people who missed it can get a chance to read it. Great response.

spank_inferno

The world is poorer for not having the Russell Brand show on BBC radio 2 anymore.

Johro

Lollipops23 wrote: »

Russell Brand can do my head in when he does stand up, but reading his articles for the Guardian is always great. I was shocked at how articulate and intelligent he came across the first time I read one.

I remember when he, as part of one of his standup routines, read out some of the awful, obviously made up, shite written about him in the tabloids, and pointed out the ridiculousness of some of the statements, as well as the mistakes in grammar/spelling. It was pretty hilarious. But I can't say I was shocked at his intelligence. I thought it was fairly easy to spot he's not an idiot.
I think that even if you don't like him as a comedian, or just think he's a knob, it shouldn't mean you can't listen to the arguments he puts forward. As he says, you don't have to listen.
At the very least though, it's no more 'crap' than what we listen to from our own politicians every f#ckin day.
As I said earlier, I totally agree with everything he said and I wish more people would realise that it's the financial institutions that dictate policy in your country and everywhere else and in so doing rule the world.

Johro

Vaguely related, anyone else think 'quantitative easing' sounds like a shite after a big feed?

Itwasntme.

Johro wrote: »

Vaguely related, anyone else think 'quantitative easing' sounds like a shite after a big feed?

:pac::pac: True.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

iDave wrote: »

Saw it last night. Talking incoherent rubbish, don't know why Paxman bothered.

Incoherent? Do you understand the meaning of the word? You don't understand something so it's incoherent?

jimgoose wrote: »

Mr. Brand is a pseudo-intellectual, overpaid middle-class media luvvie with abandonment issues and I would love to rip his arm off and beat him to death with it.

Why so?

How is he a pseudo-intellectual?

clairefontaine

He basically spouted Marxist crap you hear in college.

Maximus Alexander

clairefontaine wrote: »

He basically spouted Marxist crap you hear in college.

Yes, we already know you were listening closely to what he had to say.

old hippy

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

He's a good lad.

Is idealism completely dead inside people who couldn't stand to even listen to him speak?
Fair enough if he grates you irrespective of what he's saying.

He's not really talking ground-breaking stuff there, admits he is completely unqualified, and his bit is in promoting and popularising the ideas.
As he said, he's hardly going to outline the next generation global political system, but his heart is undoubtedly in the right place and I don't understand the balking.

People fear the likes of RB because he's not a politician, he goes for the more populist approach. He actually makes a lot of sense and that's seen as dangerous by the establishment. They may yet tame him but I hope not.

sonny jim bob jones

Russell Brand being compared to John Lennon,

Well done, OP. A new low for After Hours.

More fart and flatmates threads please!!!

sonny jim bob jones

old hippy wrote: »

People fear the likes of RB because he's not a politician, he goes for the more populist approach. He actually makes a lot of sense and that's seen as dangerous by the establishment. They may yet tame him but I hope not.

Do you think they will assassinate him like they assassinated Diana?

HighClass

Here is a piece he wrote while he was editor of The NewStatesman this week. Goes into some of the points he brought up in the interview in more detail, great read. He addresses a lot of the points people are making in this thread as well e.g him being a hypocrite;

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/10/russell-brand-on-revolution

oneshot0kill

Surprised there are people here who mock Russell Brand when he's using his platform to reiterate the issues commonly brought up here in Ireland. So what if he doesn't have a solution? It's nice to see someone of his status be so vocal about it.

old hippy

sonny jim bob jones wrote: »

Russell Brand being compared to John Lennon,

Well done, OP. A new low for After Hours.

More fart and flatmates threads please!!!

A new low? You've only just joined

Trust me, if you think comparing two articulate, popular & passionate men is a low, you don't want to read half the threads here.

token101

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Yeah all the big bad government with their scaremongering. Minimum wage at €1.55 and eejits like ben dunne spouting crap like "if you dont understand it just vote no so nothing changes" . Ignorance got a no vote . Just like it got a vote to keep the seanad ( I dont have an opinion either way so wasnt pushed, but my god the amount of idiots around and the rubbish they were coming out with).

Too many people vote against things to keep the satus quo rather than educate themselves.

You couldn't make it up.

_Whimsical_

daniigan wrote: »

Surprised there are people here who mock Russell Brand when he's using his platform to reiterate the issues commonly brought up here in Ireland. So what if he doesn't have a solution? It's nice to see someone of his status be so vocal about it.

I have a problem with him advocating not voting. He has the money and the social position to ride out the consequences of that kind of political apathy, the rest of us do not. We need a health service, a social welfare service,an education system that addresses gaping needs within our present society. Those problems and the means of addressing them aren't going anywhere fast.The best option we have right now is make all these issues priorities for parties in government. Saying "everybody just give up now and wait around for democracy 2.0" is firstly likely to be a very long wait and secondly completely irresponsible.

sonny jim bob jones

spank_inferno wrote: »

The world is poorer for not having the Russell Brand show on BBC radio 2 anymore.

Imagine how much better the world would be if he had never been born?

oneshot0kill

_Whimsical_ wrote: »

I have a problem with him advocating not voting. He has the money and the social position to ride out the consequences of that kind of political apathy, the rest of us do not. We need a health service, a social welfare service,an education system that addresses gaping needs within our present society. Those problems and the means of addressing them aren't going anywhere fast.The best option we have right now is make all these issues priorities for parties in government. Saying "everybody just give up now and wait around for democracy 2.0" is firstly likely to be a very long wait and secondly completely irresponsible.

But it's the parties who set what they believe are priorities. We just get to choose yes or no. We don't get to choose what gets changed. That's what he's trying to get at. We are just continually voting yes or no for the options that the parties believe are important and present to us. Not what we believe are important.

He has the money and social position to ride it out but he also has the choice not to be vocal about it. He is a well known figure and he is choosing to use that platform for the betterment of us common folk.

Karl Stein

I honestly think RB's wealth means nothing to him and that's why he still sees himself as the kid who grew up in a council house with his single parent Ma.

sonny jim bob jones

sonny jim bob jones wrote: »

Imagine how much better the world would be if he had never been born?

Rubbish. Then we'd never have any examples to follow of how to chat up women.

Check out this clip of charisma at work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F79vH7lIuig