An essay on education, language and class

sufi

lala
Wasn't Russell also a keen k-punk acolyte, or at least a supporter?
I was expecting to see something from him amongst all the tributes.

 

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
I watched the Brand-Paxman interview again, and it is actually extraordinary. By refusing to be silenced by Paxman's continued and odious insinuations that he 'shouldn't' be talking about politics, and his suggestions that stating simple, correct truths is somehow naive and unsophisticated, Russell Brand shows Paxman up as the ridiculous bully and defender of the status quo that he is. And I've never seen anyone else achieve that so clearly.

The closing of ranks that Paxman attempts and fails, is reflected in the way John Snow interviews Brand: Tbh, I'm struggling to think of anyone else who has been treated with such contempt from the outset by supposedly 'objective' news interviewers.

But then, my general experience of news journalists is that they are heavily invested in reducing a political arena to a purely technical one, where they can endlessly speculate about the minutiae of what X or Y has said (which means little in a framework in which lying goes unpenalised, and spin is ubiquitous). As soon as someone suggests that the bigger problem is that politics as a whole has been captured by a specific class, overwhelmingly in thrall to the interests of big business, they go into attack dog mode...

Non-voting may not make sense, but it looks a whole lot less stupid when the current political system is a corrupt absurdity. Obviously what the UK needs is a grassroots-bursting-into-the-mainstream politics revolution of the kind Spain experienced (albeit sadly now stalled) - unfortunately the very history that seemingly insulates Spain against the far right doesn't exist in the UK, so the revolution can come from either side. It's hard to avoid the conclusion that things will need to get worse before any significant change happens. May not need to wait long, obviously.
 
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richwill

Member
Not only is he not that smart, he's not even very funny. Also: he is a bad writer. His "memoirs" are worthless vanity publications, complete trash. The Cult of Fry totally mystifies me.

His book on poetry is singularly free of insight, really quite trite.
 

richwill

Member
I can see Brand fans voting UKIP much more easily than I can see them voting Tory, tbh - I think his tramp-like appearance, flamboyant mannerisms and well-known history of addiction and womanizing are unlikely to appeal to working- and lower-middle-class conservatives, regardless of what he has to say about politics. (Not necessarily the case with posh Tories, of course, for whom a predilection for smack, rentboys and Nazi cosplay practically comes with the territory - but they'd probably just think him a frightful oik with ideas above his station.) The whole non-voting thing makes me think of the sort of person who thinks an absolute cynicism towards all, or nearly all, politicians and parties constitutes political astuteness; the attitude of "they're all as bad as each other"/"they're all just wankers". Who voted Leave just because it's what David Cameron didn't want. Who is thinking of giving Corbyn a chance because of some cutesy Thug Life .gifs he's seen on the 'Sassy Socialist Memes' Facebook page, but could just as easily be drawn to Farage because "at least he speaks his mind". And let's not forget the 'anti-establishment' votes that Trump picked up from frustrated Sanders fans.



Chaudhri is one of Monkman's teammates. I just like the fact that he's about as white as it gets yet has a surname more usually found in India/Bangladesh.



Yeah, and?

Few things in life are as depressing as Bernie Sanders 'fans'.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
I can see Brand fans voting UKIP much more easily than I can see them voting Tory, tbh
Mystic Tea, calling it a full three years before Brand fell down the right-wing rabbit-hole with the onset of his "plandemic" twattery.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
I had a search for him too. He's had some fans on here over the years. Most notably, @luka has consistently talked about his genius and how he wishes him to be prime minister. Interesting.
You mean @luka, well-known fanatical supporter of infamous serial rapist/nonce, Russell Brand?
 

mixed_biscuits

_________________________
Prediction: Trump and Brand to be leading their respective countries from the comfort of their prison cells 3 years from now.
 

Benny B

Well-known member
I haven't been following it very closely, but reading that does make me really uneasy about the verdict. What was the motive supposed to be?
 
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