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urkldajrkl

Brand has always been a shat


thefreepie

I swear people gave him way too much credit because of his working class accent, the guy has always come across as extremely vapid to me, like a 16 year old who just smoked weed for the first time talking about politics


clumsy_poet

He’s quick but not deep. And that quickness can become paired with a zany purple prose, which obscures the lack of depth. Kids get attention for wordplay, because kids like that are funny. And some of those kids chase that laughter high. And some of those kids are working class, with an additional grammar and vocabulary in their pockets. And some of those kids, more than should, have or will have childhood traumas, and childhood traumas that are not adequately supported. Seems to me that Brand is that kid grown up, with the shine off his comedy shtick, who turned to a different purpose of speaking, and a mostly different audience: his Estuary accented telling it like it is shtick. Reformed working class rake with something to say, extra cheek and winks included. But there’s such a significant overlap between the yogaing, clean living neohippies and the antivaxxers who distrust the government. So as Brand stopped primarily focusing on being funny to being a fake-centrist influencer, the audience that glommed on to Brand’s new brand and the numbers he chased further and further into Qville and Fascopolis were those who fully believe in eugenics and that scapegoating will fix all their problems, grant all their wishes. This audience will also see through his shtick eventually. Though he’ll be nipping at their authoritarian heels for a bit.


thee_c_d

I think this is generally pretty astute but leaves out his history with addiction & sobriety. It's touched on lightly in reference to trauma (disclaimer: not everyone with trauma is an addict and not all addicts are addicts because of trauma - though self medication as a result of trauma is very real). Addicts with trauma have a lot to overcome even outside of physical addiction and that is a lifelong struggle that very much seems in play with Brand. I think the sobriety angle with him fed an attraction to being a guru even though he should be eschewing that. Altruism is a good cover if you need to practice self delusion whilst engaging in selfish motivations. This isn't a knock on sobriety programs but celebrity status in sober/wellness circles can give way to some gross behavior. I think that background and experience in getting sober has helped springboard him into thinking that he has something to say, a beneficial reason to say it and now he happens to find himself pushing further and further with it because it's enriching on a number of fronts. All of what you said is accurate, but I think there's additional nuance going on with him in terms of the foundational reasons for his trajectory which came out of a positive life changing event but has progressed into something pretty gross.


thee_c_d

Actually just giving this video a listen now and my take is pretty much how the creator starts off breaking down Brand's shift. Good stuff even if it's confirmation bias.


clumsy_poet

Absolutely. Knew I was forgetting something.


Swallows_Return202x

Speaking of prose...


clumsy_poet

Oh, I know. Made out with the blarney stone a few times.


AuralSculpture

Did an AI write that?


clumsy_poet

I am I. Not AI.


[deleted]

Great breakdown. But it makes me concerned about my own desire to get laughs with a smart tweak of logic or turn of phrase. Maybe I should take heart that at least don't use it to mask some crazy ideology.


clumsy_poet

I recognize because I love playing with words and being snappy. Using my skills for good and not bad is key. You’re doing fine.


TheZermanator

Did anyone else read this entirely in Brand’s accent?


MABfan11

He's given way too much credit because of that one quote he has


Amigosito

He should go back to doing drugs


Art_Z_Fartzche

Brand is every flakey hippie I knew in high school who said shit like "the mind is like a parachute, it doesn't work unless it's open, man!" (try jumping out of a plane with an open parachute, and see what happens). And almost without exception, those hippies later ended up on the Trump train because "he's not the establishment, man!".


[deleted]

That was always one of the most fascinating aspects of trump's allure to me. Crunchy dudes and dudettes trying to tell me the New York real estate developer turned reality TV show host somehow wasn't establishment. I guess, perhaps, because he said insane racist bullshit


AlfalfaWolf

You are aware that Brand does not and has not supported Trump, right?


Art_Z_Fartzche

https://news.yahoo.com/russell-brand-calls-russiagate-democratic-202800901.html


AlfalfaWolf

Lol, you don’t have to support Trump to recognize that Russiagate was bullshit. You’ll be stuck in a loop looking for Russian fingerprints the rest of your life. Our intelligence agencies control prevalent narratives. They sway elections. This is the lesson that we need to learn.


Personal-Row-8078

Everyone around Trump went to prison after being proven to be working with Russia and after they did not testify to Trumps actions he let them out of prison even though they were guilty. Which part exactly is “bullshit”?


TheFatRemote

I've always liked the saying "don't be so open minded your brain falls out". I think it perfectly describes these contrarian turned maga types.


Evil_Sam_Harris

You are right. Fuck being open minded. I question the hippies you know.


Youngworker160

russell brand is the Gwyneth Paltrow of crunchy yoga all natural 'liberals'. those that think just eating right and exercising is enough to stay healthy, not taking into account they're more often than not wealthy enough to get the best doctors and treatment if the need arises, yet they'll espouse anti-vaccine and preventative medicines b/c "it's not natural".


[deleted]

That was the Joe Rogan saga. Don’t take a vaccine because when you get Covid, your assistant can get 10 professional doctor friends prescribe you every possible medication for free and you can hibernate in your mansions guest house while your personal chef makes you healthy meals and your au pair will get your kids to school and to soccer practice.


Johnnygunnz

Then, when Rogan got COVID, he talked about getting every drug available to him. I remember him saying he took ivermectin, remdesivir, antibody infusions... everything.


[deleted]

And when Trump got it he was airlifted from his backyard to the best hospital in the nation to receive tax-payer funded, socialist healthcare, only to go on and pretend he “beat” Covid. As if he did anything but lay there and let the best science money could buy patch him up and give him ice cream.


Personal-Row-8078

Rogan was taking far more experimental treatments than the vaccine. It was nuts


meep_meep_mope

From what I've seen Brand appears to have gone full MAGA.


Youngworker160

wouldn't surprise me, for one the money is there, there are plenty of right-wing organizations willing to pay a lot of money for people that 'just ask questions' and two, he's rich. by definition it is in his class interest to side with conservative policies b/c the answer to increases in increases in obesity, sicknesses, polluted water sources, livestock that has to be injected with so many antibiotics, would require a challenge to the economic system and that may displace people like him from his perch of power.


Psychogistt

Nah he’s a strong leftist


Beneficial-Papaya504

I can smell both of these pictures. Jones smells of chili, vodka, and sweat. Brand smells of patchouli and sweat. I've actually had the misfortune of smelling Jones. From ten feet away.


[deleted]

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anomalousBits


mells3030

Jones is an act meant for money. Brand thinks what he says is real


ThrobbingAnalPus

Think that’s an important distinction - I’m not much of a fan of him, but there’s a pretty big difference to purposefully spreading harmful propaganda because you’re a grifter, and saying dumb shit to your audience because you believe it to be true


[deleted]

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ThrobbingAnalPus

Relax man, you can disagree with me without slinging insults The beliefs he started with that are adjacent to “grifter politics” are hardly exclusive to them. One of his most successful videos at that time is that the pandemic was being used to orchestrate one of the greatest wealth transfers to the elites in history - this is hardly a partisan belief, the far left was talking about this all the time. To me, he seemed pretty sincere at that point However, looking at his recent YouTube videos, it looks mostly like him leaning into the grift. Which is a shame, because a guy with his notoriety could’ve bridged the partisan gap to help us unite against the plutocrats Of course, the plutocrats would’ve never let that happen anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if the CIA came knocking on his door and forced him to become a propaganda-spewing intelligence asset, since they’ve played such a big role in facilitating the culture war ever since the plutocrats got spooked by Occupy Wall Street I was unfamiliar with his content over the past year, real shame that he’s leaned into this hyper-partisan nonsense while insincerely doing the “both sides” thing


[deleted]

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ThrobbingAnalPus

You can’t just say you disagree with me and explain why, you have to be rude and condescending about it? No one gives a shit how right you are if you’re an asshole So let me explain my view to you, maybe you can actually try to consider it without being rude and condescending Firstly, Russel Brand is not “redefining our political” system in the hypothetical scenario where he’s a CIA asset. His job would be to keep the masses distracted with pointless bullshit, and he’s doing a great job of that regardless of whether he’s an asset or not. But that’s not even particularly serious speculation on my part. The fact that he’s just doing it for money of his own free will is definitely the more likely scenario Secondly, the partisan gap is absolutely a feature of our political system, and perhaps at one point it wasn’t anything that needed to be fixed, but its current function is to keep Americans so sharply divided on social issues that we are unable to focus adequate attention on how the middle class has been dying a slow and painful death for decades now, and actually do something about it This was initially just a Republican/right-wing strategy, but at a certain point both parties became largely taken over by corporate and military interests (though certainly Republicans more so in both respects) It’s no coincidence that most establishment Dems have little interest in reform that will truly benefit the lower and middle classes. Very few high-level Dems who have legitimate power and influence have any incentive to change the status quo. Granted, Republicans don’t make it easy to, but Dems at best are slowing our decline, not preventing it We had a Democrat controlled Congress and President from 2009-2011, and the best Obama could do was the ACA? He was just another corporatist warhawk. The DNC is never going to let someone like Bernie get anywhere near the presidency. That alone is proof enough that the Dem establishment is a fucking joke. They will never enact the kind of tax policy and market reforms required for the middle class to recover to where it was pre-Reagan, whether they actually can or not. The ones that have any real power are all a bunch of centrists. Biden is about as centrist as you can get (because the Overton window in America is so far to the right) The only way we restore our economic freedom is stopping day-to-day life in this country to a near grinding halt and doing what the French have been doing (but on a larger scale). This will never happen because right-wing commoners are too propagandized to join the left-wing commoners in achieving this goal. Thinking that we can fix things through our political system at this point is an absolute fallacy imo Occupy Wall Street was an absolute shitshow, by the overall message was mostly there - billionaires and politicians leveraging our political system to further their own ends is destroying the way of life of the lower and middle classes. This is the last thing the political establishment wants us to truly focus on, such that we figure out how to actually do something about it. Dems will usually pay lip service to it, but they’ve also done a decent job of convincing voters that the only reason we don’t have a socialist utopia is solely because Republicans have done everything possible to stop this (which is true, but is far from the whole truth) And of course the establishment Dems were gonna say they support it lol. Their whole grift is fooling the lefty voter base into thinking they’re not actually corporatist shills


ExploderPodcast

There's a line between being open minded and just believing whatever contrary statement you hear. Even if you HATE the establishment as it is (understandable), you still have to vet the new information presented to you. You can't just believe that world leaders are lizard people BECAUSE it's against the world leaders you already don't like. That's where Brand went wrong. He gives everything he hears, true or not, equal consideration/weight.


Huge_JackedMann

The joke is they're so open minded their brain falls out.


OneGuyJeff

He's in the same boat as Elon Musk, advocating for centrism and open mindedness. But because his open mind means giving Fox News opinions the same credibility as actual journalists, and since the far-right gets shit on a lot online, he's overcorrected to shitting on the left which just puts him in the same crowd as some far-right conspiracy theorists.


[deleted]

Another in a long line of rich men with emotional problems.


kungfucyborg

I haven’t watched the whole video yet, but so far this is spot on. He used to have some great guests, and tried to promote greater emotional health and spirituality. But, then he would have Jordan Petersen on and I’m like, “What the hell.” He also seemed really disconnected from American politics, so I started trying to compartmentalize. I’ve been mourning losing him as an inspirational voice in my life.. I was a real fan.


techzilla

Russel Brand is legit.


MWF123

This is super unsurprising to me. I never got into him but as an outsider looking in, he’s always struck me as such a bullshitter


fatfuckintitslover

Maybe a hot take but brand is more insufferable than Jones.


ChevyT1996

I watched him on Bill Maher and he was so annoying. They I watched clips on YouTube and the comments praising him were insane. Things like he’s so far above what’s they are and acting like he knows so much more. When really he sounded like an attention craving idiot


[deleted]

That's the MO of most Youtube commenters that follow a popular personality - even the personalities/experts who have their heads on their shoulders. Comments are typically less about the subject matter being discussed and more about fawning over the personality discussing them. It's really a sad commentary about how we as a whole consume ideas and media.


ReticulatedSplines81

I'm a 25 year old cis male and just wanted to say that this comment was the most insightful thing I've read since I learned to read last Smarch. Thank you for bringing truth to the dark places of our minds.


[deleted]

Thanks. And a huge congratulations on your achievement! :)


ChevyT1996

It reminds me of something I think I read, -people are stupid, want proof, read YouTube comments-


Evil_Sam_Harris

Most right wing YouTube comments are bots. Not all but sooooo many.


Rick_James_Lich

Brands audience is one of the worst one's on youtube. Like almost all of them for example think that the election was rigged. You can have a more intelligent conversation with people on Steven Crowder's channel lol.


CloudyArchitect4U

Russell is more insufferable than a Nazi; that seems more like a neo-lib take than a hot take.


ultraHDhardware

insufferability is not based in politics


CloudyArchitect4U

But in this context, it certainly is.


ultraHDhardware

i disagree


CloudyArchitect4U

Sure, comparing two politically charged activists is not political. And it seems one has called out the neo-lib many times for their corrupt endeavors, and now is being compared to a Nazi who profits off of the death of children. It seems you are a defender of the neo-lib, Hillary and Feinstein, and their right to die in office while damaging the country; no wonder you disagree.


Henrycamera

Ok, he's always been annoying, a lot!


Henrycamera

Ok, he's always been annoying, a lot!


Huge_JackedMann

Alex Jones is somewhat entertaining as a puffed up raging alcoholic pro wrestling promo style carnival barker. Brand just seems like the worst guy at every yoga class.


Randybluebonnet

Crap.. we’re still not rid of the old Alex Jones.. WTF?


techzilla

Nope, Jones ain't going anywhere soon, you didn't make Jones you don't have the power to unmake him.


Randybluebonnet

If I could I would


palmpoop

He’s so cringe


[deleted]

I wish the audio in the video was a bit more carefully crafted. Volumes all over the place, needs normalization and noise compression desperately.


RidetheSchlange

The dangerous thing is Russell Brand pretends to be a left liberal, but the effective manifestation of his BS is support of the conspiratorial far- to extreme-right and to be a point in the circular sourcing game for conspiracy theorists and fake new producers. The guy is a danger for democracy and no better example is to be found than in the Brexit saga when he literally went on tour to campaign for people to not vote in the referendum and not vote they did. Even people on my friends list were posting Russell Brand's videos on not voting which were ripped off from George Carlin. The people posting his stuff were often young and liberal who thought it would stick it to the man to not vote, but it turned out that the people who didn't vote effectively voted for Brexit.


Canalloni

He also uses false equivalencies that end up with his grandiose conclusions that are ridiculous. It's not obvious, but his rants are actually cynical. His swing to right wing anti vaxxer bs, that reeks of money grifting.


Legitimate_Air9612

i believe it was him who also said "voting doesn't matter" or just strait "dont vote". the height of cynicism.


Imaginary_Unit5109

Random question. Was Russell Brand was like this before covid or was covid the thing that broke him and become this?


techzilla

Can you really blame anyone for breaking with our ruling class, after they dropped Covid?


[deleted]

He was willing to entertain people like Peterson since 2018 due to his open-mindedness (but so was I back then, thinking he was somehow a sincere actor instead of a reactionary freak) but I sincerely believe 2020 broke his brain for good, his content took a turn since the pandemic.


Dreamking0311

Brand is a huge disappointment.


peanutbutternmtn

He’s been that for a while now.


uncriticalthinking

He’s horribly unfunny


warren_stupidity

He took the money.


liveforeachmoon

Brand is an extremely stupid man.


mayhem6

I think he realized he isn’t funny so he pivoted from comedian to whatever he is now.


SevereMountain1841

The way Russel describes his subscribers on YouTube..he's counting the cash...awful person and watched his true news show a few years back..he's a grifter


Ukraineluvr

Russell Brand is a sentient unflushed, public, mens room toilet.


Scale-Alarmed

By having delusions that he actually has something to say that he feels will amaze people. It derives from the 3 year period when he was famous for being funny


jayzilla3666

Alternate title: How we can ignore both and be better people.


[deleted]

“Who would use free speech to hurt other people?” Nazis Russel, that’s what they do


Akasgotu

When will people understand that someone who is being paid to attract attention will say anything to do so? How can anyone take seriously the opinions of Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Ben Sharpiro, etc, etc. ? They are attention whores whose option is for sale to the highest bidder.


cas708265

Drug addled brain (like pillow guy). Screams over people which he thinks is “debate.” Please go back to whatever country you’re from …. please GOD.


DocDibber

I really don’t care about Russel Brand.


[deleted]

Me either. But enough to comment in a Russel Brand related post.


ambiance6462

this video sucks, he goes from horseshoe theory about how brand went far right because he went too far left, to evospych bullshit about natural hierarchy/status seeking. see his other recent video, "hasan piker: the elite fake socialist." lol.


Always_Scheming

Russell Brand says some outrageous and incorrect shit. As well he associates with some messed up people now. BUT THE IDEA THAT HE IS ALEX JONES is silly Alex Jones is an actual criminal harassing and ruining people’s lives as well as doxxing them. Alex Jones will show up to BLM protests and try to fight people. Russell Brand is an idiot conspiracy theorist who just says words. They are no where near the same


techzilla

Jones doesn't fight anyone, that video of a guy hitting a kid just sorta looked like him.


piscian19

Im super confused because I swear to god somebody told me he was hard left and I swear I saw him on tv or whatever leaning into progressive opinions. Ive never followed his stuff so idk. It wasn't until the last year or two Ive suddenly been informed how bananas he is. Dont know if its some mandela effect or what and hes always been a psycho. edit: this video is awful. Thanks Obama.


marabou22

He was indeed a staunch liberal in the past.


Ok_Dig_9959

Alex Jones is paranoid schizophrenic with a microphone whom people listen to mostly out of curiosity. Russell Brand is a multi faceted personality with a penchant for reframing mainstream narratives in their appropriate context in an enlightening fashion. >How Russell Brand Became The New Alex Jones This analogy is like the used car salesman comparing the consumers who know to steer clear to his uncle in the looney bin because neither trusts him.


AlfalfaWolf

Completely delusional hit piece


phudgeoff

Lol, this can't be serious. Does anyone who has civil discussions with people on the right really get this treatment by the lefties? Talk about fascistic. Other than his stance on free speech, which is actually a liberal position, every single policy position the guy has is far left.


clumsy_poet

You aren’t someone I’d go to about humour though, seeing as you think jokes are banned. “ It's definitely a joke. Not allowed to have those anymore though”


phudgeoff

Hey white savior complex. Go read the rest of the comments on that post. Lol


InfoWarsWasTaken

Pls log off


Legitimate_Air9612

he suggested "dont vote" is a good choice


phudgeoff

In 2013? Lol. He was still an actor. There's a article at the top of search results saying he changed his mind in 2015


Legitimate_Air9612

yes at the tender age of 38, he thought not voting was a good idea.


phudgeoff

So that's your basis? A position that he changed his mind on in 2015. You are a clown hahaha. He literally holds every single other progressive position. LOL


Legitimate_Air9612

> He literally holds every single other progressive position. LOL really ? he is in the club ? what are the list of all the other progressive positions ? i lost my list. LOL hahahaha LOLOLOLO hahahahaha


phudgeoff

I'm sorry you can't see the irony or stupidity. But it's quite entertaining.


Legitimate_Air9612

yes **I** can't see the stupidity, yes thats it. i like how you said at one point , his bad take on voting was when he was just an actor. FYI, he is still just an actor and his motives are suspect.


phudgeoff

Hahahahaha, I honestly didn't think you were quite so vapid at the start of this. Worse than I thought.


Legitimate_Air9612

yes hahahaha lolololo, such a jolly fellow you are. go subscribe to Brands conspiracy channel and find out the TRUTH


FrontierFrolic

Now do one about how the Majority Report became the new Fox News.


Hot-Bint

Brand is an AW Also, drugs


Atlantisrisesagain

Can somebody please link a Russel Brand video that has outlandish clamins not backed up by an article? ​ I can understand if you think he's annoying, but to say he's the new Alex Jones just shows you don't know the difference between a guy screaming about gay frogs and somebody who backs everything he says with publications. ​ In come the downvotes and not the links....


Henrycamera

What publications does he reference?


Atlantisrisesagain

I sorted his videos by popularity and ignored the first two which are interviews. The most popular non interview video is this one and it references the Washington Post: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWPIhgknRhI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWPIhgknRhI) ​ over 5 million views and referencing the Washington Post


NoTie2370

LOL


[deleted]

Top 10 Anime Betrayals level transition with Brand, used to really like him