Russell Brand: rape and sexual abuse allegations, grifting and general dodginess - discussion

[mod]

Love him or hate him Mr Brand is absolutely spot on with his views on drug prohibition.

This is really worth a watch.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04v2zrg

 

[Spirit Of Slade]

I couldn't watch more than 5 minutes. It's him and his deeply fucking patronizing attitude, with some real lazy logic that doesn't really get anyone thinking.

I switched off when he said "...this isn't a crack-house...it's a house with some poor people in it doing crack..."

I don't know how the old bill put up with him to be honest. If I was one of them I would have so tempted to just knee him in the nuts!

I'll try and watch it when I have more of a stomach for it. He might have the answers concerning drugs, but he sure as hell puts his point across in a really annoying way.

 

[Hocus Eye.]

I watched the whole of the video on drug prohibition. I thought it was very good and I didn't find him patronizing in it.

 

[mod]

I couldn't watch more than 5 minutes. It's him and his deeply fucking patronizing attitude, with some real lazy logic that doesn't really get anyone thinking.

I switched off when he said "...this isn't a crack-house...it's a house with some poor people in it doing crack..."

I don't know how the old bill put up with him to be honest. If I was one of them I would have so tempted to just knee him in the nuts!

I'll try and watch it when I have more of a stomach for it. He might have the answers concerning drugs, but he sure as hell puts his point across in a really annoying way.

Not a fan of his then?

 

[Spirit Of Slade]

Not a fan of his then?

LOL no. I'm sure his heart is in the right place and he does get it right every now and then....but if he's going to do these documentaries, he needs to show the viewers the facts without all the catty sarcasm...refraining from making so obvious what he thinks, so that the viewer has time to take it what they are seeing and think for themselves. With him constantly talking over, saying what he thinks all the time..well I just find it a bit suffocating.

 

[Sweet FA]

As with his 'activism', it's all about Brand Brand. I broadly agree with a lot of what he says. I wish it wasn't him saying it though.

 

[J Ed]

Thank god for this thread, there weren't enough Russell Brand threads on urban until now

 

[mod]

Thank god for this thread, there weren't enough Russell Brand threads on urban until now

A thread promoting a very good and interesting documentary about drug prohibition and it's negative effects in society? Why not discuss the important issues presented. You disagree with what he is saying? Have you watched it?

 

[mod]

As with his 'activism', it's all about Brand Brand. I broadly agree with a lot of what he says. I wish it wasn't him saying it though.

The bloke ought to be applauded for saying it though and breaking the taboo.

 

[joe_infinity]

The bloke ought to be applauded for saying it though and breaking the taboo.

Yeah it's not as if anybody else is saying the war on drugs should be ended

 

[Spirit Of Slade]

Right. Watched it. He's been a bit unfair to himself, because as it goes on, it gets better and he's a lot more fairer. It's just a shame about the first 5 minutes or so. Come on Russell, we've seen houses raided by the old bill many times, there's no need to fawn horror to the point that your nerves are intertwined with the front door being pounded in by the old bill.

I believe he's been fair with everyone, except some govt / politician type half way through, who I don't believe had an answer (surely they had an answer) to one of the questions / allegations Russel made, edited in.

At first I thought he was always being physically too close to the people he was interviewing, but there seemed to be a point to it, especially when dealing with addicts / ex addicts.

Sometimes, he came across as being too cocky / arrogant. If he wants to change minds, he has to also be more in touch with his target audience.

Walking around the European Parliament wearing ripped jeans, chewing on food and then blurting "You lot look fucking great, you're dressed up like your from across the galaxy" - really doesn't help to change the minds of those stuffy Conservative types.

As for legalizing all drugs. I would like to see MDMA legalised first as an experiment. I don't take it (anymore), but I would like to see what effect that would have on it's own.

 

[Sweet FA]

The bloke ought to be applauded for saying it though and breaking the taboo.

Taboo? Come off it

 

[tony heath]

Brand has declared war on party politics and has voiced his opinion on drugs, it is now up to the party politicians to voice the opposite opinion and we all think it's normal. Meanwhile the politicians continue to consume drugs and alcohol safe in the knowledge that they'll never get caught as long as they are outwardly seen as law abiding citizens. Brand'$s probably at it too.

 

[xenon]

Who is Russell Brand?

 

[xenon]

Maybe he should be in charge of stuff you know. Radical ideas like decriminalising drugs. Whoever said that before.

 

[kittyP]

As with his 'activism', it's all about Brand Brand. I broadly agree with a lot of what he says. I wish it wasn't him saying it though.

I don't like him.
I think a lot of what he says is utter shit.
I also think a lot of what he says is more about him and his "brand".

But, but, I think quite a bit of what he says is true and at least someone that people are actually paying attention to is saying something like that.
Does that all make sense together?
I've had quite a bit of wine and medication

 

[kittyP]

Yeah it's not as if anybody else is saying the war on drugs should be ended

But the vast majority of the population are not paying any attention to other people talking about prohibition are they...?

 

[Spirit Of Slade]

But the vast majority of the population are not paying any attention to other people talking about prohibition are they...?

The majority of the population want to try something different, but the problem appears to be the politicians and their fear that they will be committing political suicide.

It's not the population Brand needs to fine-tune his message for, it's the politicians.

What I found encouraging is that there is politicians who are willing to work with Brand on changing the message.

Also, as Brand has realised - his arguement and dare I say the common pro legalisation arguement, is focusing too much on the victim addict. One legalisation opponent pointed out, that when you make laws, it's a numbers game...so not only do you have to take into account the welfare of addicts, but you also have to take into consideration those who aren't.

The pro legalisation camp has homework to do concerning non drug users. Will the kids really be safe? If the answer is yes, then how?

The answer is most probably in Portugal.

 

[JTG]

Will the kids really be safe? If the answer is yes, then how?

The answer is most probably in Portugal.

What's Maddy got to do with this?

 

[BigTom]

The majority of the population want to try something different, but the problem appears to be the politicians and their fear that they will be committing political suicide.

It's not the population Brand needs to fine-tune his message for, it's the politicians.

What I found encouraging is that there is politicians who are willing to work with Brand on changing the message.

Also, as Brand has realised - his arguement and dare I say the common pro legalisation arguement, is focusing too much on the victim addict. One legalisation opponent pointed out, that when you make laws, it's a numbers game...so not only do you have to take into account the welfare of addicts, but you also have to take into consideration those who aren't.

The pro legalisation camp has homework to do concerning non drug users. Will the kids really be safe? If the answer is yes, then how?

The answer is most probably in Portugal.

I thought it was an odd point tbh.
What harms do you envisage coming to non drug users as a result of legislation?

I can only think of benefits, in that the negative overspills of drug use (eg dirty needles being left in public places) would be more easily dealt with (shooting galleries and needle exchanges being easy to set up/run, you don't get diabetics leaving needles all over the shop).
Tax from sales will provide an income to pay for the services that are needed to deal with these things too, e.g. in Birmingham they setup a temp casualty/triage unit on broad st every Fri/Sat night to reduce numbers going to a&e, if alcohol was prohibited, this couldn't happen and a&e would be even more swamped than it is.

Portugal is, as you say, the place to look, and that there is now total consensus there on decriminalisation shows it is beneficial to non drug users as well as recreational and habitual users.

 

[mod]

Who is Russell Brand?

 

[mod]

Taboo? Come off it

Breaking the taboo
The War on Drugs has failed. After 50 years of prohibition, illicit drugs are now the third most valuable industry in the world after food and oil, all in the control of criminals. Drugs are cheaper and more available than ever before. Millions of people are in prison for drugs offences. Corruption and violence, especially in producer and transit countries, endangers democracy. Tens of thousands of people die each year in drug wars. - See more at: http://www.breakingthetaboo.info/#sthash.JewecQYF.dpuf

 

[Sweet FA]

Breaking the taboo
The War on Drugs has failed. After 50 years of prohibition, illicit drugs are now the third most valuable industry in the world after food and oil, all in the control of criminals. Drugs are cheaper and more available than ever before. Millions of people are in prison for drugs offences. Corruption and violence, especially in producer and transit countries, endangers democracy. Tens of thousands of people die each year in drug wars. - See more at: http://www.breakingthetaboo.info/#sthash.JewecQYF.dpuf

Seen it. What has it got to do with Brand though mate? You said he'd broken taboos as though nobody was talking about this. This film's from 2012. Prohibition and the failure of the WoD has been endlessly talked about. I'd rather listen to Nutt et al than this self-obsessed narcissist. What has Brand actually done (on all the issues he's linked with, not just this one)? Recycled other people's ideas as his own, placed attention on himself rather than the issue he's espousing and made it easy for detractors to dismiss ideas purely because Brand's name is attached to them. I'd rather he stfu about drugs tbh. The shit he comes out with has been said better before and carried more weight due to not being associated with this clown.

 

[DotCommunist]

I'm getting brand fatigue. We are reaching peak Brand here

 

[ShiftyBagLady]

It's peculiar how the people who criticise brand for drawing attention to himself rather than the issues he is talking about proceed to talk more about him and how much they dislike him rather than the issues themselves.

 

[butchersapron]

So it's being repeated by the BBC to cash in on brand's current stuff - and no doubt to help out wee johann 'Leroy Jones' hari who has just now released a book on this very issue and who produces Brand's video output and who was working on his book from early 2012 and who has been a longtime BBC oxbridge network favourite. Well, he was until he was caught lying, plagiarising, altering wikiperida entires for his enemies, writing gay incest porn etc. Well done on thus move Hari and oxbridge network.

 

[krtek a houby]

Brand has declared war on party politics and has voiced his opinion on drugs, it is now up to the party politicians to voice the opposite opinion and we all think it's normal. Meanwhile the politicians continue to consume drugs and alcohol safe in the knowledge that they'll never get caught as long as they are outwardly seen as law abiding citizens. Brand'$s probably at it too.

Nice smear.

 

[mod]

Seen it. What has it got to do with Brand though mate? You said he'd broken taboos as though nobody was talking about this. This film's from 2012. Prohibition and the failure of the WoD has been endlessly talked about. I'd rather listen to Nutt et al than this self-obsessed narcissist. What has Brand actually done (on all the issues he's linked with, not just this one)? Recycled other people's ideas as his own, placed attention on himself rather than the issue he's espousing and made it easy for detractors to dismiss ideas purely because Brand's name is attached to them. I'd rather he stfu about drugs tbh. The shit he comes out with has been said better before and carried more weight due to not being associated with this clown.

My saying he was "breaking the taboo" was simply a nod to that film. You seem a little obsessed about the bloke and are only succeeding in making this thread all about R Brand which is something you claim to hate?

 

[mod]

It's peculiar how the people who criticise brand for drawing attention to himself rather than the issues he is talking about proceed to talk more about him and how much they dislike him rather than the issues themselves.

Yep, been thinking the same.

 

[Sweet FA]

My saying he was "breaking the taboo" was simply a nod to that film. You seem a little obsessed about the bloke and are only succeeding in making this thread all about R Brand which is something you claim to hate?

'obsessed'? 'hate'?

Who made the thread all about Brand? The thread titled 'Russell Brand: End the war on drugs (bbc doc)'