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

[maomao]

When you're halfway to China quit digging

I didn't know he lived in South America.

 

[Pickman's model]

I didn't know he lived in South America.

You're assuming he's not fucking up digging when he fucks up everything else

 

[Sweet FA]

Bob had his number.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

At least he tried to become a better person as he aged, unlike Saville & others.

Did he?

 

[pbsmooth]

Surprise, his fans don't care. painting yourself as anti-establishment and then saying the MSM are out to get you really has proved to be an excellent tactic if your disciples are all idiots.

Russell Brand: Comedian appears distracted at gig but gets ovation from fans Russell Brand: Comedian appears distracted at gig but gets ovation from fans

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I mouth Gromit is a cunt to the driver every time I use the Jubilee Line, mostly they smile and give me the thumbs up, obviously there's one that doesn't.

Except he’s Northern line not Jubilee.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Bob had his number.

Tbf the rejoinder from Brand was a sick burn. Despise both of them but saying Geldof knows a thing or two about famine cos he's been dining out on I Don't Like Mondays for thirty years was a decent comeback.

 

[seeformiles]

We’ve just watched it this morning. Main impression was it’s the age old showbiz policy of “Ignore and accommodate the more unpleasant proclivities of the talent as long as it’s making us money”. Echoes of Savile as well esp. the seemingly new found support of women’s charities as a smokescreen/atonement tactic.
Mrs SFM has always thought he’s a sleazy bastard who makes her flesh crawl. This has just confirmed it.

 

[Sue]

Mrs SFM has always thought he’s a sleazy bastard who makes her flesh crawl. This has just confirmed it.

This. I'm absolutely astounded all these women were having consensual sex with him. I mean .

 

[The Octagon]

Bob had his number.

I think Bob Geldof was more than well aware of Brand and his imitators' proclivities - no names, but another comedian with Brand's style was sniffing around his 16 year old daughter several years ago.

The papers reported it as her being a 'wild child' unsurprisingly.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

This. I'm absolutely astounded all these women were having consensual sex with him. I mean .

I used to find him funny and attractive back in the day, but since he's become a conspiracy theorising wellness guru twat, it's obvious that he's a long-winded narcissist who loves the sound of his own voice.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

I never got the folk who lapped him up when he was pretending to be an activist either.

 

[RubyToogood]

I am familiar with the glazed look. Once seen, never forgotten.

 

[Chz]

I think Bob Geldof was more than well aware of Brand and his imitators' proclivities - no names, but another comedian with Brand's style was sniffing around his 16 year old daughter several years ago.

The papers reported it as her being a 'wild child' unsurprisingly.

He was rumoured to be in the show, but I can't see C4 shooting GBBO in the head like that.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

It was left too late with Savile - let's not just go "oh it's OK, women/girls throw themselves at celebrities, it's to be expected" again.

If he's tried and acquitted then fine, but since there are allegations he should be tried.

Exactly.

Brand has been known about for years now; a mixture of very good lawyers and understandable reluctance for his victims to come forward have protected him.

Innocent until proven guilty is a court process not an excuse for not forming your own moral judgement.

In cases like this I believe women.

 

[story]

I've been vilified for daring to suggest that Innocent until proven guilty is a valid stance.

No.
Again you’ve misunderstood.

You’re being vilified because your stance, your attitude, your posting style and history contribute to and support rape culture.



Did you read the Times report? Or watch the Despatches report
What is your opinion about the stories written/ reported therein?

Do you find them feasible or do you think the women are lying?
If they are lying why has the Times printed this story?







I’ll accept your claim that you believe that rape is rape regardless of degree.

I'm very much a believer of innocent until proven guilty.

There's something about Brand that makes me think that although he doesn't seem to be the type to violently rape a woman...

... That he seems the sort that wouldn't take no for an answer. He'd take it as a slight to his enormous ego and would put horrendous undue pressure to get what he felt was his due. Date rape.

So my innocent until guilty stance is written in pencil right now.

I’m reading this as

Innocent until proven guilty.
RB has not been proven guilty, therefore he is assumed innocent.
Based on your assumptions and observations, in your opinion RB does not appear to be a rapist. At least not the violent kind.
However, despite your assumption that he wouldn’t rape a women violently, he does seem to be the type who wouldn’t take no for an answer. He does seem to have such an enormous ego that someone saying No would induce him to push back and take his due, regardless of being told No.
In other words, he strikes you as the type of man who is capable of date rape.
Therefore your assumption of innocence is only written in pencil and could in fact be guilty of rape.

Is that what you meant?


If that’s what you meant then you’re in general agreement with everyone else on this thread.
(I’ll set aside the weird and frankly skeevy thing about date rape being different from violent rape.)

The thread is not saying he is guilty.

The thread is discussing the possibility that RB is a sexual predator, that’s he is capable of rape, and may be a rapist.

The thread is saying the new allegations seem to support this possibility. The thread is examining the allegations and comparing them to RB’s public persona, character and behaviour. And doing so in the context of sexual assault scandals such as Savile.

Your position seems to be “well he might be but let’s not jump to conclusions, let’s give the bloke a chance to explain himself, there could be explanations, reasons why he’s not a rapist”. The implication is therefore and necessarily that the women are lying, the long standing rumours are untrue, and his general sleazy behaviour (public, not hidden) is harmless and not at all problematic.

Even if he’s not a rapist, that standpoint supports and strengthens rape culture.
The fact that you cant see that, won’t even consider it, that’s the reason you’re getting a hard time on here.

 

[Petcha]

That was an incredibly painful watch.

The evidence does seem quite overwhelming. And the guy's clearly a grade A cunt. But I think Gromit is trying to make the same point as Piers Morgan here, just in a far more clumsy way.

 

[Petcha]

I assume quite a few lawyers made a lot of money before they broadcast this so the facts must have been very very thoroughly verifed

 

[Chz]

It's the only upside to Britain's crazy libel laws. If a big name like C4 is willing to stand behind it, you know they've got something compelling because they're going to get sued into total oblivion if not.

 

[kebabking]

My assumption is that the times and dispatched are daring Brand to sue them for libel/defamation.

 

[cupid_stunt]

That was an incredibly painful watch.

The evidence does seem quite overwhelming. And the guy's clearly a grade A cunt. But I think Gromit is trying to make the same point as Piers Morgan here, just in a far more clumsy way.

Three creepy cunts in one post.

 

[pbsmooth]

That was an incredibly painful watch.

The evidence does seem quite overwhelming. And the guy's clearly a grade A cunt. But I think Gromit is trying to make the same point as Piers Morgan here, just in a far more clumsy way.

As one of the replies says, "angling for the exclusive interview, Piers?"

 

[Petcha]

Three creepy cunts in one post.

I don't know anything about Gromit, I assume he/she has form or something.

The doco was very well made but left it very open ended. Is Brand going to be facing any charges, either here or in the US?

 

[Petcha]

As one of the replies says, "angling for the exclusive interview, Piers?"

They throw money at their interviewees, thats the only way he got the Spanish FA guy. So I assume discussions are well underway.

 

[cupid_stunt]

It's the only upside to Britain's crazy libel laws. If a big name like C4 is willing to stand behind it, you know they've got something compelling because they're going to get sued into total oblivion if not.

It was a joint investigation by Times Newspapers and Hardcash Productions for C-4, you can guarantee the lawyers for all three businesses were all over this before it was published and aired.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Is Brand going to be facing any charges, either here or in the US?

The Met have said they haven't received any reports. No idea about what might be going on in the US though.

While not referring to the comedian by name, the Metropolitan Police said it was "aware of media reporting of a series of allegations of sexual assault" but had not received any direct reports.
"If anyone believes they have been the victim of a sexual assault, no matter how long ago it happened, we would encourage them to contact police."

 

[Artaxerxes]

The Met have said they haven't received any reports. No idea about what might be going on in the US though.

Ah yes, The Met, that woke and enlightened force of sexual deviants

 

[PTK]

The Antonio Negri connection is that the Hari plagiarism was first exposed by fans of Negri who objected to a hit job interview Hari claimed to have done with him, where they realised that he either hadn't done the interview at all or else had spiced it up with questions he'd not actually asked, cos he'd just copy-pasted things Negri had said in a different interview and pretended they were answers to his questions. And the ashtray angle is that one of the things that first tipped them off that the interview might be a bit dodgy is Hari included a bit describing how Negri lit up a fag but was then told by a waiter that you couldn't smoke inside and so put it in the ashtray, ashtrays not traditionally being provided in places where you can't smoke. If it wasn't for his habit of making up lies about Italian autonomists and their smoking habits, Hari's plagiarism might never have come to light. (There's also another side aspect about Hari's fondness for writing some rather troubling erotica that has also been largely lost to the mists of time - content warnings apply to that link.)

I have heard from someone I generally respect that Hari's recent books are actually really good, but given everything about his career up to that point I can't say I have a huge amount of desire to read them.

 

[girasol]

I don't know anything about Gromit, I assume he/she has form or something.

The doco was very well made but left it very open ended. Is Brand going to be facing any charges, either here or in the US?

At the end of Dispatches they put a contact email. It might be what's been shown is not enough to charge him but they are hoping more women will come forward?

 

[Petcha]

It must have been an absolute nightmare for the commissioning people at C4 to get this signed off. Good on them, in the end. A good portion of it was spent criticising themselves, or a past version of themselves. A year to make.

It's a crying shame the women involved clearly don't believe the courts would convict him.