Russell vs. Reason

I have been, and still am a fan of the eloquent, flamboyant and ludicrous force that is Russell Brand. This truly ridiculous man, a term I use in the kindest of manners, is no stranger to finding himself embroiled in a media frenzy.

However, putting the Sachs-gate debacle behind him and demonstrating his newfound maturity Brand has strutted, in his notoriously camp ‘look at me, the Messiah has arrived!’ fashion, onto the political stage. Upon reading Brand’s article, I was forced to reluctantly side with his critics, condemning his calls to revolt as reckless.

My decision is not due to his profession as an “actor” as he suggested to Jeremy Paxman, his politically unorthodox appearance, or at the very least his low class, Eastend upbringing, of which I share. It is due to the sad truth that Brand has presented himself to be all style over substance.

He promotes a Utopian society, the constructs of which he cannot formulate – and most importantly promoting the withdrawal of political participation as the vehicle to this vague and ill-devised utopia.

“We were all equal and treated each other with respect; egalitarianism wasn’t an issue, it was a self-regulating  society founded on love.”

The above quote was not extracted from Brand’s Revolution Manifesto, but from his 2008 autobiography, where he details the short lives of the pet gerbils he doted on as a child. This bears striking resemblance to his New Statesman article, demonstrating the over-simplified yet adorable vision of the human condition he holds.

Brand disregards the complexities of constructing a new political paradigm. Rather he highlights the countless injustices of the world we live in without suggesting any solutions to them. However he has tarnished his articulate piece with one crucial line.

“I will never vote and I don’t think you should either” – stripping the people of their ability to change their society, rather than empowering them with it. He has clearly missed the defining feature of the democracy he should count himself lucky to live in. I strongly advise Brand to revert back to the example of his “egalitarian” society of gerbils, which sadly ended with them eating one another.

[divider]

flickr.com/joeltelling