Jeremy Paxman vs Russell Brand

[turbobloke]

BJG1 said:

bodhi said:

Sadly that's kind of the way the world works. Every civilisation I can think of, from the Greeks all the way through the Middle Ages to Communism/Capitalism, has been ruled by an elite few, and this can be seen all over the natural world too.

I'm not saying Capitalism is perfect, far from it. However I'm struggling to see any better suggestions at this point in time....

I'm not worried about being run by a small number of people, I'm worried about being run by a small number of people who all went to the same school, university and followed the same career path.

And before someone gives me that st about best school/best uni meaning best people take a look at how much more diverse the backgrounds of our most successful businessmen are.

True enough, apart from Daddy Sugar and his ilk there are a lot of graduates or drop-outs from a wider range of top universities in various countries.

[BJG1]

Exactly. Top schools and top universities might be much better at producing academics but they're not the ones I want running the country. Sure, they can make up a large part of the level below but I want my cabinet to be similar in pragmatism, commercialism and logical reasoning as top entrepreneurs and businessmen.

[Gogoplata]

“Man, it was fking amazing when that guy told Paxman we should have good things and not bad things.” – courtesy of a friend on FB.

[turbobloke]

BJG1 said:

Exactly. Top schools and top universities might be much better at producing academics but they're not the ones I want running the country. Sure, they can make up a large part of the level below but I want my cabinet to be similar in pragmatism, commercialism and logical reasoning as top entrepreneurs and businessmen.

Don't get me wrong, I agree with the need for more than academic credentials.

I was merely pointing out that in the world of successful enterprise there is a wider circle of top universities represented by graduates or dropouts. Plus a few mavericks who may not have had an Eton education but may have had rich parents and good or fortuitous timing in their London property purchases.

[R11ysf]

That Brand tt said:

The EDL condemns immigrants. My new rule for when I fancy doing a bit of the ol’ condemnation is: “Do the people I’m condemning have any actual power?” The immigrant capacity to cause social negativity is pretty slender. Especially if you live in luxury in Hollywood and the only immigrants you meet are Gabby, my Mexican second mother, and Polo who looks after the garden. It probably seems more serious if you’re in a council flat in Tower Hamlets. Still the fact remains that an immigrant is just someone who used to be somewhere else.

It's when he writes things like this, which he thinks if he thinly veils them in (in his opinion) wit, then they will just get glossed over. It shows he doesn't understand the issues faced by the left, but it is 'cooler' and gets more aim time if he stands for that than the current paradigm.

I had to use the word paradigm as Russell has obviously just looked it up in his ickky-wickky-dickkytionary as he used it 5 or more times in only 10 minutes with Paxman.

He's a tt. I love the way the millionaire ex-pat Russell Brand is standing up for those who he considers don't have a voice in this country, yet only a short time ago he was using this voice to leave obscene messages on the answerphone of a pensioner.

I can't believe I'm even writing anything about this non-entity. I'm actually angry with myself.

[TTwiggy]

R11ysf said:

That Brand tt said:

The EDL condemns immigrants. My new rule for when I fancy doing a bit of the ol’ condemnation is: “Do the people I’m condemning have any actual power?” The immigrant capacity to cause social negativity is pretty slender. Especially if you live in luxury in Hollywood and the only immigrants you meet are Gabby, my Mexican second mother, and Polo who looks after the garden. It probably seems more serious if you’re in a council flat in Tower Hamlets. Still the fact remains that an immigrant is just someone who used to be somewhere else.

It's when he writes things like this, which he thinks if he thinly veils them in (in his opinion) wit, then they will just get glossed over. It shows he doesn't understand the issues faced by the left, but it is 'cooler' and gets more aim time if he stands for that than the current paradigm.

I had to use the word paradigm as Russell has obviously just looked it up in his ickky-wickky-dickkytionary as he used it 5 or more times in only 10 minutes with Paxman.

He's a tt. I love the way the millionaire ex-pat Russell Brand is standing up for those who he considers don't have a voice in this country, yet only a short time ago he was using this voice to leave obscene messages on the answerphone of a pensioner.

I can't believe I'm even writing anything about this non-entity. I'm actually angry with myself.

I don't really see an issue with what he says there. He acknowledges that it's easy to ignore a problem if it doesn't affect you, accepts that for those it does affect it may be a problem and also makes the point that immigrants are people too, with their own sets of problems and hardships. It's not a revelatory text, but it is essentially true.

[Emeye]

I watched his drug program. A tale of how he, Russell Brand managed to over come drug addiction and stay clean and tried to help other addicts. He was convinced that everyone else should be able to do it with the right help if only the system had a different approach.

What he seemed to fail to realise is that he has an ego the size of a planet and is a celebrity - not everyone else has or is and therefore they don't benefit from that strength.

I've not watched the interview, I think he is funny, but that is about it.

He is also responsible for Katie Perry releasing really depressing st songs, rather than just st songs - I did like that video in the candy cane world with Snoop dog though.

Is his career struggling - is this just another of his self-confessed attempts to get noticed?

[anonymous-user]

I thought he made some very valid points and didn't come across too left wing. It would be easy for him to not give a toss and say 'I'm very wealthy now so none of it matters to me' but he's spoken up about the very thing we all moan about -Crap Politicians and unjust governance.

[mybrainhurts]

Only managed thirty seconds of that programme.

Quick question for all the Brand sycophants hereabouts who hail his intelligence. Do intelligent people not know that criteria is plural?

Quick question for all the Brand sycophants hereabouts who hail his comedic prowess. Is your medication up to date?

[BJG1]

mybrainhurts said:

Quick question for all the Brand sycophants hereabouts who hail his intelligence. Do intelligent people not know that criteria is plural?

I think it's a special kind of that judges a person's intelligence on that.

[mybrainhurts]

BJG1 said:

mybrainhurts said:

Quick question for all the Brand sycophants hereabouts who hail his intelligence. Do intelligent people not know that criteria is plural?

I think it's a special kind of that judges a person's intelligence on that.

Your vocabulary makes your criticism invalid. You might get me with a comedic approach, give it a try.

[DMN]

Long story short: Brand is bang on. Politics in this country is dead. The political parties have failed.

[mybrainhurts]

And we need Brand to tell us the bleedin' obvious, do we?

[turbobloke]

mybrainhurts said:

And we need Brand to tell us the bleedin' obvious, do we?

Brand thinks we do, and that says something about Brand - which includes the words 'more publicity for' and 'Russell Brand'.

His narrative remains lower-sixth Wolfie Smith plus Thesaurus, all very unconvincing.

[Jasandjules]

It is quite refreshing to see someone setting out plainly that the current system is not working and the public are disenfranchised with it.

My personal view of him is irrelevant.

[turbobloke]

Jasandjules said:

It is quite refreshing to see someone setting out plainly that the current system is not working and the public are disenfranchised with it.

If that was all he did, it's doubtful so many people would be critical of what happened. It would have taken him one line, two at most, in plain English as per your post.

It appears to me that comments are being raised about the large amount of superfluous verbiage.

Jasandjules said:

My personal view of him is irrelevant.

Indeed. Is any individual view of him relevant, beyond the next commissioner of his 'services'.

Ultimately to a celeb the sum total of views is relevant as their income depends on it, this is potentially why Brand is engaging with the more idealistic naifs. Who knows, maybe his marketing people told him he could benefit from increasing his reach to include sixth- and fifth-formers.

[e21Mark]

Jasandjules said:

It is quite refreshing to see someone setting out plainly that the current system is not working and the public are disenfranchised with it.

My thoughts also. I found myself sharing Brands view of the current crop of politicians, who appear corrupt, hypocritical and self-serving to varying degrees.

In my work I have heard him speak about addiction on a couple of occasions. I am also aware that he has done a great deal more, than simply make a tv programme.

I wonder how Andrew Sachs feels about the phone prank and how it raised his profile and helped him work as an actor again? Rather than being ''the bloke who played Manuel in Fawlty Towers''.

[MX7]

Just watched it. Fanciful and childish, and I think the New Statesman look a bit daft too.

Celebrities and politics very rarely mix well.

[Smiler.]

e21Mark said:

I wonder how Andrew Sachs feels about the phone prank and how it raised his profile and helped him work as an actor again?.

Did you read that somewhere, or just make it up?

[e21Mark]

Smiler. said:

e21Mark said:

I wonder how Andrew Sachs feels about the phone prank and how it raised his profile and helped him work as an actor again?.

Did you read that somewhere, or just make it up?

I think it was a comment on a daytime tv show interview. (I'll see if i can find it)