Russell claims he has reformed and healed from sex and drug addiction. It certainly looks that way to me. Perhaps he still has some work to do about his attitudes to women - there are few men in our patriarchal society who don't need to do that - maybe none. Bottom line, in a sane culture, would be the acknowledgment of the healing Russell has already done and support for the women who suffered at his hands to engage in healing - which might involve a 'truth and forgiveness' process with Russell himself. Retribution in the form of a jail term or whatever, seems absurd when the man is living a good family life now. But we're an insane, retributive culture which takes vengeance, especially against 'outsiders', and which would willfully destroy a man (and his family) because, although he appears to no longer be a danger to women, he challenges the prevailing establishment narrative and power. May goodness prevail!
Thank you for articulating this. In my view, Russell Brand's arc includes recovery, amends, redemption, and forgiveness. The latter two are well deserved, but not forthcoming at the moment—at least not from the mob. I hope and pray that will shift, and soon.
Gosh … I have been trying to articulate my feelings around this and you have just done that beautifully. Thank you and, yes, let’s hope this is a cosmic opportunity to to illustrate that goodness is the only way for us all to stay sane and that it does indeed prevail !
Regardless of how much is amiss with Russell Brand's behavior, when criminals start accusing their critics of crimes, one has to suspect that something unholy is afoot. Regardless of Russell Brand's culpability for the alleged crimes, it doesn't undo the good he does in exposing the globalist criminal and in fighting for justice. Nor does it minimize the evil the globalists are doing. Whether the allegations are true or not, the attack is a deflection.
Yes, this case is yet another very obviously coordinated smear and take-down campaign. It's the Assange/Corbyn (and numerous others) smear campaign all over again.
The corporate-capitalist empire, their intelligence agencies and their disinformation media do this same smear campaign every single time a dissenter becomes influential and tells the people what is going on. It's like a broken record by now. How can anyone still be gullible enough to believe that these billionaire-owned manipulative propagandists are here to promote anything other than the interests of the ruling class and their corporate-capitalist empire?
To say this is NOT to condone rape or sexual assault. I'm a dedicated feminist and I fully support the investigation and prosecution (if warranted) of allegations of rape. This should be done in court, NOT by the narrative-managers in the capitalist billionaires' propaganda media. Even as the police force and legal system are far far from ideal and are heavily tilted against rape victims and often let abusers walk free, it is still the best option we currently have, and is much preferable to trial and execution by the corporate-capitalist empire and their media, in my opinion (and yes, the police and courts should definitely be re-imagined to make it easier and less traumatising for victims of abuse to seek justice).
I have no idea if Brand is guilty or not. That is NOT the main point here, in my view (sorting out if he is guilty or not should be done in court). I think that there needs to be a distinction between such a legal procedure and between the clearly coordinated smear and take-down campaign (against dissenters who expose the ruling class' manipulations and crimes against humanity) by the corporate-capitalist empire, their media and their intelligence agencies (two of the so-called "reporters" in this obvious hit-piece work for the MI6, which in turn works for the City of London and the biggest corporate plutocrats on the planet)
Our outrage at the horrific sickening crime of rape and the abuse of superior economic and physical power by some men to assault and exploit women, this outrage and sense of justice is being cynically used by the billionaire ruling class as a weapon to attack and take down those who expose their empire's crimes against humanity in their drive for profit-above-all-else, hierarchy and domination over the planet and all life.
The corporate-capitalist empire and their intelligence agencies (who are fully embedded in their media) have no qualms whatsoever about manipulating, deceiving and using absolutely ANYTHING (including our outrage against the horrific crime of rape and abuse of differential power) to advance their agenda of smearing, destroying and all-out war on dissenters, whistleblowers and truth-tellers who deviate from the deceptive official narrative that their disinformation media is peddling.
In my opinion, such a cynical manipulation of our goodwill and sense of justice is monstrous beyond words!!
Thanks for addressing the Russell Brand situation in a larger perspective. We don't know of course what he may have done; but it is clear as you say, that when folks like Biden are accused of these things; they don't stick cuz the PTB's who control the media don't want them to stick. Brand on the other hand is a very juicy target indeed since he has been a voice for so many who are pushing back against the toxic system. If it were up to me, the history of Edward Bernays, the nephew of Freud, would be required reading for all with re-reading every year or so just as a reminder. Folks like Bernays have managed to deliberately manipulate public opinion forever ( for our own supposed good) and yet even when we know it is happening we seem to be so very gullible.
Whatever Russell did or didn't do was a minimum of a decade to two ago with no complaint ever registered until now. Never trust a woman who goes to the media instead of the police and waits a decade or more to do it. In my episode, I also look at Assange as the closest parallel but I found out more about how it was falsified than I knew before. And yes, some commenters have also mentioned Bernays as key to understanding psyops. Here's my take on it: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/russell-branded.
Oh and I end by quoting Charles' mantra, "I am the right person at the right time in the right place with the right skills, and I know what to do." It's come in handy for me and I think it's what Russell should remember at this juncture of his life.
The women did go to the police some of them as recently as 2022. One complaint registered in 2018 was never investigated. If Russell were not just fully denying any of the allegations, I might believe that this is about smearing his character. In order to create this more beautiful world, we need people who have egregiously hurt others to come forward and take responsibility and take part in the process of healing and regeneration. I do not see Russell doing this. you who are defending him, and saying that it is a weaponization of the me too movement, I am really disappointed in your narrow perspective. You all sound as much like a cult as you described his critics of being. I’m amazed that you can’t see that.
Hi, Jill. It's not going to the police recently that indicates a sincere feeling of having been wronged but at the time of the alleged incident. From the article, the most recent allegation was 2013 so that person waited at least nine years to call for an investigation. Why?
I've since found out that Ch. 4 solicited every testimony, and none of them came forth spontaneously. Why did Ch. 4 do that now? Were the women paid? Wouldn't it have been more appropriate a decade ago?
You're posing a classic Catch-22 when you say that you would believe this was just a character smear if he admitted it was all true. How does that work? If you even allow for the possibility that he's being framed--for things that have nothing to do with these claims--then of course he would deny what was untrue. You've already decided that he's guilty and his denial is proof of that!
I love that everywhere I go, these days, people are referencing Bernays. I know that says a lot about what I read, but I still think it's as important as you say that we all understand how this culture evolved: that it was DESIGNED and ON PURPOSE.
I also appreciate writers who are willing and able to tackle this RB subject without either diminishing the vileness of the alleged crimes OR simply defaulting to the "mob mentality" as it's described here.
You both seem to be blissfully unaware of any facts relating to Russell Brand, his accusers, or sexual offending and the law -- in the UK at least: and Brand was brought up and lived in the UK before relocating in the US.
FIrst, the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) informed by the police and judicial system, show that 99% of sex offenders are male, and 88% of victims are female.
However the Crime Survey of England & Wales (CSEW) reports (from thousands of confidential interviews) that less than 50% of sex offences are even reported to the police.
This is because victims of sexual assault (mainly girls and women) think the police will do nothing, because they will not be believed. And that even if they are believed, they will be blamed (and shamed) as "asking for it" (victim-blaming is the most common excuse by sex offenders and perpetrators of violent domestic abuse). And that they will be treated in court as if they, not their atrackers, were on trial.
The expected humiliation of not being believed and nothing being done or, at best, of being treated as the accused, not the victim, in court, stops over 50% of women from reporting rape and other sexual assaults to the police at all.
And for those who do report sex crimes: because of the (now recognised) systemic misogyny of the police, charges are brought against alleged male sex offenders in less than 5% of cases.
Of these, only 1% result in successful prosecutions.
This means that effectively, rape has been legalised in the UK. Violent sex offenders know they have a 99% chance of getting away with it.
Russell Brand has been telling the world for 20 years, from centre stage, that he is a "sex addict": ie that he objectifies "hundreds" of women -- "five a day" -- simply as a means to satisfying his sexual appetite.
And his repeated "confessions" of promiscuity are still male pattern boasting: in adolescent / womaniser / Don Juan fashion: of having more notches on his bedpost than any other man. Only Brand doesn't bother with beds: much more exciting to pin a woman against his house wall to rape her.
After all, if women are stupid enough to go into his house after he's told the world who he is from centre stage, why would they expect special treatment? From such a famous man? with so much money? Raping them is doing them a favour. He's RUSSELL BRAND, after all.
And this is the nature of addiction: addicts become tolerant of their drug. They need ever larger, stronger quantities to get the same kicks.
It beats me how many people, women included, are not prepared to believe the women who have at last spoken out about their (horrible) experiences with Brand: gaining courage from each other to admit to what each dares not admit to alone. (I can only assume the kneejerk disbelievers are ignorant of the wider picture of male sex offending and, if female, have never been sexually assaulted themselves.)
This is typically how prolific sex predators are eventually caught.
MsGabriel I find your comment offensive on so many levels. But I’m too tired to get into it. Suffice to say I’m female, I’ve experienced sexual abuse, I’m from UK, and I’m hyper vigilant to intolerance and judgemental attitudes, and your comment seems intolerant and judgemental. In my humble opinion
Correction: Brand lives in England, he lived for a time with his first wife Katy Perry, and was located in the US while he was acting in Follywood, which is what you might be referring to but he did not relocate to the US for long.
NONE of us know whether this is true or not. It's all speculation. We are all projecting our own experiences of rape, near rape situations, thoughts on what we would do if we were raped or in a rape potential situation.... We are all pulling out our own facts to support our own arguments. I agree that rape is a constant pandemic amongst human beings and it should never be condoned. Victims should be able to get 'justice' for being abused. More women and girls are subject to rape - that we know of, for as you say, 50% of cases are not reported to police. But you cannot use figures to convey a probability (and you sound totally sure) that Brand committed these rapes. You just can't. He is an easy target as he is has a very high public profile and by his own admission had been a depraved sex and drug addict. But his actions for the last decade or more have been to turn his life around, does the 12 step programme and become an advocate for recovering addicts, a proponent of free speech, a voice against the systemic corruption of politicians and the adjunct legacy media (funny that) as well as a father to three children, the youngest being only about a month old. He's serving his sentence now for sure, guilty or not. Can you not be satisfied with that and cease and desist on being so sure of his guilt just because of statistics?
I have never liked Brand or found him remotely funny as a "comedian"y, just a boring motormouth narcissist. I have no trouble believing his female accusers. It's only surprising it didn't happen sooner.
@MsGabriel He wasn't a funny comedian and he was a motormouth narcissist and still had shades of that in his delivery up til the accusations and public trashing. I think it's clear that overall he has changed dramatically, owning his past appalling behaviour and habits and trying to make recompense through good work now - and isn't that something we should celebrate? Isn't personal triumph over our demons something we all aspire to do, the ancient, time honoured story of the struggle of all human beings? I can believe the accusations as well - but I can also believe they are exaggerated or even false - we'll never know the truth will we? In the meantime, can't we look at the evidence before us (the change and the commitment to much higher ideals than being a foul-mouthed, unfunny, misogynistic twat) and calm the fuck down instead of becoming a self-righteously motivated hell mob, driven by the fear of our own shortcomings undoing us, or just simply enjoying savaging such an easy target?
I'm glad you agree with my initial (and persisting) impressions of Brand, as the reason I have avoided exposure to him. Also why I am not convinced of his conversion to climate etc causes: as his narcissism explains his becoming a social justice warrior just as well as any real conviction. (I have been an environmental activist for 38 years.)
I have no idea if Brand has actually reformed, as I take very little interest in him: if so, then of course that's objectively good. But women who have been traumatised by Brand's past behaviour still deserve justice.
I don't regard myself as part of any "hell mob" for holding this view: and regard the label as both absurd and insulting.
The police are now undertaking an investigation of alleged historical incidents and have apparently called for and received further complaints from women.
I haven't heard him talking about climate causes at all. Never. He supports drug rehab because of his own addictions before and(?) during the times he is accused of these terrible crimes. Look, Brand and his wayward penis are a total distraction away from the much more important things he is now trying to address. Corruption, war mongering, unchecked profiteering, loss of freedoms etc etc. I'd much rather talk with you about that shit! Nobody talks enough about the legion of ways in which we are poisoning the air, water and soil - and our bodies - on which we depend do they? Nobody is being held to account. Few of us hold ourselves to account. The phrase 'climate change' kind of bypasses that somehow and everyone just gets upset about the weather. I would like to see the banning of all the toxic shit we put out there. If we could sell that on the basis of having better weather (ie the seasons returning to what we have enjoyed for millennia bar the odd ice age, ice melt and living in the UK) then we might start getting people to stop poisoning everything. The mob is what you are unwittingly a part of, whether you know it or not. We are all mobsters in some form or other. It's the old tendency to demand blood sacrifice on a blood full moon (or something) so that all can be right with the world again. It's THAT person, yah boo sucks. For someone not interested in Brand, you sure are invested in proclaiming him guilty before the trial. Don't be disingenuine, you're too clever for that. And good on you for your activism, that's the important thing.
Brand was praised by the well-known climate & biodiversity crises campaigner and biologist George Monbiot, for supporting environmental and other leftwing causes: because, Monbiot said, this would help to reach more people.
But by six months ago, Monbiot had changed his mind:
I have read plenty of more recent articles about Brand by journalists whose normal factual accuracy I respect and whose opinons, based on the facts, I share.
Yes I could do with seeing a lot less about Brand and men like him: preferably if they were more often prevented from offending or more often caught and punished for their crimes. Until then each scandal that exposes the woeful inadequacy of the legal and judicial systems and policing in protecting girls and women from male violence might just help in electing governments willing to reform the law, courts,and policing, and properly fund them.
I was first sexually assaulted aged six. I am probably only alive today because the violent male domestic abuser who broke my eardrum and tried to strangle me aged 29, was imprisoned for a drugs offence he hadn't told me about. I was much too scared to tell anyone about what was happening. I know what I'm talking about.
Are you talking to me? What am I selling? Who's spouting propaganda? Read my reply to MsGabriel if this was directed at me. Otherwise, ignore this comment!
The mob instinct is one thing, but let's not forget there is agency.
Matt Gaetz, Julian Assange, Daniel Ellsberg, what's his name Gore's? VP candidate, Salvadore Allende... there are a lot more and I've been meaning to make a list.
And 10+ years after the facts, 5 women somehow connect? and there are text messages? And there are no criminal charges, only civil charges.
When I wrote "agency", yes, this is an agency playbook. Some agency searched his text messages. Who'd a thunk it??? THAT is the big crime.
Oh, and only a couple of weeks after a powerful interview with RFKJr, and a second one with Jimmy Dore about Pfizer. Just a coincidence. Move along, nothing to see here.
This is the Deep State taking Brand out and the women are tools.
I've been an IT/Internet pro since 80's; I don't use a cell phone and don't even let people onto my property with one. PERIOD. [If you must use one, get a burn phone and burn it regularly; it only takes 3 calls to identify most people.] And don't think that if you delete a text it's deleted. But that warning is way too late for virtually everyone.
Also, in your experience, what does it cost to sacrifice a phone? And how do you activate one w/o identifying yourself? Or do "they" have all those tactics covered by now?
Not having a cell phone is difficult nowadays. You will be labelled anti-social. But hey, only 30 years ago, no one had one, right? One might start, however, by getting a dumb flip phone and keeping it off as much as possible. Any time one turns it on, one is being surveilled. Cold turkey to a landline, let me know how that works if you do! You will be one of the few walking around with your head up.
I was late to cell phones and smart phones, and while I do use them, I'd like to know how much trouble I'm getting into day by day, Is there any more-detailed advice you could give about this?
I was just looking at a TV show from the 70s that involved 70s cars and Mexican airports, and no, we didn't have a lot of the whizzy stuff we have now in the palms of our hands, but we lived OK.
The mob mentality surrounding accusations in this day and age is disturbing. If someone is credibly proven to have done something terrible, the law has mechanisms to dole out justice. The social aspects of being ostracized are much more sinister. I have been ostracized from social groups because of a difference of opinion with a group member who was the defacto "group leader" and felt the sting of every other group member, shunning me to stay in the leader's good graces. I go through a period of defiance, followed by a recognition that I don't want to be involved with people who are so cavalier in the treatment of people who were, at one point, supposedly a friend. However, no matter how much you rationalize the process, it is a sad and disappointing experience. I can only imagine how that is amplified when you are in the public eye and are ostracized by an entire industry. Why is it that those who claim to be compassionate are quick to choose sides and emotionally devastate someone at the first mention of impropriety? Not that anyone cares, but I am increasingly disappointed in the average person's behavior, even more so in those who identify with mob ideology.
I'm confident he did many such acts (I haven't read them either, why now?), he admits it freely, he spoke of wanking off an old man for drugs, it's in the past. I feel confident that if he sexually assaulted (how to define rape, being 16 doesn't cut it) young women, if he knew their names (not all that likely given the number he had relations with), he sought forgiveness. Even if only to his god and himself, he's contrite. If they're head hunting ( why or why now??) he needs not offer apologies.
All four of the women were in consensual relationships with him both before and after these events happened. In fact, several of them complained to his agent at the time when he wasn't calling them back. Also, in Britain the legal age of consent for a woman is 16 years, so none of the women were underage. Furthermore, the media cutthroats who set this up admit that the women are coming forward now BECAUSE OF THE THINGS HE SAYS ON HIS PODCAST. They say that openly. Now a person certainly can rape someone they are in a relationship with, and there is no doubt he was a complete asshole and a dick back then and was out of his mind on drugs and booze half the time. But as you say, he is horribly embarrassed about that now and even wrote a book about the process of cleaning up his act. He is now clean, married and has two kids. So to me, this whole media frenzy is more than a little suspicious; it stinks to high heaven. Not one of these women has gone to the police in 10-15 years? He hasn't been charged with anything, let alone tried and convicted, yet an MP is writing to several social media companies, including Rumble where he does his long podcast, trying to get them to demonetize him? Give me a break--be more obvious.
There's nothing natural about this story. It was packaged and timed before release and the reactions were also pre prepared and played on a tight schedule. If a city explodes, the news coverage takes days to saturate and the reactions take weeks. This drops every where on a day and the overwhelming mob reaction took minutes.
Plus, I'm so tired of hearing all the excuses for going along with the mob. If your are unwilling to draw and face the crowd for what you believe is right, you don't deserve the breath in your lungs or the blood in your veins. Apathy and cowardice got us here. We know how to correct one of those traits.
Charles, if you’ve barely got a whiff of the story, then you might decline to comment. What you’re doing in the absence of information--raising questions about the women’s credibility, accusing those who believe them of stirring up a mob--is textbook rape apologia. Don’t rush to defend Brand. Don’t assume that his accusers are tools of a shadowy power. What if we gave the women the benefit of the doubt, as we do with white men who are victims of alleged crimes? What if we listened to them before rushing in to defend Brand? The investigation is a four-year joint effort between three media organizations and includes over 100 interviews. Why not listen instead of talk?
I don’t know if he is guilty or not but he certainly played the character of someone who would do these things. What’s also important is that while he’s not part of the mainstream media he was in the past and has greatly benefited from being part of the mainstream for expressing characteristics in line with being the exact person he is now accused of being. (Whether he’s guilty or not this is a pretty damning indictment of the media companies who gave him a platform to begin with.)
If guilty, perhaps he’s changed and gone through some personal transformation, maybe it’s an act. People who do bad things still have meaningful things to say, however you probably are not going to and shouldn’t have an audience of multiple millions of people following you if you’ve truly atoned and necessarily humbled yourself after coming to terms with the fact that you are a serial abuser. If you don’t apologize, don’t relinquish power, and don’t inform your audience of who you truly are so as to not suffer consequences but decide you are the one to now be a popular truth teller feels deeply narcissistic. and if that’s the case can a narcissist fully empathize with others to understand what they have done?
(Mind you rape is a crime.)
Lastly, I don’t understand the above comment that suggests “he need not offer apologies” while focusing only on the supposed relationship with a 16 year old while ignoring the woman who has also accused him of raping her against a wall. According to the report it wasn’t just bad sex, she said no repeatedly and reported it at the time as a rape and exchanged texts with Brand to tell him she had said no and that he had raped her. How many women over how many decades accused Bill Cosby and were demonized for doing so before it became clear he had serially drugged and raped women of all walks of life? This is why women don’t come forward until later.
On a personal note, learning of these allegations was devastating. To me, RB is a profound and deep mind, exquisitely capable of breaking down, synthesizing, and making accessible that which needs to be exposed and broadly known. I am a grateful listener and greatly appreciate his leadership.
And…I squirmed while reading this piece. It feels premature and like it has a subterranean agenda or secret subtext (despite going to great lengths to allow for the unknowns).
What I want to hear from moral leaders right now is a message from the heart. How devastating this feels to those of us that *rely* on RB’s leadership, that the fear of the loss of his voice and platform is terrifying, and then to give this profound grief and fear it’s place, honor it, and let it move through us.
And to simultaneously hold space for the pain of his actions, for the real people that carry that pain.
To resist and underplay the emotional processing part of the process, to jump to intellectualizing and ‘understanding,’ does not serve...it’s too soon.
This situation needs spiritual healing, which you are so uniquely qualified to bring. Please do so.
Love this interview style format. Great to be introduced to Benjamin Life. Thank you for speaking on this so soon. The attack on RB was inevitable but far more gruesome than I expected. It has been fascinating watching it all unfold. You expressed everything I've been thinking this week so eloquently, as usual. Sign me up for the island of sanity cult.
Wow Charles, as a fan of your writing, and even someone who has bought your coursework, it feels egregious to me that you would comment on something you have “only had a whiff off”. How do you feel at ease pontificating about ideas like “cults” and “mob mentality”, without actually reading and researching the stories of these women? There are a loads of people, like myself, who are big fans of Russel Brand, and that is what makes these stories very painful to read/watch. The reason there is a massive reaction, “a mob mentality” as you refer to it, is because millions of people admire him as a thought leader and a zeitgeist figure, so it is hard not to have feelings about these very strong allegations. His story illuminates more about what society enabled, and chose to turn a blind eye to, than just another story of a charismatic narcissist that used his power for abuse. If you watch the doccie you will see much of it is the media’s own self-reflection and self criticism for their part in this. The only mob mentality of this story is that so many of us were too charmed by his intoxicating personality to see the dangerous behaviour he so obviously displayed (and not so long ago). If you did actually do your own research, you will find out that loads of journalists have been looking into this story for over a decade, this particular expose took four years… why? Because people don’t believe women, especially when it’s so disappointing and reveals someone we love as a selfish predator. There have been payoffs and gag orders and stories killed. These journalists have been meticulous and are constantly at financial risk through litigation. Same for victims. It is not easy to go up against society’s most beloved figure, even if he raped you. Remember Bill Cosby? Russel may be speaking truth to power, but so are these women.
We should be able to hold even those we love accountable to criminal acts. He must be held accountable and punished like all other rapists and abusers, should these women even bring charges against him (which they haven’t yet, because society has failed victims with only 2% of sexual offenders ever receive judicial charge). And Benjamin Life, not sure what “me too” is, the term is #MeToo. Please show some reverence for this movement that has required immense courage by millions of women.
It's looking pretty bad for Brand--meaning the allegations look credible and damning. I don't like the media feeding frenzy anymore than anyone else, and the self-righteous mob-mentality is disgusting. Charles gets this right in the interview. I don't agree with some other commenters that charges don't stick to Joe Biden because he's of the establishement and to Brand because he's an outsider (supposedly) though. They are sticking because it was apparently an open secret. The comparitor might be Jimmy Saville, not Joe Biden.
What are you seeing, that makes you say that the allegations look credible and damning? I'm reading to the contrary, as Linda Hagge says below, that "All four of the women were in consensual relationships with him both before and after these events happened". #MeToo has been a thing since 2017. For six years since the fall of Weinstein (not to mention 20 years since the events themselves) none of these women ever said a word. And to this day they never would have said anything, if it weren't for the fact that mainstream media sent out squadrons of reporters to trace down and grill virtually every woman Brand ever knew, hoping to uncover some dirt.
The rape allegations were "apparently an open secret" prior to the last week or two? Where is this information coming from?
I am asking in all sincerity: maybe I am misinformed.
Ok Jerry, Let's wait and see. It's what we have judge and jury for, as Charles says. You and I don't have to--or don't get to --decide this one. Just a note: having been in a consensual relationship doesn't mean it can't be rape. That's just like the old law that says rape is impossible in marriage becasue she's already agreed (supposedly) to open access to her body. Others on this post have already answered about the fact that many sexually-abused people (including men and boys, BTW) don't say anything at the time. That one really shouldn't need defending any more than the rape-in-marriage thing.
I am sincerely wondering; do you think Tara Reid was lying about Biden? Do you not think Biden's political team would minimize/cover up any potential sexual misconduct charges against him? The media has reframed Biden's notorious handsiness with women as 'a tactile approach to politics'.
But Biden has been shown to have been implicated many times in the dealings Hunter was making with Chinese businessmen. I don't think it was comparable crimes (rape) but other crimes committed while being president of the US. And he lies constantly and is discovered, revealed and then what? Nothing. Please don't let him get back in office. EDIT: apparently Biden IS accused of sexual misconduct. Don't forget the children's hair sniffing. Or Clinton. Or 'pussy grabbing' Trump. Or Catholic priest coverups. I mean, there is so much actual manipulation and abuse going on, what have we become as a species? Or were we ever anything else?
Russell claims he has reformed and healed from sex and drug addiction. It certainly looks that way to me. Perhaps he still has some work to do about his attitudes to women - there are few men in our patriarchal society who don't need to do that - maybe none. Bottom line, in a sane culture, would be the acknowledgment of the healing Russell has already done and support for the women who suffered at his hands to engage in healing - which might involve a 'truth and forgiveness' process with Russell himself. Retribution in the form of a jail term or whatever, seems absurd when the man is living a good family life now. But we're an insane, retributive culture which takes vengeance, especially against 'outsiders', and which would willfully destroy a man (and his family) because, although he appears to no longer be a danger to women, he challenges the prevailing establishment narrative and power. May goodness prevail!
Thank you for articulating this. In my view, Russell Brand's arc includes recovery, amends, redemption, and forgiveness. The latter two are well deserved, but not forthcoming at the moment—at least not from the mob. I hope and pray that will shift, and soon.
Gosh … I have been trying to articulate my feelings around this and you have just done that beautifully. Thank you and, yes, let’s hope this is a cosmic opportunity to to illustrate that goodness is the only way for us all to stay sane and that it does indeed prevail !
Indeed. May goodness prevail.
Regardless of how much is amiss with Russell Brand's behavior, when criminals start accusing their critics of crimes, one has to suspect that something unholy is afoot. Regardless of Russell Brand's culpability for the alleged crimes, it doesn't undo the good he does in exposing the globalist criminal and in fighting for justice. Nor does it minimize the evil the globalists are doing. Whether the allegations are true or not, the attack is a deflection.
Yes, this case is yet another very obviously coordinated smear and take-down campaign. It's the Assange/Corbyn (and numerous others) smear campaign all over again.
The corporate-capitalist empire, their intelligence agencies and their disinformation media do this same smear campaign every single time a dissenter becomes influential and tells the people what is going on. It's like a broken record by now. How can anyone still be gullible enough to believe that these billionaire-owned manipulative propagandists are here to promote anything other than the interests of the ruling class and their corporate-capitalist empire?
To say this is NOT to condone rape or sexual assault. I'm a dedicated feminist and I fully support the investigation and prosecution (if warranted) of allegations of rape. This should be done in court, NOT by the narrative-managers in the capitalist billionaires' propaganda media. Even as the police force and legal system are far far from ideal and are heavily tilted against rape victims and often let abusers walk free, it is still the best option we currently have, and is much preferable to trial and execution by the corporate-capitalist empire and their media, in my opinion (and yes, the police and courts should definitely be re-imagined to make it easier and less traumatising for victims of abuse to seek justice).
I have no idea if Brand is guilty or not. That is NOT the main point here, in my view (sorting out if he is guilty or not should be done in court). I think that there needs to be a distinction between such a legal procedure and between the clearly coordinated smear and take-down campaign (against dissenters who expose the ruling class' manipulations and crimes against humanity) by the corporate-capitalist empire, their media and their intelligence agencies (two of the so-called "reporters" in this obvious hit-piece work for the MI6, which in turn works for the City of London and the biggest corporate plutocrats on the planet)
Our outrage at the horrific sickening crime of rape and the abuse of superior economic and physical power by some men to assault and exploit women, this outrage and sense of justice is being cynically used by the billionaire ruling class as a weapon to attack and take down those who expose their empire's crimes against humanity in their drive for profit-above-all-else, hierarchy and domination over the planet and all life.
The corporate-capitalist empire and their intelligence agencies (who are fully embedded in their media) have no qualms whatsoever about manipulating, deceiving and using absolutely ANYTHING (including our outrage against the horrific crime of rape and abuse of differential power) to advance their agenda of smearing, destroying and all-out war on dissenters, whistleblowers and truth-tellers who deviate from the deceptive official narrative that their disinformation media is peddling.
In my opinion, such a cynical manipulation of our goodwill and sense of justice is monstrous beyond words!!
Thanks for addressing the Russell Brand situation in a larger perspective. We don't know of course what he may have done; but it is clear as you say, that when folks like Biden are accused of these things; they don't stick cuz the PTB's who control the media don't want them to stick. Brand on the other hand is a very juicy target indeed since he has been a voice for so many who are pushing back against the toxic system. If it were up to me, the history of Edward Bernays, the nephew of Freud, would be required reading for all with re-reading every year or so just as a reminder. Folks like Bernays have managed to deliberately manipulate public opinion forever ( for our own supposed good) and yet even when we know it is happening we seem to be so very gullible.
Whatever Russell did or didn't do was a minimum of a decade to two ago with no complaint ever registered until now. Never trust a woman who goes to the media instead of the police and waits a decade or more to do it. In my episode, I also look at Assange as the closest parallel but I found out more about how it was falsified than I knew before. And yes, some commenters have also mentioned Bernays as key to understanding psyops. Here's my take on it: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/russell-branded.
Oh and I end by quoting Charles' mantra, "I am the right person at the right time in the right place with the right skills, and I know what to do." It's come in handy for me and I think it's what Russell should remember at this juncture of his life.
Thanks for sharing ur post!
Thank you for subbing me, Nicki!
The women did go to the police some of them as recently as 2022. One complaint registered in 2018 was never investigated. If Russell were not just fully denying any of the allegations, I might believe that this is about smearing his character. In order to create this more beautiful world, we need people who have egregiously hurt others to come forward and take responsibility and take part in the process of healing and regeneration. I do not see Russell doing this. you who are defending him, and saying that it is a weaponization of the me too movement, I am really disappointed in your narrow perspective. You all sound as much like a cult as you described his critics of being. I’m amazed that you can’t see that.
Hi, Jill. It's not going to the police recently that indicates a sincere feeling of having been wronged but at the time of the alleged incident. From the article, the most recent allegation was 2013 so that person waited at least nine years to call for an investigation. Why?
I've since found out that Ch. 4 solicited every testimony, and none of them came forth spontaneously. Why did Ch. 4 do that now? Were the women paid? Wouldn't it have been more appropriate a decade ago?
You're posing a classic Catch-22 when you say that you would believe this was just a character smear if he admitted it was all true. How does that work? If you even allow for the possibility that he's being framed--for things that have nothing to do with these claims--then of course he would deny what was untrue. You've already decided that he's guilty and his denial is proof of that!
I don't know your definition of a cult but I've since examined three videos that are critical of Russell, including potential ties to the Illuminati: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/russell-brand-and-the-illuminati. My guess is that's what he's being targeted for walking away from. This led to more research into Hollywood & Pedo-Sadist Cults, which got me banned from YT for a week: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/hollywood-and-pedosadist-cults. And my last one looked at Russell & Yuval, and whether he's part of the WEF: https://thirdparadigm.substack.com/p/yuval-and-russell. So I wouldn't call my perspective narrow. Taking the allegations at face value seems like a one-dimensional approach.
I love that everywhere I go, these days, people are referencing Bernays. I know that says a lot about what I read, but I still think it's as important as you say that we all understand how this culture evolved: that it was DESIGNED and ON PURPOSE.
I also appreciate writers who are willing and able to tackle this RB subject without either diminishing the vileness of the alleged crimes OR simply defaulting to the "mob mentality" as it's described here.
Tara reid had to flee to russia to escape cia ss
Exactly.
I noticed that this format pulled me in and kept me reading and concentrating.
Thank you for your examples of observational thinking/expression and balance. i love you! sandrabeing
You both seem to be blissfully unaware of any facts relating to Russell Brand, his accusers, or sexual offending and the law -- in the UK at least: and Brand was brought up and lived in the UK before relocating in the US.
FIrst, the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS) informed by the police and judicial system, show that 99% of sex offenders are male, and 88% of victims are female.
However the Crime Survey of England & Wales (CSEW) reports (from thousands of confidential interviews) that less than 50% of sex offences are even reported to the police.
This is because victims of sexual assault (mainly girls and women) think the police will do nothing, because they will not be believed. And that even if they are believed, they will be blamed (and shamed) as "asking for it" (victim-blaming is the most common excuse by sex offenders and perpetrators of violent domestic abuse). And that they will be treated in court as if they, not their atrackers, were on trial.
The expected humiliation of not being believed and nothing being done or, at best, of being treated as the accused, not the victim, in court, stops over 50% of women from reporting rape and other sexual assaults to the police at all.
And for those who do report sex crimes: because of the (now recognised) systemic misogyny of the police, charges are brought against alleged male sex offenders in less than 5% of cases.
Of these, only 1% result in successful prosecutions.
This means that effectively, rape has been legalised in the UK. Violent sex offenders know they have a 99% chance of getting away with it.
Russell Brand has been telling the world for 20 years, from centre stage, that he is a "sex addict": ie that he objectifies "hundreds" of women -- "five a day" -- simply as a means to satisfying his sexual appetite.
And his repeated "confessions" of promiscuity are still male pattern boasting: in adolescent / womaniser / Don Juan fashion: of having more notches on his bedpost than any other man. Only Brand doesn't bother with beds: much more exciting to pin a woman against his house wall to rape her.
After all, if women are stupid enough to go into his house after he's told the world who he is from centre stage, why would they expect special treatment? From such a famous man? with so much money? Raping them is doing them a favour. He's RUSSELL BRAND, after all.
And this is the nature of addiction: addicts become tolerant of their drug. They need ever larger, stronger quantities to get the same kicks.
It beats me how many people, women included, are not prepared to believe the women who have at last spoken out about their (horrible) experiences with Brand: gaining courage from each other to admit to what each dares not admit to alone. (I can only assume the kneejerk disbelievers are ignorant of the wider picture of male sex offending and, if female, have never been sexually assaulted themselves.)
This is typically how prolific sex predators are eventually caught.
MsGabriel I find your comment offensive on so many levels. But I’m too tired to get into it. Suffice to say I’m female, I’ve experienced sexual abuse, I’m from UK, and I’m hyper vigilant to intolerance and judgemental attitudes, and your comment seems intolerant and judgemental. In my humble opinion
assuming you meant to reply to MsGabriel, i find your comment baffling on so many levels.
Yes I responded to MsGabriel. That’s who I was addressing. Thanks for asking for clarification
Correction: Brand lives in England, he lived for a time with his first wife Katy Perry, and was located in the US while he was acting in Follywood, which is what you might be referring to but he did not relocate to the US for long.
NONE of us know whether this is true or not. It's all speculation. We are all projecting our own experiences of rape, near rape situations, thoughts on what we would do if we were raped or in a rape potential situation.... We are all pulling out our own facts to support our own arguments. I agree that rape is a constant pandemic amongst human beings and it should never be condoned. Victims should be able to get 'justice' for being abused. More women and girls are subject to rape - that we know of, for as you say, 50% of cases are not reported to police. But you cannot use figures to convey a probability (and you sound totally sure) that Brand committed these rapes. You just can't. He is an easy target as he is has a very high public profile and by his own admission had been a depraved sex and drug addict. But his actions for the last decade or more have been to turn his life around, does the 12 step programme and become an advocate for recovering addicts, a proponent of free speech, a voice against the systemic corruption of politicians and the adjunct legacy media (funny that) as well as a father to three children, the youngest being only about a month old. He's serving his sentence now for sure, guilty or not. Can you not be satisfied with that and cease and desist on being so sure of his guilt just because of statistics?
I have never liked Brand or found him remotely funny as a "comedian"y, just a boring motormouth narcissist. I have no trouble believing his female accusers. It's only surprising it didn't happen sooner.
@MsGabriel He wasn't a funny comedian and he was a motormouth narcissist and still had shades of that in his delivery up til the accusations and public trashing. I think it's clear that overall he has changed dramatically, owning his past appalling behaviour and habits and trying to make recompense through good work now - and isn't that something we should celebrate? Isn't personal triumph over our demons something we all aspire to do, the ancient, time honoured story of the struggle of all human beings? I can believe the accusations as well - but I can also believe they are exaggerated or even false - we'll never know the truth will we? In the meantime, can't we look at the evidence before us (the change and the commitment to much higher ideals than being a foul-mouthed, unfunny, misogynistic twat) and calm the fuck down instead of becoming a self-righteously motivated hell mob, driven by the fear of our own shortcomings undoing us, or just simply enjoying savaging such an easy target?
I'm glad you agree with my initial (and persisting) impressions of Brand, as the reason I have avoided exposure to him. Also why I am not convinced of his conversion to climate etc causes: as his narcissism explains his becoming a social justice warrior just as well as any real conviction. (I have been an environmental activist for 38 years.)
I have no idea if Brand has actually reformed, as I take very little interest in him: if so, then of course that's objectively good. But women who have been traumatised by Brand's past behaviour still deserve justice.
I don't regard myself as part of any "hell mob" for holding this view: and regard the label as both absurd and insulting.
The police are now undertaking an investigation of alleged historical incidents and have apparently called for and received further complaints from women.
I haven't heard him talking about climate causes at all. Never. He supports drug rehab because of his own addictions before and(?) during the times he is accused of these terrible crimes. Look, Brand and his wayward penis are a total distraction away from the much more important things he is now trying to address. Corruption, war mongering, unchecked profiteering, loss of freedoms etc etc. I'd much rather talk with you about that shit! Nobody talks enough about the legion of ways in which we are poisoning the air, water and soil - and our bodies - on which we depend do they? Nobody is being held to account. Few of us hold ourselves to account. The phrase 'climate change' kind of bypasses that somehow and everyone just gets upset about the weather. I would like to see the banning of all the toxic shit we put out there. If we could sell that on the basis of having better weather (ie the seasons returning to what we have enjoyed for millennia bar the odd ice age, ice melt and living in the UK) then we might start getting people to stop poisoning everything. The mob is what you are unwittingly a part of, whether you know it or not. We are all mobsters in some form or other. It's the old tendency to demand blood sacrifice on a blood full moon (or something) so that all can be right with the world again. It's THAT person, yah boo sucks. For someone not interested in Brand, you sure are invested in proclaiming him guilty before the trial. Don't be disingenuine, you're too clever for that. And good on you for your activism, that's the important thing.
Brand was praised by the well-known climate & biodiversity crises campaigner and biologist George Monbiot, for supporting environmental and other leftwing causes: because, Monbiot said, this would help to reach more people.
But by six months ago, Monbiot had changed his mind:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/mar/10/russell-brand-politics-public-figures-responsibility
I have read plenty of more recent articles about Brand by journalists whose normal factual accuracy I respect and whose opinons, based on the facts, I share.
Yes I could do with seeing a lot less about Brand and men like him: preferably if they were more often prevented from offending or more often caught and punished for their crimes. Until then each scandal that exposes the woeful inadequacy of the legal and judicial systems and policing in protecting girls and women from male violence might just help in electing governments willing to reform the law, courts,and policing, and properly fund them.
I was first sexually assaulted aged six. I am probably only alive today because the violent male domestic abuser who broke my eardrum and tried to strangle me aged 29, was imprisoned for a drugs offence he hadn't told me about. I was much too scared to tell anyone about what was happening. I know what I'm talking about.
This propaganda is old & lame. No one's buying what you're selling.
Are you talking to me? What am I selling? Who's spouting propaganda? Read my reply to MsGabriel if this was directed at me. Otherwise, ignore this comment!
Hmmm, no, I was intending to reply to MsGabriel. Looks like I mistakenly attached my reply to yours.
Phew! It happens :-)
I've missed where RB has said he assaults five women per day. Can you provide a citation?
The mob instinct is one thing, but let's not forget there is agency.
Matt Gaetz, Julian Assange, Daniel Ellsberg, what's his name Gore's? VP candidate, Salvadore Allende... there are a lot more and I've been meaning to make a list.
And 10+ years after the facts, 5 women somehow connect? and there are text messages? And there are no criminal charges, only civil charges.
When I wrote "agency", yes, this is an agency playbook. Some agency searched his text messages. Who'd a thunk it??? THAT is the big crime.
Oh, and only a couple of weeks after a powerful interview with RFKJr, and a second one with Jimmy Dore about Pfizer. Just a coincidence. Move along, nothing to see here.
This is the Deep State taking Brand out and the women are tools.
I've been an IT/Internet pro since 80's; I don't use a cell phone and don't even let people onto my property with one. PERIOD. [If you must use one, get a burn phone and burn it regularly; it only takes 3 calls to identify most people.] And don't think that if you delete a text it's deleted. But that warning is way too late for virtually everyone.
Also, in your experience, what does it cost to sacrifice a phone? And how do you activate one w/o identifying yourself? Or do "they" have all those tactics covered by now?
That's too big for here.
Not having a cell phone is difficult nowadays. You will be labelled anti-social. But hey, only 30 years ago, no one had one, right? One might start, however, by getting a dumb flip phone and keeping it off as much as possible. Any time one turns it on, one is being surveilled. Cold turkey to a landline, let me know how that works if you do! You will be one of the few walking around with your head up.
If the battery is in, it's on for surveillance. Regardless if it's "off" for you.
I was late to cell phones and smart phones, and while I do use them, I'd like to know how much trouble I'm getting into day by day, Is there any more-detailed advice you could give about this?
I was just looking at a TV show from the 70s that involved 70s cars and Mexican airports, and no, we didn't have a lot of the whizzy stuff we have now in the palms of our hands, but we lived OK.
The mob mentality surrounding accusations in this day and age is disturbing. If someone is credibly proven to have done something terrible, the law has mechanisms to dole out justice. The social aspects of being ostracized are much more sinister. I have been ostracized from social groups because of a difference of opinion with a group member who was the defacto "group leader" and felt the sting of every other group member, shunning me to stay in the leader's good graces. I go through a period of defiance, followed by a recognition that I don't want to be involved with people who are so cavalier in the treatment of people who were, at one point, supposedly a friend. However, no matter how much you rationalize the process, it is a sad and disappointing experience. I can only imagine how that is amplified when you are in the public eye and are ostracized by an entire industry. Why is it that those who claim to be compassionate are quick to choose sides and emotionally devastate someone at the first mention of impropriety? Not that anyone cares, but I am increasingly disappointed in the average person's behavior, even more so in those who identify with mob ideology.
I'm confident he did many such acts (I haven't read them either, why now?), he admits it freely, he spoke of wanking off an old man for drugs, it's in the past. I feel confident that if he sexually assaulted (how to define rape, being 16 doesn't cut it) young women, if he knew their names (not all that likely given the number he had relations with), he sought forgiveness. Even if only to his god and himself, he's contrite. If they're head hunting ( why or why now??) he needs not offer apologies.
All four of the women were in consensual relationships with him both before and after these events happened. In fact, several of them complained to his agent at the time when he wasn't calling them back. Also, in Britain the legal age of consent for a woman is 16 years, so none of the women were underage. Furthermore, the media cutthroats who set this up admit that the women are coming forward now BECAUSE OF THE THINGS HE SAYS ON HIS PODCAST. They say that openly. Now a person certainly can rape someone they are in a relationship with, and there is no doubt he was a complete asshole and a dick back then and was out of his mind on drugs and booze half the time. But as you say, he is horribly embarrassed about that now and even wrote a book about the process of cleaning up his act. He is now clean, married and has two kids. So to me, this whole media frenzy is more than a little suspicious; it stinks to high heaven. Not one of these women has gone to the police in 10-15 years? He hasn't been charged with anything, let alone tried and convicted, yet an MP is writing to several social media companies, including Rumble where he does his long podcast, trying to get them to demonetize him? Give me a break--be more obvious.
He deniea non consensual acts
I seriously doubt he forced himself on anyone. That's rape. Consensual sex is not, unless you're talking about prepubescent children.
There's nothing natural about this story. It was packaged and timed before release and the reactions were also pre prepared and played on a tight schedule. If a city explodes, the news coverage takes days to saturate and the reactions take weeks. This drops every where on a day and the overwhelming mob reaction took minutes.
Plus, I'm so tired of hearing all the excuses for going along with the mob. If your are unwilling to draw and face the crowd for what you believe is right, you don't deserve the breath in your lungs or the blood in your veins. Apathy and cowardice got us here. We know how to correct one of those traits.
Charles, if you’ve barely got a whiff of the story, then you might decline to comment. What you’re doing in the absence of information--raising questions about the women’s credibility, accusing those who believe them of stirring up a mob--is textbook rape apologia. Don’t rush to defend Brand. Don’t assume that his accusers are tools of a shadowy power. What if we gave the women the benefit of the doubt, as we do with white men who are victims of alleged crimes? What if we listened to them before rushing in to defend Brand? The investigation is a four-year joint effort between three media organizations and includes over 100 interviews. Why not listen instead of talk?
I don’t know if he is guilty or not but he certainly played the character of someone who would do these things. What’s also important is that while he’s not part of the mainstream media he was in the past and has greatly benefited from being part of the mainstream for expressing characteristics in line with being the exact person he is now accused of being. (Whether he’s guilty or not this is a pretty damning indictment of the media companies who gave him a platform to begin with.)
If guilty, perhaps he’s changed and gone through some personal transformation, maybe it’s an act. People who do bad things still have meaningful things to say, however you probably are not going to and shouldn’t have an audience of multiple millions of people following you if you’ve truly atoned and necessarily humbled yourself after coming to terms with the fact that you are a serial abuser. If you don’t apologize, don’t relinquish power, and don’t inform your audience of who you truly are so as to not suffer consequences but decide you are the one to now be a popular truth teller feels deeply narcissistic. and if that’s the case can a narcissist fully empathize with others to understand what they have done?
(Mind you rape is a crime.)
Lastly, I don’t understand the above comment that suggests “he need not offer apologies” while focusing only on the supposed relationship with a 16 year old while ignoring the woman who has also accused him of raping her against a wall. According to the report it wasn’t just bad sex, she said no repeatedly and reported it at the time as a rape and exchanged texts with Brand to tell him she had said no and that he had raped her. How many women over how many decades accused Bill Cosby and were demonized for doing so before it became clear he had serially drugged and raped women of all walks of life? This is why women don’t come forward until later.
On a personal note, learning of these allegations was devastating. To me, RB is a profound and deep mind, exquisitely capable of breaking down, synthesizing, and making accessible that which needs to be exposed and broadly known. I am a grateful listener and greatly appreciate his leadership.
And…I squirmed while reading this piece. It feels premature and like it has a subterranean agenda or secret subtext (despite going to great lengths to allow for the unknowns).
What I want to hear from moral leaders right now is a message from the heart. How devastating this feels to those of us that *rely* on RB’s leadership, that the fear of the loss of his voice and platform is terrifying, and then to give this profound grief and fear it’s place, honor it, and let it move through us.
And to simultaneously hold space for the pain of his actions, for the real people that carry that pain.
To resist and underplay the emotional processing part of the process, to jump to intellectualizing and ‘understanding,’ does not serve...it’s too soon.
This situation needs spiritual healing, which you are so uniquely qualified to bring. Please do so.
Love this interview style format. Great to be introduced to Benjamin Life. Thank you for speaking on this so soon. The attack on RB was inevitable but far more gruesome than I expected. It has been fascinating watching it all unfold. You expressed everything I've been thinking this week so eloquently, as usual. Sign me up for the island of sanity cult.
Emily, Charles was interviewed by Benjamin for Rise media last year. Great discussion if you'd like to check it out: https://youtu.be/bopV8Pu3w8Q?si=BLx2UDRz-MKsitzI
Thank you James! Will check it out for sure
You're welcome Emily!
Wow Charles, as a fan of your writing, and even someone who has bought your coursework, it feels egregious to me that you would comment on something you have “only had a whiff off”. How do you feel at ease pontificating about ideas like “cults” and “mob mentality”, without actually reading and researching the stories of these women? There are a loads of people, like myself, who are big fans of Russel Brand, and that is what makes these stories very painful to read/watch. The reason there is a massive reaction, “a mob mentality” as you refer to it, is because millions of people admire him as a thought leader and a zeitgeist figure, so it is hard not to have feelings about these very strong allegations. His story illuminates more about what society enabled, and chose to turn a blind eye to, than just another story of a charismatic narcissist that used his power for abuse. If you watch the doccie you will see much of it is the media’s own self-reflection and self criticism for their part in this. The only mob mentality of this story is that so many of us were too charmed by his intoxicating personality to see the dangerous behaviour he so obviously displayed (and not so long ago). If you did actually do your own research, you will find out that loads of journalists have been looking into this story for over a decade, this particular expose took four years… why? Because people don’t believe women, especially when it’s so disappointing and reveals someone we love as a selfish predator. There have been payoffs and gag orders and stories killed. These journalists have been meticulous and are constantly at financial risk through litigation. Same for victims. It is not easy to go up against society’s most beloved figure, even if he raped you. Remember Bill Cosby? Russel may be speaking truth to power, but so are these women.
We should be able to hold even those we love accountable to criminal acts. He must be held accountable and punished like all other rapists and abusers, should these women even bring charges against him (which they haven’t yet, because society has failed victims with only 2% of sexual offenders ever receive judicial charge). And Benjamin Life, not sure what “me too” is, the term is #MeToo. Please show some reverence for this movement that has required immense courage by millions of women.
this conversation is not an island of sanity
It's looking pretty bad for Brand--meaning the allegations look credible and damning. I don't like the media feeding frenzy anymore than anyone else, and the self-righteous mob-mentality is disgusting. Charles gets this right in the interview. I don't agree with some other commenters that charges don't stick to Joe Biden because he's of the establishement and to Brand because he's an outsider (supposedly) though. They are sticking because it was apparently an open secret. The comparitor might be Jimmy Saville, not Joe Biden.
What are you seeing, that makes you say that the allegations look credible and damning? I'm reading to the contrary, as Linda Hagge says below, that "All four of the women were in consensual relationships with him both before and after these events happened". #MeToo has been a thing since 2017. For six years since the fall of Weinstein (not to mention 20 years since the events themselves) none of these women ever said a word. And to this day they never would have said anything, if it weren't for the fact that mainstream media sent out squadrons of reporters to trace down and grill virtually every woman Brand ever knew, hoping to uncover some dirt.
The rape allegations were "apparently an open secret" prior to the last week or two? Where is this information coming from?
I am asking in all sincerity: maybe I am misinformed.
Ok Jerry, Let's wait and see. It's what we have judge and jury for, as Charles says. You and I don't have to--or don't get to --decide this one. Just a note: having been in a consensual relationship doesn't mean it can't be rape. That's just like the old law that says rape is impossible in marriage becasue she's already agreed (supposedly) to open access to her body. Others on this post have already answered about the fact that many sexually-abused people (including men and boys, BTW) don't say anything at the time. That one really shouldn't need defending any more than the rape-in-marriage thing.
I am sincerely wondering; do you think Tara Reid was lying about Biden? Do you not think Biden's political team would minimize/cover up any potential sexual misconduct charges against him? The media has reframed Biden's notorious handsiness with women as 'a tactile approach to politics'.
But Biden has been shown to have been implicated many times in the dealings Hunter was making with Chinese businessmen. I don't think it was comparable crimes (rape) but other crimes committed while being president of the US. And he lies constantly and is discovered, revealed and then what? Nothing. Please don't let him get back in office. EDIT: apparently Biden IS accused of sexual misconduct. Don't forget the children's hair sniffing. Or Clinton. Or 'pussy grabbing' Trump. Or Catholic priest coverups. I mean, there is so much actual manipulation and abuse going on, what have we become as a species? Or were we ever anything else?