10 things to remember with the allegations about Russell Brand
Truth gurus in a time of distrust
There’s nothing quite like the death rattle of patriarchy’s last breath to rouse me out of a writing slumber. The allegations leveraged against Russell Brand this week may not tip the entire apple cart over, but it sure helps expose the bad apples and the system that keeps them looking fresh.
Here’s 10 things to keep in mind with the allegations against Russell Brand. You can watch another version of it here where I take out the trash and right-wingers feed the algorithm.
#1 - BOTH / AND
Russell Brand may speak publicly about corruption; telling you the news that the news won’t tell you, but that doesn’t mean he may not have also sexually assaulted multiple people in the past. Both things can be true.
The media may be controlled by a select wealthy and powerful few, spinning specific narratives and avoiding others, and sexual predators run rampant in the entertainment industry, and beyond. Just because he speaks truth to power is not a valid reason to not investigate the allegations or believe survivors. While these allegations are leveraged directly against him, it’s also illustrating a wider systemic issue about how power, privilege & misogyny work throughout culture.
Here’s a clip of him making a joke about sexual assault for shits n’ giggles.
#2 - INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY
Yes! Absolutely in a court of law, but not on the ground in social situations.
If you are the target of sexual violence ie; you’re not a cis man, FOR YOUR SAFETY DO NOT employ an ‘innocent until proven guilty’ stance socially. Listen to others when they say they were sexually assaulted, made to feel uncomfortable, or experienced something inappropriate. Most of all, don’t gaslight yourself; trust your instincts and don’t minimise things that feel uncomfortable. Normalise speaking about sexual violence so it is exposed. Put the onus on the perpetrators so they carry the shame, and expose the culture that supports this occurring. Teach boys to call out other boys so they grow up to be men who don’t keep this culture alive.
Too many men right now are saying, “Yeah but…he’s being targeted because he speaks truth to power!” “Yeah but…this is a targeted attack!” “Yeah but….” YEAH BUT NOTHING. If you’re not addressing the underlying cultural piece that this illuminates, you’re not looking with a critical lens and you sound like a rape apologist.
#3 - SILENCE IS VIOLENCE
This one is loaded & multi-layered.
In the Channel 4: Dispatches episode, the only man to come forward was another male comedian. He shared how he was aware that female comedians had a group chat where they warned each other about problematic men. Russell Brand was no stranger to this list. Statistically, cis men are the main perpetrators of sexual violence and socially, men know when other men are problematic. When men say or do nothing, they are actually allowing a lot to happen. This female comedian reiterates that Brand is a known offender, but stresses her frustration at the focus put on Brand and not the culture in comedy and other problematic men.
The Dispatches documentary also highlighted how the entertainment industry capitalises on and supports narcissism. In one contract Brand had, there was a clause included whereby he wasn’t allowed any sexual relations at work (which he allegedly breached). If this needs to be a clause in a man’s contract, why is he offered a contract in the first place? Women were allegedly used as pawns to deflect responsibility away from executives, producers and staff which subject them to the sexual violence of a known predator. The list is long for those who are responsible and you can bet there is massive trail cover-up underway.
The shame that surrounds sexual violence has a long and sordid intentional history. It is by design that the onus is placed on victims to come forward in a culture that doens’t support them, over perpetrators being held accountable. This shame produces silence, which then creates longer periods of time before people do come forward, which then delegitimises their allegations. The length of time, however, does not erode the fact that it happened, or the impact it had and continues to have.
*Side note: there is a repeated trope circulating about why all the victims came forward at the same time. The Dispatches documentary was made over the last 4 years which averages out to one victim coming forward per year. Many people in and outside of the comedy world were interviewed who did not feature in the documentary, but were aware of Brand’s reputation. It’s not known if the victims approched Channel 4, or if they were approached.
#4 - GASLIGHTING
For misogyny, rape culture and bro code to continue and exist, there has to be a serious system of gaslighting in place. This puts the focus on victims over perpetrators, and protects those who uphold the culture.
Misogyny is so weaved into socialisation that it is normalised and pedalled by those it harms. This is where we get parents saying to girls, “You’re not going out wearing that, are you?!” and men claiming that what a woman was wearing meant she was asking for it…or female personal assistants to Brand wrangling young women from his audiences after the show in an industry where his sexploits were an “open secret.”
No one asks to be sexually assaulted.
Consenting to rough sex is different. Sex between consenting adults is also different, and sexual violence is very common in committed relationships. In case it’s not clear, this doesn’t cover the ground of grooming 16 year old girls. Shame and silence is so heavily attributed to sex and sexuality, thanks to the combined power of religion & patriarchy, that people either don’t know they’ve been sexually assaulted, or fear coming forward when they have. The only way to undo gaslighting is to highlight the hidden corners that expose it:
Speak openly about sexual violence.
Speak up when you feel uncomfortable.
Put the shame on the perpetrator where it belongs.
Utilize power in numbers.
#5 - TECHNOLOGY: BUYING BOT FARMS & ALGORITHMS
You cannot be online today and believe that every comment you read is written by a human. That is purely naive, and is now blurring the line into the terrain of dangerous.
There is a serious lack of transparency around the technology we’re forced to use today. Bot farms are being utilised increasingly for political leverage and by those who have the resources to buy them ie; celebrities with oodles of money who want more fame or a certain narrative to be spun in their favour.
It’s an easy road to follow - - > Buying bot farms produces a mass amount of comments that manipulate the algorithm which steers public discourse and creates public opinion. If any of these cases against Brand do go to trial and there is a jury, those people will have no doubt been influenced by this curated narrative - whether it be by reading the comments, watching videos themselves or speaking with others who have been manipulated into a certain way of thinking.
When misogyny is so weaved into culture that those who perpetuate it don’t even know that they are, it is inevitably weaved into the technology we use. This is acting as a positive feedback loop whereby it continues to be perpetrated from culture into technology, and back into culture. It also reiterates the fact that if you’re getting all of your news online, then you actually can’t be sure what the truth is.
#6 - LISTEN CAREFULLY
Russell Brand has positioned himself as a leftie who can meet in the middle and have rational conversations with far-right wingers and conservatives. What he has been doing in recent years however (primarily since Pluto crossed his Ascendant and one of his video’s was removed from YouTube for breaching community guidelines), is failing to challenge the ideology of his guests and in-turn created a platform for their rhetoric.
Brand has worked out that the far-right knee-jerk, sensational headlines, click-bait content is far more lucrative than the truth. He has made millions (an estimated 1million pounds per year just from YouTube alone), from making allegations about things he can’t prove, arming his viewers with the “MSM is corrupt and out to get us” narrative, which conveniently works for him when the spotlight is turned to him.
It’s interesting to also note that Brand never went beyond saying “the media is corrupt” to actually critiquing who actually controls it. He has never critiqued Rupert Murdoch, for example, likely because Murdoch owns Fox News which is the right-wing bread and butter.
If you are so hell-bent on exposing the truth about how power works, as a man you have a responsibility to address patriarchy, which produces misogyny, which produces rape culture which is upheld by bro-code and shaming victims. It’s not that hard of a lead to follow, but when it doesn’t serve your follower$ to be called out, it’s conveniently omitted.
#7 - FREE SPEECH: MONEY TALKS
Free speech is not being targeted when Russell Brand can still post videos on his YouTube platform. What he currently can’t do is monetise them, which poses another question: Is he in it for the truth, or the money?
We don’t own YouTube, Google does. It’s not a community space, it’s a private company, just like Meta and every other social platform you use and incorrectly call your own. While I do simultaneously think it’s important to analyse who controls the media and the influence technology and governments have over what we can and can’t say, YouTube is not technically mainstream media or verified journalism. Things are being conveniently, but incorrectly, conflated.
Alt-tech platform Rumble has publicly stated they will not ‘de-platform’ Brand, which is not surprising considering Rumble is funded largely by right-wing conservatives Pieter Thiel & JD Vance, and also hosts Trump Media’s platform, Truth Social.
With regard to the “You’re next!” narrative that’s being thrown around online by Brand stans suggesting this is a ploy to silence people, the only people who should be worried about being next are those who have also committed acts of sexual violence and are fearing being exposed. Pretty simple maths!
#8 - TRUTH GURUS & MANIPULATION
Since the Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Pisces last year, and even more so since Saturn has entered Pisces, there has been an increase in documentaries exposing cults as more and more people are distrusting of the establishment.
In the past, cults have centred around close-knit community groups, but in recent years the internet has proliferated the reach and the rate at which people are manipulated. Influencers are the new gurus, telling you what to think, what to buy, how to dress and behave, shaping trends and algorithms. The title itself tells you everything you need to know.
While Brand and others like him are elevated to guru status, they leave in their wake a slew of followers (disciples) who unquestioningly believe what is said without question. In Brand’s case they are of the far-right conservative bent; plenty of “spiritual” people today also assert that Trump is the leader of the free world and any accusation against him is a conspiracy, not something he may have actually done and needs to be accountable for.
In Brand’s case, his tactic involves elevating and empowering his listeners immediately with his acknowledgment that they, too, see the truth. He begins with acknowledging his listeners as “awakening wonders” and centres his material around exposing corruption and power dynamics.
While this immediate ego elevation suggests he is reiterating what his listeners already know, or suspect, he’s actually targeting what they don’t know and therefore playing on increasing insecurity and FOMO. With a lack of transparency in tech, and governments receiving direct cash flow from corporations and investments and big pharma, there’s good reason for us to be critical and want answers. When your target audience love an all caps headline over research, as the alt-right are susceptible to, influencers know that it takes more energy to question and unpack what’s being said than get left behind. The faux-truth that is being pedalled emboldens followers with half-baked theories that can result in violence when carried offline.
While Brand’s disciples are saying he’s being targeted for his content, there are plenty of other people calling out the government who haven’t potentially sexually assaulted people - there’s a big difference.
The irony of Brand’s disciples criticising the people who came forth with the allegations saying: “Why didn’t they come forward sooner?…They’re just trying to silence him!…If you believe this you’re taking the MSM red pill…If you believe this lie you’re the sheeple”, is that they too are being manipulated and fed lies to uphold someone elses agenda but they don’t see it. When their rights are challenged they bang the drum so loud that they can’t see an alliance between themselves and the people they oppress.
#9 - YOU DON’T KNOW HIM
Many people are online saying they met Russell Brand and he was such a nice guy. While he may have been nice to you, this doesn’t mean he hasn’t potentially also sexually assaulted people in the past. You don’t know him!
Russell Brand is a paid performer. He’s a trained performer. His job is to get you to like him and see him in a particular light. He’s a trained, professional manipulator. How he chooses to use that power is on him. There are plenty of actors who act well and don’t violate other people.
Just because he’s been open about his promiscuity in the past also doesn’t mean he always sought consent. Let’s also not forget the double standard that when men are open about their promiscuity they’re hailed as heroes, conquerors with another notch in their belt, while women are shamed and deemed worthless, a commodity to be passed around. Saying you love women doesn’t mean you do.
#10 - DISTRACTION & DISCERNMENT
The thing about being a rapist is that you’ll never not be one. So just don’t be one.
While these allegations are directly leveraged against Brand, it’s also about the wider culture and blatantly obvious systemic violence.
In Brand’s *hands in the air - I didn’t do it* video that was released the night before the Dispatches documentary, he doubles down on his truth-guru status by emboldening the click-bait-quick-reactions of his followers by suggesting that they predicted the fall of their guru (the full transcript can be found below):
“I am aware that you guys in the comments have been for a while saying "watch out Russell, they're coming for you", "you are getting too close to the truth", "Russell Brand did not kill himself”.’
Utilising the power of suggestion he offers people power at a time when there is enormous insecurity. If someone, your guru, is telling you you were right, AND you were powerful enough to predict something that is now going down, there is no need for you to think critically because now there’s proof.
Not so!
Brand’s video repeatedly reinforces the corruption of MSM, and how they cannot be trusted, employing deflection from the allegations and placing emphasis on the MSM and reasons why people watch his videos in the first place :
“And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question is there another agenda at play.”
He then goes on to associate himself with Bro Rogan who suffered a “coordinated media attack”. When you’re backed by Andrew Tate, Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk and Rumble, and align yourslef with Joe Rogan, it’s pretty clear where you stand with regard to truth and misogyny.
“I know a year ago there was a spate of articles: Russell Brand is a conspiracy theorists; Russell Brand is right wing.”
Brand stating that he has been accused of conspiracy theories and labelled right-wing is him aligning himself with the groups he’s naming; he’s not distancing himself from them. He knows who his audience is. While challenging corruption is necessary for democracy, the violence perpetuated by right wingers, conservatives and extremists is what makes Brand dangerous. If he’s being ‘taken down’ it’s not because he questions the legitimacy of MSM, but because he arms his followers with half-baked fodder, not critique.
Brand ends his video call out for support with:
”In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake but more importantly than any of that, if you can stay free.”
But what does free actually mean in this context? Free of consequence? Free of accountability? Free of open critique and analysis? Once misogyny and rape culture is broken down and understood, arguments of right wingers, Andrew Tate and Brand et al. crumble, and violence is seen as not just a physical act, but something weaved into culture, language, social behaviours and policy.
It’s obvious that this issue is both, about Brand specifically, and about the wider cultural context. Men who are openly supporting Brand are letting everyone else know that they are not safe, and are not to be trusted should the issue of sexual violence arise…which it inevitably will as long as nothing changes and there is no accountability.
Following is the transcript of Russel Brand’s video, released the night before the Channel 4: Dispatches documentary was released:
Hello there you awakening wonders. Now this is not the usual type of video we make on this channel where we critique, attack and undermine the news in all its corruption because in this story I am the news.
I have received two extremely disturbing letters - or a letter and an email - one from a mainstream media TV company, one from a newspaper listing a litany of extremely egregious and aggressive attacks, as well as some pretty stupid stuff, like my community festival should be stopped and I shouldn't be able to attack mainstream media narratives on this channel.
But amidst this litany of astonishing rather baroque attacks are some very serious allegations that I absolutely refute. These allegations pertain to a time when I was in the mainstream, when I was in the newspapers all the time, when I was in the movies, and as I've written about extensively in my books I was very, very promiscuous.
During that time of promiscuity the relationships I had were absolutely always consensual. I was always transparent about that then, almost too transparent, and I am being transparent about it now as well.
And to see that transparency metastasized into something criminal that I absolutely deny makes me question is there another agenda at play.
Particularly when we have seen coordinated media attacks before, like Joe Rogan where he dared to take a medicine the mainstream media didn't approve of and we saw a spate of headlines of media outlets around the world using the same language.
I am aware that you guys in the comments have been for a while saying "watch out Russell, they're coming for you", "you are getting too close to the truth", "Russell Brand did not kill himself".'
I know a year ago there was a spate of articles: Russell Brand is a conspiracy theorists; Russell Brand is right wing.
I am aware of newspapers making phone calls, sending letters to people I know. For ages and ages, it's been clear to me or at least feels to be there's a serious and consorted agenda to control these kinds of spaces and these kind of voices.
I need my voice along with your voice. I don't mind them using my books and my stand up to talk about my promiscuous sexual conduct in the past. What I seriously refute are these very, very serious, criminal allegations.
Also its worth mentioning that there are witnesses whose evidence directly contradicts the narratives that these two mainstream media outlets are trying to construct, apparently in what seems to be to me a coordinated attack.
Now, I don't want to get into this any further because of the serious nature of the allegations but I feel like I'm being attacked and plainly they are working very closely together.
We are obviously going to look into this matter because it is very, very serious.
In the meantime, I want you to stay close, stay awake but more importantly than any of that, if you can stay free.
This is a really excellent post. I'm glad I found it after you followed me. It's so thorough and clear and well argued.
Also, somehow I missed that Brand compared his being alleged to be a serial predator to Joe Rogan taking Ivermectin. I'm no fan of Joegan either, but come on, my guy. Off-label use is not anywhere comparable to multiple accusations of rape.