What do you think of this interview with Russel Brandt?

You forgot to link to the interview.

@Kardamom Do you have to focus on the negative? :)

i think he seems scary and crazy but intelligent.

His name is actually Brand.

The video is in this article. A lot of my left-leaning friends have been posting it with bizarrely enthusiastic comments. I don’t get it. These are the same people who join me in urging everyone to vote in every election ever. I think refusing to vote is utter bullshit, and the best way to ensure that your concerns are completely ignored by the powers that be.

” I don’t mind giving up some of my baubles and balderdash for a genuinely fair system, so can we create one? ”

There is no such thing as a ” genuinely fair system ” though improvements may be made they will be made incrementally, with an occasional upheaval that is becoming a rare thing, and not so much revolution.

So, he was in a riot. When I see him on the barricades with weapon in hand I will take serious notice.

Until then I have heard this before and went through the intimation of what he is talking about. I grew up in the sixties and have heard and seen this thing before.

PS: Verbose f***er, isn’t he?

Edited:
Here is another exchange with him by the way.

Thanks all.

I’m a libertarian socialist in one of the reddest areas of Florida. I’m 90% sure that no vote I have ever cast has actually been tallied, since my first election was Dubya 2.0 – remember Chad?

I still vote in all elections. Why? Mostly I want my objections to be a matter of record.

I don’t vote for similar reasons. I have no interest in politics, so my indifference prevents me from being informed. I don’t believe politicically uninformed people should vote.

I like Russel Brand a lot, actually. I particularly enjoyed his interview with loonies from the Westboro Baptist Church. Plus, Get Him to the Greek was pretty hilarious.

I agree with him completely. I almost did not vote in the last election but felt like I “had” to…..I hate politics and think our country is absolutely completely fucked right now. I do not think I will be voting anymore, not on the national level. On the local level however I do like to get involved. I am lucky enough to live in an area where the people can really decide a lot of what goes on, and they actually make it happen. Thats neat.

As per usual, someone points out how unfair the status-quo is and ‘tells it like it is’ but has absolutely no clue how their version of utopia should come into effect. I don’t have much time for this guy. He is an idealist and that is great… we need people like that to point to things and say ‘HEY! THAT is NOT ok!’ so that we look at things in a different way. That type of art is ESSENTIAL, but I don’t want those artists leading a revolution. He is clueless in the most important ways. He sees an ideal and can explain that ideal in great detail, but dangerously, has no idea how to get there, but speaks loudly for it and against the current system. Nope,... sorry Russell, I like you, but you are an infant in the ways of the real world. I expect him to start crying soon. ‘I want my panacea to match my Polly-Anna personality.’ Get over it. People are stupid, irrational and selfish.

Has any one else been watching his tv series, Brand X? You need to take this stuff in context.

@cazzie Yeah, I totally agree with you. People are taking him too seriously because he’s very earnest and very articulate in these short clips, which is all they see. But he’s not actually doing anything, he’s just grandstanding.

Democracy DOES work.. but only in an educated and non-empathetic environment. In my mind, Brand’s message is an oxymoron. He wants people to educate themselves of the issues, but then he preaches the don’t vote thing… soooooooooo not helping.

Thanks all.
@Kardamom thanks for the reminder.
@glacial thanks for the correction and the link.
@livelaughlove21 thanks for the link.
@glacial and @cazzie ”…we need people like that to point to things and say ‘HEY! THAT is NOT ok!’ so that we look at things in a different way.”
(as opposed to @glacial‘s ”...he’s not actually doing anything, he’s just grandstanding.“_)
and then in the same breath, ”...has no idea how to get there, but speaks loudly for it and against the current system.”.

By the way my OP asks “what do you think of it?” Nothing indicates whether I’m for voting against voting, revolution, socialism etc.

I found his viewpoints well reasons and articulately stated. I agree with him that we must fundamentally change how we select our leaders and make sure they understand the mandate granted to them.

What does he say about MTV by the way?

@cazzie You can’t help much when realistically your 2 options for President of your country are both terrible. That is what he’s saying. You can vote for the lesser of 2 evils right now, but that shouldn’t be the way it is.

It is always easier to throw your hands up in disgust and repose in apathy than it is to roll up your sleeves and work at it.

@deni if the big picture is too hard, look at the small picture. Get involved in your local government.

Even in local government you could have not much of a choice though.

@flo there is ALWAYS a way to make a difference. It doesn’t always have to be a winning campaign to change things.

@cazzie You’re contradicted yourself again.

@flo, your logic is showing again.