I can’t think of anyone better to work towards initiating the change in consciousness that’s so desperately needed from deep within our disengaged society, and I’ll explain why.
It is only from within the esteemed pillars of hegemonic influence that we may affect revolutionary change.
(Change must be manufactured from inside the established controlling channels of influence in society i.e. television, social media, marketing, etc.)
Reinvigoration of political participation is a magical power long sought after by Westminster, yet it’s becoming seemingly impossible for the out of touch Oxbridge elites to connect with “regular people”. Together with their wealthy estates, lengthily expenses bills and pay rises, it’s merely impossible for the working class to relate to these pompous politicians who are solely preoccupied with bolstering their own careers. Try as they might, the likes of the Tory cabinet will never understand the hardships faced by some of our nations poorest who feel disconnected from politics and unrepresented in parliament.
So too have revolutionary movements seemed unappealing due to their inability to effectively utilize the pre-existing modes of relatable communication. Instead, they have focused too much on laborious political discourse, which, much like traditional party politics, induces a feeling of intellectual elitism towards the average Joe.
Now take a man from a working class background who battled courageously to conquer the tormenting demons of drug addiction, to then go onto be a successful Hollywood film star and accumulate great amounts of wealth; only before coming to the stark realisation that the glitz and glam of materialism is nothing but a false facade. Instead of resigning to a life of faux appreciation for his new found fame and fortune, he made the conscious effort to use his pre-established platform in popular culture to help amplify a number of pressing issues that are sadly ignored by politicians and the media.
Brand’s comedy and quirky persona has since acted as a tool, surgically slicing through the dense protective membrane which encapsulates the politically disaffected masses. The message of inequality, injustice and social welfare has been spread to people whose opinions on life usually stop short of their favourite person from TOWIE or choosing between a cheeky Nandos or a protein shake after a big “gym sesh” pumping to deep house.
Philosophical ideas and critical thinking is very rarely seen to permeate down to these depths of society. Here, people tend to simply consume the popular narrative espoused by the media and care not to think any different. Never have these individuals developed an interest in the actual state of affairs due to the repulsive elitist nature of mainstream party politics.
Ironically, rather than the career politicians in Westminster, the key to unlocking the true potential of a society turned off from politics and trapped in an unhealthy obsessive relationship with fame, money and ego, could be the powerful combination of famous celebrities with revolutionary ideas. With a colourful history in television, an established channel on YouTube and a strong career in stand-up; Russell is firmly entrenched within the mainstream communicative channels of influence. He’s perfectly placed to connect with the individuals whose development of class consciousness is a necessity if we are to move towards a fairer society.
The reach of Brand’s influence has bypassed revolutionary campaigners like Noam Chomsky who’ve worked tirelessly towards promoting positive change. Unfortunately their work is exclusively confined to those actively interested in the subject of political thinking and fails to reach the disengaged and uninformed masses. However Brand is on hand to turn the volume up, not just literally with his intrusive cockney twang, but with his established channels of influence acting as extra antennas to disperse the frequencies of revolution far and wide, directly to those who need to hear it most.
Recently Brand has managed to bulldoze revolutionary thinking directly into the mainstream with his new book. You can now go down to ASDA, buy your pulled pork and coconut water, then pick up the heavily Marxist influenced “Revolution” while you’re at it, just next to the relatively innocent “Great British Bake Off” recipe book. To add to the absurdity of such a book being readily available for consumption in a supermarket, it’s comically ironic that Wal-Mart, the corporation behind ASDA, even stock a book written by a virulent critic of their practices. To bring the revolution to the supermarkets is in itself a feat worth of infinite praise. Even without reading the book, its mere presence impacts the sub-conscious and makes discussing revolution round the dinner table with your Nan seem acceptable.
Ultimately whether you support his methods, dislike his outlandish personality or don’t give a toss; the fact of the matter is that that man holds the unprecedented power to spread class consciousness out to sectors of society where revolutionary thought previously had no presence. He’s struck a chord with the disenfranchised few and helped the blind many to see the contradictions of a corrupt system in need of change.
It’s another small victory along the long bumpy road to revolution.