You’re right to be angry about Russell Brand – and the establishments, old and new, that gave him his power | Gaby Hinsliff
GuardianJUL 2023
Russell Brand Charged with Rape and Sexual Assault in UK
Above: Russell Brand attends the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Image copyright: Leon Neal/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Brand was jettisoned to fame in an era of viciousness, when misogyny was celebrated and grotesque invasions of privacy were the norm. However, it's clear now that the caricatured vision he presented to the world hid his attitudes toward women in plain sight. The willingness to look the other way in the noughties to normalize hypersexual behaviors enabled his behavior.
Narrative B
Brand's willingness to transgress in plain sight may have operated as a kind of shield, but his inappropriate conduct was deliberately ignored by establishments old and new. His behavior wasn't just "of its time;" politicians and journalists endorsed it. Those individuals and organizations giving him a platform should be held accountable for facilitating his rise to prominence.
Narrative C
Brand's relationships had always been consensual, which is why these allegations are astonishing, baroque attacks aimed at damaging his career. The charges are part of an aggressive media attack campaign targeting past behavior during a promiscuous period of life that has since ended. Just because he was candid about his relationships, his transparency can't be metastasized into something criminal.