The funny thing is Brand let America off lightly

India Knight
The Sunday Times
September 14, 2008

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/india_knight/article4748836.ece
http://tinyurl.com/5jfcug

The comedian Russell Brand, who is candid about the fact that his ambition
is even bigger than his enormous nesty hair, presented the MTV video music
awards last week. The show goes out live and is a very big deal in America,
where Brand is, or was, largely unknown; it was watched this year by 8.4m
people. 

During his opening speech, he urged viewers to vote for Barack Obama, adding
that though Americans were clearly open-minded people, since they’d
let “that retarded cowboy fella” do his thing for eight years (“in Britain,
we wouldn’t trust him with a pair of scissors”), it might be time to “let
someone else have a go”. He went on to make jokes about Sarah Palin and
about the “purity rings” worn by the Jonas Brothers, a wholesome teenage
band who like to advertise their virginity through the wearing of
jewellery – jewel-assisted virginity being, presumably, superior to the
ordinary kind. (It’s only a matter of time before some American pop star
broadcasts her sexual innocence by means of a huge, clanking chastity
belt.) 

Brand is a stand-up comedian, so he stood up and made jokes. Since he is a
comedian rather than a children’s entertainer, the jokes had some edge,
though his humour is observational and absurd rather than vicious: he
doesn’t do great bitchy tirades. The jokes were funny, and were made
funnier still by the nonplussed reaction of parts of the audience. He’s
making jokes about our president! He’s making jokes about sex! He’s teasing
the little Christian singers! He’s a Brit! 

Never mind that this material was Brand Lite, sanitised for America: swathes
of the viewing public were instantly outraged and keen to express their
revulsion by flooding internet forums and news sites. Their comments were
startling in their toxicity, taking in everything from Brand’s appearance –
he’s a plain-looking fellow, apparently – to his heroin habit (he’s been
free of drugs since 2003) to how he isn’t funny to Christian people, ergo
needs to be hunted and shot. There was also lots of chippiness about how
the UK is a “Third World country” and nobody in the US cares about it or
anybody it has ever produced (um . . . Mayflower? Plymouth Rock? Oh, never
mind). Television news and entertainment channels talked of nothing else
for days, editorials were written, the blogosphere went mad: you get the
picture. 

America is so odd. They’re not weird in New York, or in California, and I
know vast swathes of the country are packed to the gills with charming,
lovely, clever people. They produce brilliant stand-up comedians
themselves, and make some of the world’s best television and cinema. They
have writers and actors and musicians of genius; the cliché about America
being culturally barren is untrue. But you do worry about the rest of the
populace when they threaten to do physical harm to a comedian for daring to
suggest that Dubya, the least popular president in modern American history,
doesn’t perhaps come across as being quite the full shilling. The
vociferous commentators on MTV’s website can’t all have been fiftysomething
Republicans whose sensibilities had been offended; they must have included
a proportion of MTV’s viewers, broadly aged 16-24. How is it possible for
young people to be so reactionary? 

The issue seemed to be a) that non-Americans have no right to express any
kind of opinion about the world’s only remaining superpower; b) that it’s
not nice to say “retarded” (which it isn’t, especially, but– and I say this
as the mother of a child with special needs – it is surely a matter of
context. Besides, Americans like nothing better than the word “spaz”, so
frankly we’re splitting hairs); c) that there’s nothing funny or odd about
chastity rings (except there is: they’re completely absurd). This third
point is especially peculiar given America’s vast, bottomless appetite for
pornography, to say nothing of its fondness for sexualising female
children: see the country’s tradition of toddler beauty queens in 3in heels
and pancake. Britney Spears, the other star of this year’s VMAs, became
America’s sweetheart at 17 by grinding and pouting while wearing a micro
school uniform and her hair in bunches. Then she went a bit mad – gee, I
wonder why – and America hated her for being fallible and human. The bile
directed at Brand is nothing compared with the venom poor Spears endured
for years. Then she looked hot again, so everything was fine. 

I interviewed Brand last month; he was about to go back to LA for these
awards. He was charming and bright, cerebral as well as motor-mouthed. He
felt a certain trepidation about the VMAs, being fully aware that
presenting them would catapult him into the American consciousness
overnight. The awards haven’t done his US profile any harm: viewing figures
were up 19% this year and MTV has asked him to host again next year. But
his friend David Baddiel told me on Friday: “I think he was maybe a little
surprised by the level of rage. He said he could imagine feeling that angry
only if someone said something about his mum. What’s bizarre is that his
remarks would be considered tepid in this country – it’s a massively
disproportionate response to someone saying something very mildly out of
turn.” Baddiel added that the script would have been checked by MTV, “which
means you got maybe 10% of what he’d have liked to have said – he was
operating at a fraction of his taboo-busting capabilities”. 

The whole episode is like a parable about the differences between the US and
the UK: so much common ground and yet such oceans between us. It isn’t
about whether you find Brand funny or not: there’s always the “off” switch.
It’s about the peculiar contradictions that seem to define modern America:
the love of free speech and pride in democracy, coupled with bottomless
abuse for anyone who has the temerity to voice dissent. The devotion to the
flag, in people who strike some of us as trying their hardest to make the
world dislike America. The sanctification of sexual purity versus the
insatiable appetite for porn. And, above all, the sanctimony. 

The only way of dealing with that kind of mindset is to joke about it, which
is what Brand did. I’m glad of it: his performance was a useful reminder
that sometimes jokes aren’t only funny, but necessary.
-- 
Facts are sacred ... but comment is free

"Robin T Cox"  wrote in message 
news:ue4zk.57422$E41.35273@text.news.virginmedia.com...
> The funny thing is Brand let America off lightly
>
> India Knight
> The Sunday Times
> September 14, 2008
>
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/india_knight/article4748836.ece
> http://tinyurl.com/5jfcug
>
> The comedian Russell Brand, who is candid about the fact that his ambition
> is even bigger than his enormous nesty hair, presented the MTV video music
> awards last week. The show goes out live and is a very big deal in 
> America,
> where Brand is, or was, largely unknown; it was watched this year by 8.4m
> people.

Umm, no it's not.  MTV sucks.  It used to be about music.  Ask anyone what 
MTV is about now, and I doubt if they could tell you.  The MTV Music awards 
may be a big deal to the people participating in it.  The rest of us just 
don't care.

> During his opening speech, he urged viewers to vote for Barack Obama, 
> adding
> that though Americans were clearly open-minded people, since they'd
> let "that retarded cowboy fella" do his thing for eight years ("in 
> Britain,
> we wouldn't trust him with a pair of scissors"), it might be time to "let
> someone else have a go". He went on to make jokes about Sarah Palin and
> about the "purity rings" worn by the Jonas Brothers, a wholesome teenage
> band who like to advertise their virginity through the wearing of
> jewellery - jewel-assisted virginity being, presumably, superior to the
> ordinary kind. (It's only a matter of time before some American pop star
> broadcasts her sexual innocence by means of a huge, clanking chastity
> belt.)

WTF???  I get the impression the author doesn't know many American pop 
stars.

> Brand is a stand-up comedian, so he stood up and made jokes.

Thank you for that astute observation, Mr. Obvious.

> Since he is a comedian rather than a children's entertainer,

???

Who is this guy's audience?

> the jokes had some edge, though his humour is observational and absurd 
> rather than vicious: he
> doesn't do great bitchy tirades. The jokes were funny, and were made
> funnier still by the nonplussed reaction of parts of the audience. He's
> making jokes about our president! He's making jokes about sex! He's 
> teasing
> the little Christian singers! He's a Brit!
>
> Never mind that this material was Brand Lite, sanitised for America:

I get the impression this dude thinks that all Americans are puritans. 
Nope.  Sorry.  Not even close. If he thinks our jokes are sanitized, he 
should watch some George Carlin or Lewis Black.  If it was sanitized, it was 
so for MTV, ant it's audience, primarily of teenyboppers, not for "America".

> swathes of the viewing public were instantly outraged and keen to express 
> their
> revulsion by flooding internet forums and news sites. Their comments were
> startling in their toxicity, taking in everything from Brand's 
> appearance -
> he's a plain-looking fellow, apparently - to his heroin habit (he's been
> free of drugs since 2003) to how he isn't funny to Christian people, ergo
> needs to be hunted and shot. There was also lots of chippiness about how
> the UK is a "Third World country" and nobody in the US cares about it or
> anybody it has ever produced (um . . . Mayflower? Plymouth Rock? Oh, never
> mind). Television news and entertainment channels talked of nothing else
> for days, editorials were written, the blogosphere went mad: you get the
> picture.

Umm, television news? Talked about it for days?  Not over here it didn't. 
And Robin, if this guy is getting his (fair and balanced) information from 
the Blogosphere, then perhaps he needs to find a new vocation.

> America is so odd. They're not weird in New York, or in California, and I
> know vast swathes of the country are packed to the gills with charming,
> lovely, clever people. They produce brilliant stand-up comedians
> themselves, and make some of the world's best television and cinema. They
> have writers and actors and musicians of genius; the cliché about America
> being culturally barren is untrue. But you do worry about the rest of the
> populace when they threaten to do physical harm to a comedian for daring 
> to
> suggest that Dubya, the least popular president in modern American 
> history,
> doesn't perhaps come across as being quite the full shilling. The
> vociferous commentators on MTV's website can't all have been 
> fiftysomething
> Republicans whose sensibilities had been offended; they must have included
> a proportion of MTV's viewers, broadly aged 16-24. How is it possible for
> young people to be so reactionary?

I suspect that those who voiced outrage were ultra rightwing mouthpieces 
(primarily from the deep south, certainly from the Bible belt).  One has to 
wonder, though, why these people were even watching the award show, since 
MTV is "evil", according to their narrow world view.  I just think MTV 
sucks, but that's because it's lost its wittle way over the years and no 
longer broadcasts anything worth watching.  Like I said, it used to be about 
music.  Not any more.

Here's Brand's rant:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5167288948887531011&ei=8tjMSJbPGIywrAK77tXPAg&q=Russell+Brand+at+the+mtv+awards&vt=lf&hl=en

Didn't seem all that outrageous to me.  The only issue that I saw that MOST 
Americans would probably have with it is that they generally don't like 
foreigners telling them how to vote.  Imagine Americans telling Brits who to 
vote for Prime Minister.  He said his piece, as is still his right in this 
country.  Big deal.

Robin you must have gone out of your way to find this bit of a rag of an 
article.  But of course, you really don't hate Americans, do you?  Right.

George

"Robin T Cox"  wrote ...

> The funny thing is Brand let America off lightly
:
>
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/india_knight/article4748
836.ece
> http://tinyurl.com/5jfcug
:
> It's about the peculiar contradictions that seem to define modern America:
> the love of free speech and pride in democracy, coupled with bottomless
> abuse for anyone who has the temerity to voice dissent.

Yup, that sums up the arrogance and hypocricy of America in a nutshell. Well
done Russell.

I thank God that when I wake up in the morning I'm not an arrogant and
hypocritical American. It probably seemed like a good thing when the
'rejects' went and sailed off into the sunset to populate America but that's
come back to haunt us now. Perhaps it would have been better if we'd sunk
their ships as they got out of port ? I can't help but think that a North
America populated by Native Americans would have been far less damaging to
Mother Earth and her peoples.

I don't think your post deserves its [OT] attribution. The flaws of America
are exactly why the US is engaged in two wars on this planet and has spread
terrorism over a huge part of it. When Brand points to the 'fuckwittedness
of America' America should be outraged -- she is, but for all the wrong
reasons.