Martin
TS Member
Ah, the good old "you've got more money than me so can't speak out about social issues" argument. As he put himself, when you're poor and complain, they call you jealous, when you're rich, they call you a hypocrite. I think you're confusing socialism with the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who said people should give up their riches. As far as I know, Brand doesn't argue that we should, his arguments always seem aimed at the rich. There's nothing in socialism that says you can't make a success out of yourself and aren't entitled to the rewards of your hard work (actually, getting the full fruits of your work is exactly what socialism is about). Thinking the world is unfair doesn't mean you have to force yourself to be poor. Like him or not, he's worked hard to climb his way up, and managed to kick a heroin addiction. He's been campaigning, actual on the streets campaigning, for that estate in London where the tenants are all being evicted, and he's using the proceeds from his book to open a rehab clinic.
Personally I think he's a bit of a tit and some of his ideas are terrible if not dangerous, but he's smarter than people give him credit for, whether that's because he tries too hard to use big words, because some of his ideas are outside the mainstream, or because he's famous/comedian/ex-junkie, or because of the answer phone message (free speech though, innit?), and people focus on this rather than his actual ideas and beliefs. Because why argue about poverty when you can just shout "Parklife!" at him.
Al Murray on the other hand, is an upper class snob who's entire act is "haha, poor people are racist". Although it is funny that most of his audience don't realise this and take it at face value like he's Roy Chubby Brown. It's weird though, seeing fans of rich, upper class, public school, pint swigging, racist, jingoist, PR act Farage, criticising a rich, upper class, public school man who also expresses a love for pints, racism and jingoism for PR.
Personally I think he's a bit of a tit and some of his ideas are terrible if not dangerous, but he's smarter than people give him credit for, whether that's because he tries too hard to use big words, because some of his ideas are outside the mainstream, or because he's famous/comedian/ex-junkie, or because of the answer phone message (free speech though, innit?), and people focus on this rather than his actual ideas and beliefs. Because why argue about poverty when you can just shout "Parklife!" at him.
Al Murray on the other hand, is an upper class snob who's entire act is "haha, poor people are racist". Although it is funny that most of his audience don't realise this and take it at face value like he's Roy Chubby Brown. It's weird though, seeing fans of rich, upper class, public school, pint swigging, racist, jingoist, PR act Farage, criticising a rich, upper class, public school man who also expresses a love for pints, racism and jingoism for PR.
