A new “Brand” of politics?

Russell Brand’s “Newsnight” interview with Jeremy Paxman has gone viral across social media, attracting over a million YouTube views a day since it first aired on October 23.  The English comedian, actor, radio host, and author who is notorious for incorporating drug use, alcoholism, and promiscuity into his comedic material, was recently appointed as guest editor of this week’s issue of London’s political and cultural magazine, New Statesman.  The interview began with the question:  “Russell Brand, who are you to edit a political magazine?”

See what he had to say about that question and more in this video:

Wow, is he on to something here?

How do you feel about the fact that he has never voted, and encourages others not to?

Brand says, “It’s not that I’m not voting out of apathy, I’m not voting out of absolute indifference, and weariness, and exhaustion from the lies, treachery, deceit of the political class that has been going on for generations now and has now reached a fever pitch, where we have a disenfranchised, disillusioned, despondent underclass that [is] not being represented by that political system, so voting for it is tacit complicity with that system.”

How many other people feel this way, too, but don’t have the courage to say it?  Do we actually, as a society, have influence or power in the way our current voting system is structured?   Or are we willing to consider the possibility that if we want to see some significant changes in our current paradigm, we may be called upon to take some significant actions?

Do the ideas which Russell Brand shares represent the kind of revolution Humanity is yearning for?  These certainly are the types of radical changes that will rattle powerful cages and cause the status quo to quiver in its tightly laced shoes, but is someone like Russell Brand too unrealistic, too “out there,” too unbelievable, too incredible?   He has been criticized for not offering actual and practical solutions.  But might it be possible that the solutions will unearth themselves in our choice to take the first step, which could be as simple as listening to each other?

For so many, “politics” has become a dirty, ugly word.  The more divisive and complicated our political system gets, the more disenfranchised and disengaged large segments of our population feel.  How do we get to a point collectively where the system we have in place excites and invites?  According to Brand, “Imagining the overthrow of the current political system is the only way I can be enthused about politics.”

Is that what it’s going to take?

Are we ready for that kind of a revolution?

I think it’s just the beginning.  What do you think?

(Lisa McCormack is the Managing Editor & Administrator of The Global Conversation. She is also a member of the Spiritual Helper team at www.ChangingChange.net, a website offering emotional and spiritual support. To connect with Lisa, please e-mail her at Lisa@TheGlobalConversation.com.)