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Russell Brand made a statement condemning the assassination of the conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, calling for a cultural shift from hatred to dialogue, while also thinking about the Kirk legacy as one of those very few provocative voices brave enough to caucus with and against the opposite side. The British actor and media personality said that while he takes time to absorb this gravity, the regular show will not be released.
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Brand described himself as being moved by Kirk’s death in the almost ten-minute video posted online; to him, it was not just a loss, but it was another metaphor for growing political violence. Furthermore, while he claims not to have known Kirk personally, they had been on each other’s shows several times. What went to his heart was Kirk’s insistence that one should engage with those whom one disagreed with, a circumstance that may, in fact, have made him a target.
“He was a provocative and confrontational man who was really willing to have conversations with people that he didn’t agree with deliberately,” said Brand. “And it seems that that’s in part the inspiration for his murder.”
Brand warned that the compounded momentum of marketing through Internet vitriol and dehumanizing rhetoric can now spill into physical manifestations of violence in the real world. Brand further stated that the killing of Kirk could be a sinister new chapter in the disappearance of public figures for speaking controversial opinions, especially in conservative and Christian circles.
Touching on Kirk’s Christian faith, Brand noted that Kirk would have seen sacrifice and redemption. “Charlie Kirk has died for what he believed in,” Brand solemnly stated. “He’s been killed for what he believed in.”
The response to the Brand video was quick, and since Brand noted the splits, it was polarizing.
One user wrote, “They are KILLING us and CELEBRATING. You can’t reason with demons,” stating fright and wrath felt by some of his followers.
Another questioned Brand’s recent embrace of Christianity: “Russell Brand’s biggest acting role yet.” The cynical remark went to question his motives and sincerity; this is a refrain commonly heard whenever critics intent on disparaging him voice their opinions.
Others lamented the state of dialogue: “We tried that. Didn’t work. See Charlie.” This is insinuating that even talking is probably not going to work anymore in this climate.
https://twitter.com/rustyrockets/status/1966180883481899234
Not all comments were semen cynicism; some were enthusiastic endorsements of Brand’s message. “WOW! I was not expecting that from you and it was beautiful!” exclaimed one user in amazement and delight.
Another user called for empathy: “Dialogue over Division. Charlie Kirk’s death sends a very clear message as to why we need more of what he stood for…”
Amongst the flood of emotions, another exchange was seeded: a factual and legally important question. “Has Russell Brand sexually assaulted women?” one user asked an AI assistant. An automated account replied with an intricate account of current allegations and charges that Brand faced in the UK, which was utterly irrelevant to the issue at hand but reminded everyone of the contentious present that Brand inhabits.
Brand said it should be on the mind of everyone to reflect on and reassess the state that discourse in public has taken. “If all of us were more willing to have conversations with people we disagreed with and to try to be non-judgment,” he said, “certainly [that is] favorable to ongoing polarisation, particularly when that polarisation leads to out and out murder.”
This, in turn, was going to take him on a break for a while from the show, but he urged his followers to think about Kirk’s example and the spirit of free speech and understanding. Brand’s communication, along with its powerfully mixed reception, provides a marker of how challenging, at present, even merely considering this way forward might be.
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Additionally, Brand had a recent encounter where he clashed with Bill Maher over various issues, showcasing his ongoing engagement in the heated topics of our time.
This story originally appeared on Celebrityinsider
