Russel Brand - Big Brother Isn't Watching You
Text B assignment - big brother isn’t watching you.
The UK riots during the summer of 2011 came as a shock to a lot of people, not only in England but all over the entire world. Worldwide people watched astonished as CNN and BBC showed pictures of widespread looting, burning of buildings and cars and serious aggression against the police. During the riots, most of the comments from politicians and other officials were condemnation of the rioters calling them mindless savages, but after some time more critical and varied questions began to emerge. Russell Brand, an English comedian, actor, musician and writer who now lives in Los Angeles, is one of the messengers bringing critical questions of how and why something like this could happen. In his commentary “Big Brother isn’t watching you” published at the Guardian’s website in 2011, he discusses some of the factors that might have led to the riots other than just mindlessness. Employing his background in comedy, Brand uses a very distinct style of writing when delivering his thoughts and attitudes on the UK riots. One of his main arguments is that all blame cannot be placed on the rioters alone. The politicians, the cooperate businesses, the media and society in general must take their share of the responsibility and actively try to answer the question: “Why is this happening?”
Russell Brand uses a lot of effort in trying to convince his readers that even though he now lives in the US, he still has the right to comment on UK riots. Brand is still English even though his home is in America, “I feel proud to be English, proud to be a Londoner.” (p.8, l.35) He identifies with the rioters, and wants people to look things from their point of view. Brand himself lived in areas affected by riots, and has tried to stand at the other side of police shields during anti-capitalist protest. Therefor he argues that explaining widespread looting, violent demonstrations and arson in different English cities with words like
The UK riots during the summer of 2011 came as a shock to a lot of people, not only in England but all over the entire world. Worldwide people watched astonished as CNN and BBC showed pictures of widespread looting, burning of buildings and cars and serious aggression against the police. During the riots, most of the comments from politicians and other officials were condemnation of the rioters calling them mindless savages, but after some time more critical and varied questions began to emerge. Russell Brand, an English comedian, actor, musician and writer who now lives in Los Angeles, is one of the messengers bringing critical questions of how and why something like this could happen. In his commentary “Big Brother isn’t watching you” published at the Guardian’s website in 2011, he discusses some of the factors that might have led to the riots other than just mindlessness. Employing his background in comedy, Brand uses a very distinct style of writing when delivering his thoughts and attitudes on the UK riots. One of his main arguments is that all blame cannot be placed on the rioters alone. The politicians, the cooperate businesses, the media and society in general must take their share of the responsibility and actively try to answer the question: “Why is this happening?”
Russell Brand uses a lot of effort in trying to convince his readers that even though he now lives in the US, he still has the right to comment on UK riots. Brand is still English even though his home is in America, “I feel proud to be English, proud to be a Londoner.” (p.8, l.35) He identifies with the rioters, and wants people to look things from their point of view. Brand himself lived in areas affected by riots, and has tried to stand at the other side of police shields during anti-capitalist protest. Therefor he argues that explaining widespread looting, violent demonstrations and arson in different English cities with words like