Big brother isn’t watching you

A riot mostly occurs in reaction to a perceived grievance or simply out of dissent. Void and community spirit has since forever been in an everlasting fight because of the human mind and its diversity. When rioters act it is due to a feeling of being mistreated in a divided society where an inability to provide success for all human beings is valid. But instead of labelling rioters as mindless, we need to ask ourselves why they are led to the conclusion that starting a riot is the only way of gaining attention. That is why Russell Brand, English comedian, actor, radio host, author and activist, who now lives in Los Angeles, California, commentates on English riots and why they occur. His commentary is posted in the British newspaper called “The Guardian”, where he also tries to explain the rioters’ motive for the 2011 UK riots. First Brand starts of by explaining how he no longer lives in London and how some may find it bizarre for him to comment on matters in his homeland. However, Brand feels strongly connected to native country and finds it necessary to comment on the 2011 UK riots, as he himself feels deeply afflicted by them. In addition to his attachment to his homeland and therefore the rioters, he initiates his commentary with an explanation of how he never actually had interest in the fictitious theatrics in reality TV. Expect when he was working for Big Brother, a reality game show, where contestants are continuously monitored by in-house television cameras as well as personal audio microphones during their stay in a specially constructed large house. His mentioning of his work as a host on Big Brother is used to exemplify how he no longer is a part of the lower class, who often is associated with rioting. For example Brand uses this quotation to stress his own relation and understanding towards the rioters:”It isn’t my absence from the territory of London that bothers me; it’s my absence from the economic class that is being affected that itches my gut…” (p.8 l.29-30). Brand therefore deeply empathizes with the people unsatisfied as he himself before has been a member of that part of society, which now is exposed to discontent. Even though Brand grew up with privileges unlike these rioters, who are excluded for possibilities, which makes their expression for help mindedly transcendent. Secondly, the style presented in the commentary first exhibits great difference compared to other commentaries, although the style made known indeed is typical for the eccentric and cheeky Russell Brand. The commentary is filled with humorous and sarcastic modes of expressions. An example of his sarcastic expressions is shown in this sentence:”Wow! Thanks guys! What a wonderful use of the planet’s fast-depleting oxygen resources.” (p. 8 l. 51-52). Brand here unmistakably refers to both Theresa May, the Home Secretary and the “Old Etonians” meaning high class, snobbish people, referring to Eton College in England. Their pronouncements about the behavior of the rioters are as followed “unjustifiable” and “unacceptable”, where the clear sarcasm from Brand is used as a criticism towards these negligible, superficial pronouncements. Furthermore, Brand uses a very special form of expression in this commentary. He mixes the very formal language, filled with phrases and foreign words with a language that seems very informal, with swearing and slang. An example of formal language could be:”Tariq Jahan has spoken so eloquently from his position of painful proximity, with such compassion, that nearly all else is redundant.” (p. 8 l. 44-46). Meanwhile Brand’s writing style also includes informal sentences such as:”No wonder they have their fucking hoods up.” (p. 9 l. 90). One might therefore conclude that Brand with his literary devices creates quite an interesting atmosphere with him being able to mix the language form and therefore the commentary gains a larger target group. In addition to this, Brand also uses ingenious devices, as he constantly plays with the language, using odd phrases such as referring to the police as “Old Bill” (p. 9 l. 69) and the Mayor of London as “Dopey ol’ Boris” (p.8 l. 27). As a result, Brand is able to adhere to his reliability, because even though his language throughout the essay is not filled with formal phrases and statistics, he still manages to maintain his main points, which in this case a great part of the readers of the commentary might agree with. And he furthermore adds a humorous element to it. Undoubtedly, Brand is very explicit of how to illustrate his exact attitude to the 2011 UK riots. He remarkably emphasizes how he believes the concrete problem does not lie in the riots themselves, but in society not acting as a willful helper. Brand personally exemplifies how he sees the problematization of the riots:”However “unacceptable” and “unjustifiable” it might be, it has happened so we better accept it and, whilst we can’t justify it, we should kick around a few neurons and work out why so many people feel utterly disconnected from the cities they live in.” (p. 9 l. 55-57). Expressing his attitude shown in above-mentioned example, Brand directly throws the blame away from the rioters and instead focuses on what he believes to be the concrete problem: The cause of the riot. To elaborate his attitude Brand also mentions David Cameron’s, the Prime Minister of England, quotation:”Hug a hoodie”, where stating that he has never actually seen Cameron doing so. Moreover, he criticizes politicians in their way of behaving as he states that politicians lack interest in both voting citizens and of course the people, who do not vote. To that Brand adds:”If we don’t want our young people to tear apart our communities then don’t let people in power tear apart the values that hold our communities together.” (p. 10 l. 105-106). Therefore, Brand’s attitude to the 2011 riots is of course to altogether find a solution to these riots, but firstly to look at them with a deeper perspective. To create a great society with an unanimous inclusion of all members, one will need to include the members where they feel love and compassion for their community, in order to sustain a proper and loveable society. As Brand very appropriately mentions in his commentary, the solution to the problem is not political, but spiritual. And who is more suitable for this statement than Gandhi? As the great Bapu of Peace once quoted:”Be the change you want to see in the world.” To sum up, Brand truly emphasizes how in order to develop a functioning society all members of it must be included. That is why we ourselves all need to act. Reciting the magnificent quotation from George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four “Big brother is watching you”, but with the slight and yet enormous twist of changing “is” to “isn’t”, Brand accentuates the importance of the authorities’ absent role in society and how the real solution lies within consideration and understanding of those deeply misunderstood in society.