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7/27/2019 Big Brother isnt watching you.docx
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Kristian Lyng - tors. D. 9/5-13
Engelsk A 3.c
1
Big Brother isnt watching youWe all know that the Government is watching us. Everywhere we go cameras are
watching us, so Big Brother knows what we are doing. But is Big Brother really
watching us the whole time? Isnt Big Brother busy taking care with its own
problems? In the text Big Brother isnt watching you the famous British actor
and writer Russell Brand writes about the problems about the riots and how the
Government treats the riots.
First of all, I find it important to clarify who Russell Brand is and how he is
related to the riots in UK 2011. Russell Brand is a famous comedy actor,
instructor and most important is this context, a writer. Right know he is settled
in Los Angeles in a combination of love and money(page 1, line 1 -2), but he is
originally from Essex, England. He admits himself that he has a background
being a rebel and he even has been Arrested for criminal damage (page 3, line
63). He loved when the protests lost direction(page 3, line 65), but it was never
his cup of tea(page 3, line 70). This information can be used to defend him and
all the questions about him talking about a subject that he really cant relate to.
We also know that he had worked for the BBC and reality TV and he therefore
know a little bit about how the young people behave today. The whole
commentary on the riots is in other words his reason why the riots were going
on in the UK 2011.
One of the first points is that Russell Brand knows that one of the problems
about the young people doing these riots isntonly money or education, but also
direction. He knows that the young people having a hard time finding the right
direction, exactly as him back in the days. Further his states that this lack of
direction(Page 4, line 75), is caused by the government, because the
government existed not to look after the interests of the people it was elected to
represent but the big businesses that they were in bed with(Page 4, line 76-77)
which means that according to Russell Brand the riots was going of for so long
because of the Governmentslack of actions. He means that the Government was
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busy doing other things than tacking care of the society and especially the
younger generation.
The Government lack of actions leads me to my next point in Russell Brands text,the word self-interest. Todays young people are according to Russell Brand
forced to motivate themselves because of the demotivating and almost
melancholy messages and statements they have to live with day in and day out.
That daily, hourly, incessantly enforces the egregious, deceitful message that
you are what you wear, what you drive, what you watch and what you watch it
on, in livid, neon pixels. (Page 3, line 87-89). Today the younger generation is
being raised with the idea of having no stake in society(page 4, line 103).
Therefore the younger people are again forced to do absolutely nothing causing a
tear apart of the community, like we see with the riots. The big message is not
only directed to the rebels, but also the government. "Be the change you want to
see in the world."(Page 4, line 12-13). According to Russell Brand, being the
change you want to see in the world includes responsibility not only for yourself,
but also for the people around you. If we want to live in a society where people
feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must
represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities
then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for
them. (Page 4,line 114-117).
Russell brand writes in a way, which is very sarcastic and ironic. Wow! Thanks
guys! What a wonderful use of the planet's fast-depleting oxygen
resources.(Page, 2 line 51-52) These lines indicate how he sees the problematic
about how the government treats the riots and how they have removed the focus
from themselves and transferred it to the riots. He is off course a comedian, so
this style of writing is very typical and foreseeable.
What comes with a sarcastic and ironic way of writing also indicates that he is a
bit sceptical about the Government and the politicians who are involved. It is
therefore obvious that he takes the rebel position and takes the Government and
the politicians responsible for the riots. The fact that Russell Brand is on the
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rioters site is causing him to blaming a lot of others persons for several things.
How should we describe the actions of the city bankers who brought our
economy to its knees in 2010? Altruistic? Mindful? Kind? But then again, they do
wear suits, so they deserve to be bailed out, perhaps that's why not one of themhas been imprisoned(Page 4, line 97-100). This quote really shows how mad he
is about the fact that the riots is being blamed for the riots and not the
Government, because he cant understand why the city-bankers wasnt punished
for the economic-crisis. This again has something to do with his attitude to the
upper class versus under class. Here he is taking the position of the under class,
which he means were treated badly by the Government.
His style of writing is also very frankly and several times he is using bad
language to underline his point. No wonder they havetheir fucking hoods up.
(Page 3, line 90) and And they got away with a lot more than a few fucking pairs
of trainers.(Page 4, line 100-101). It is a very modern and informal language and
has a hint of slang Old Bill (Page 3, line 69). This again really shows the reader
where his position is.
As I have mention before, Russell Brands big message in the text isnt just that it
is the rebels fault that the riots happened. The big responsibility is at the
Government and the politicians. With the statement he gives us a new
perspective at the riots in UK 2011. The statement is a criticism to the society
and the Government. There is still big difference in the upper- and under class,
people doesnt want to do anything for each other and people are self-motivated.
What we really need is to help each other, starting with ourselves, and together
create a better society. Because as the situation is right now, there is no "Big
Brother" who is watching us and we must therefore fix our own problems. And
as the Gandhi quote in the text says, we actually have to make the change by
ourselves.
Kristian Lyng 3.c