Big Brother Isn't Watching You
Big Brother isn’t watching you
Conflict is unavoidable wherever there are humans. But what causes these conflicts and how should these be resolved? These questions are addressed in a commentary by Russell Brand called ”Big Brother isn’t watching you”. He comments on the riots of London in 2011 and tries to explain why they happened as well as how to resolve this conflict between the government and the younger generations.
Russell Brand moved to Los Angeles but still considers himself an Englishman which contributes highly to his decision to write this commentary. He starts out by telling an analogy, of sorts. He describes his days on the show Big Brother where a rather significant incident happened. During the show, 3 of the persons living in the house, incited by the teasing conditions, got in a fight, and the police were called upon at once. The producer asked Brand not to recount the extent of the violence, on air, to which he answered: “You cannot rouse the animal in man then expect it to be put aside at a moment’s notice.” (P.2,L.19-20). This is also the main issue in the next thing he addresses, which is the main focus in the text, the London riots in 2011.
Brand finds the riots troubling and frightening but questions: why are they happening? He doesn’t agree with the rioters, but instead of dwelling on the riots themselves he wants to find the reason behind the riots. This is shown in the following quote: “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.3,L.55-57) Here he presents a new problem: the feeling of being disconnected from society. Brand tells a story from his youth where he, as so many others participating in the London riots, felt a void inside him. He felt a lack of direction and felt that the government only represented the big
Conflict is unavoidable wherever there are humans. But what causes these conflicts and how should these be resolved? These questions are addressed in a commentary by Russell Brand called ”Big Brother isn’t watching you”. He comments on the riots of London in 2011 and tries to explain why they happened as well as how to resolve this conflict between the government and the younger generations.
Russell Brand moved to Los Angeles but still considers himself an Englishman which contributes highly to his decision to write this commentary. He starts out by telling an analogy, of sorts. He describes his days on the show Big Brother where a rather significant incident happened. During the show, 3 of the persons living in the house, incited by the teasing conditions, got in a fight, and the police were called upon at once. The producer asked Brand not to recount the extent of the violence, on air, to which he answered: “You cannot rouse the animal in man then expect it to be put aside at a moment’s notice.” (P.2,L.19-20). This is also the main issue in the next thing he addresses, which is the main focus in the text, the London riots in 2011.
Brand finds the riots troubling and frightening but questions: why are they happening? He doesn’t agree with the rioters, but instead of dwelling on the riots themselves he wants to find the reason behind the riots. This is shown in the following quote: “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.3,L.55-57) Here he presents a new problem: the feeling of being disconnected from society. Brand tells a story from his youth where he, as so many others participating in the London riots, felt a void inside him. He felt a lack of direction and felt that the government only represented the big