Photo: Jeff Spicer/Getty Images.Content Warning: The following includes descriptions of rape, sexual assault, and abuse that some readers may find disturbing.In 2010, comedian Russell Brand was interviewed for ELLE magazine. During the interview, which almost glamourously extols the boyish culture that so defined the era, Brand was asked what was the biggest lie he had ever told a woman. “Honesty has always been an integral part of my work,” Brand replied. The interrogator pressed him: “But you said that an exceptional number of women threw your belongings on the street in garbage bags. Wasn’t that preceded by being caught in a lie?” AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT Brand responded with the kind of slip of the tongue that allowed for the allusions and suggestions that defined his comedy, his writing and, later, his forays into podcasting and YouTube: “People don’t throw bags through the windows because of lies; they throw them out because of the truth,” he said. That was not the answer. But no not answer, whatever. Well, here we are. Brando’s metaphorical belongings—his reputation and career—were dumped on the street in trash bags by women who accused him of rape, sexual assault, and emotional abuse. Accusations were made by a number of women in a joint investigation by journalists at Time, The Sunday Times and Channel 4 messages. Four women have been accused of sexual assault between 2006 and 2013, while he was a presenter on BBC Radio 2 and Channel 4 and acting in Hollywood. Others have made a series of allegations about Brando’s controlling, violent and predatory behavior. One of them says that Brand started a sexual relationship with her when she was only 16 years old and that it lasted for seven years. The woman in question also says that Brand sent a BBC car to pick her up from school. The BBC has pledged full transparency in its internal review. Since the inquest was published and the 90-minute Channel 4 documentary aired on Saturday 16 September, London’s Metropolitan Police have received a further report about the alleged sexual assault which took place in 2003. The comedian denies all the allegations against him and says all his relationships were consensual. AdvertisementADVERTISEMENTBut still, here we are. Watching the bags being opened next to overflowing garbage cans behind imposing buildings of powerful institutions. Abusers often hide in plain sight. Our society makes it easy for them to, even now, more than five years after the Me Me movement gave a sense that things would change. “
Abusers often hide in plain sight. Our society makes it easy for them to, even now, more than five years after the Me Me movement gave a sense that things would change.
“Survivors are afraid that they are not believed, as many of us are not believed, so they remain silent. Survivors know that it is statistically unlikely that they will get justice, so they do not report the abuse. Even if they did, even if they did, sending the abuser to prison does not restore the years lost to abuse, trauma, self-loathing. It also doesn’t seem to stop abusers from abusing. The accusations against Brando were made at a time when we have the opportunity to look back. Before me too, like a modern Lord Byron known for polysyllabic musings and sexual misadventures, Brand rose to fame during the years of indie sleaze. It was a time when addicts were valorized and turned into icons regardless of their well-being or the harm they might cause others, when feminism was in the toilet with Ladettes flushing the water and “metrosexual” men wearing skinny jeans like girls bragging about how many women they slept with. Brand’s well-documented problems with sex and drug addiction became part of his appeal. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The massive misogyny of it all was made possible by the media, which slut-shamed women in public life from Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan to Britney Spears, normalized the publication of photos of drunk women in skirts, and asked people like Brando questions about their sex lives. Much has been made of how the hostile context of the 2000s provided the perfect petri dish for Brando and for behavior that was claimed to not only occur, but also be absorbed seamlessly into an already rotten culture. One particular moment stands out and proves how women’s lives were turned upside down by his behavior whether or not he was charged and ultimately convicted of these specific charges. In 2008, while recording his Radio 2 show with another comedian, Jonathan Ross, Brand left a voicemail message for actor Andrew Sachs – the TV series’ Manuel Fawlty Towers – detailing how he “fucked” (according to Ross) Sachs’ granddaughter – but it was “consensual and she wasn’t on her period”. It is well documented that Ross wanted Brand to cut calls from the version of the show that was being broadcast. The BBC played it. I remember a lot from that time, but until I googled the event this week in the wake of the accusations against Brand, I didn’t remember the name of Sachs’ granddaughter: Georgina Bailie. Bailie, now 38, gave an interview to Daily Mirror after the broadcast of a documentary in which she said that her relationship with Brando was consensual. But she also reflected on the vulnerability of her youth, and how the attention of the whole affair with Brand threw her into the depths of addiction herself, while Brand made hay of the same kind of misogynistic jokes that got her there. AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT “I thought I was just a 20-year-old girl at a party, but when I look back years later, I was already in the throes of addiction myself. I was really lost then,” she said. “After Sachsgate, Russell made millions of pounds doing a stand-up routine about it and it was very difficult and painful for me – I was a joke, I was young and I didn’t know how to deal with it and I turned to drink and drugs.” “
“After Sachsgate, Russell made millions of pounds doing a stand-up routine about it and it was very difficult and painful for me – I was a joke, I was young and I didn’t know how to deal with it and I turned to drink and drugs. “
“Now you know what happened Bailie. You know she spent years thinking that maybe she was the one who was “wrong” and not the man who talked about sex with her on the radio. But I bet, like me, you still know more about Weinstein than you do about his victims. I bet you can’t name any of Savile’s victims. And these are some of the exposed power abusers. Those who have never been convicted and exposed, whose behavior is of no interest to journalists around the world because they are not public figures, walk among us all, unaccountable, hiding in plain sight. You know their names. Maybe you or your partner are in a WhatsApp group with someone who talks about the women they’ve slept with in a derogatory way. Maybe you heard rumors that they were doing something that wasn’t “consensual” and decided to “stay out of it.” “It’s none of your business”, you thought, “there is no smoke without fire, but saying something is too much like a drama”. AdvertisementADVERTISEMENTNot so different, really, from the TV hosts who allegedly removed female producers and hosts from Brando’s shows because they heard rumors about his behavior, right? The vision of 2023 is, as far as I can see, a little clearer than the zeros. It might be less beer-like, not quite as drug-fueled, but it’s still hazy. No one wants to bring it into focus because we’re still enabling abusers – we’re not connecting the dots between misogynistic language and physical or emotional abuse. Legs may have provided a playground for this kind of behavior, but let’s be clear: every decade since the dawn of time has allowed men to abuse women. We still don’t know how to support victims and survivors. Our society fails them just as our justice system fails them. “
Legs may have provided a playground for this kind of behavior, but let’s be clear: every decade since the dawn of time has allowed men to abuse women.
“You do not trust me? Google rape conviction statistics. The number of rape accusations is increasing, but not the convictions. Still not convinced? See comments below articles about misogynistic influencer Andrew Tate, a man accused of rape and human trafficking. His followers think he is the victim of a feminist conspiracy. Brand has not been accused of anything, but based on the recent allegations, his followers believe similar theories. The truth is a lie. Lies are the truth. He does not stop with the accusations against Brando. Just last week, Hollywood’s golden couple – Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis – resigned from the board of a charity Kutcher founded to combat child sexual abuse after he made a statement about the character of a convicted rapist and called for a lenient sentence. Kunis and Kutcher later apologized for making the statements and said they support rape victims. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT It’s nothing anymore. But don’t be fooled. When the cameras stop rolling, those who tell their stories still live in a world where too many people look the other way, skim over the grotesque story in a group chat, or pretend they haven’t heard the rumors because they’re not sure if they’re true. Well, that brings us back to what Brand himself said: “People don’t throw your bags out the window because of a lie; they are thrown out because of the truth.” Until everyone—absolutely everyone—is willing to take out the trash, step up, step in, and call out misogyny, the people who want to abuse their power physically and emotionally will continue to hide in plain sight. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual or domestic violence and needs help, please call 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), the National Domestic Violence Service for sexual assault.
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Source: HIS Education