By AWR Hawkins
Russell Brand: Americans Need Guns And Chris Kyle Because They’re Afraid
Washington DC – -(Ammoland.com)- On January 23 2015 Russell Brand said Americans were motivated by a “fear” that caused them to want guns and to “embrace heroic figures like Chris Kyle.” He also questioned whether the drive toward guns and heroes is so strong that America’s love of “American Sniper” will mute criticism of guns and war altogether.
Speaking in a video released on his “The Trews” YouTube channel, Brand segued into his questions about “American Sniper” by pointing to the backlash Liam Neeson faced after criticizing private gun ownership while standing in front of a poster of himself holding one in “Taken 3.”
Brand sarcastically quipped: “You’re very ignorant there, Liam, suggesting that guns and death from guns are somehow linked.” He then mocked those who don’t understand that Neeson can use guns in the imaginary world of film yet criticize the ownership of guns in the “physical, shared, consensual world that we all inhabit.”
Brand asked if the film’s critics must be keep their criticism of America’s gun culture to themselves.
He admitted that he hadn’t seen the movie, but said he fears the film “legitimizes a certain kind of sentiment” nonetheless. He said “you’ve got to applaud that sense in” military personnel who “are prepared to go and risk life and death, but it doesn’t mean “you can’t question what happens with their energy; where it’s put.”
To those who’ve defended Chris Kyle’s service as a sniper, Sarah Palin in particular, Brand stressed that war isn’t fought for regular people or so movies like “Taken 3″ can be made, “but mostly for energy companies, arms companies, [and] political elites.”
Toward the end of the episode he brought the topic back to guns and asked if America’s love for certain films and guns means Americans can no longer “distinguish between Liam Neeson being in a film and then sort of saying, I don’t really like the idea that I’m tacitly supporting the gun trade.”
He said “fear” is driving people and “as long as people are frightened people will want to buy guns. As long as people are frightened they will want to have heroic figures like Chris Kyle knocking off Iraqis and not thinking about the consequences, like whether or not some of those people were children and non-combatants.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins.
Just another sad and useless parasite on society that is willing to tell everyone else what to do/think.
He obviously knows little about the nature of sniping, but at least he admits he didn’t see the movie (had he done so, he might have actually learned something). Snipers are not the ones who shoot innocent civilians as he implies. Snipers actually look their targets over very closely, and KNOW they are enemy combatants before they shoot them. There also is no accidental “collateral damage” to innocent civilians or bystanders, when a sniper takes his shot. They only hit the identified enemy combatants, unlike artillery, tanks, cruise missiles, air-dropped bombs, and drone missiles. If you have to kill enemy… Read more »
Why the hell is Ammoland even wasting space on this irrelevant idiot?
“war isn’t fought for regular people, but mostly for energy companies, arms companies, [and] political elites.” This is true, regardless if hes an anarcho-communist hypocritical 1% windbag. However, just because someone doesn’t align politically with you, doesn’t mean you can disregard their words as totally invalid. Often times there is some truth in them, and this is true, even if it is uncomfortable for me to agree with him. Most modern American wars are not fought for defense of this country, only to prop up the economy from total collapse, which is coming regardless, all the while we have our… Read more »
Who really gives a crap what that dirt bag has to say.
Another wind bag. Easily ignored and forgotten.
Another so called actor who hasn’t been in the spotlight for a while , feels that he is still someone important. Why can’t these idiots go back where they came from and shut their mouths.It is really amazing how they can tell us how to live our lives but don’t tell them how to live in their pathetic lives.
I’m sure he has armed body guards too.
Not in the UK he doesn’t – no firearms allowed solely for defensive purposes since 1954, unless you’re a politician of course…….
Mike, don’t you think that he has the Credentials to be a Politician ? Appears to be enough of a Blow Hard .
All talk coming from a former (?) drug addict!
In fact I think he was bustdd in thd UK.
Just another ‘Brit’, like Piers Morgan, giving the ‘English View’ of what’s wrong with America. Maybe they should ‘shut up’ and go back to England and live in ‘Londonstan’. Instead of ranting about all the guns in America maybe they should rant about the dearth of guns in Britain.
Please don’t equate what these media retards spout as how most Brits think about firearms or the US in general, because they don’t.
Brand & Morgan are universally despised in the UK by everyone except the political left .
Brand has just mouthed off about the UK nuclear missile boats, so the place that builds them has invited him to visit. Somehow I doubt the worm will have the guts to turn up…….
I think I would be better serve taking Brand’s advice on choosing a Barber.
Hollywood should be banned from using guns in films and give us all an example of how the world would be a better place.
The American people are afraid of their government more than terrorists, but they need guns to defend themselves from both. The gun buying boom didn’t start with release of a movie… it started when governments in various states started passing laws with massive infringements on the 2nd Amendment. This guy is an idiot… why do we publish thoughts of idiots!?!
“afraid of their government more than terrorists”
They are one in the same