Some interesting and extremely valid points well put. Maybe a little verbose for a video - I shall look forward to reading it on the 'open democracy' webpage so that I can digest it further and make more relevant comments.
It's funny how Fisher talks about Brand being vilified by a number of people on left for his narcissism, which he casts off as being down to a subconscious (or even fully conscious) dislike of outspoken working class voices, when it was actually down to the fact that many of us could see that Brand is a narcissist. "Brand’s intervention was not a bid for leadership; it was an inspiration, a call to arms" is a soberingly inaccurate observation looking back, considering his current iteration as a New Age conspiracy maniac. And that's before we get to the extensive sexual abuse allegations. The defense of Owen Jones has aged pretty badly now as well, considering how much of a moralising bully he is.
I know Fisher suffered from depression but in many ways he wasn’t cynical enough. Actually admiring a circus entertainer like Brand is cringe and it was back then
@holeymoley5138 I could never stand Brand. He creeped me out, but back in the day he seemed like a down guy and I felt bad for judging him. My first instincts were proven right though 🤷♂️
Truthfully, it hasn't aged well because it was born sick. Russell Brand was always a grandiose narcissist, this is obvious to anyone who knows anything about cluster B personality disorders, and this essay was written a full five years after Brand's shameful shock jockery.
Yeah, Fisher isn't rushing to the defence of Brand (despite admitting major admiration at the time), he's using what happened with Brand to demonstrate his point about the toxicity of left-wing spaces on social media. He's essentially saying: "Brand is at least *trying* to positively represent the working class and left-wing politics, and for that he gets publicly nitpicked and harassed by people on twitter. Furthermore, these attacks are coming from privileged individuals on clearly classist lines, in complete contrast to left-wing values" People in this comment section attempting to retroactively invalidate the essay by using Brand's behaviour a full decade later clearly lack self-awareness.
@@86pp73 I can't believe people still associate "the left" with the working class. The left leadership and foot soldiers are all the privileged, rich, mainly white kids that exploit minorities to maintain their own privileged positions. The left despise the working class as beneath them. The subjects of grievance based identity politics are the new proletariat ever since workers chose capitalism and social mobility over communism.
Because this essay got the Russell Brand thing so wrong, does it justifying reframing the spirit of Mark Fisher at the time as being defensive, and ever so slightly conservative? Perhaps it is more his desire to arrive at a more capacious moderate position, with more nuance and flexibility.
He didn't get it wrong. Actually read the article, he's talking about classist gatekeeping of the socialist discourse by middle class socialists. In the context of the article it doesn't actually matter whether Brand is a good person or not, whether based on facts or accusations, that's not what Fisher was writing about. I don't see how anything in this article makes Fisher conservative. Criticising hypocritical elements of the socialist middle class from withing socialist perspective I.e. auto-critique seems pretty progressive to me.
The Golden Age of Capitalism was 1945-1973. These are “the good old days” in the public imagination. Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush/Obama subjected the working class to 40 years of neoliberalism and hawkish foreign policy. They became susceptible to a politics of scapegoating and conspiratorial thinking, which fuels the modern Right.
Unfortunately it's his mental health was exacerbating because of people that should have been on his sode turned on him for writing articles such as this.
An insight into Fisher's astonishingly bad judgement. He seems to have been utterly blinded by class ideology with Brand - because he was from a working class background he could do no wrong. "Four legs good, two legs bad."
As Todd McGowan (Lacanian Psychoanalysis) would say, the only universal belonging is that no one belongs anywhere!
Solidarity with you Mark Fisher!
I hadn’t read this essay for a while, so I really enjoyed this. Fisher was a unique voice and I miss it. Really well read, Sam. Thank you.
Cool reading
Thank you
Very well read!
Thank you! I found Fisher's work so formative.
Some interesting and extremely valid points well put. Maybe a little verbose for a video - I shall look forward to reading it on the 'open democracy' webpage so that I can digest it further and make more relevant comments.
Does the reader do the Always Gaming Never Board channel?
Unfortunately not, but I've just checked out the channel - "always board never boring"? - and it looks class
The passionate defence of Russel Brand hasn't aged well at all
It's funny how Fisher talks about Brand being vilified by a number of people on left for his narcissism, which he casts off as being down to a subconscious (or even fully conscious) dislike of outspoken working class voices, when it was actually down to the fact that many of us could see that Brand is a narcissist. "Brand’s intervention was not a bid for leadership; it was an inspiration, a call to arms" is a soberingly inaccurate observation looking back, considering his current iteration as a New Age conspiracy maniac. And that's before we get to the extensive sexual abuse allegations.
The defense of Owen Jones has aged pretty badly now as well, considering how much of a moralising bully he is.
I have a deep respect for Fisher, and there's aspects of this essay that address long concerns of mine, but this was clearly written in another era.
I know Fisher suffered from depression but in many ways he wasn’t cynical enough. Actually admiring a circus entertainer like Brand is cringe and it was back then
@holeymoley5138 I could never stand Brand. He creeped me out, but back in the day he seemed like a down guy and I felt bad for judging him. My first instincts were proven right though 🤷♂️
Truthfully, it hasn't aged well because it was born sick. Russell Brand was always a grandiose narcissist, this is obvious to anyone who knows anything about cluster B personality disorders, and this essay was written a full five years after Brand's shameful shock jockery.
the defense of russel brand has aged very well. anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't understand that mark is writing about them.
It has only been confirmed more with age, think outside your cult dogma.
@@404errorpagenotfound.6 your cult dogma has blinded you. mark fisher owns you
Yeah, Fisher isn't rushing to the defence of Brand (despite admitting major admiration at the time), he's using what happened with Brand to demonstrate his point about the toxicity of left-wing spaces on social media. He's essentially saying: "Brand is at least *trying* to positively represent the working class and left-wing politics, and for that he gets publicly nitpicked and harassed by people on twitter. Furthermore, these attacks are coming from privileged individuals on clearly classist lines, in complete contrast to left-wing values"
People in this comment section attempting to retroactively invalidate the essay by using Brand's behaviour a full decade later clearly lack self-awareness.
@@86pp73 I can't believe people still associate "the left" with the working class. The left leadership and foot soldiers are all the privileged, rich, mainly white kids that exploit minorities to maintain their own privileged positions. The left despise the working class as beneath them. The subjects of grievance based identity politics are the new proletariat ever since workers chose capitalism and social mobility over communism.
@@86pp73 great take, couldn't have said it better myself
Solid
Because this essay got the Russell Brand thing so wrong, does it justifying reframing the spirit of Mark Fisher at the time as being defensive, and ever so slightly conservative?
Perhaps it is more his desire to arrive at a more capacious moderate position, with more nuance and flexibility.
He didn't get it wrong. Actually read the article, he's talking about classist gatekeeping of the socialist discourse by middle class socialists. In the context of the article it doesn't actually matter whether Brand is a good person or not, whether based on facts or accusations, that's not what Fisher was writing about. I don't see how anything in this article makes Fisher conservative. Criticising hypocritical elements of the socialist middle class from withing socialist perspective I.e. auto-critique seems pretty progressive to me.
I'd like to hear the author's thoughts on Russell Brand's recent turn to whatever his current Christian-entrepreneur gimmick, or whatever he's doing.
unfortunately Mark Fisher took his own life in 2017, so we won't know. But I'm sure he would've been gutted.
I'm sure that it would be searing but tragically he committed suicide in 2013 so we will never know.
The Golden Age of Capitalism was 1945-1973. These are “the good old days” in the public imagination. Reagan/Bush/Clinton/Bush/Obama subjected the working class to 40 years of neoliberalism and hawkish foreign policy. They became susceptible to a politics of scapegoating and conspiratorial thinking, which fuels the modern Right.
@@SamGSwannpartly because of many of the left turning on him for writing articles such as this one which exacerbated his mental health issues.
Unfortunately it's his mental health was exacerbating because of people that should have been on his sode turned on him for writing articles such as this.
An insight into Fisher's astonishingly bad judgement. He seems to have been utterly blinded by class ideology with Brand - because he was from a working class background he could do no wrong. "Four legs good, two legs bad."
Ironically, he was making the same argument, that people shouldn't judge him based only on his class. He didn't say he could do no wrong.