The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: But Will It Be Streamed?

Whether or not you believe Russell Brand will lead the revolution, his interview with the BBC this week was captivating. He doesn't vote--not out of apathy, but out of indifference, and a desire to reject a system that does not serve the majority of its people. He doesn't claim to have all the answers, nor can he describe the path to a utopian society that would serve all people. But his point was simple: I know the questions we must be asking, and the problems we must be addressing, and we're nearing a serious breaking point by continuing to sail along in the status quo.

A few highlights:

He critiques the "I say profit is (a dirty word), because wherever there is profit there is deficit."

He calls out "cozy little valves" of recycling, Prius' ..." for making people think they're solving the problem, while dangerously ignoring the looming and consistent changes in our climate and environment.

He also makes the good point that "the Occupy Movement made a difference, even if only in that it introduced to the public lexicon the idea of the 1% - people for the first time in a generation are aware of massive corporate and economic exploitation. These things are not nonsense, and these subjects are not being addressed."

For a few reasons Russell Brand may not be the ideal candidate for our next leader (some have pointed to examples of misogyny and the ironic tie to profitability when someone like Brand becomes buzzworthy). But whether he's the perfect spokesperson, or has fully-formed solutions at the ready, his "not-dumb" assessments of the situation that, in some dark ways, are becoming comically out of whack, are worthy.

Watch the 11-minute interview below.