BY JAMES SIMONS
The former actor and television host who has courted controversy on plenty of occasions, took to his YouTube channel to explain his initial comments about the victims from Tunisia that sparked outrage and prompted Kyle to rebuke Brand for his comment, adjudged excessive by many. Brand has told his YouTube followers on trews that it was total bull sh** to observe a minute’s silence for the victims whilst the government was selling arms to these countries and perpetuating the problem causing terrorism.
Jeremy Kyle- a straight talking television host, took exception to Brand’s comments indirectly accused Brand of being desperate to hijack the limelight, and lacking discretion as to when to express his opinion on government foreign policy. Jeremy Kyle stated in his Sun column:
“It smacked of desperation, while also completely disrespecting the poor innocents who lost their lives just over a week ago.Jeremy added: “OK, so you may not want to observe a minute’s silence as a mark of respect to those who died. But to trash their memory and denounce that silence as “total bulls**t” is disgusting.”
Brand told his nearly 2million YouTube followers: ”I’ve said my prayers to the victims of the massacre and for their families. I feel sincere sadness for their loss and suffering. The idea I would be disrespectful is personally offensive to me, it’s untrue”. Brand proceeded to show clips of ITV’s Jeremy Kyle show stating ”they are not interested in truth, they are interested in negativity and no one is more interested in negativity than Jeremy Kyle. Jeremy Kyle is a minor of ordinary people’s misery His show is built on putting vulnerable people on television and exploiting them”. Boy! This is a pretty direct attack from Brand, reflective of the extent to which he felt insulted by Kyle’s assessment of his comments in relation to the call to observe a few minute’s silence for the victims of the Tunisian terrorist attack.
First of all, it is hardly plausible that Jeremy Kyle exploits those on his show. On the contrary, his show serves to address a serious malady in society most prevalent among the working class, and decipher ascertain facts from fallacies in turbulent relationships. It has saved some relationships, and helped some draw a line over doomed relationships. Jeremy Kyle is a forthright television analyst who puts people in their place and is often insightful enough to nail the problem on the head and call a spade a spade. Brand’s comments on the other hand were ambiguous and open to misinterpretation, though when put in context, he was driving home an important point anchored on a value judgement, though raised in the midst of a sensitive issue. His comments can be viewed to have been untimely and unwise, but even this view is a matter of opinion. Brand wished to make a point ,and he did so uncompromisingly, though rocked a few boats in the process.
