I wrote about Russell Brand on Wednesday so I won’t retread too much territory, but reading Charles Eisenstein’s essay on the topic warrants further conversation.
For context, Eisenstein is a philosopher and writer that has tracked conspiratorial in recent years. He appeared on two episodes of Conspirituality with Matthew Remski to discuss disagreements we had with him—the only such person to agree to come onto the podcast. Since that time, his writing and lectures have tracked right, filled with expectable anti-vax rhetoric, albeit couched in galaxy brain. In 2021, his publisher, North Atlantic books, announced it was donating the proceeds from Eisenstein’s books to nonprofits after he compared Covid restrictions to Nazi Germany.
There may not be much we can do to change Charles’s mind. But as a publisher, we can step into our privileged and resourced position to redress some of the harm his essay is causing. We will donate all net earnings we make from the substantial sales of his books to three organizations committed to the rights and welfare of some of the very people his essay invisiblizes, condescends to, and exploits.
More recently, Eisenstein joined the RFK Jr campaign in May as the candidate’s Director of Messaging.
On Thursday, Eisenstein published a transcription of a short interview he conducted with Benjamin Life. First question:
Recently, there were allegations brought forth against Russell Brand around sexual assault. To me, it seems like this is a weaponization of the process of deconstructing patriarchy. The way in which the old story of separation is leveraging the “me too” movement to delegitimize someone who's speaking truth to power seems like a very hollow ritual that is very easy to see through.
Life starts the interview by suggesting that, hey, maybe women need to calm down a little, especially when they’re just being used to try to silence a truth teller. Brand is too powerful and they don’t like that.
The they is purposefully vague. That’s by design. They are deep state elitists, but also the women who are part of the operative. They is also something to be feared, and so the vaguer, the better. Let you fill it in with your own deepest concerns.
This conversation between men aims to express faux sensitivity—the patriarchy should be deconstructed, but only to a degree—and no matter because we can see that it’s all an illusion. And you need to see that, too.
Charles’s response?
Personally, I just have barely gotten a whiff of it. I haven't looked into it.
Russell Brand has been credibly accused by four women—more have spoken up since the documentary—and Eisenstein opens by saying he couldn’t be bothered to even look into it before pontificating.
Obviously there’s no discussion of the women, except when they’re peripherally involved as part of the Matrix attempting to silence Truth.
I regret to inform you that he continues.
I don't have any sense of how credible the women are who are speaking out. It could very well be that it is a deliberately orchestrated attempt to discredit him. It could be that the claims are totally valid, totally true. There are many interpretations you can take.
Interesting to note his impulsive response is to question the credibility of the women and invoke they before saying, yeah, I guess the allegations could be true as well. Who knows, you know? Women.
The point of investigative journalism is to consider many interpretations before settling on the reporting that becomes public. Eisenstein isn’t a journalist; he can’t even be bothered to look into the issue before needing to hear himself speak about it.
But that’s the thing: this isn’t about the accusations. It’s certainly not about the accusers. Eisenstein does exactly what he accuses others of: immediately choosing to join a mob. And there’s a real difference between joining a chorus because that’s what everyone around you is doing and speaking up about the perpetual and chronic violence that women endure on a daily basis by the hands of men who would rather speak about their own grand ideas than stop verbally ejaculating to listen to what a woman has to say.
He’ll never understand that difference.
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