Russell Brand and Marxism

Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe -- BBC, 2015, 4:11 -- https://youtu.be/DEjbFBmRgHA

A brilliant satire on comedian Russell Brand's communist/socialist politics. Students generally recognize Brand (formerly married to singer Katy Perry) and although this is humorous marxist rhetoric, it is nevertheless true. In the Truevolution episodes, Brand analyzes commercials (aka "mind control pellets") demonstrating how they preserve the status quo of inequality and social oppression. The language used here is particularly impressive and serves as a fine example of the conflict perspective applied to everyday life. 

Introduction-- https://youtu.be/anc51ErPBxg?t=2m47s
Truevolution 1 (commercials & Ikea): https://youtu.be/bSmP4q3oQ6c?t=18m22s
Truevolution 2 (kids shows): https://youtu.be/3An8mzU1HGE?t=9m40s
Russell Brand as Prime Minister: https://youtu.be/EKDKt0lh3Y0

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0520y52

The Collective Shaming of Deviance on Benefits Street

Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe -- BBC, 2014, 6:26 -- https://youtu.be/JkrX5J73Vi4

This is a humorous example from the UK of the functional role of deviant behavior. We see society come together to shame those receiving benefits from the state (known as welfare in the US). This is also an insightful example of how deviants are exploited for entertainment and ridicule. "Poverty porn" would be a good term to discuss in addition to the many sociological concepts evident in the clip.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03qgvsc