this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2023
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YouTube suspends Russell Brand from making money off his channel — The suspension comes following the publication of rape and sexual assault allegations against the British star::YouTube has blocked Russell Brand from making money off its platform and the BBC pulled some of his shows from its online streaming service in the wake of rape and sexual assault allegations against the comedian-turned-influencer.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (4 children)

If you ever get accused of a crime, your whole life should be cancelled as a precautionary measure /s

[–] [email protected] 52 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Another way this could be phrased is - Following serious allegations of rape and sexual assaults advertiser's do not wish to be associated with Russell Brand so YouTube stops showing their adverts on his channel

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

But why can't those advertisers just block him as an individual?

We are now in a world where accusations now result in a de facto guilty verdict. We already saw this with Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

No need for YouTube to blanketly make the decisions for all advertisers

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This is how advertising works. Advertisers do not want to be responsible for vetting every placement, part of what the publisher is being paid for in "run-of-site" / "run-of-network" advertising is curation of ad-adjacent content.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There's nothing stopping him getting his own advertising on his channel, he hasn't been banned from YouTube.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why does Google have to restrict which form of advertising he needs to use?

By confining him to certain types of advertising, it makes him less appealing to advertisers.

What if these accusations end up being false? I'm not losing sleep over Russell Brand losing money but if we hold the same logic it could damage smaller entities that can't afford it.

We see this with channels like the Armchair historian. Google demonitized that channel just because they had Nazi flags in a historical context when talking about WWII.

Another case could be made for anyone who wants to defame another individual. If someone doesn't like management for a local restaurant that advertises on YouTube, someone can just say "I heard from several people you had rats in your restaurant" or "I heard you had racist employees in your restaurant". We now live in a world where just the allegation is enough to damage an entity, regardless of if it is based in fact.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In this instance it isn't just an allegation though - one of the women has evidence she went to a rape crisis centre on the same day, which Channel 4 was able to confirm with the centre, and text messages from Brand on the same day where he apologised for his rape.

Why would Google continue to profit from his actions? That would be mental.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

There's a difference between accusations and a four year media investigation. Especially UK media that has to adhere to pretty strict libel laws. They've had to make sure they have the receipts and proof for the papers legal team to sign off on the story. This isn't like Zoe Quinn chucking out some accusations on Twitter and ending up with a bloke topping himself. Also if you remember, Depp lost his lible case in the UK.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The thing is, he isn't cancelled.

Nobody who can say they are cancelled actually are cancelled, because if they were actually cancelled you wouldn't hear anything from then.

Anyway, he still is allowed to post Youtube videos, just doesn't get money from Google for them.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago

"nobody who can say they were cancelled actually are cancelled" don't you think that means you should redefine what "cancelled" means in your head?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

It's a bit more than an accusation, it's a four year investigation by several media outlets signed off by their legal department. Not someone on twitter.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Russell Brand is a wealthy, famous Hollywood star who does not know who you are and will never give you the love you needed from your father.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You have allowed yourself to become so cynical that the only reason you can conceive of for speaking up in another person's defense is that it might be part of some psychological complex from childhood.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Give me another reason to stand up for a famous hollywood star you know nothing real about, just a carefully and expensively crafted media persona.

I'm all for a good discussion around the social implications of false accusations, but there's an exceptional amounting of simping going on for one specific special boy.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Aside from false accusations - how about tech monopolies (only beholden to profits/shareholders) being judge, jury and executioner?

I think Brand is a narcissistic prick, but that doesn't mean I don't care how he's treated by even bigger evils.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, Brand has been executed by having his YouTube account demonetized. There's no difference between not being paid by YouTube, but still being allowed to post videos, and being convicted of a crime. No difference whatsoever.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I agree that capitalism is bad.

But since we live in a capitalist country, I do my part as an informed consumer and I don't use Google products.

But this particular brand of whining about "big tech" is so stupid. Google risks losing advertisers. Google acts to not lose it's advertisers. Cry a river that in a capitalist economy a business takes action to protect its income source.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

He helped save Sarah Marshall, that has to count for something