Hiding in plain sight. How many times do we have to hear that phrase before we accept that men who are known to be a danger to women need to be called out immediately? Whether it is Bill Cosby, who regularly made jokes about drugging women as part of his stage act, or Jimmy Savile, who once passed the bed of a young, paralysed girl and joked, “Now I can have my evil way with you, my dear”, there are too many examples of powerful men getting away with criminal behaviour for years, even when they are telling us exactly who they are.
We can now add Russell Brand to that list. The man who once joked, “Don’t be afraid of your own sexuality, do be a bit afraid of mine though”, to a female guest on his chat show, didn’t just tell us who he was, says Jessica Barrett; he made us all laugh along with him too. Brand's words feel particularly chilling now that he has been found guilty of rape and sexual assault after a harrowing four-week trial. But if his predatory behaviour was so obvious, why did TV executives turn a blind eye, and, in some cases, seemingly reward him for it? The editor of Celebrity Intelligence, Dan Wakeford, takes us behind the scenes here.
The chief of the Metropolitan Police says he is expecting “many more” potential victims of Russell Brand to now come forward. But it’s one thing to ask them to, and another to make them feel safe doing so. Brand’s defence barrister, Ian Winter KC, showed us exactly how victims of rape and sexual assault are treated in court. Disregarding all the evidence about how sexual violence impacts victims, Winter repeatedly questioned why women had not physically resisted, and even asked one complainant why she had not told anyone about what had happened during Brand’s years of fame and his marriage to Katy Perry. As TV presenter Cherry Healey argues in this excellent piece, these are all well-worn tropes that thrive in a conspiracy of silence where so many men understand consent, but simply choose to ignore it.
And yes, not all men. But if you are a man reading this and asked every woman you know, I bet every single one of them would be able to recount an experience of predatory behaviour. So that is quite a lot of men, then. Please do speak up if you ever hear them making a joke about it.
One man who once boasted about grabbing women “by the p*ssy” and yet was still voted as president of the United States also got his comeuppance last week. Donald Trump’s Republicans lost the Midterm elections on an epic scale. Trump is raging, says Jon Sopel, and in many cases, like in Texas, this was a real David versus Goliath battle. Alex Hannaford looks at how James Talarico – a progressive Democrat who wears cowboy boots, talks about Jesus and who even Joe Rogan likes – flipped the Lone Star State and why this one victory changed everything for the presidential race in 2028.
But the Democrats’ blue wave doesn’t necessarily make the world a safer place. As many of you will know, one of the most dangerous times for an abused woman is when she leaves an abusive partner. It’s an analogy that could be used in the case of the US right now. A rejected Trump isn’t a beaten Trump, and world affairs editor Sam Kiley explains why these results could make a petulant president even more dangerous than before. Meanwhile, the psychologist who warned about his personality type when he was first elected gives some insight into how Trump’s fragile mind and ego may well respond next.
Expect a wild ride.
Victoria Harper
Executive Editor
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