Zayn Malik leaving One Direction is more important than David Cameron and the General Election, says Russell Brand
Hot on the heels of his Clarkson Top Gear parody, the comedian is staying as topical as ever
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Russell Brand has theorised that the worrying hysteria surrounding departing One Direction member Zayn Malik is because of society's loss of religion.
Arguing that the "cut4zayn" hashtag - in which teenage girls are self-harming in a bid to persuade the singer to return to the boyband - shows a religious fervour, Brand argues politicians can never match it.
In an episode of The Trews, Brand seeks to "honestly appraise" the situation asking: "What is Zayn? Zayn is a member of One Direction.
"He's very good looking, he's the shy one... and he didn't want to do the dancing," Brand summarises. "So I suppose what Zayn must represent to One Directioners is the one that's a little bit vulnerable, so Zayn leaving may bring to the forefront feelings of vulnerability and feelings of loss."
"No politician is going to connect to a teenage girl in the way that Zayn Malik does," he says.
Describing the "cut4zayn" hashtag as "worrying", Brand says: "Us being frivolous and snooty and condescending about that is really the wrong approach."
"In a way, One Direction matters a lot more than the General Election - no-one's going to self-harm when William Hague steps down," Brand says.
He adds: "They will attend the ritual performances of the gigs, they will wear the uniform of the merchandise, they will cut themselves... in a way that is obviously religious."
Brand concludes that the powerful emotions on show indicate the "loss of religion, the loss of spirituality in our culture. The kind of nihilism that consumerism and capitalism leads to."
Mental health charity Mind have urged anyone worried that they might self-harm, or have friends who are at risk, to get in touch.
“Used in a positive way, social media can play a useful role in a person’s wider support network. However, it is vital to recognise the huge danger created by any site or social media trend that promotes self-harm. Self-harm is an incredibly serious problem and should never be trivialised. We urge those using Twitter or other social media sites at this time not to engage with posts that promote harmful behaviour, and to report any activity that causes them concern.
“Anyone worried about someone they know who may be self-harming should encourage them to seek support. For more information about self-harm call the Mind Infoline on 0300 123 3393 or see mind.org.uk.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments