Weekly Roundup: Scandal Involves Man & Young Women, Gossip Either Side, Institutional Attitudes Behind Closed Doors, A Deceitful Character
Week ending 23rd & 24th September 2023
This week, we used various decks and a new “gossip” layout in particular, which I’ll give you more tips on later this weekend, so do look out for that.
Meanwhile, in case you missed them, here are the deets on a couple of useful ones that may be new to you, but that you can use with ANY deck:
All the spreads this week were looking at the aftermath of the Russell Brand scandal in the UK as it was rumbling on from the “Great Reveal” last weekend with a Channel 4 Dispatches TV documentary including compelling testimonies from several women, mostly of much more lowly positions in TV companies, who claim he sexually assaulted them and worse. The police, quite rightly, are now involved.
He denies the accusations and has, despite having formerly been a darling of the Left establishment, unsurprisingly gained support from several prominent right-wing commentators and conspiracy theorists more familiar with his recent Youtube output and self reinvention as a supposed guru figure and “truth-teller”. The accusations (and evidence) are pretty damning, however, particularly given the openness of his previous behaviour, much of it on record (including constant boundary-pushing including physically with women). There’ve been the usual accusations of “regretful women after money” and concerns that the press shouldn’t report anything because innocent until proven guilty (this never seems to apply to the women, strangely or much else the press reports outside a court of law.)
Perhaps more surprising was what looked like a rising wave of realisation about the treatment of women much more widely from the generation who grew up during “his” and the “lad” era. Not to mention yet more issues with institutional enabling, which is a huge part of the story in itself and not for the first time. You might want to revisit some of my 2023 Year Ahead Kipper readings, as women and the law featured quite prominently. Some of this does indeed seem to be playing out.
Anyway, here’s the roundup from the week:
This Week: What's The Lowdown on THAT scandal?
This reading was on the lowdown regarding the “main man” and a young woman or women and current news coming about them and this situation. One side’s story is that it’s about pride and arrogance in an institution or structure and taking or stealing something away. The other side’s version is about a woman or women in a romantic scenario, trapped or cornered by crazed pleasure seekers or someone addictive. The truth is that there is a sense of “service” by a man or men, that’s supposedly ‘healing’ but in an unhealthy or distorted way. A dysfunctional service attitude around looking after people and healing. A man will soon be grieving a major misfortune or downfall connected with female friends, and may express regret. The overall outcome will be around romantic “gifts” or treasures, perhaps trying to make up for causing hurt, will bring sorrow. A star or glittering romance or romantic interest causing only sadness and grief.
This “gossip” or Lowdown layout is pretty much giving us the full picture in terms of what people are saying and what the truth is likely to be, which here is pretty much that there’s a very dysfunctional “healer” about and a downfall is indicated.
In the long term, it’s still to play out, of course. Interesting that he doesn’t seem to be planning to sue, and some of the women may well end up getting their day in court, although the knee-jerk support for him in certain circles has doubtless depressed many.
The rest of the readings for the week were as follows: