It’s a sad inevitability that the big names defending Russell Brand are some of the most influential in the world. Elon Musk and Andrew Tate – two of the most Googled people on the planet – have already publicly backed the 48-year-old comedian, as have those great champions of right-wing and conservative conspiracy theories: Alex Jones, Ben Shapiro and Tucker Carlson. And so it comes as no surprise that Pearl Davis, the woman who proudly owns the nickname “the female Andrew Tate”, is the latest red pill ideologist to throw her support behind Brand, who vehemently denies all the allegations made against him. In a YouTube video shared with her 1.8 million YouTube subscribers, Davis announced that “the Matrix is coming after him” and that he is the victim of a “mainstream media” witchhunt. And whilst many of us simply roll our eyes at such warcries from the internet’s self-styled “anti-establishment” fighters, Davis’s arguments in support of Brand should be a genuine cause of concern. She asks in her monologue: “Why would a man that is rich and famous need to rape anybody? [...] Why would a guy need to assault or rape anybody in order to get sex that's having it thrown at him 24/7?” Then, offering an analogy to hit home her point, she adds: “This is the equivalent of me being a billionaire and getting accused of robbing a bank.” Russell Brand Is Being Attacked... www.youtube.com Now, you may gape in horror and disbelief at such base and ignorant “reasoning”, this same logic is applied again and again, getting countless alledged predators off the hook. Indeed, Safe Horizon – the largest victim assistance charity in the US – addressed the issue in a poignant piece back in 2018 titled ‘Why Does the Myth That Attractive Men ‘Don't Have to Rape’ Persist?’ In the first-hand account, writer Jeena Sharma explains that her earliest memory of suffering sexual assault was at the hands of her piano teacher, who was “seemingly handsome, smart and kind, with a daughter of his own”. She said she never told her parents, “not because they wouldn’t care but because [she] felt ashamed and mostly confused”. After all, “how could this man [...] do something that I would only expect from a creepy stranger in an alley?” Sharma went on to cite the example of former NFL player Darren Sharper, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison and accused of drugging and raping as many as 16 women back in 2016. She pointed out that at the time, the judge sentencing Sharper expressed her disbelief at his crimes, saying she couldn’t understand how someone who was college-educated and had grown up “in one of the most loving households” could carry out such atrocities. Russell Brand has strongly denied the accusations against him. Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk.If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673). Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.