https://www.rt.com/uk/450322-russell-brand-ban-tickling-kids/

British comedian Russell Brand has described his “loathing” for the act of tickling children, and suggested that those who do it without consent should be punched in the face...

“[Tickling] is an attempt to subvert the child’s bodily autonomy, to take away their right to their own space and peace,” Brand said, defining the word in terms somewhat more grim than Merriam-Webster’s “to touch or stir gently.”

Despite his seemingly strong feelings on the matter, Brand’s hatred of tickling is apparently a recent development. The star said that he had tickled a friend’s son in the past, which leaves him feeling enough “dreadful shame” to make him want to punch himself in the face, which presumably would be a consensual act (both on the part of the actor and among the public).

I didn't know that this is a problem.

Brand is neither a comedian nor a star. He seems to have a higher profile in the US than here in the UK.
Most people I know think he's a no talent, prentious idiot. Kick him to the kerb .

I agree. I find him very narrow minded and prone to stereotyping.

Also I don’t find him particularly clever. Just well-rehearsed.

Isn't he James Corden in disguise?

I can attest that I was tickled constantly when I was a kid due to my laugh - they loved to hear it.

When my cousins would do it, I would be sat on and tickled. I laughed. I hated it.

When my UNCLE would do it, it always started with a tickle and ended with a sexual assault upon me.

So no, I don't appreciate tickles.

In fact, don't fucking touch me.

^^^^This^^^^

Levi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I can attest that I was tickled constantly when I
> was a kid due to my laugh - they loved to hear
> it.
>
> When my cousins would do it, I would be sat on and
> tickled. I laughed. I hated it.
>
> When my UNCLE would do it, it always started with
> a tickle and ended with a sexual assault upon me.
>
> So no, I don't appreciate tickles.
>
> In fact, don't fucking touch me.



So because of what happened to you, no-one should ever be tickled by anybody anymore?

I'm not a tickler myself, let alone of kids because I hate them, but I do feel that in some strange cultures (read: the USA) kids increasingly have to grow up without beeing shown any love. When I was little I constantly felt the need to be hugged, caressed, embraced, lifted up and patted by adults or bigger kids. I would probably feel unwanted growing up in America today.

First of all, I did NOT say "no-one should ever be tickled by anybody anymore."

So out of the box, you've done screwed up by putting words in my mouth.

What I said, you fool, was "I am not a fan of tickling".

I screwed up because I used foul language in my reply and it got deleted by some admin and didn't put a warning in the subject line. It is there now.

I'm going to go back and say again "fuck off" because you, Visitors Welcome, were NOT there. You were NOT sexually abused all those times. I was.

I repeat: I don't like tickling. If you do - knock yourself out. I only hope a child you love is never raped.

I read your comments and it was clear that you were expressing your own opinion about your own experience. I did not take it that you were saying that people in general should abide by your own perception, boundary, and experience. 99.9% of the people that read your comments interpret and read your comments the way I did. There is always one in every crowd that will mess with you. Just expect it. My advice is to not let people get you mad. I have finally reached a point in my life that I do not care what other people think, say, or do I let them upset me (if I can help it). Find a way to make fun of them, laugh about their idiot nature, and cleverly reply with an insult. Don't let them see you sweat or get mad. It fuels them.

I agree 100%.

With the vast majority of subjects, I have the ability to just let things slide off, but when it is something that had such a negative impact on my life - the sexual abuse was a factor to the point of an attempted suicide at age 13 - I get LIT UP fast, especially when a total stranger who did NOT read carefully puts words in my mouth.

Of course do...I understand. We all have triggers like that.

Levi, I understand and respect what you are saying. The other day I posted something that Exminion interpreted as belittling people who have experienced abuse. I would never, never do that.

Your response, like Exminion's, are entirely reasonable. I hope the damage from the experience has become... manageable, if that is an appropriate word.

I feel for you Levi. The sexual abuse I suffered as a child did not approach rape, but I still have big issues with being touched.

It's all about consent.

As adults I had to tell my brother that if he jabbed me in the ribs again, he would have to leave my house.

I went to dinner with a family with four kids. The father tried to make the shy kids give me bear hugs at the end of the dinner. I insisted on air hugs which we all laughed and had fun.

Consent is enthusiasm. If you don't have it. Don't touch.

This is why I don't like commenting on this sight. Somebody is always offended and if some of these people only knew how much I dislike being made fun of for being afraid of sending people that need the truth , but lots of Mormons want to believe in The Bible and want to belong to a Spiritual Community and reading the majority of these comments it appears most people here believe if they leave The "Church" it's Atheism.

I hate tickling children as well and I know people who do it excessively and annoy their pets also. If you haven't experienced this I wish you wouldn't comment because it is not what others have experienced. Go right ahead and say you don't get it and be glad that you don't.

I feel the same way. Don't tickle me and don't poke me (I had an aunt who would sometimes poke me when she wanted to make a point.)

It took me a long time as a teacher to discover that some children don't like to be touched. So now I try not to touch children unless they touch me first.

Looking back, this was torture and my parents should have put a stop to it. Instead, they said, "Oh, it's just tickling. It can't hurt."

Unless kids invite it and enjoy it, it should be banned and punished if necessary.

Children need to know they own their bodies and they can say no if someone overpowers them.

I always hated it and tried to stay away from known ticklers, but nevertheless, it made me laugh involuntarily, so I couldn't object vocally when it was going on.

With my grandkids, I always used something soft or fluffy (like a bird's feather, or the pouffy tail of a favorite stuffed toy) to brush the kids on the tip of the nose, or lightly under the chin. They never objected. Some of them will remark on their memories of my tickling them with bird feathers.

Any number of times, I have felt light tickles on the ear or elbow when the kids are in the back seat of the car and have something fuzzy to use.

Tickling has NEVER been the crude, digging-in-the-rib-cage torture that it was when I endured it as a child.

I was 13, I had 3 older sisters, I was very sensitive all over my body, even being poked made me laugh. They were crazy mean ticklers, they would tackle me, one would sit on my tummy, the other on my arms, and the other on my feet, for HOURS they would tickle my underarms, belly, ribs, under my toes, and my soles. Normally when my parents were away. If i ever told them, they would do worse. I still have nightmares today, I remember not being able to move, my socks put in my mouth so i couldn't scream, and tickled, I would cry and cry, they would never stop. but unfortunately, my mom, dog, all 3 of my sisters died in a car crash. I would do anything to see them again.

I saw Mommy tickle Santa Clause. He went HO HO OH god.

I learned a lot from this and enjoyed his writing style.

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/mar/09/russell-brand-life-without-drugs

I was never tickled in a positive way as a child. It was abuse and while it didn't come before the molestations by the same sibling it was the negative touch while the "positive" touch was the molestation along with caring words.

I've seen positive tickling. People seem to enjoy it in a positive way. Just because it can be used to abuse doesn't mean it is bad inherently in my opinion.

I've heard stories that in prison if someone with a power base doesn't like you, they'll get people to hold you down and tickle you till you poop your pants!

Word!

I think Russell Brand gets a bad rap. When he expresses his opinions based on his personal life experience he is both articulate and profound. When he expresses his opinions based on things he's read/heard/seen he is both naive and boring.

On average I'd say his existence is a net good for humanity.

I love Russell Brand. Nobody can speak the way he does, I love it. And I personally think he's hilarious. I also admire all the things he's overcome.

There is a dark side to this topic. I had a relative who would pin and tickle my sister until she cried. He was a giant bully and got away with it.

He moved on to teasing animals.

Tickling by itself isn't the issue. It can be a gateway to touching and bullying so I do understand Brand's concern. We should be observant and aware when it might not be something innocent the child invites.

A lot of pain can come from tickling. To me, it is a form of bullying. When my boys were little, their grandfather would put the grands in a scissor lock & tickled them till they cried or wet their pants. He did it to all the kids, with very loud laughter. His wife, daughter who had 3 little ones as well, & myself would tell him to stop. He would not, & it was uncomfortable for all, except him. He had very hairy legs so I told my boys to twist the hairs into knots. It only took a couple of times before he finally got the message.

When I was about four years old I had an uncle who would tie me up and tickle me mercilessly. My mother would watch me do it. A year later he exposed himself to me. He lived with us, so there was no way that I could avoid him. Fortunately, he joined the military not soon after. I am in my seventies, and it still haunts me to this day.

My mother was a tickler. She had so much fun with us kids growing up. There was nothing devious about it or her, she just loved us and enjoyed playing with us. We had two large dogs, and we would go upstairs to our bedroom, hide under the blankets, and then yell, "okay mom, let Fritzie and Joe go." Those dogs would run up the stairs, open the door, come in and pounce on us, eventually pull the covers off of us. I kid you not, those dogs would tickle us. Then my mom would come in and tickle us even more while the dogs continued. We laughed so hard. That was 50 years ago, and I still remember it like it was yesterday. Good times. Mom was so much fun. As a dad, I tickled and rough housed with my kids, but I was very careful if they indicated in any way that they were not having fun, I would stop immediately.

Rough housing, gentle tickling, playing kick-boxing and wrestling - well it's all innocent, fun, and just being a fun mom or dad. I can't imagine not playing and having fun with my own kids, like my parents did with me.

I am sorry for those few who were disaffected by idiot adults, who took normal play and used it as a mode for molesting. I suppose you can take any normal childhood interaction and warp it into something terrible.

When it is consensual, tickling can be fun. However, it can also be used as a tool for aggression and abuse. My grandmother would force me to sit on her lap while she "counted" my ribs - it was cruelty disguised as fun.

I'm with Levi and Cheryl and the others who think tickling is abuse.

It was part of the constant torture, at the cruel hands of my bully older brother. He would say, "I'm going to tickle you until you vomit!" He would chase me down, throw me to the floor, and straddle me. The tickling would involve my entire body, and he would get a good feel of my breasts and between my lets. I would be crying and screaming for help! My brother would say, "I'm not hurting her. I'm just tickling her", and my TBM parents would allow this!!! Right in front of them! No part of my body was off limits for his grubby hands. He would comment on the size of my growing breasts--really a sensitive issue for a young girl. He also attempted to molest me, but I was loud, and I threatened to tell the bishop and everyone. Tickling was almost as bad as when he would beat me up. Yeah, he held me down and tortured animals and bugs, right in front of my face. I was always being tortured, and crying, and crying in the remembering of the horrors.

I had bad stomach aches, and abdominal cramping. I was very skinny, because I had trouble eating. I didn't want to vomit or wet my pants when he was tickling me. Bad insomnia. Nightmares. Depression. Low self esteem. I was victimized by other predators. This went on until I left that house. The day after high school graduation, I was packed-up and moved-out of there. AT age 40, I was diagnosed with PTSD.

Soooooo, some of you think tickling is OK? Never! Never!

As one poster said, this is something done against your will! Someone is invading your physical body with their hands, and getting a good feel in the process. Yes, that includes pervert grandma counting your ribs. Even children have a sense of ownership of their own body, and the tickler is taking that away from them.

Bad bad bad bad bad. Like pulling a cat's tail, or kicking the dog. Just bad.

I agree with those who say that tickling can be abuse. When I was tickled as a young girl (generally by "friends,") it felt like torture.

I also had an aunt who liked to do deep pokes to make a point. I think it was cultural for her (I got the feeling that she learned it through observing other family members doing it.) To this day, I hate to be poked.

Sometimes the first graders that I used to teach would tap me or tug on my skirt to get my attention. I always had to train them out of it. And it took me a long time to learn that not every student likes to be touched (even a friendly touch like a hug or a pat on the back.) So now, I always ask first.

I don’t understand why being tickled provokes laughter. It’s very painful.

It's the tickler who is seeking satisfaction, not the tickleree.

It's being 'in control' of someone else's fate.

I agree. I had a boyfriend long ago who liked to pin me down and tickle me hard between the ribs. At that point, I wasn't good at saying, "No." Although in many respects he would have made an excellent husband, I have to wonder at the willingness to inflict what was to me, torture. Maybe he wasn't such a good prospect after all.

There’s good reason humans can’t tickle themselves. Shouldn’t that tell people something?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/22/2022 11:17AM by Kathleen.

I am not a fan of Mr. Brand.