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Blindboy talks sense on The Late Late Show

Updated / Saturday, 19 Nov 2016 20:38
Blindboy Boatclub on The Late Late Show
Blindboy Boatclub on The Late Late Show

Blindboy Boatclub from The Rubberbandits made another memorable appearance on The Late Late Show on Friday, speaking about mental health issues, the divide between the rich and poor and feminism.

In January, the performance artist stole the show on The Late Late Show's 1916 debate with his views on how the centenary of the Rising should be marked and what life is like for the younger generation in Ireland.

The appearance was highly praised and led to some viewers posting on social media that he should run for Taoiseach, comments which have been repeated after his latest interview with Ryan Tubridy.

The articulate star said he was "surprised and flattered and saddened" by the reaction, saying it shouldn't be that way as he's "a clown" and shouldn't be the one that's making sense.

However, he didn't shy away from commenting on social issues which are facing modern day Ireland, raising some valid points about mental health issues and feminism. 

"There's a crisis in this country with young men", he said. "A lot of the mental health issues that are happening are with young men. I personally think that what these young men need is feminism because when I'm down in Limerick speaking to lads I know who are suffering from mental health issues, when I actually speak to them and get to the core of what's bothering them, what they always say to me is 'I have nothing to offer a woman. How am I supposed to provide for a woman?'

"The fact of the matter is that is a patriarchal attitude which is no longer relevant to us in the 21st century. If young men are carrying around this faulty view that they must provide for a woman forget about it, it can't happen.

"Feminism is not about females being powerful, it's about redressing a balance and it's about equality. If you think you're a feminist, let a woman pay for your dinner and see how you feel about that. If you're cool with that you're a feminist. If you're not, you need to look at yourself."

His comments attracted a lot of positive reaction on Twitter, and was called a "visionary".

The Rubberbandit also spoke about the mental health issues this country faces, and suggested a common-sense way to target depression and anxiety.

"We've got a collective sense of low self esteem that we got from 800 years of oppression. We found ourselves using drink to medicate that. 

"We can get rid of that in two generations if we are teaching from the age of 3 years emotional intelligence and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy)."

His appearance led to renewed calls for Blindboy to run for Taoiseach.

Watch the full interview on The RTÉ Player here.

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