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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to be outraged that the two black contestants in Strictly Come Dancing...

250 replies

seeker · 19/10/2008 21:48

...were bottom of the public vote, even though it was obvious to anyone with eyes in their head that they weren't the worst two dancers?

OP posts:
Lotster · 20/10/2008 15:41

Ditto to MQ. Get the feeling OP'r isn't black anyway so feels a bit patronising IMHO anyway.

SheikYerbouti · 20/10/2008 15:42

Sorry, GDG, I nicked your explanation

Gobbledigook · 20/10/2008 15:42

ROFL

I am mean - I feel a bit bad for saying that

Gobbledigook · 20/10/2008 15:43

And I agree they raved about Christine again and she was rubbish this week - she suits ballroom better

fartmeistergeneral · 20/10/2008 15:44

It never occurred to me who was black or white, seriously! Don was a bit lifeless and not that well known unless you remember Rising Damp from the 70s. Heather is pretty crappy.

Mark is obviously quite bad too, but was wearing some kind of fetish top which MUST have gained him some votes.

John, what is there to say but... bless... and I love his confidence that he is indeed crap, but the public love him.

I don't think it's racist in the slightest. As someone else said, it's as much about personality and popularity as it is about the dancing.

Even when Don was voted out, his face remained the same expression. It never changes.

JoolsToo · 20/10/2008 16:12

they raved about Cherie and the routine was awful

they deffo have their favourites - like all of us I guess.

OP - big fat stonking yes, yabu

do folk actually watch out for coincidences to pounce on?

MorticiaAnnSpookington · 20/10/2008 16:14

Don was good,better than Castle anyway, and popular generally, Heather seems to be a cold fish personality wise- at least I don't think people warm to her, so it's not really a colour thing surely ? I'd like to think not.

ladymariner · 20/10/2008 21:14

I thought cherie's routine was great, tbh, but I read somewhere she was a trained dancer which kind of spoils it a bit somehow.

I don't mind who wins this year as long as it's not Lisa "I went out with george clooney but I don't like to talk about it" - yeah, right,course you don't ) Snowdon. She was never good enough for my George......

WayneAteASlob · 20/10/2008 21:20

Personally I think yes, YABU.
They are two of the less high-profile contestants, therefore not as well known so people won't be voting for them.
I think that their colour has nothing to do with it.

LobstersLass · 20/10/2008 21:21

Tom Chambers could dance before Strictly.
See here... uk.youtube.com/watch?v=EXFiFg2GX6w

Surely this is somewhat of an unfair advantage?

LobstersLass · 20/10/2008 21:23

Oops, that was supposed to be a follow on from ladymariner's post.

I don't think that Don and Heather in the bottom two has racist connotations. I think they both performed quite poorly and aren't as high profile or endearing as some of the other weak dancers.

Quattrocento · 20/10/2008 21:24

I don't know whether you are or are not being unreasonable - I'd need more information.

Don't think that the public vote being similar to the judges vote is proof of anything. The judges could of course be racist themselves - they are all white aren't they?

I can't make sense of this sentence, btw:

"it's as much about personality and popularity as it is about the dancing"

The point that the OP is making is that popularity in this country can be affected by race. Few people go around thinking "I don''t like X or Y because they are black"

Where people do suffer from racist feelings they often disguise them as something else, sometimes quite specious or incorrect. For instance "I don't like Obama because he is a muslim/arab". Or more insidiously "I don't like X because he is wooden" which may or may not be true.

So I don't know about whether or not you are right. What's the audience demographic? If it's full of Daily Mail readers, I bet you're right ..!

monkeysmama · 20/10/2008 21:32

I hate the programme but caught the last 10 minutes at mil's and thought exactly that.

ladymariner · 20/10/2008 21:32

Bloody hell, Lobster, he kept that quiet, didn't he!!!!

Wheelybug · 20/10/2008 21:33

But GMTV people are always crap and always stay in v. late due to viewer votes (fiona phillips, kate garroway). JOhn Seargent too is getting the popular vote even though he's terrible.

Both Heather Small and Don whatshisface haven't really been in the public eye for a long time so without being really good at dancing they're not getting votes.

I don't think the great british public are particularly discerning voters.

monkeysmama · 20/10/2008 21:35

Oh, and why does it matter if OP is Black or not anyway. Surely everyone regardless of race is right to be p*ssed off if we think something is racist.

LobstersLass · 20/10/2008 21:35

Didn't he just! I'm astonished it's not more widely reported. A friend e-mailed me a link to that after the first week.

mabanana · 20/10/2008 21:38

I think evidence that the decision making is not racist is in the success of Mark Ramprakash, Alesha Dixon, Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson. I'd say that actually black contestants have done disproportionately well. It it a sign anti-white racism? Of course not!

ladymariner · 20/10/2008 21:38

I'm going to e-mail everyone I know and tell them

Freckle · 20/10/2008 21:40

I don't think the great British public necessarily only vote for the bad dancers because they like them. I do think there are a good number who quite like to continue the ritual humiliation of the likes of Kate Garraway et al for the entertainment value.

LobstersLass · 20/10/2008 21:41

Hurrah! Let's expose him!

PeaMcLean · 20/10/2008 21:41

This was several weeks into the competition.

Other people have been voted out already. White people.

Of course YABU.

ladymariner · 20/10/2008 21:46

Yes, lets!!! (But only in that way cos I think he's a bit grim tbh looks-wise)

darkpunk · 20/10/2008 21:50

yabu....white people get voted off.

LobstersLass · 20/10/2008 21:50

Agreed! Exposed in a keeping all clothes on manner! He doesn't float my boat either!