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AIBU?

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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 · 21/10/2008 12:33

MOBO is a mis-nomer, most modern music is of black origin anyway, rock'n'roll for starters.

littleredcorvette: why mention Mick Hucknall? What have we ever done to you? Cannot get that gross little man out of my head now!!!

Also sorry for hijacking but think Seeker was scared off quite a while ago anyway and probably hiding behind her sofa.

themoon666 · 21/10/2008 12:42

Re: mobo awards. Amazed at seeing Mick Hucknell as a winner of 'outstanding acheivement'

Blu · 21/10/2008 12:45

LOL that many people on MN agree that Obama's race may well lead to an early assassination attempt due (in part) to race...but that 'Strictly..' could never be subjected to the slightest whiff of racism in the public vote

I have no idea...I don't watch it..but Seeker only asked...the Alesha evidence would seem to be an answer - keep your hair on, Daphne!

littleredcorvette · 21/10/2008 12:47

Sorry Lotster, I didn't realise that MH (or he that shouldn't be mentioned) had that effect. Hope it doesn't give you nightmares

Lotster · 21/10/2008 12:56

I feel....dirty now. It's your fault.

Cheesesarnie · 21/10/2008 12:58

i tried to link a picture for you but think my computer broke with the effort.plus too cruel.

DaphneMoon · 21/10/2008 13:00

I am in a bad mood today so took it out on this, however I am truly sick of hearing racism for racism sake.

deaconblue · 21/10/2008 13:38

I think the public never votes for people who are too competetive (Heather) or dull (Don), look at Gaby Logan and Zoe Ball (pretty good but soooooooo desperate to win). I doubt it's got anything to do with race tbh

Original poster
seeker · 21/10/2008 14:29

Lotster - spooky that you can tell what colour someone is just by the way they type!

OP posts:
Helsbels4 · 21/10/2008 16:06

Can I just go off on a slight tangent here but what do people see in Mark Foster? He gives me the creeps

Lotster · 21/10/2008 16:11

Oh it's just a feeling seeker....am I wrong?

Sweetmango · 10/10/2016 02:20

Well here we are almost a DECADE later on this thread and nothing has changed.......

Week 1 - OUT - Melvin Odoom (BLACK)
Week 2 - OUT - Tameka Empson (BLACK)

Week 3 - well there is only one black contestant left.....Ore Oduba (BLACK) brace yourself......

Liiinoo · 10/10/2016 03:02

TBF Melvin was poor and deserved to come last but I cried tonight when Tameka left. She wasn't a great dancer but she had amazing timing and so much charisma and personality, I will miss her....and she went to Brighton, my favourite place in the world. She was also amazingly humble and gracious in defeat.

I hear what you are saying about black contestants and think there could be some truth in it. I also think the same could be said about Big Brother - there are always exceptions to any rule but the trend seems to be there.

Let's hope it doesn't affect Oti who is currently my favourite pro dancer.

DogsAndWolves · 10/10/2016 03:08

I find anyone on MN who highlights racism gets pretty short shrift from the majority.

Ijustcanteven · 10/10/2016 04:00

I was well confused there reading this thread half asleep and saw SottishMummy had posted!

Hadn't figured out it was a resurrected zombie till then Grin

OhSoggyBiscuit · 10/10/2016 04:13

What would a dancer's skin colour have to do with the price of fish?

Sparklingbrook · 10/10/2016 04:24

Ooh a zombie resurrection.

I have no idea who either of them are TBH.

YogaPants · 10/10/2016 04:32

THIS is why I stopped watching strictly about 5 years ago.

Once I realised how the public tended to not vote for black contestants, it didn't sit right with me.

AyeAmarok · 10/10/2016 04:34

I have always felt that the Strictly voting audience tend to be a bit racist. This happens far too often to be a coincidence.

chattygranny · 10/10/2016 05:09

what Aye said
Unless they're very good, beautiful or charamatic. I notice it every year. Typical Strictly voter is white middle aged female. Doesn't quite explain Naga's survival though all Breakfast contestants do well as so well known maybe.

Mummyoflittledragon · 10/10/2016 05:25

Very bloody cross when Ore went out last week, he's lovely and ridiculous especially as he was joint top. I think Anastasia should have been disqualified for not being able to comply - or pulled out. But rules are rules. It's a real shame that two very good contestants were picked last night. Naga is still there as well and she was near the bottom of the leader board and saved by the audience. If we want things to be fair, then audience voting needs to stop. Laura got 30 points and she's white yet still found herself in the dance off. Dd and I were very disappointed when Tameka went last night out of the two, we wanted her to stay. But on dance off alone, she was the weaker person. I do hope Melvin stays for a while too. If he goes next week, that would be completely awful - and embarrassing. I don't vote myself btw because I can't bring myself to choose.

TheDrsDocMartens · 10/10/2016 06:07

Mummyoflittledragon Ore is still in and Melvin is out.

I felt Tameka was the better dancer in the dance off.

SlottedSpoon · 10/10/2016 06:09

I don't watch it but I do think that if your theory about the British voting public ring ,otivated by racism is correct then it could easily be either proved or disproved by going back over every series and looking at where all the previous BME contestants have come compRed to this white counterparts.

I doubt you've bothered to do that though.

AnyoneButAndre · 10/10/2016 06:14

Mummy I think you either pay more attention or not try to post until you've had some coffee, because you've got Melvin and Ore hopelessly confused Grin

I think this is one of these subjects that needs a bit of nuance and never gets it. The fact that people are voting to save rather than to evict and splitting their vote between so many people means that it will never be a straightforward smoking gun. And you never actually learn the viewer vote except insofar as you can infer it from the bottom two positions so you have very little to go on. And it's never quite straightforward otherwise Alesha wouldn't have beaten Matt di Angelo and Ramps wouldn't have beaten Matt Dawson in straight fights.

There are just a few cases where we know for certain that someone has lost to a worse dancer in the final, or has been in the danceoff several times and repeatedly saved by the judges. You can always see reasons for every vote. Colin lost to Goughy because of dummygate, or because he wasn't "masculine"enough. Ricky lost to Chris because he was too cocky and ran that bloke over. Natalie lost to Abbey because she was a ringer. Jamelia haunted the bottom two because she said that thing about fat women. Heather did all those dance offs because she was "dull and chippy". Simon was box office poison because nobody ever really liked Blue/Kristyna. And so on and so on. You'll only really settle it with either statistics. In the absence of release of viewer votes, over 14 series you could plot finishing position vs judges scores and see whether the pattern varies by race. It's a case for Monkseal's magic spreadsheets but I wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to touch it with a bargepole.

charlestonchaplin · 10/10/2016 06:34

I don't think it is racism with Strictly, in that (mostly white) people won't vote for black people because they are black. It is more that the mostly white, female audience vote for those more like them and theirs.

It's not a dance competition, it's mostly a popularity contest and black contestants are generally not as important/relevant to the audience. Partly because they often aren't as well known and partly because they are 'other'.