Celebrity Big Brother: is it really racist or 'just' bullying and bitchiness?

[LucyJones]

I'm really not sure where I stand. A lot of it just sems like school girl horridness

Didn't Shilpa say to Cleo that the girls were picking onher because she was indian. Only for Cleo to tell her it was not racist in any form....or something

So she's complained

I knew about the c word, but he didn't say it to her. And it isn't racist. And he's a vile little wanker with the brain of a hamster.
I think this is a waste of the police's time tbh. I do not think anything that has happened should be a crime. Repulsive and disgusting yes, but not a crime.

Is it a crime that Ch4 expose us to such shit telly though?

depressingly, they had a poll on radio 1 (so emphatically the age demographic of jade, jo and danielle) and 80% of them thought it was not racist.

yes Aloha I agree.

This thread is going round and round.

We all agree that it's depressing and stupid and ignorant, whether it be racist or not is besides the point. We do all agree that it's bullying.

There - shall we move on?

Think we'll have to agree to disagree Aloha. I will just say that if Jade thinks it's ok to say that stuff when she's been watched 24/7, I'd worry about what she would say on a one-to-one with a person of colour in a dark alley!

Can someone fill me in on the press conference please. Can just about get away with posting on MN while I'm at wk but would look a bit suss if I started downloading news bulletins!

And I put that the carphonewarehouse had pulled out of it's sponsorship of BB, which proves that no-one is reading each others posts!

Imo for Jade to lose all her sponsorship deals will be punishment enough.

it does annoy me though when they say Shilpa isn't aggrieved - she hasn't heard what we've heard!

i wish rhubarb would post

that's true too Rhubarb - its moving to fast

but you see - yours was read

by me

crossed posts Rhurbarb - hear hear

promise not to say anymore on the subject of definitions of "racism"!

I wish someone would post, I look like a thread killer!

wow. i think defining whether the bullying is racist or not is really important. because a lot of people seem to think that you need to have utter hatred in your heart for all people of colour in order to be called a racist. whereas i think if you verbally insult people by sneering at the customs (misperceived or otherwise) of their country then you are being racist.

are we now getting down to saying that you can behave in a racist manner without actually being racist? is that it?

personally i think we're too frightened of the word. there's nothing to say that if these girls are taught that their language and assumptions were racist that they need remain racist forever. they will foreve be stupid, however.

I haven't watched that much of it but, from what I've seen, I don't think it is racism as such. More of a culture clash. Their dislike is of her, not necessarily of her race but cultural aspects are coming in erroneously as bones of contention - such as the whole chicken/stock cube argument - ridiculous, petty. I don't think Shilpa's beauty or success are relevant except in so far as that her very high self esteem has come across to the other three as her thinking she is superior. It has irritated them. We have a culture in this country of understatement, self-denigration, self-effacement. It is different in many other countries where self-confidence is celebrated. I think Jade has got too big for her boots and expected to lord it over everyone but Shilpa hasn't any respect for her. It is nasty and moronic the way Jade and the other two have ganged up on Shilpa - pack mentality, playground bullying. I'm not sure whether it is worse than we've seen in other series of BB but should we be showing this on tv? It appears to have upset a lot of people and it is not good entertainment. Maybe we are worse morons for watching it. I am suspicious of the way these shows are edited. Maybe the BB format should come to an end.

Why is everyone so keen to deny any racism?
Comments about eating with hands in India 'you don't know where those hands have been' followed by comments about not liking Shilpa to handle the food she is cooking? Yes, this is a part of something which is bullying and bitching and based of differences of class, education and superior make-up application skills, but why say there isn't a racist element in the things they are using to implement their hatred based on those things? That doesn't belittle the importance of other forms of bullying.

Racism is here, alive and kicking, and imo it's as well to see it, recognise it and in that way, this has done a service. Why push it under the carpet? It will only leave big bumps right in the middle of the pattern to trip over when we are least expecting it.

anything to oblige, rhuby!

BB has spoken to Jade.

Giving her a chance to turn it round, just as they did when she bullied Sophie.

No coincidence she's got the same manager as Davina, Russell Brand, Dermott et al.

ok - they confirmed at the statement that its Jade and Shilpa up for the public vote.

In case you hadn't heard
here

everyone is agreed that the behaviour is appalling. I personally think it's not racially motivated but has found its expression in racism. but am willing to say that it's a pretty subjective determination. my question - a genuine one discussion of which nearly caused dh and I to come to blows last night - is should the police investigate all incidents of bullying?

see skyatnight, i agree with pretty much everything you say except your conclusion that it's not racist. what is a culture clash, fgs?

Bingo, hatwoman! i can work with that definition. not racially motivated but has found its expression in racism. that's the one!