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

actually, a mass switch-off would have an effect. have you been campaigning for that? didn't see you on the news...

a few people switching off will have a great deal less of an effect that continuing to watch as well as sending in a complaint to ofcom. telling small groups of people to switch off is pointless.

but socci that's just it they're not doing anything about it.

last night over a million more viewers tuned in than have done on previous occasions. And channel4 are rubbing their hands together in glea at the amount of money they will make out of this. All the experts have said that this publicity is great for channel4. they could not play it. cbb live is played on a time delay so it's quite possible to edit out nasty stuff but they're not, they're playing it, because they know that if they don't show it they won't get the viewers they are getting.

so if people stopped watching out of protest c4 would have to do something to get back the viewers they'd lost.

i live right near there, shall i protest with a banner outside? (no one is btw)!

sorry I cant switch off
as I am waiting for shilpa to bite back and have a go

it might not happen
but would like to see it if it does happen

it has happened, doormat. you'll be very proud of our girl...

ooh aitch cant wait[anticipation emoticon]

whilst i do not condone some of what they have said it is just normal bitchiness and pack mentality.

I don't think Jo has said anything out of order, in fact from what i have seen she has tried to stick up for Shilpa on a couple of occasions.

Its ignorance of her culture yes, racism no.

i thought it was generally accepted from a psychological viewpoint that racism generally stems from fear and ignorance of another culture? i'm really not seeing the distinction.

Message withdrawn

Hope I am not repeating anything on this thread but I think it is just pure ignorance and jealousy from the 3 'witches' Shilpa is clearly an intelligent woman (aswell as being extremely pretty and successful for something other than taking her clothes off!) whereas, lets not forget, Jade has made her career out of being stupid and Danielle (allegedly?) cheated her way to the Miss GB crown and then was too stupid and thick to maintain the lie afterwards - if you are gonna cheat, you at least need the intelligence to get away with it eh? I am surprised at Jo though as she always seemed ok but maybe she is being dragged down by the other 2?

How is it not racism?

They are not bullying her because of her race, but because of her class, beauty, and the fact that she shows them up totally. But they are attacking her accent, culture and race, and insinuating that her race and culture makes her in some way dirty, to facilitate their bullying. How is that not racist?

That's my understanding too, Aitch.

A racist is defined as : someone who believes that other races are not as good as their own and therefore treats them unfairly.

How can anyone say that what is happening in CBB is not racism?? They are treating Shilpa appallingly because of her culture/race and because they, in their bovine stupidity, believe that they are superior to her, when in fact the complete opposite is true.

I'm surprised that Channel 4 hasn't had its broadcasting licence revoked for peddling this sort of bullying behaviour. It's like a mass broadcast of emotional happy slapping.

Agree with freckle, aitch and mercy, this is racism and the fact that most of you can't see it, just goes to show how endemic these attitudes are

Jade Goody was a bully in BB3 and no doubt was in this BB. She is a disgrace. I can't believe she is worth £8 million or something stupid like that for being thick and a racist bully.

I haven't ben watching CBB, but I did watch last night, and I thought Jo, Danielle and Jade were horrible to poor Shilpa. They criticise every thing she does. She's got more class than any of them could ever hope to have.

I said this on the other thread, but I am just so depressed to see so many people dismissing this behaviour as ignorance.

Interesting that Channel 4 is dismissing it as a "cultural and class clash" between the 3 and Shilpa. Well, I know which class the 3 bullies belong to - they just aren't in the same class as Shilpa.

yes I agree that Jade and the others are bullies and that their behaviour is appaling, I also think that Shilpa is an intelligent and dignified woman....but....I also think that maybe she is provoking these girls and inviting racist comments...The only person so far who has made any possible racist comments are Daneille (oh and Jermaine when he called Jades family "white trash") I get the feeling that Shilpa actually "wants" the bullying to be because she is indian...in tonights programme she was "insisting" that it was all to do with her race. Surely bullying is bullying whatever your colour or background or class. Not liking spicy food or an inability to pronounce someones name does not surely make you racist?

This is a cur and paste from a different thread -

It's like the distinction between calling someone amoral and immoral, isn't it.

If they have no morals across the board, don't even seem to understand the concept they are amoral (like an animal is) but if they have some inkling of what they are doing, and importantly distinguish who they attack rather than attacking everyone and make such a distinction along race lines, then they are racist - and this is exactly what they are doing. Why mention it at all otherwise, just call her a skinny cow who winds you up. That would be 'just' bullying.

Also, I caught a bit of This Morning earlier and they had the beauty queens friend on who was of mixed race. This I took as a tacit message that she couldn't then be racist as she had a black friend. Well it doesn't follow necessarily. She has problems with Shilpa that probably stem from jealousy, but her manner of expressing them is undoubtedly racist.

Or - good point beansprout

Jade, Danielle, Jo and Jackiey(sp?) laughably illustrate what passes for 'celebrity' in this country now.

Cringeingly mouthy, swaggering, aggressive and 'famous'... for what? What a joke. And Jack? Who is he??

I feel sorry for Shilpa - she's clearly everything they will never be. But who on earth advised her to go into there?

For the 301th time on MN, 'white trash' is NOT a racist term in the US, which is the context in which Jermaine, being an American, uses it.

White trash = chav over there.

If you say 'chav', no one will know what you're talking about.

If you say 'white trash', everyone will.

LOTS of people are 'white trash', including people of colour.