The view from India: horror at these barbarians

[JoolsToo]

The Independent

Yasmin alibhai-brown on returning from India

Shes been on Matthew Wright this morning and I like her views

she gets on my nerves.

She irritates me too.She repeats herself and often never really says anything new.She is always wheeled out if there is a sniff of anything race related in the press

'Brown should have had the humility to admit economic and social liberalisation had brought prosperity but also growing disorder to his country'

I don't think that's right. I also think there's a tendency for people (ok, well journalists and commentators!) to assume that every single 20 something woman is like Jade (or those other women in Big Brother) when that's certainly not the case.

It's like assuming that every child in a hoodie is a criminal.

And to judge the behaviour of all British people based on a manufactured reality TV show is like assuming the English countryside is the most dangerous on the planet because people are murdered every week in Midsomer Murders.

I agree with the article's sentiments about the growing band of feckless, avaricious, bilious, uneducated miscreants in this country but equally, look at the response by the greater number of decent folk who do not share those base values? Is Britain really on the decline or is it in this media age we are now more cognizant of the underbelly of ignoramuses that have always existed in this country?

Also, can I point out that there are 60m people in the UK and about 25m households. Of that, 6m tuned into the launch of CBB and viewing figures have averaged 2.5m. Most of those viewing are nothing like the bilious ignoramuses that give this country a bad name so, I think the naval gazing needs to be kept in perspective.

It's a bit "the country's going to the dogs" isn't it.

I saw her on Wright stuff this morning what a dreadful woman imho

dh in india atm and says noone is taht bothered

also people he has spoken to (cannot beleive he has raised it) thinks Shilpa Shetty broguht it on herself for trying to break into teh West media (not saying we agree btw)

Good point Enid

She is absolutely correct. Althought we are not totally are a nation of feckless, graceless, boorish yobs, that is the image that we project. And we seem to accept that this decline is inevitable.

The racism element is just the latest nastiness to emerge from BB. All of it seems to promote bullying and general bad behaviour. But even typing the words' bad behaviour' makes me feel like a prim old-fashioned spinster - because it often feels that there is no such thing as bad behaviour anymore. The world is so much better if everyone treats others with respect and civility.

"we are not yet totally ..." is what I meant to type....