Is stunning Shilpa Shetty the victim of
racist bullying by fellow Big Brother inmates? 10,000 people think so and have been so upset at her victimisiation that they complained to the media watchdog Ofcom. They were certainly crass and offensive remarks made by others who are plain ignorant and thick.
The Bollywood star has been called a “dog� and contestants have complained about her touching their food. Pop singer Jo O’Meara declared that Indians were thin because they were always ill as a result of undercooking food. Shilpa’s accent has been mocked and she was asked if she lived in a shack
Are racist taunts also being made against Jermaine Jackson? I suspect not. This is personal spitefulness and bitchiness aimed directly at Shilpa because they find her a little too posh and intelligent. And of course, she is used to having lots of attendants back home. Nevertheless, it’s nasty, cruel and vindictive and they will end up coming out worse for this when they finally leave the house.
I bet Shilpa didn’t realise she had so many friends outside the BB house, with viewers complaining by the thousands and even sending threatening emails to Big Brother housemates. Hopefully, they will have got the message now and realise that their behaviour is totally unacceptable.
She even has a Labour MP fighting her corner, though I don’t feel it is necessary for Keith Vaz to table a Commons motion calling on Channel 4 to take “urgent action to remind housemates that racist behaviour is unacceptableâ€?. Don’t our polititicians have more serious matters to deal with, such as the latest Home Office embarrassments about this terrorist suspect on the loose?
Shilpa could walk out like other contestants have done, she’s bright enough to make up her own mind, but seems determined to stick it out. She’s also a black belt karate champ, so she is more than capable of looking after herself.
I hope she stays and outlasts those who are giving her such a hard time because I don’t believe in giving in to bullies, though she was obviously mad to go on such a distasteful programme in the first place, I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes for any amount of money.
Even if Channel 4 intervenes, the damage has been done, Shilpa is never going to be bosom buddies with the likes of Jade , Jo and Danielle, they simply have nothing in common.
I think what happens next will be decided by Carphone Warehouse who are reviewing their sponsorship of Big Brother, quite rightly wanting to disassociate themselves from racism. They could put Shilpa out her misery sooner rather than later if they withdraw their sponsorship and the programme is instantly axed. I think their decision will decide on what happens next.
Do you think Ofcom should intervene, is this serious enough to be raised in the House of Commons? Could it escalate into a major racism row like Muslim women and the veil? Is it a class war too?
Update: The latest political views on this, including Blair and the Indian government.
Update: 21,000 compaints now made. David Cameron says “switch off”.
well done Ellee for covering this which has been the talk of the country .I was struck that it was front page of all the red tops but a small sideline in the broasheets. YOu can rest assurrde the DT and Grauniad wioll pick it up in their amused at poor people way .It will get plenty of coverage don`t you worry
I watched about ten minutes of it and read the Mirror coverage and apart from predictable synpathy what i wondered was this .
While a Jade may be punished in some way it is equally liklel that Shilpa will not do well out of it . The unspoken truth is that racila and class resentment are common and she will be resented for bringing this out.
In parliament . Don1t be silly
Who would complain if the accent of an ‘upper-class’ person was being mocked instead!?!
I agree with you- racism is repellant- it makes the others look like fools and it probably is a subject for Offcom.
But hey Mr Vaz I would have thought Parliament had important things to discuss- Darfur, Iraq, Congo, Burma, Home Office detentions etc etc etc etc etc.
In my experiance this is what happens when a group of like minded girls get together…and happens daily in many work places.
What a surprise… invite some pikeys into the Big Brother House and they behave… like pikeys.
This controversy must be a blessing to Channel 4 though, because this group of planks are so much duller than last year’s hilarious bunch (especially Pete Burns and Galloway!) 🙂
There seems to be a lot of talk about ‘racism’ on BB, but to be honest, I have yet to see any hard evidence of it. The story is on today’s front cover of The Times, with the headline that mentions a ‘race row’, even though C4 have denied claims that Shetty was not called a ‘Paki’ – indeed, C4 confirmed she was only called a ‘c**t’, quite fitting if you ask me. So where’s the racism?
It’s as though every verbal attack on Shetty is being viewed through distorted race-tinted glasses. A lot of fuss is being made about verbal racist attackes that simply haven’t even happened. The 10,000 complaints to Ofcom says far more about our race-blinkered society, than it does about racist bullying on BB.
If anything, I’ve seen more racist comments in terms of the ‘underclass v the elite’ – or as Carol Midgley puts it in todays comment section of The Times, it’s a story of ‘Pedigree v pit bull’ – and we all know that ‘dangerous dogs’ is just middle-class code words for the lumpen ‘underclass’ – a race apart.
Carol Midgley, and my friend Cheezy have pretty much spelled this theme out. Cheezy chose to use the word pikeys to describe the Goody family, and we all know that word pikey is just another variant of the word ‘chav’, which is another word for the ‘underclass’. Midgley simply went further and used a term from Nazi racial ideology which was used to describe supposedly inferior people like Eastern Europeans. According to Midgley, the Goody family are ‘real, live Untermensch!‘.
If there is racism surrounding BB, it’s certainly not the bad old ‘black v white’ racism that we all know and hate.
Another issue for Carphone Warehouse to deal with – although with their track record for lacking in strategic PR, they’ll probably be glad of the increaesd ratings that will result now as well as a good excuse to pull out of a sponsorship they probably can’t afford at present.
Maybe BB should devise a task enabling Shilpa to kick some chavvy butt using her black belt skills.
Courtney, that’s an excellent article by Carol Midgley, thanks for the link. What’s amazing is that this was actually mentioned today in the House of Commons and Gordon Brown is expressing concern in India where he is being asked about it.
As Carol says, “it is manna from heaven for Channel 4. Until this week the show was dying on its backside but now, thanks to a bit of Asian-baiting, it is back in the news.”
I also read about the word untermensch, let’s hope we are not going down that road.
I come from a Fenland town, btw, where gypsies are known as pikies.
If these thick women were making racist comments, they would be tautning Jermaine Jackson in the same way, it’s just personal spitefulness, but very unpleasant nonetheless, for Shilpa.
Heather, what on earth made CW want to sponsor a programme like BB in the first place. As you say, it’s a good excuse for them to pull out now and save some much needed money.
Cheezy, will we all be glued to this tonight?
I understand that they are burning effigies of Big Brother producers in India.
Jim, I can’t believe it, as our friend Victor would say. This couldn’t be better timing for Gordon Brown’s visit there. I think he has been out-scooped!
This news has made the Italian press today and is being regarded with amazement [though the Italian version of BB is very popular]. I think it’s a matter for Ofcom but not Westminster. I hope they have to take the whole silly programme off.
[…] I was planning to write something about the Big Brother racism and bullying charges (well, why not? It has even made it to the floor of Parliament). However, I see that Ellee has prepared a well-argued article on it, so I won’t bother writing anything else. You can read her article here. There are lots of interesting comments, too. […]
Thanks Bel, I am hoping my blogging friend Raj from Mumbai will drop by and tell us exactly how it is over in India.
I have to admit to not watching Big Brother- I’m not going to start now- but what I can say is that whatever the programme makers say, they love this sort of thing because it pulls in the viewers. The whole concept of ‘reality TV’ is a nasty, dumbed down, bread and circuses freakshow designed to hook the viewers by telling them ‘It’s real life, innit?’
Since half of them treat Eastenders as real life, this isn’t hard.
But it’s not real because all the contestants play up to the cameras knowing vile behaviour gets them better viewing figures and pardoxically keeps them in longer.
Come on, how can Jade Goody be a celebrity and have made lillions because she was the first person to perform a sex act on a reality TV show? Go figure!!
We seriously need to consider what we regard as entertainment, then we can look at this in it’s proper context.
The issue of racist behaviour on Big Brother is one for OFCOM, but in my opinion the producers are not responsible for the actions of these three braindead idiots. They are only harming themselves.
The public and various companies will deliver natural justice on these women. Jade Goody has already been stripped of her involvement with an anti bullying charity, which should be applauded. O’Meara’s career was built on teeny pop and is in freefall anyway. Few endorsements will come her way to be a role model for kids after this exposure. As for Lloyd, she was a nobody before she entered the house and will remain that when she leaves. I don’t think being a WAG of a footballer whose career is just about over makes her anything special.
This is not the first time Keith Vaz has come up with an early day motion that has had people shaking their heads. It is not an issue worthy of Parliament in my humble opinion.
It reveals the shallow desperation of Gordon Brown to appear ‘with it’ by commenting on something he has probably not even watched. Anything for a bit of street cred I guess. I wonder if he has been listening to the Arctic Monkeys lately…
Joe, You are right, it’s not our choice TV, but this is how our society is evolving. The word “tragic” comes to mind. How do we deal with that? How do politicians engage with that kind of voter?
The only reality TV I enjoy is Strictly Come Dancing, I love the posh frocks and the dancing.
Tony, It stands out a mile that Gordon Brown was trying to say the right thing, as you say it is a matter for Ofcom, not international governent ministers. Heaven help us if this affects our diplomatic standing with India.
We need to look at the REAL purpose behind TV, which unfortunately most of the time, is to fill in the gaps between the advertisements. TV programmers have to ensure large viewing figure to ensure that enough numbers of people are watching their sponsors’ messages.
Sad, but true.
There is no high minded morality at work in the world of programming, just the need to appeal to the lowest common denominator, which is why I never watch ITV on a point of principle.
If it wasn’t for the need to keep people buying more labour saving devices and transferring increasing balances on their credit cards, perhaps we’d see some quality documentaries and thought provoking dramas again.
Shilpa is an intellectual beauty, while the others are ignorant woman who have shown themselves up. Shilpa certainly has a lot of admirers now. We must be careful that no mischief makers try to exploit the situation to their own ends.
Carphone Warehouse may well have the final say.
Why were not Jade, Jo & Danielle called into the Diary Room to say this behaviour will not be tolerated? It should have been stopped right there.
Elle, I wanted to drop by and see your place after your lovely comment about me on Nimue’s blog. Please feel free to drop in as I think your perspective would be grand over at “Polyamorously Perverse” where we’re currently have a virtual food fight over the definitions of polyamory.
“Shilpa is never going to be bosom buddies with the likes of Jade , Jo and Danielle, they simply have nothing in common”
isnt that the very root of the problem ? that people cannot find things in common? that people believe you have to be similer to get on? We all breath, we all bleed, we all have feelings when we hear a bird sing, or see a flower open at dawn, if we limit ourselves to only considering culture or background to find commonality are we not doomed before we even begin?
Dolbyn, Please try and get youself invited in the BB house and see if you can resolve these appalling issues, if you can get a word in between Jade’s f… this and f… that. I don’t think she is the sort of person that enjoys listening to birds singing or watching flowers open at dawn.
ah so we can assume such things based on how she looks on tv? Which is my very point – yes i think jade is acting way out of order, and yes i suspect that getting past her tirade of profanities might be a challenge but being an optimist i honestly belive that nobody is unreachable, nobody is uneducatable.
With all wrongs , be they legal or moral i think any responce has to have two equal components – punishment and education – each without the other is incomplete i believe
As for entering the house – i think i would pass – i value my alone time – but if i did go in, do you think they would allow me to take in a tazer? they ban batteries i assume so maybe one could take the handle bit off one of those clockwork radios and use that to charge up a tazer? just a flight of fancy.
I loathe that drivel, i ave no idea wat possess people to even watch it. The producers must be rubbing their hands together with all the controversy $$$$$$$$
Anonymous, Jade is Jade and her brand is based around being thick. She doesn’t see anything wrong in her actions towards Shilpa. I watched BB last night and she really has the foulest mouth. As she laid into Shilpa again, the other two with her should have intervened and told her that enough was enough, but they just giggled the whole time. However, it was a petty squabble based around stock cubes, it is ridiculous that it is front page news today.
In an ideal world Jade would apologise to try and restore some of her public image, but I don’t think that is her style. I hope she will not be paid for newspaper interviews to talk about this. I suspect she will lose sponsorships/deals as she cannot be paraded as a role model for our youth following the outrage her behaviour has caused.
After leaving BB, I would suggest she needed time to reflect on all this. She should retain the essence of her character, minus the foul mouth, to realise that her behaviour has been offensive. Hopefully, Dolbyn can take her under his wing and spend time working on these issues.
This really has gotten out of hand and is very over the top. It’s constant news. Why I’ve no idea. Its a pity the media storm over this hasn’t been provide to other issues such as the 450,000+ e-petition on car tax that the government is simply ignoring the electorate on.
I don’t want to see Jade vilified as a racist. I don’t believe she is racist. Thick and ignorant but not racist.
Derek Laud (ex-bb contestant) was on sky this morning voicing the same opinion.
What I take offense to is the way in which it has now been portrayed as – if you vote for Shilpa to leave BB then you are a racist. Crap!
It’s not a government issue and shouldn’t have made it to PMQ’s yesterday.
Why hasn’t Jermaine Jackson been nailed as a racist when he referred to Jade’s mum as “White Trash�?
This issue has arisen as a result of ignorance, insecurity and frustration. Nothing more.
Teri, I totally agree, I have made all those points in my post. At the same time, Jade has inadvertantly sullied the reputation of Brits to such an extent that this is being discussed by government ministers. It’s staggering that “one thick and ignorant” person could have caused such a furore.
Sorry, Ellee, I didn’t intend to be anonymous but something went wrong with my automatic field-filler and I clicked ‘send’ without checking.
I’m intrigued at the idea Jade Goody is paraded as ‘a role model.’ I’d have thought, rather, that she provides material for people who like to be enjoy the dream that they, too, can enjoy wealth and fame despite having little discernable talent for anything other than being famous for being famous (rather like the Lottery’s ‘it could be you’ idea). She’s also something of a clown, whose antics you can enjoy deploring without ever having to meet her — an important role in any soap opera. It’s rather, I think, the same sort of enjoyment some of us derive from the comments in The Guardian’s CiF section; many of the people who make them are clearly barking, and you’d hate to meet any of them in real life, but you find in them (at least I do) a horrible fascination that people can not only live up to, but excel, your worst expectations.
Is anyone surprised at Jade behaving in an appaling manner to Shilpa?
It is unfortunate but true fact of life that God didn’t give us all an equal share of his gifts.
Shilpa is very Beautiful, and according to what others have written, is personable and intelligent.
Jade is none of those things.
Human Instinct being what it, in situations like BB, people like Jade will assert their dominance in whatever way they can.
Unfortunately, humans are no better than other pack animals in that respect.
In Jade’s case her only advantage over Shilpa is she is better at being foul-mouthed and objectionable.
I don’t think any of this actually harms Shilpa, and there is a wonderful poetic justice in the fact that the nation as a whole seems to be swinging behind Shilpa, and the only sting in Jade’s behaviour is to herself and her own public perception- She seems to have taken enough rope to hang herself.
Bread and Circuses.
I really don;t think this is rascism…I think it is just plain ignorance. There have been lots of people from other races in BB and yes, there have been some problems, but nothing to the extent of this….and NO I don’t think this is a matter to be discussed in Westminster.The war in Iraq, Violence in our towns, our hospitals etc etc…I just can;t believe how much publicity this is getting.
Anne, thank you for commenting, I agree totally.
Ellee, forgot to say, I am a friend of Sally in Norfolk…
E grande io ha trovato il vostro luogo! Le info importanti ottenute! ))
Just a few salient points:
1) Jade Goody is badly educated in comparison to Ms. Shetty but have you stopped to wonder why? She spent most of her childhood looking after her mentally-ill, drug-addicted mother. How did the Upper-Caste Ms. Shetty cope with that – oh, that’s right – she didn’t have to.
2) Ms. Goody is of West Indian descent – she has West Indian features – much of the media’s mockery is a result of this. Ironically, Ms. Shetty confirms to Western ideals of beauty more than Ms. Goody.
3) Could someone please tell me how people arrive at the conclusion that Ms. Shetty is intellectual. She failed to watch a single episode of Big Brother before agreeing to appear on the show and seems ignorant of the origins of its title. Germaine Greer observed that there was bullying on Big Brother when she walked out of the programme two years ago. My response was ‘Well, duh’. The programme’s title is derived from a novel that depicts a totalitarian state governed by a capricious, malevolent dictator known as ‘Big Brother’. Bullying? In that kind of environment? Who’d have thought it?
4) Finally, how, for the love of cake, does this sully the reputation of Britain? There are 60 million people in this country and less than 8 million watch Big Brother. As the Americans would say: ‘Do the math’.