Rupert’s Blog

Big Mouths on Big Brother January 28, 2007

Shilpa Shetty, an Indian actress, has won Celebrity Big Brother. Somehow, after all the controversy last week about alleged racist comments by Jade Goody and her cohorts, where people were asking if this was a mirror onto racism in Britain, now we have the answer.

I have to confess I didn’t watch it. I wanted to, but was appalled by what I read. At best it was bullying: aggressive and vindictive. Many were saying it was racially motivated. I wanted to watch, and see for myself (and maybe there was a little to voyeurism there too!), but it just seemed to endorse the awful way Channel 4 handled the whole episode.

I think it wasn’t so much as racism, but just plain ignorance. The three young girls in the house really couldn’t understand Shilpa or the culture she comes from. They didn’t understand how she could have servants, what kind of houses they live in, or how or what they eat in India etc. But isn’t that the root of all kinds of intolerance: Ignorance? We don’t do it that way, and we don’t understand why others wouldn’t do it the way we do. It’s not so much about colour of skin, or the accent we have, but the difference in our cultures. And when others don’t understand that, often they tease, poke fun, ridicule, bully or worse. And that really IS racism.

But now the good old British Public have voted, and have shown what they thought of Jade, Jo and Danielle … and Shilpa, who responded with dignity, poise and grace.

Perhaps this episode does show what Britain is like: there are undercurrents of racism in our society, but most people are appalled by that and will stand up for the marginalised & oppressed … as long it is at the safety of the end of a telephone! Some good news after all.