BARBELITH underground
 

Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.


Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Celebrity Big Brother 2007

  
  

Page: 1 ... 1213141516(17)1819202122... 36

 
 
miss wonderstarr
07:38 / 18.01.07
Carole Malone: And then there's Shilpa Shetty, the drop-dead gorgeous Bollywood star who's worth £15million and lives in an apartment in Bombay with servants and chauffeurs - whom I never for one moment imagined I'd have anything in common with.


But in the past 10 days we've shared stories of past romances. We've shared moisturisers and a face-pack. We've even dyed our moustaches with (her) cream bleach.


I haven't seen any commentators trying to draw psychological conclusions about Carole Malone with cream bleach on her face ~ indeed, I don't think we were even shown Carole Malone with cream bleach on her face.

I'm sure we've seen dozens of contestants walking round with face packs on during the last seven years, though, and haven't had any theories about whether they're debasing and humiliating themselves as part of some provocative performance.
 
 
Our Lady Won't Do That Again
08:15 / 18.01.07
Last night, it emerged Channel 4 and Endemol, makers of Big Brother, are facing a lawsuit from viewers who say they were distressed by what they saw. In what would be the first case of its kind, seven Asian viewers, all victims of racism, have instructed the civil rights law firm, Equal Justice, to institute proceedings in the "provision of services" under the Race Relations Act 1976...

One of the complainants bringing the claim against Channel 4 said the comments he heard triggered memories of racism he had experienced in the 1970s. Tallat Mukhtar,a former banker who now runs his own firm, said: "This series has taken me back to the 1970s when I was racially abused on the streets and encountered the Jade Goody mentality. I find it disgusting that Channel 4 and Endemol broadcast such material. Even if it boosts their profits, it is not a fit or ethical way to make money."

I'm uncomfortable with the idea of this prosecution, if the Independent article has reported it correctly. I think it could restrict a lot of what we see on the telly on the grounds that 'it triggered flashbacks!' if it succeeds.

But Channel 4 appears in no hurry to take action. Ratings for the highlights show on Tuesday evening hit 4.5 million viewers, up from 3.5 million on Monday.

Now there's a surprise.
 
 
nighthawk
08:57 / 18.01.07
I think it's also a way of generally calming the situation without having to take sides. See also 'they're as bad as each other' applied to grossly unequal conflicts like Israel/Palestine. Fence-sitting.

And in so far as calling someone 'racist' is quite a big deal now - I mean being explicitly 'racist' is generally frowned upon these days - where as 'clash of cultures' sounds much less...I'm not sure what exactly. But hence Cleo's panic at the idea that Shilpa might bring up racism (and bringing up racism = Jade and co. being racists - 'noone in here is a racist'), and danielle's horrified reaction when she heard her BNP-style comment out of context - she clearly realised how racist it was.

velvetvandal: One could say the same about Tony Blair. Apologising 'because the situation demands' it is not necessarily praiseworthy if the apology is purely given to save your own skin.

Oh yeah, of course not, I wasn't trying to defend Danielle.

Do I dislike Jade for being 'unfeminine' and 'working class'? I doubt Jade has done a days real work in her life, prior to losing BB3, and, as someone raised by working class parents in a northern, coal-mining town,I have to say that the working class people I know would also disapprove of Jade's behaviour

The point isn't whether Jade qualifies as working class as far as you're concerned, or whether you dislike her on that basis, or whether other working class people would frown on her. Its not your assessment of Jade that bothered me, its the points of comparison you used to communicate it: in the rhetoric of your post, instead of just lampooning Jade for being an ignorant bully, you compared her to a stereotypical working-class male (a docker), and related her relative lack of sophistication compared to Shilpa to the fact that she was having sex, as though these were both obviously bad things (obviously equivalent to being an ignorant bully, if you like). Regardless of your intentions, the reason why words like 'docker' are the default insults like this is because working-class men are supposed to be more coarse, vulgar and physically gross then their refined upper-class counter parts (i.e. as far as possible from proper, refined and elegant femininity). Its like you're saying Jade's not just manly ('like a doctor with too many X chromosomes'? 'like a lawyer...?'), she's like a working-class man! The same goes for the having sex thing - yes, Shilpa's acheived a lot more than Jade, but why use having sex as the point of comparison?

But I didn't want this to take over the thread, I just wanted to draw your attention to it.
 
 
velvetvandal
10:06 / 18.01.07
What I'm trying to say, Velvet Vandal, and sorry if I seemed to be hammering at it because I agree with you that Jade is repulsive ~ is that there's enough wrong with her, without making things up and putting her down based on things that you imagine she might have done, and which are maybe based on dodgy ground (such as a young woman being a loser because she has a certain kind of sex).

Well, yes, I suppose, duly noted. Previous BB posts will probably show, though, that when I get pissed off I tend not to be at home to Mr Proportionate Response.
 
 
velvetvandal
10:13 / 18.01.07
Just seen Max 'Highly Moral Human Being' Clifford saying Jade should mount 'a campaign of damage limitation' saying she was 'misrepresented'.

Christ, Clifford, is there nothing you think can't be solved by PR? She is a racist. We have seen her being racist. Unless you try to say channel 4 manipulated her using a mind control squid, how can you possibly say she's been 'misrepresented?'

You would actually do PR for Hitler if he was still alive, wouldn't you? 'The Fuhrer has been misrepresented. When he said 'final solution' he was talking about a particularly difficult sudoku puzzle. That is all.'
 
 
velvetvandal
10:23 / 18.01.07
I can't wait for one of the 'witches of eastwick' to be evicted

Witches of East Angular, surely?
 
 
cube needs to get out more
10:56 / 18.01.07
I'm dimly aware that it's not uncommon for women from the Indian subcontinent to use bleaching or hair removal products in this way

It's not uncommon for British white women to bleach their lip hair, either. They just don't tend to talk about it much. I've had relationships with at least three who did. I would be very surprised if none of the women in the house had done likewise.
 
 
A Haus of Minions
11:27 / 18.01.07
Good job Shilpa isn't Bengali, really. Or, you, know, Punjabi. Indian. WHATEVER.

Reading the Channel 4 official coverage seems increasingly like getting posts from the Imperian Russian Army circa 1915. Meanwhile, the MacPherson report defined a race crime as a crime that was identified as racially motivated by the victim or any other person. So, since Shilpa has specifically said that she believes her treatment to be racially motivated, the question becomes whether a crime is being committed by the people so treating her. If there is a crime, then it is, by that argument, a race crime.

On the other hand, it may be that any wrongdoing is by Channel 4, who have the power to intervene (remember the drunken scrap? That had the cameras stopped and people going into the house. The BB house is not on Mars...) and have chosen so far not to.

Having said which, one has to start wondering what the hell it takes for the establishment to actually acknowledge that conduct is unacceptable.
 
 
Pool Ball Incident
11:42 / 18.01.07
At the risk of making a total ignorarmiss out of myself on all thinks Big Brother I have to clear a few things up about India. As you may or may not know I have a real soft spot for the Indian people and culture.

I just can't believe how many people have developed the wrong stereotypes about Shilpa, and India in general. Do most people walk around in England with their eyes closed? Isn't there a massive Indian AND Pakistani immigrant population in England? I have heard you can get some of the best curries in the world from London of all places. I would say that's crap personally but I am ignorant of the facts. Yes the British Raj created the divide between the two countries, Britain created Pakistan and said "This is the new Muslim India" so some of the Muslims went North, some stayed.

Hey Stoat, I have to disagree with the statement you made on DSBB, pardon for dragging your words here but it's only fair I do right?

stoatie
Forum Member

Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,496

Quote:
Originally Posted by starry
We don't have the caste system - that's institutionalised racism in India

We have the class system. Even people considering themselves progressive use the words "chav" and "pikey".

We have a royal family.

We are also largely responsible for a lot of the poverty in India.

Let's not blow our own trumpet too hard here.

Just to clarify Stoat, were you referring to the current situation or the past? From what I have seen, I don't believe the British Empire can be held responsible for the poverty there. They are responsible for stealing a hell of a lot of resources, precious metals and gems etc, but overall I don't think the British Raj deserve that. Here's my thinking that does not refute anyones facts on the surface. India was/is a nation of villages, and village life is village life and to the average Indian living and surviving there today it is EVERYTHING they will ever need. Along come the white man and say "that is POVERTY" so we label a once happy existence as something below the norm. THAT, I think is racism. I know there are slums and millions of people live in them, but I have to say, most survive, smile, laugh, live and have fond memories. I know there are problems, and loads of them with AIDS top of the list but to the Indian nation, it ain't all that bad you know and I tend to agree.

Pardon again, I just get a little frustrated at the Western mindsets version of what is the "proper" way to live a life should be.

Umm, with the face cream thing, it is skin bleach, as many people have stated. Pharmaceuticals have re-branded Indian womens skin bleach for men and it's the biggest selling item on the chemist's shelf. It is sexy in India to have pale skin. End of story there. The caste system is based on genetics basically. Where you were born, what you last name is and that is it for life, still today. Arranged marriages are the norm and will be for quite some time. Sure the caste system is now "banned" and "illegal" in India's laws but it will take another 50 years in my opinion to get the ingrained behaviors to change and accept the Dalit (untouchables of lower caste) as equal, but does the CEO of your company invite you over for tea and biscuits? I "used" to think it was institutionalized racism, but as I have alluded to in the past I really think their system is just a labeled class division that happens to everyone, the world over every day of every year, except for one thing; it has been embraced, ratified, and made to work. It does create tensions yes, which have been bought about by external and internal influences, The Western mindset, the Muslim religion and the Bhuddist religion. I guess those born into the Hindu Dalit caste see todays world more and more in terms of have and have not, so they are the first to change religion and embrace the westerisms that come with it.

I think creation summed it up nicely with these words:

Upper mobility in economy means that caste is a strange lag which still affects India now. It is beyond racism, it is beyond prejudice it is something that is so woven into the culture it will only change with time and possibly western influences. This will errode the fabric of what is unique about Indian society. However I am sure the caste system will be still here in a few decades.

And another thing, Shilpa's family is rich. So what. Do many people think that everyone is poor and destitute in India? Actually there are more dollar for dollar millionaires in India as there are people in Australia, so I think Shilpa does represent a sizable part of Indian Culture. At Topkapi Palace in Istanbul I had a good look at the priceless jewels given to the Ottoman's from some of the Maharajah's of India, they were real expensive lemme tell you. It boggles my mind why the rupee is as low as it is.

Corruption, it's everywhere. Especially in India and the family unit is key here. The "dodgy" deals get done and the spoils are distributed far and wide to as many rellies as possible, and I kinda believe it's a hangover from the caste system, like "Why should I, an upper caste Indian give this wealth to the Dalit's when I can do so much better with it? Selfishness and greed effects us all.

As for Jade & Co's comments, I really think from the little I have taken in it's blatant racism in the guise of Clash of Civilizations. Ignorance, jealousy and maybe a bit of curiosity prompts the spouting of obvious differences tinged with sarcastic humour to create an Us and Them environment. As for the Mother who got evicted, just someone old carrying too much old world baggage.

Yeah I know I'm kinda ranting & preaching to the converted mostly but I had to get it off the chest.

Pardon again.

Oh, does anyone have copies of the Big brother episodes? I wouldn't mind checking out a few episodes just for shits and giggles. You Tube is way too slow.
 
 
miss wonderstarr
11:50 / 18.01.07
Umm, with the face cream thing, it is skin bleach, as many people have stated. Pharmaceuticals have re-branded Indian womens skin bleach for men and it's the biggest selling item on the chemist's shelf. It is sexy in India to have pale skin.

I'm not sure why Carole Malone described them as bleaching their "moustaches" then, or why Shilpa just had the bleach over her cheeks and upper lip, rather than her entire face.
 
 
A Haus of Minions
11:59 / 18.01.07
End of story there.

Hah. Welcome to Barbelith.
 
 
Evil Scientist
12:00 / 18.01.07
The caste system is based on genetics basically. Where you were born, what you last name is and that is it for life, still today.

So, not genetics then.
 
 
Evil Scientist
12:12 / 18.01.07
Along come the white man and say "that is POVERTY" so we label a once happy existence as something below the norm. THAT, I think is racism. I know there are slums and millions of people live in them, but I have to say, most survive, smile, laugh, live and have fond memories.

The following taken from the introduction to Poverty on wikipedia:

Poverty is a condition in which a person or community is deprived of, or lacks the essentials for well-being and life. The essentials may be material resources such as food, safe drinking water, and shelter or they may be social resources such as access to information, education, health care, social status, political power, or the opportunity to develop meaningful connections with other people in society.

Poverty may also be defined in relative terms. In this view income disparities or wealth disparities are seen as an indicator of poverty and the condition of poverty is linked to questions of scarcity and distribution of resources and power. Poverty may be defined by a government or organization for legal purposes, see Poverty threshold.

That someone living in a slum may have fond memories and still smile and be happy and all that is kind of irrelevant. Also, the application of standards of poverty is not something done simply by white people.

Your paragraph above appears, to me, to make the argument that people in the West can happily write off trying to help millions of people (via charity or whatever) on the grounds that they're sometimes happy and are surviving.

Personally I'm against people living in slums and not having access to a basic quality of life that people just down the road are experiencing where-ever in the world that may be. Silly I know.
 
 
velvetvandal
12:34 / 18.01.07
I've lost my faith in Channel 4 over this. Originally they were a progressive channel, tried hard to combat racism, homophobia and prejudice in British society, and now they give tacit support to racism. There was a clip of an interview with the head of C4 on the Today show on the news earlier, and it was disgusting. The dude interviewing him (not John Humphrys, sadly; JH would have schooled the arsehole) kept asking : 'will you say something about the racism? Will you do something about it? Isn't it in the public interest to do something about it?' And all the guy from 4 would say was 'We have made a statement...a statement has been made...if you look at the statement which we made...'

Shame, sir, shame!
 
 
Pool Ball Incident
12:37 / 18.01.07
Ok, the point was being aimed at villagers, who have all of these things:

material resources such as food, safe drinking water, and shelter or they may be social resources such as access to information, education, health care, social status, political power, or the opportunity to develop meaningful connections with other people in society.

And I don't think Wiki's will cover the ISness if the situation over there. It IS and will be for quite some time, trust me.

I don't condone/applaud slum living in any way shape or form. It is a fact of life for millions who do the best they can with what they have, it's the wiki's interpretation of poverty and quality of life all that is lumped with it that I have a bit of a problem with.

I think it's subjective to the beholder. Like eating with your hand or using cutlery. Wiping your arse with your hand or using paper, going to the well for water or turning on a tap. What is "proper" for one ethnic group may be abhorrent to the other. All things included even poverty.

On reflection I guess I believe poverty will never be eradicated, ever. I think it's part of the human condition as much as I would love everyone to be ultimately equal, it is a dream never to be realised.

Pardon my digressions, back to BB and the slanging match.
 
 
velvetvandal
12:37 / 18.01.07
Sky News are now subtitling Jade and Danielle's comments. One can only assume that, had they had elocution lessons, this would not have been necessary.
 
 
A Haus of Minions
12:39 / 18.01.07
What is "proper" for one ethnic group may be abhorrent to the other.

You know, in some cultures, one is considered to have become a man at the age of 12...

No, I'm not finishing that gag. Too grim.
 
 
velvetvandal
12:41 / 18.01.07
Ken Livingstone has weighed in, saying C4 should lose their licence. Bloody hell!
 
 
velvetvandal
12:58 / 18.01.07
I'm sick of people saying 'it's not racism, it's jealousy.' First of all, you don't mean jealousy, you mean envy. I realise the confusion of the words is becoming endemic, but someone has to take a stand for the correct use of the bloody English language. Second of all, yeah, and, so, what? Racism is often born of envy; envy is used to whip up racism by racists everywhere, from Hitler spreading the stab-in-the-back myth about the Jews to Nick Griffin complaining that asylum seekers are all taking our jobs.

Racism and envy are comfortable bedfellows. This isn't an either/or situation, it's both/and. Would they be as 'jealous' if Shilpa was white? I don't think so, somehow. She's a P*k* who's got ideas above her station by daring to live in a house instead of a shack, and being more famous than them, and that's why they hate her. Jade said as much on Wednesday when she talked about Shilpa's millions of fans (though even then she couldn't resist twisting the knife with her 'some of them are probably more worse off than me' comment).
 
 
Smoothly
13:01 / 18.01.07
Rumours are rife about 1, 2 or 3 new celebs going into the House tonight – which makes me wonder what kind of person would want to risk being part of CBB 2007 at this point. Derryn Lyons maybe.
I’m actually beginning to wonder if the series can last the duration. Channel 4 are bidding for more public money, and this probably isn’t sweetening the deal with Brown and Blair. Their ‘clash of cultures’ guff doesn’t seem to be convincing anyone and Shilpa’s statement that she feels that her treatment is racist looks insurmountable.
I suppose a lot rests on Friday’s eviction. If Jade goes, is roundly booed and does a mea culpa in Sunday’s NotW, then maybe it can recover. But will Jade go? I suspect that there are lots of people who will side with Jade over this and can probably be depended upon to text pretty hard. But what if the GBP send Shilpa home? Can they allow that to happen?
 
 
miss wonderstarr
13:12 / 18.01.07
I'd like to see Derren Brown in there.
 
 
Evil Scientist
13:39 / 18.01.07
I'd like to see Derren Brown in there.

Derren is called into the diary room for a secret mission. Only two words are spoken by Big Brother.

"Break them."
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
13:52 / 18.01.07
Someone pointed out on BBBM last night (I think I was Melinda Messenger, actually, who's doing very well for herself at the moment, gaw bless 'er) that Jade was completely different when her mum was in the house - quiet, restrained, sweet, conciliatory - something that Ganesh points out upthread. As soon as Jackieytovectorsigma was banished to The Hell Of Diminishing Media Returns, the real Jade - the one from five years ago - showed up again. Only this time she's rich, buff, and comes with a Kung Fu Sense Of Entitlement Grip as a consequence.

Where in the old days a slanging match like Stockgate would have made her burst into tears half way through, the remainder of the fight being conducted through a river of mucus and a face like a hippo in labour, now - abetted by the giggling gang of yes-girls on the sofa - she's able to rant for three times as long, twice as offensively, and thirty-seven times (I counted them) as self-righteously, and without any real input from the target of the abuse. This adds up to a grade on the McEnroe Scale of 4.7. I would post the graph, but there's no 'pics' warning in the thread's title.

There's the sense, though, that she felt compelled to apologise for her out-of-order mother (as she's probably been doing to a varying degree for most of the last ten years or so), to the extent that she fell into a role model role while Jackieytotheoutsideloo was in the house. Without her surrogate child to watch out for, she's reverted to type. It's also baffling to see such a veteran of reality TV, particularly this show, seemingly completely oblivious to the presence of the cameras. I can understand Jo or Danielle forgetting and letting slip an unguarded comment or twenty, but Jade's had camera's following her for about two thirds of the last five years. She must know the screaming fits aren't doing her image any good, even if she has no idea to what extent that's the case...

My other half pointed out that Stockgate reminded her specifically of being bullied at school, and it was then that I realised exactly what was making me uncomfortable, and conversely, why Jade felt so comfortable continuing with her shrieks. My memories of being bullied at school are to to with, not necessarily the actual bully, the abuse, the violence, but the sense of being alone and of being ganged up on. Seeing Jo and Danielle sitting giggling (sometimes behind a pillow, sometimes openly in front of Shilpa) while Jade's tirade continued, we were reminded of why it is that bullies are enabled to do what they do. Their peers validate their behaviour, and those that don't, don't take any steps to intervene to interrupt that validation.

To begin with, it didn't bother me that the others didn't intervene on Shilpa's behalf with Jo/Jade/Danielle/Jack - the 'white knight' reflex is a powerful one, but can be oppressive, especially when the apparent victim is able to stand up for herself, as Shilpa is clearly capable of doing. But after Stockgate, I think we could have done with more than Jermaine's physically standing between them and mumbling like a big beautiful hippy and Cleo's increasingly desperate attempts to remain the bridge between the two camps (have you noticed how no one even lets her complete a sentence in one of her conciliation attempts now, as if they've already finished it in their heads through familiarity?), and although I love Dirk to bits, his refusal to get anywhere near any of the altercations so far is typical of the emotional detachment he's displayed to date. H is just desperate to avoid confrontation, which is actually kind of sad/sweet, as it's clearly distressing him, but he clearly doesn't have the tools to actually express that distress to the participants - which might shed some light on his bond with Jacigotthekieyigotthesecret - possibly attaching himself to the one most likely to randomly kick off, so as not to be the target of said kicking?
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
13:54 / 18.01.07
I'd like to see Derren Brown in there.

It'd up the gay quotient, which'd be nice (although I think Jack might be kidding himself a little).
 
 
Smoothly
14:09 / 18.01.07
In fairness, H was trotting around the periphery, like Mr Tumnus in slouch socks, doing a great deal of diplomatic work with his eyebrows.
In that way, Oxogate was much like Hoochgate in last year’s BB proper. Housemates not directly involved in the dispute are remarkably reluctant to intervene. Maybe they fear being dragged into a messy and drawn-out ground war.
 
 
Harrison Ford, in a battle suit, wheels for feet, knives and guns
14:20 / 18.01.07
I think it's time the put in a celebrity super team from the 80's.


THATCHER (MARGARET)
WATERMAN (DENNIS)
FERRY (BRYAN)
THOMSON (DALEY)
McCARTHY (ANDREW)
 
 
Ganesh
14:27 / 18.01.07
Umm, with the face cream thing, it is skin bleach, as many people have stated. Pharmaceuticals have re-branded Indian womens skin bleach for men and it's the biggest selling item on the chemist's shelf. It is sexy in India to have pale skin. End of story there.

Not sure that it is 'end of' there. I'm aware of the sociocultural desirability of pale skin in India, and the use of skin bleaching creams. Shilpa applied the cream in a 'beard' distribution, though, on her cheeks, chin and upper lip (the tip of her nose too, which rather confused me). If the point had been to lighten the skin of her face rather than facial hair, wouldn't she have applied it more evenly?
 
 
Lurid Archive
14:27 / 18.01.07
This isn't an either/or situation, it's both/and. Would they be as 'jealous' if Shilpa was white? I don't think so, somehow.

But you can't really know that. My intuition says the opposite, for what its worth. I mean, no one really doubts that Shilpa feels a certain amount of contempt for Jade, do they (predating the worst of the abuse, I mean)? This doesn't excuse racism in any way, but I can't help feeling that Jade just doesn't know how to cope with someone who looks down on her, even dislikes her, but continues to be civil. Thats what all the charges of dishonesty are about, I'd guess.

To an extent, I feel sorry for Jade and her inability to cope. (Some of what I say may be coloured by the fact that I am watching CBB a day or so later than you guys.) And in that sense, I do think that Shilpa is playing the game much better than Jade - playing the social, rather than CBB, game, that is.
 
 
Ganesh
14:35 / 18.01.07
I can't help feeling that Jade just doesn't know how to cope with someone who looks down on her, even dislikes her, but continues to be civil. Thats what all the charges of dishonesty are about, I'd guess.

I don't think that's easily disentangled from the assumptions made about Shilpa (she doesn't live in a shack, so she's a "princess"; she enunciates in a particular way so she's being haughty; she doesn't drink and won't talk explicitly about sex therefore she "looks down" on those who do) which are racist, albeit in a dumb-as-bricks, ignorant/unexamined way. I think she's more of an unknown quantity than a (beautiful, etc.) white woman would be, so she's easier to 'other'.

Also, I can't help feeling that there might be greater-than-average expectation placed upon Shilpa to be 'humble' or grateful to be on UK television, so there's greater-than-average outrage at her alleged princessness. I think that shades into more obvious "why doesn't she fuck off home" racism.
 
 
Janean Patience
14:38 / 18.01.07
From Wikipedia:

Channel 4 is a public-service television station, broadcast in the United Kingdom (see British television). The term can also be used to refer to the Channel 4 Broadcasting Corporation which owns and operates the station, as well as other stations described below. fuck you racist channel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fuck you bastars!!!!!!! white jackass
 
 
velvetvandal
14:47 / 18.01.07
I'd like to see Derren Brown in there.

No chance. Brown despises reality TV - in his recent book he has a pop at an unnamed reality show which a friend of his went on, and was told, basically, to adopt a particular persona by the producers, who apparently were able to kayfabe the show through having bought a block of 80,000 votes from the phone company with which to rig things so that their desired candidate won.

I had wondered if maybe he meant BB, but now I'm really hoping not: because if the faked 'reality' show is BB, that means someone from Endemol has deliberately crafted this shit. And that would be wrong on so many levels.

'No-one's watching. We need an angle to get people interested again.'
'I know! Racism!'
 
 
Smoothly
14:51 / 18.01.07
Looks like Carphone Warehouse have pulled their sponsorship.
Oooo.
 
 
velvetvandal
14:52 / 18.01.07
Carphone Warehouse have withdrawn their sponsorship!
 
 
Lurid Archive
14:54 / 18.01.07
I think she's more of an unknown quantity than a (beautiful, etc.) white woman would be, so she's easier to 'other'.

Yeah, that does sound right. A talented, sucessful etc *British* woman would be quickly understood, and the reaction to her would fit into some kind of familiar framework. Jade would feel more comfortable, less threatened and might not feel the need to bully and exclude.

I suppose wanted to highlight Jade's mind-boggling ignorance (the eskimo question was an eye-opener for me), as a way of understanding the dynamic and also speculate on whether Jade has read some of these signals right. That is, isn't it true that Shilpa does "look down" on her? Again, that doesn't excuse anything but it seems inadequate just to say "racism" and stop there.
 
 
velvetvandal
15:11 / 18.01.07
Channel 4 head Andy Duncan to make a statement at half past two.

By 'make a statement', I assume they mean, 'commit seppuku', because, frankly, anything else isn't going to cut it.
 
  

Page: 1 ... 1213141516(17)1819202122... 36

 
  
Add Your Reply