The Key Question In The Racism Row

[craigiep]

Do you think Jade Goody has said what she's said to and about Shilpa Shetty because Jade doesn't like Shilpa as a person or because Jade doesn't like Shilpa because she is Asian? This for me is the key question in the racism row and if you simply answer that question you will reveal whether or not you believe Jade is a racist. Me personally? I believe Jade just doesn't like Shilpa as a person, and neither do I - I can't bear Shilpa. Yet my feelings towards her are not because she is Asian, but because she is vain, conceited, attention-seeking, maniplative, stuck-up, etc.

[Booldawg]

Well the AB survey is close to 40% of people voting for it being a clash of personalities. Personally I like Shilpa, she is very Western in alot of ways and her lifestyle probably makes her alot different to most people, with all the servants and entourage. To be fair, not being able to cook a chicken correctly wouldn't make me hate someone, especially taking into consideration she's never had to cook in her life.

She has a great sense of humour and fun, and is very pretty. Shame I'd never get a crack at her as she only dates Indian men; which of course isnt a racist attitude to adopt - its cultlural ;-)

[cameo]

I don't think for one minute that Jade is racist.
I just think that she doesn't like Shilpa. I don't think she has allowed herself to try and get to know Shilpa, who I don't think has done anything particularly bad.
Jade is showing her own inadequeces (sp) and immaturity.

[Dark Angel]

What exactly was the scenario concerning Jade and Shilpa? used to watch BB don't anymore, but heard about controversy on BBC news.

2) Did Shilpa Shetty try to eat/touch somebody's food? Something was mentioned about it. Sounds intriguing, like school stuff that you hear about!

[Hammer Head]

I think Jade Goody is far too stupid to be racist. She is just a gobsh1te who speaks before she thinks, if indeed she ever thinks.

[ELVIS68]

She simply doesn`t like her as a person...but...because she is asian, the race issue comes into play...whether it be for taking the p!ss out of her accent or taking the p!ss out of her clothes...in this day and age you can`t say anything against any non-white person without being branded a racist

[gina32]

well said elvis68, we have to be so careful in this country as to what we say and to who, people slag off jade for name calling to shilpa but if it had been to any of the other housemates nobody would have batted an eyelid and there are no winners in this only loosers, me im sick of the whole thing, stick and stones comes to mind

[derekpara]

Yeh, but no, but yeh, but no. Give me a break.

[Supernick]

There are many different forms of racial discrimination, and you don't have to be a card carrying member of a white supremicist movement to harbour racist views, or proliferate racial sterotypes.

All 3 girls have said things that are racially unacceptable, probably through ignorance, and a downright lack of intelligence, tact and any sense of social decency. The question is whether such gross ignorance, and an inability to relate to someone from a different ethnic background constitutes racism, and I think it does.

[reinganum]

I'm copying the answer I posted to another thread here, because I think it's appropriate:

There has been much discussion as to whether Jade and Danielle's behaviour towards Shilpa has been racist; well, yes, it was, but racism was not the primary motivation in my view; the comments just happened to be racist because Shilpa is from a different ethnic group.

I agree with many other posters that a large part of this is playground ragging and bullying but at the root of it is the old, and favourite English obsession � class. English people (in fact other parts of Britain are not exempt) are very tribal and are not slow to behave poorly towards others not of their "tribe". You see classic examples of this with football supporters, and at its worst where football team support has sectarian connotations.

The reason for J and D's poor behaviour is basically tribal (e.g. she talks funny, eats different food, wears different clothes, etc.) In other words�"not one of us, let's get her". This attitude is at the root of much of what we call racism in this country and the best�indeed the only�antidote is education. Not compulsory "diversity training" but education about different cultures (even within one's own country), different food, different music and so on.

J and D must have encountered girls of different races or traditions at school (which cannot have been too long ago) but I suspect that if they did, they did not mix.

Shilpa is better educated, more self-confident and more successful than Jade and her friends/family, and they both picked this up, and then the resentment (which they learn from a very early age) kicks in, and we have all seen the results.

[lainiej]

Wow reingnanum thats a brilliant post. It sums it all up for me ! I never thought that the situation was racially orientated but gang style bullying ie you're different to us so youre fair game. Its all been Operation Overkill in my opinion. E

[Reverandfunk]

Jade said it because she is stupid, nearly as stupid as the British public who have made her a millionaire.