ChatterBank1 min ago
What is going off in this country
21 Answers
All this over-the-top attention paid to a bit of girlie cattiness that took place in a rather silly TV programme goes to highlight what is really going off in our country.
A few stupid words expressed by a member of our increasingly poorly educated classes. The offence apparently was that these words were aimed at a person who was of a different nationality, thus it becomes a Racist Remark.
These two words bring shock and horror down upon us, yes serious enough to cause that prominent MP Keith Vass (and we all know from what side he is batting), to bring the subject up on Prime Ministers questions no less. Not withstanding this, it also caused a diplomatic incident between the UK and the Indian Government. We also witnessed an unruly mob over in India, violently burning effigies of the makers of this programme.
A little over the top one may say and should have completely disappeared into insignificancy to an earlier programme on Channel 4 in which an undercover reporter infiltrated some Mosques where threats of killings, beatings, and religious intolerance where taking place. In this instance no arrests, no questions in the House, no headlines, not even a burning of an effigy outside those mosques. But in the true tolerant British fashion a complete sweeping under the carpet.
That is what is going off in this country, we have a Police Service who are too PC to act, Members of Parliament that are afraid to upset their ethnic minority voters, and a media news that would rather headline a few stupid remarks made in an equally stupid TV programme than headline the more serious news such as the deaths of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the build up of seriously sick religious fanatics who are constantly planning to do this country and it's inhabitants very serious harm.
A few stupid words expressed by a member of our increasingly poorly educated classes. The offence apparently was that these words were aimed at a person who was of a different nationality, thus it becomes a Racist Remark.
These two words bring shock and horror down upon us, yes serious enough to cause that prominent MP Keith Vass (and we all know from what side he is batting), to bring the subject up on Prime Ministers questions no less. Not withstanding this, it also caused a diplomatic incident between the UK and the Indian Government. We also witnessed an unruly mob over in India, violently burning effigies of the makers of this programme.
A little over the top one may say and should have completely disappeared into insignificancy to an earlier programme on Channel 4 in which an undercover reporter infiltrated some Mosques where threats of killings, beatings, and religious intolerance where taking place. In this instance no arrests, no questions in the House, no headlines, not even a burning of an effigy outside those mosques. But in the true tolerant British fashion a complete sweeping under the carpet.
That is what is going off in this country, we have a Police Service who are too PC to act, Members of Parliament that are afraid to upset their ethnic minority voters, and a media news that would rather headline a few stupid remarks made in an equally stupid TV programme than headline the more serious news such as the deaths of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the build up of seriously sick religious fanatics who are constantly planning to do this country and it's inhabitants very serious harm.
Answers
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by anotheoldgit. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
The Channel 4 programme was interesting but probably got about a tenth of the viewers that CBB got. Unfortunately more yoof voted in Big Brother polls than voted in the last General Election. Bush and Blair literally get away with murder while a large percentage of the country are discussing what a fat thicko freak said or didn't say.
I'd go down the pub, but they will all be talking the CBB sh1te there as well.
I'd go down the pub, but they will all be talking the CBB sh1te there as well.
-- answer removed --
Hang on though...don't you think it's fantasic that so many members of the white population have voiced their disgust at the comments made by the housemates against Shilpa?
I've never been prouder to be British...
However, anotheoldgit does have a point about the programme on mosques...that should've provoked a greater reaction than it did, but I suspect the reason it didn't is because of two things:
1. size of audience
2. audience demographics
Celeb Big Brother has a much larger 'yoof' audience, and they tend to be more vocal in their outrage.
Also, I think there was a degree of shock associated with the comments from the housemates, whereas, was anyone shocked at the revelations on the Dispatches programme?
I've never been prouder to be British...
However, anotheoldgit does have a point about the programme on mosques...that should've provoked a greater reaction than it did, but I suspect the reason it didn't is because of two things:
1. size of audience
2. audience demographics
Celeb Big Brother has a much larger 'yoof' audience, and they tend to be more vocal in their outrage.
Also, I think there was a degree of shock associated with the comments from the housemates, whereas, was anyone shocked at the revelations on the Dispatches programme?
Yep - the original comments were certainly not racist...just ignorant.
I'm not sure how it's blown up as much as it has to be honest. There are plenty of worse forms of racism around...much, much worse.
But like I've previously posted - people's reactions have been stunning...it just goes to show how anti-racist the vast majority of the public are. They just don't want to be associated with people as under-educated as the three provokers.
I'm not sure how it's blown up as much as it has to be honest. There are plenty of worse forms of racism around...much, much worse.
But like I've previously posted - people's reactions have been stunning...it just goes to show how anti-racist the vast majority of the public are. They just don't want to be associated with people as under-educated as the three provokers.
I'm not sure that many people are bothered. The tabloid newspapers are after the same demographic as the Big Brother audience, so they filled their papers with this BB story. Newspapers have wipped up this story, and I would bet a large proportion of the 15,000 who have compained were influenced by what they read and not by what they have heard themselves. And who are feeding these stories to the newspapers?
- The Programme makers and Channel 4.
- The Programme makers and Channel 4.
Well to be honest the only bits of CBB I have watched were the bits shown on the news, which I think were something to do with Shilpa eating with her hands and someone asking whether she lived in a shack or a house. I wouldn�t really call that racism (I suspect much worse must have been said to cause this amount of furore).
As despicable as the level of the ignorance displayed is, I suspect that they may well represent a large portion of uneducated Britain, hence it was described as a class issue � how intelligent and well-travelled do we believe these �celebs� to be? Let alone cultured.
On the other side of the coin, audience numbers were dwindling, number of votes were dropping, contestants were leaving (out of shear boredom probably), yoof of today hadn�t really heard of most of the housemates, interest was waning generally, so there is nothing like a bit of bad publicity to get public interest going and CBB in the national press. Although these comments were said with little thought or intelligence you can�t help feeling that there was an element of orchestration by Endemol.
With this amount of exposure, it is most likely that audience numbers and phone votes for Friday kick out session will be at there highest ever, so sadly this alas will not be the end of BB or mores the pity, Jade Not-so-Goody.
As despicable as the level of the ignorance displayed is, I suspect that they may well represent a large portion of uneducated Britain, hence it was described as a class issue � how intelligent and well-travelled do we believe these �celebs� to be? Let alone cultured.
On the other side of the coin, audience numbers were dwindling, number of votes were dropping, contestants were leaving (out of shear boredom probably), yoof of today hadn�t really heard of most of the housemates, interest was waning generally, so there is nothing like a bit of bad publicity to get public interest going and CBB in the national press. Although these comments were said with little thought or intelligence you can�t help feeling that there was an element of orchestration by Endemol.
With this amount of exposure, it is most likely that audience numbers and phone votes for Friday kick out session will be at there highest ever, so sadly this alas will not be the end of BB or mores the pity, Jade Not-so-Goody.
-- answer removed --
I can already hear the Ch4 marketing machine creating a Jadein the Ethnic Community, or Jade Does Good Things in Africa/India/3rd World programme, possibly a series with each episode i a different ethnic community.
This is so that everything can be made ok again and Jade can continue her blight on the british public, by showing that she is not a biggle racer er... bigotted racist in her usual indelible way.
er.. eh... Karachi? Is that what Japanese samurai people do with swords?
This is so that everything can be made ok again and Jade can continue her blight on the british public, by showing that she is not a biggle racer er... bigotted racist in her usual indelible way.
er.. eh... Karachi? Is that what Japanese samurai people do with swords?
I am one of those people, who have better things to do with my spare time, other than to sit and watch programmes such as Celebrity Big Brother. However, I have read of this latest debacle.
I agree with anotheroldgit, Jade's remarks, I feel, were none other than childish cattiness and a clash of personalities on both sides.
It seems to me, that to become a celebrity in today's world, -thus commanding a large salary - one must have the highest qualifications in swearing, lack of manners, drug using and/or be a heavy drinker. In other words being "as common as dirt". The words and actions of such people do not necessarily point to racism. More often than not, it is a case of ill-breeding in people who were not taught that, Manners Maketh Man. My views of course, do not apply to all celebrities.
Unfortunately, foreigners, who not only holiday in this country but also view our Television programmes in their own countries, have a very poor conception of people from the U.K.
On the other hand, people of colour, are very quick to jump on to the Politically Correct wagon. The words they utter in their own language about the British, are nine times out of ten, not understood by those they are directed to, thus making racism, a one sided story.
I agree with anotheroldgit, Jade's remarks, I feel, were none other than childish cattiness and a clash of personalities on both sides.
It seems to me, that to become a celebrity in today's world, -thus commanding a large salary - one must have the highest qualifications in swearing, lack of manners, drug using and/or be a heavy drinker. In other words being "as common as dirt". The words and actions of such people do not necessarily point to racism. More often than not, it is a case of ill-breeding in people who were not taught that, Manners Maketh Man. My views of course, do not apply to all celebrities.
Unfortunately, foreigners, who not only holiday in this country but also view our Television programmes in their own countries, have a very poor conception of people from the U.K.
On the other hand, people of colour, are very quick to jump on to the Politically Correct wagon. The words they utter in their own language about the British, are nine times out of ten, not understood by those they are directed to, thus making racism, a one sided story.
