Celeb BB

[Insurgent]

I would like to know fellow ABers opinion on Faria Alam's comments yesterday about coloured or ethnic minorities not winning BB or reality shows due to racism. I know she was quite quick to retract her comments when discussing the issue with Davina and putting it down to being upset over her nomination. But is there any truth to what she said?, it seemed like a very uncomfortable subject in the house.

[El D]

Personally I think it's rubbish - while shows like BB are completely subjective and so are not really a great gauge of how to judge public opinion, talent contests are a different matter. In the case of the X-factor, the makeup of the final contestants was 66% black, not quote sure how that could be considered racist. I'm sure some people will find a way though.

[WoWo]

Somebody in the paper pointed out today that the winner of The Apprentice was black and the second place person was a muslim.

[Insurgent]

Good point WoWo, I just read that too in letters section of The Metro. Completely slipped my mind about Tim and Saira in The Apprentice.

[CarolG]

I think there is a bit on confusion here, the question relates to Race, not someones sexuality.

With regards to the Apprentice, Tim was picked by Alan Sugar, there was no viewer votes involved as with Harvey in The Games etc. A non-white person has never won a reality TV show in this country when decided by the public.

Also, with regards to the X Factor, the judges picked the contestants it was the viewers who decided on the winner, so the fact that over half of the contestants were from an ethnic minority isn't really the point.

[GruntFuttock]

What a load of nonsense about racism.The Black and White Minstrels was the most popular show on televison 50 years ago.As far as I can remember there were more black performers than white.It won lots of awards through viewer voting.

[El D]

haha like I said some people will find a way.

[Del424]

Going back to strictly come dancing Jill Halfpenny won because a soap star would have a bigger fan base than an athlete. Can't say that I would use the same argument for Colin Jackson but he was still an athlete. Not a lot of point being an athlete it seems unless the Olympics are in full swing. Cricket was big in 2005 so this could have had some bearing on the decision. It was also unique for a male celebrity to win.

As regards Faria and of course Dennis's support of the claim when he first heard it. We are not now it seems, allowed to vote for a women who only became a celebrity infamously (I agree that her personal life was none of our business) or a foul mouthed basketball player who most people who watch BB had never heard of. Any failure on our part is immediately put down to racism.

[Del424]

People who are not either black, asian or mixed race are no longer allowed to have an opinion or any traditions. What other country on this planet bans the flying of its own national flag because it might offend, what other country bans use of the word Christmas because it does not comply with other religions. If we go to any other country we have to comply with their ways, if we don't we are arrested. When we come home we are not able to offer them the same courtesy because our government and local councils bend over backwards to ensure that these minorities are happy at our expense.

[Del424]

Finally, for the time being at least. Where in the world can any Tom Dick or Harry from any nation, race or religion be invited to stay at their hosts expense for no other real reason than no one else will take them and then be offered legal aid to sue the government because they are not happy with the way they have been treated. In reality the treatment must be better than they would have got if they had stayed at home or surely they would have had no reason for leaving or any REAL reason for being allowed in that country. Why it must be Britain...of course it is. The first stopping point in the tale of Gullibles Travels although it aint the travellers who are gullible.

[Del424]

This may make me sound like a racist which I am not although I do admit that I am not overfond of the French generally. Individually, however I know from experience that a lot of French people are very nice, just like there are an awful lot of English people who are not very nice. I will happily live with anyone from anywhere provided that their arrival does not eventually mean me being the only one who has to adapt. They had their gods, their ways, their customs and they can carry on as they wish. As soon as they become offended by my ways they easiest solution that I can see is not me having to change, it is them, it was after all their decision to expose themselves to my ways.

[searchme]

At last-some common sense.

[stevie21]

I think it was completely idiotic of this nobody to fuel any such debate about racism. As stated earlier, it's too easy to claim that your own shortcomings aren't a result of you just not being good enough and are, instead, a deep seated, hidden agenda against Asians.

My ****

Racism is a blight on our society and it doesn't help when people claim something's terribly racist when it's not at all. It cheapens all the efforts elsewhere to really address the problem.
Same with all this PC nonsense and being afraid to fly our own flag.

rant over.