Big Bully?

So are the Terrible Trio (as Jade, Danielle and Jo are being referred to) being racist? Should Channel 4 evict them? Should Big Brother intervene and have a ‘chat’ with them in the eye blinding gold Diary Room?

Having watched a bit of Big Brother this season (more than I will publicly admit to) I will say one thing of the goings on in the house these last few days – it’s disturbing. Would I call it bullying? Is that a preposterous word to use to describe the behaviour of three grown women? Maybe. Maybe not. When three children get together on a school playground and target another child with name calling and whispering, we’d call it bullying wouldn’t we? So far, Shilpa has been called a dog, allegedly been called a Paki (though some say, No no she was just called a cunt. Like that’s any better) and a nightmare.

We can’t expect to get along with everyone. And it’s especially hard when the person on the other side is from a culture you can’t relate to and aren’t making an effort to understand. There are people we like and others we don’t. But when you’re an adult (though I realise it’s quite a stretch to apply that term to Jade) you are expected to know how to deal with the people you don’t like. You do not tell them that they make your skin crawl. So might say they’re all just being honest. Isn’t that better than being two faced and air kissing one minute and sharpening your knife the next? Frankly it isn’t. I’d rather be ignored than be attacked by the likes of Jade Goody.

I can see how Shilpa Shetty might annoy some of the house mates. She tries to be in charge of most things – the kitchen, the shopping etc. But she probably thought to herself, “If I leave things to this lot we’ll all starve to death.”

On the allegations of racism.While they’re definitely being ignorant, stupid and mean, the fact that the person on the receiving end of all this is brown adds a racial undertone to the entire thing. As someone on the news said today ‘If they were making fun of a French girl’s accent they wouldn’t call that racist would they?’

At the end of the day, it's unlikely Channel Four will do much about the whole thing other than make a few cliched 'statements'. They've got exactly what they wanted. After three stars walked out of the show, the whole thing looked like it was going to go belly up. The controversy has given them just what they wanted. Better ratings.

(Note 1:I do think it’s amusing that the girls call Shilpa a fake when the three of them put together have enough surgically enhanced body parts to create a new person.)

(Note 2:Yesterday, Jade repeatedly shrieked that Shilpa was a liar and a fake. Our Shetty replied with a toss of hair 'You're only claim to fame is this show. What does that say?' Ah the joy of television!)

(Note3: This just in from 30in2005.)