Big Brother - Glorifying ignorance

We shouldn’t be surprised at the racism on Big Brother when we spend our time cultivating and celebrating ignorance. Martin Luther King Jr said “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” Jade Goody has been catapulted to fame precisely because of her lack of knowledge about the world around her. Thinking that East Angular (sic) was abroad, and that Rio de Janeiro was a person, became something to admire. Even fame and fortune has failed to widen her horizons – when asked what the one thing she wanted to know in all the world was, Jade asked why Eskimo’s didn’t die from the cold and whether they sounded like dolphins (thinking they lived in Antarctica). If she hadn’t asked that, she would have wanted to know whether mermaids ever existed.

But ignorance extends further than a poor grasp of geography, and Celebrity Big Brother has shown us where it can end up. As Jade, Jo and Danielle ganged up against Shilpa earlier this week, it was clear that their fear and loathing of her gave way to a nastier exposition of their lack of cultural understanding. Shilpa is a beautiful Bollywood star who is haughty and often extremely aggravating, but we shouldn’t expect this to give rise to racism in itself. Jo, formerly in S Club 7, suggested that Indians were thin because they undercooked their meat which gave them the squits. Nothing to do with malnutrition and lack of access to clean water then? She added helpfully “they eat with their hands in India don’t they - or is that China?”. Danielle, formerly Miss England, replied “you don’t know where her hands have been”. Yet eating in Indian culture is incredibly sophisticated and anything but primitive or dirty. Yes, Indian food is best enjoyed eating with your fingers - how else can you use a naan to mop up your chicken tikka masala? But it is also considered quite rude to touch the food of others, and some Indian etiquette suggests that eating with your left hand is unclean.

We ought to be positive about the fact that around 7,600 people have complained to Ofcom about the racist remarks – I doubt we would have witnessed such an outcry thirty years ago. Let's give Jade, Danielle and Jo the benefit of the doubt too: they probably would not consider it acceptable to attack Shilpa directly for having brown skin, and they would not use the vile racist epithets which used to be commonplace in the 1970s. I would guess that when they emerge and learn that they've been widely accused of racism, they will be astonished and affronted.  Racism is not as open or virulent as it once was. But what we see here is racism nonetheless - the racism of cultural ignorance.

Comments

[Seasider]

The most unedifying aspect of this whole saga has been the way the producers and broadcasters of CBB and its spin-off shows have tried to deny that the comments directed at Shilpa Shetty were racially motivated. I think we will find that it is this refusal to acknowledge the bullying as racist which has prompted so many complaints – more than 13,000 to Ofcom and over 2,000 to Channel 4 directly. The sponsors, Carphone Warehouse, have not said how many complaints they have received.

In the British media generally, a combination of ratings-envy and intellectual snobbery has prevented any real debate or analysis.

I'm quite happy to watch Big Brother - especially the Celebrity version. Until the racist bullying started, this year's has provided some extremely funny moments.

For example: Donny Tourette on the first night: "It's Dirk Fucking Benedict!" Benedict: "I seldom use my middle name". And I defy anyone here to not to laugh while they watch the diminutive Leo Sayer, having complained he had no clean underwear, fighting with two burly security guards on his way out of the house.

But it's disturbing to read media commentators lamely opine "yes Jade, Jackiey, Jack, Danielle and Jo are bullies/bitches, but are they racist? Ooooooh I dunno..."

What? Come off it. Aside from the issues raised above, Jackiey (Jade's mum) called Shilpa "The Indian" as in "Oi! Indian...!" and refused to pronounce her name properly. Shilpa's voice, laugh and mannerisms are criticised and denigrated - constantly.

Unlike Shilpa laughing at Jade's pronunciation of "whale" as "wow", which made her genuinely impossible to understand, Jade etc take the piss relentlessly out of Shilpa although they can understand every word she says - her pronunciation being far clearer than theirs.

I work in the field of employment rights and have done plenty of casework in my time. If I had a pound for every time a person accused of racism said to me "Yeah I said that, but I'm not a racist..." blimey, I'd be almost as rich as Shilpa.

The spin-off programmes Big Brother's Little Brother/Big Mouth until last night refused to acknowledge even the possibility that the bullying might be racially motivated. At her eviction interview, Jade's mum was not even gently challenged about her behaviour by the spineless Davina McCall.

On Big Mouth two nights ago, even John McCririck (John McCririck for heaven's sake!) accused Jade & Co of racism, but the presenter said those were his views and not the views of E4 and hastily moved things on - it just wasn't allowed to be discussed.

On Big Brain the emphasis was on Shilpa's formidable character and the implication was she had brought this all on herself. Now that's nasty - as nasty as the racism itself. Anyone who has suffered bullying or harassment at work - whether racist or not - will have come up against that defence strategy.

At last the number of complaints has forced Channel 4/E4 to at least acknowledge the possibility of racial abuse, but they have so far refused to give us any proper analysis. This is a missed opportunity to take a scalpel to the covert and overt racism and bigotry which comes so easily to some people - and is experienced by so many of Britain's ethnic minorities, particularly at work.

Does ignorance excuse racist abuse? Well maybe it does if you're a media tart with one eye on the ratings - but it's no excuse in law.

[swatantra nandanwar]

I agree with the last comment.
When its all over, those 3 girls will have alot of explaining to do.
Jade obviously takes after her mum and both need to be challenged about their prejudices. Shilpa is bravely taking the abuse because she is too polite to complain.

[el tom]

I could not agree with this article more. I think that the behaviour of these people, while not necessarily malicious, has been deplorably ignorant.

I hate BB anyway, as I think that the format only encourages this type of thing; but now I ahve a contender to support. Channel 4, by abandoning morality and civic duty, have played a blinder.

Now I'm off to watch my new Brass Eye DVD.

[meranda]

Is Racism the same as Cultural Ignorance?