N.O.R.F Posted January 18, 2007 A reflection of the UK society? I'm victim of racism, says Shilpa Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has spoken for the first time of her fears that she is the victim of racism in the Celebrity Big Brother house. Unaware that the race row has developed into an international incident, the housemates on Wednesday had an argument over Oxo cubes. After the spat, Cleo Rocos told Shilpa: "I don't think there's anything racist in it," but Shilpa replied: "It is, I'm telling you." Channel 4 insisted there had been "no overt racial abuse or racist behaviour". Earlier, protesters burned effigies of the show's organisers on the streets of India as UK politicians queued up to denounce the treatment of Shilpa. The number of complaints to Ofcom approached 20,000 and the Indian government also indicated that it plans to raise the issue with Britain. Prime Minister Tony Blair told the Commons that "we should oppose racism in all its forms", Tory leader David Cameron urged viewers to switch off in protest and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said the attacks on Shilpa were "grubby, racist behaviour". Complaints about the show have flooded in since housemate Jade Goody, her mother Jackiey Budden and boyfriend Jack Tweed; model Danielle Lloyd and former S Club singer Jo O'Meara allegedly began bullying the 31-year-old Indian star. In one outburst, Jackiey, who constantly called her "the Indian" , asked Shilpa: "Do you live in a house or a shack?" In the latest row, Jade told the actress: "Go back to the slums." Danielle also weighed in - but out of earshot from the actress - saying: "I think she should go home." source Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted January 18, 2007 Racism, ratings and reality TV: now Big Brother creates a diplomatic incident Complaints over Channel 4 show hit record 22,000 · Police to investigate abuse of Bollywood film star Owen Gibson, Vikram Dodd and Randeep Ramesh in Delhi Thursday January 18, 2007 The Guardian Protesters in Patna, India, shout slogans against the producers of Celebrity Big Brother. Photograph: Associated Press Three days ago it was merely the below par fifth season of a faltering reality TV franchise. But as the storm over the alleged racism of its participants intensified, Celebrity Big Brother yesterday sparked demonstrations on Indian streets, consternation in Downing Street, condemnation from the chancellor on a state visit to Bangalore and a police investigation. The Channel 4 show has always courted controversy but has never before been on the verge of sparking an international incident. Yet as the number of complaints from outraged viewers topped 22,000, the Indian government spoke out against the programme and Hertfordshire police confirmed it would investigate allegations that Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty had been subjected to racist abuse by three white fellow housemates. The number of complaints looked sure to rise last night as Channel 4 broadcast a furious row between Shetty and Jade Goody. Speaking after the argument to another housemate, Cleo Rocos, Shetty said: "I'm representing my country. Is that what today's UK is? It's scary. It's quite a shame actually." Rocos said: "I don't think there's anything racist in it." But Shetty replied: "It is, I'm telling you." Later, glamour model Danielle Lloyd, talking to Goody, said that the Bollywood star should "**** off home". India's information and broadcasting minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi appealed to Shetty to appear before the Indian high commission in London when she came out of the house. "If there has been some racism shown against her in the show, it is not only an attack on women but also on the skin and the country," he said. Media regulator Ofcom said last night it had received 19,300 complaints, more than double its previous record, while a further 3,000 were made to Channel 4 directly. A separate online petition launched by the newspaper Eastern Eye had last night attracted 20,000 signatures. Hertfordshire police said it would formally investigate 30 complaints. A spokesman said: "Hertfordshire constabulary is investigating allegations of racist behaviour in the Big Brother house, and will be conducting an inquiry, including a review of tapes." Channel 4 and Endemol executives met yesterday to discuss the row, but privately may be rubbing their hands. Tuesday night's show was watched by 4.5 million people, 1 million more than Monday's. The furore was sparked by a series of incidents centred on a group of contestants led by Goody, who earned millions after finding fame on the non-celebrity version of the show, and including her boyfriend Jack Tweed, Lloyd and former S Club 7 singer Jo O'Meara. At one point Goody, after a row with Shetty, had said: "You need elocution lessons. You need a day in the slums. Go to those people who look up to you and be real. You ******* fake." Ratings, and voting revenues, are likely to soar further after Goody and Shetty were last night pitted against one another when they received the most nominations to be evicted from the house on Friday. Last night, Channel 4 released a statement insisting that there had been no overt racism, and claiming that the clashes were based on class and cultural differences. But in India, the row has managed the rare feat of uniting all political parties. Communists, Hindu nationalists and the ruling Congress party have all demanded action be taken to preserve Shetty's dignity. "[big Brother] is holding a mirror to British society. It is no aberration. We should thank Channel 4 for revealing the hidden biases of Britain," Mahesh Bhatt, a Bollywood director, told the Guardian. Dozens of Shetty's fans took to the streets in Patna, eastern India, to protest against what they said was her humiliation, burning straw effigies of the show's producers. In Bangalore, Gordon Brown faced journalists questioning him on the merits of a reality show he claimed not to have seen. "I understand that in the UK there have already been 10,000 complaints from viewers about remarks which people see rightly as offensive," he said. "I want Britain to be seen as a country of fairness and tolerance. Anything that detracts from that I condemn." Later Tony Blair's spokesman added: "What clearly is to be regretted and countered is any perception abroad that in any way we tolerate racism in this country." In one exchange, Goody was heard saying of Shetty: "She makes me feel sick. She makes my skin crawl", while her now evicted mother Jackiey continually referred to her as "the Indian". Later Lloyd claimed that the Bollywood star "wants to be white" and called her a "dog". After Shetty cooked a roast chicken dinner, Lloyd had said: "They eat with their hands in India, don't they. Or is that China?" She added: "You don't know where those hands have been." The complaints were further fuelled when Tweed was reported as calling Shetty a "Paki". Channel 4 insists that in fact the word he used, which was bleeped out, was "cunt". FAQ: The law Are the alleged remarks covered by any law? Chief superintendent Ali Dizaei, adviser to the Black Police Association, said section 22 of the Public Order Act 1986 could apply as it talks about broadcasting "involving threatening, abusive or insulting visual images or sounds". An offence would be committed if Channel 4 intended "to stir up racial hatred" or if "racial hatred is likely to be stirred up". Could Channel 4 or staff on the programme face criminal investigation? Yes. Section 22 says those who could be guilty of an offence would be "persons providing the programme service", the producer and director, and "any person by whom offending words or behaviour are used". Mike Schwarz, a solicitor specialising in public order law, said: "Channel 4 and the three contestants making the remarks could be prosecuted under the 1986 Public Order Act or the 1997 Prevention of Harassment Act." What are the police doing? Hertfordshire police, which covers the Big Brother house, had 30 calls from the public "relating to alleged racist behaviour", and passed them to the broadcasting regulator Ofcom. This seemed at odds with the definition of a racist incident in the 1999 Macpherson report which defined a race hate crime as "any incident which is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person". Last night the force appeared to be reversing its position, saying it would be conducting an inquiry, "including a review of tapes", said a spokesman for Hertfordshire Police. Vikram Dodd source Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N.O.R.F Posted January 18, 2007 The world is watching them Celebrity Big Brother has reminded viewers in the UK and abroad that racism has not been confined to the margins of British society. The real story is not so much whether the Celebrity Big Brother housemates are being racist or not, but about what national image Britain is reflecting to the rest of the world. Last time I mentioned racism and reality TV in the same sentence on Cif, many disagreed that there was a connection. It won't come as much of a surprise that I stick with my view that, although Big Brother still flaunts one of the most racially-varied casts of any British television programme, it also beautifully demonstrates how racism remains a strong part of our culture. This dark undercurrent - evident in the way these groups form and mobilise, typically along class and racial lines - is currently making for uncomfortable and yet compulsive viewing. The Shilpa affair is big news, not just in the UK but also in India. It has become a fully-fledged diplomatic row, involving Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. ITV News has reported how an effigy has been burnt in India in protest and demonstrations have taken place in Patna. Shilpa has become a symbol for India. Anand Sharma, India's junior minister for external affairs has said: "The government will take appropriate measures once it gets to know the full details. Racism has no place in civilised society." Gordon Brown, who has just arrived in India, has said today that he hopes the message that "we are a nation of fairness and tolerance" comes across. Not likely, while Danielle, Jo, Jade and Jack are in the house! Websites continue to circulate information on how to complain to Ofcom and Channel 4. Petitions are doing the rounds. The debate is raging on an international level. Star TV led their news with a headline that translates into English as, "Big Brother made her cry". Where once television narrated the nation to itself, the whole world is now watching. As the marketplace expands globally, there is a big question about what national image we are choosing to project not just locally, to ourselves, but also now to the rest of the world. For Indians, this is a horrible reminder that one of the very facets of racist ideology is dependent on actively forgetting. This is an ideology that assumes that race or racism is a new problem that only arrived in the UK when black or Asian people did; that Britain was inherently conflict-free before the "others" came; and that Britain's colonial past has nothing to do with newer forms of racism. For those who also thought that race and racism operates on the margins of British society, we now find that the cultural attitudes of Danielle, Jo, Jade, Jackiey and Jack are actually pretty mainstream. But who will be there to remind them about their behaviour one year from now? Who in our Grade Z-obsessed celebrity culture will reprimand them? The current brouhaha appeals to our inner liberal selves. The common reaction has been one of surprise at these four depressingly average young people acting like racist bullies. Why are we shocked? What did we expect? I am merely surprised that they are not more media-savvy. With the cameras rolling, PR people and agents to deal with, one may have hoped they would know a bit better. Or perhaps they have taken note of past high-profile celebrities who have been linked with claims of racism, such as Cheryl Cole (nee Tweedy). Her career hasn't been damaged in any way; she currently stands as the richest of the Girls Aloud crew, escalated by her marriage to the black footballer, Andy Cole. The media industry is highly incestuous - is it a coincidence, some bloggers have asked, that Davina McCall, Dermot O'Leary, Russell Brand and Jade Goody all have the same agent (along with last year's CBB winner, Chantelle Houghton)? Certainly Davina, Russell and Dermot have been reluctant, in the CBB programmes they present, to identify racism among the housemates. Oh, and just a note on whether we can call the housemates' behaviour racist or not. Well, your opinion will depend on what your definition of racism is and whether or not you recognise racist patterns and processes. For my mother, the group formation and bigoted comments remind her of the workplace culture in the education sector in the 1960s and 70s, when fellow teachers would quiz her about whether or not they had books in India. For my cousin, it has stirred up memories of the school playground in the 1980s. For my Filipino friend, new to this country, it reminds her of how she has been made to feel by others in the past few months. It is unlikely that many of Endemol's bigwigs would have shared those experiences. For us to expect them to be the ones identifying the situation as racism is highly misguided, particularly when they have a vested interest in saying it's not. CiF Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ibtisam Posted January 18, 2007 ^She knew what she was getting into. In any case she'll come out, take them to court and get lost of money! lool I don't think ppl like jade represent the everyday white person. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScarFace Posted January 18, 2007 I'm not a BB fan but lately someone told me to watch it, so i did with interest since lil kim didnt make the program i thought the show was gonna be crap...but to my amazement i saw some disturbing things a pretty boollywood star in tears because she's subjected to racist taunts and being singled out because she speaks differently, the way she cooks, the fact that she eats with her hands. The funniest thing is BB producers are saying this isnt racism after TV regulators Ofcom have had more than 21,000 complaints about the treatment of the poor girl. Thats a new record in the history of british television but the show seems to be on AIR after so many complaints. BB don't care they want this to happen, just so their audience viewings go rocket high. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScarFace Posted January 18, 2007 18 January 2007 BIG BRO LOSES SPONSOR AS OFCOM CONFIRMS ACTION By Mirror.co.uk CARPHONE Warehouse has today pulled its sponsorship of Celebrity Big Brother in the wake of the race row. The mobile phone company's deal was worth an estimated £3million to Channel 4. The news comes as the chief executive of Ofcom has said he will be writing to Channel 4 over allegations of racism in the reality show. mirror.co.uk Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shakti Posted January 18, 2007 oh no.. oh hell no.. tell me the Britis didnt anger their "baboo-jee's"... there goes their tea.. .. what will the bloody British do without their illusory -caffeine Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ElPunto Posted January 18, 2007 ^They're just jealous of her cause she is hotter than them. And I say that having seen only Shilpa's pic. Seriously - why doesn't she stand up for herself? Not a fan of women who are shrinking violets. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cynical lady Posted January 18, 2007 mhh :rolleyes: for £300,000 i would bloody hell take all that crap also... y are we talking abt this again mhh ps dev lol@ baboo jee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Valenteenah. Posted January 18, 2007 The programme makers must be gleefully happy! All that publicity... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Endeavour Posted January 19, 2007 What's all the fuss about? this sort of behavior is not new in UK. I have watched several shows dedicated to racism in UK, thankfully I don't live there and I wouldn't imagine myself there ever again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ScarFace Posted January 19, 2007 ^^^what kinda of shows are you talking about mate care to mention them...? ThePoint the girl is defenitely a hottey the Dirk guy is definitely on her case..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
