TV and Politics: 24 and Big Brother

I heard a report from BBC last night on this case of “unvarnished racism,” as you put it. That report centered around the fact that one of the contestants couldn’t pronounce her name and referred to her as “the Indian.” BBC then interviewed a some people who objected to this and who found that referring to someone’s nationality was racist (sic!) I also read the BBC article you linked to, and the bulk of it went into detail an outcry over horrible “racist” incidents but didn’t even bother to explain what these were until very far down in the article, until they finally couldn’t avoid this disclosure any longer. Here is the sum total of what MediaChannel claims was a case of “unvarnished racism,” as quoted from the BBC article you referenced:

“Housemates Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O’Meara have been seen making fun of Bollywood star Shetty’s accent.

The only way there is going to be peace in the house is for everybody to show each other some respect
On Monday night’s episode, former S Club 7 star O’Meara reportedly suggested that Indians were thin because they were always ill as a result of undercooking their food.
The trio also complained that Shetty had touched other housemates’ food with her hands.
“You don’t know where those hands have been,” said former beauty queen Lloyd.
Leo Sayer, who left the house last week, said the alleged bullies were “all being very stupid, but I think basically they are good people”.
“I wouldn’t put them down as nasty people,” he told Capital Radio.
He added: “The only way there is going to be peace in the house is for everybody at least to show each other some respect.”
Lloyd, 23, was briefly Miss Great Britain last year
A friend of Lloyd, Leeandra Anderson, said that the suggestion the housemate was racist was “absolutely absurd”.
“I’ve known Danielle for five years now and not once has she had a racist undertone in her voice ever,” she told BBC Radio Five Live.”

If this catty behavior on some stupid TV show is Mediachannel’s idea of “unvarnished racism,” then I think the world is doing quite well. By the way, the original BBC broadcast also had one guest (can’t remember his connection, he might have been a publicist) who said that this incident was undoubtedly highly useful in promoting the career of the Bollywood actress who was the alleged “victim” of this “unvarnished racism.”

Regarding your preceeding report on “24,” thanks much for that, I think that this is a subject which has been WAY underexamined when it comes to how and why Americans think the way they do. I hope a lot more will be done in analysing these kind of shows and the kind of propaganda which they are conveying to the public.

This is one of the main reasons why I hate to align myself with the left. All this handwringing about television is enough to make you wonder what side you’re on. Perhaps that is a good thing: this whole left-right schizophrenia needs to be debunked anyway.

It makes me wonder, if some of these noiseboxes had ancestors who picketed “Hamlet” at the Globe: “All that swordplay is just going to encourage the Cavaliers; all that death is just desentising the Roundheads.”

Ahhh, no worries, though. Leadership is very much like Gilliam’s “Brazil.” Their incompetence will kill you, not their skill. Our leadership cannot manipulate media well enough to influence a population. And as long as authors have an imagination and a smattering of wit, they never will.

As St. Leary said: “Turn on, tune in…”

Uh, MK, we are talking about some gorgeous (yes, by British standards) young movie star here. No I haven’t seen the program, but based on what I’ve read and heard, we’re talking about juvenile and idiotic trash talk between some catty, spoiled TV stars who probably thought they were being funny. Do you really think that the “young people” who watch this show are going to find the Indian actress less desirable (much less hate her for her nationality!) based on this nonsense? Truth be told, I doubt that a single one of the males in that audience wouldn’t have been overjoyed to go on a date with this Indian star. And if any of them ever scored that one, he would have been talking about it for the rest of his life. Jeeze….get a clue!

Or how about this most recent statement from Shilpa, in a statement posted on the website of British Channel 4 television:
“I don’t feel there was any racial discrimination from Jade’s (one of the contestant of the show the Big Brother) end.” I don’t think that’s true. I think there’s lots of insecurities from Jade but it’s definitely not racial.”
Asked her if she still thought that Jade’s argument with her two days ago was racially motivated. Shilpa shook her head.
“No, I take it back. Everyone was having an argument. I don’t think that is true now. People say things in a fit of anger. But I stand corrected.
It’s been a fractious few days in the Big Brother House. I’m happy today. I wasn’t happy two days ago. The way I live, if something has saddened me, it takes me a day to understand, analyse and then I just leave it right there and then I move on, that’s the way I’ve always lived.
Today, I am in a calm frame of mind so I would just like to say that an apology is definitely in order and if Jade apologises I will apologise back and make up with her. I don’t have anything against Jade. I just don’t like the way she speaks.
I don’t want people to think and feel that I feel that way. In fact, I’d like you to please clarify.. put this as a statement from my side, if you can: I don’t feel there was any racial discrimination happening from Jade’s end. I don’t think that’s true. I think there’s lots of insecurities from Jade, but it’s definitely not racial.”
My suggestion to MediaChannel is that in the future you try to take a couple of seconds to properly analyse an incident before so glibly playing the race card. “Unvarnished racism,” given all the available information, clearly did not define this non-event. This kind of absurd race-bating has gotten really old, and it helps no one, particularly when you are interested in trying to report true cases of institutional racism.

Adrah, I did consider this and I think you give a reasonable interpretation of what really happened.
I see the danger in calling this a case of significant racism, not to mention to the extent of it becoming an international incident (!!) as two-fold. One, it becomes another chapter in the story of the boy who cried wolf. Second, and far more important, call people racist enough times and they will, during a period of social and economic instability eventually just say “what the hell” and proclaim that they are indeed racist and proud of it. Even if they really weren’t at the beginning. Note the class issue at work in this particular incident, which, from what I’ve read, is probably the most significant factor in what sparked this interpersonal conflict.

When the latter scenario becomes reality, I know who I will blame the most for this: 1)white liberals who are fighting their own internal struggles with racism and who engage in projection (like the fundamentalist preacher who is obsessed with his own homosexual feelings) and 2)various one-tune minority “leaders” whose true agenda is in trying to keep racism alive in our society so they can maintain their own positions of personal power.