Shilpa
18/01/07 10:51 Media
issues
The Shilpa Shetty/Big Brother stuff is coming to a
head nicely - 21,000 complaints at last count because
of racism in the house. There are arguments and
counter-arguments; I'd have to agree on the surface
that 'dog', which she has been called, is not
actually a racist term of abuse, it's usually sexist,
but in the context of all the rest it's probably been
applied to her because she's Indian and therefore a
"Paki" (although how that's supposed to work
geographically I have no idea - presumably the bigots
will find someone from Pakistan and call them an Indi
in the interests of balance).
Personally I'm delighted by what's happening. Let me rephrase. I deplore what's happening to Ms. Shetty as an individual - nobody should have to go through that. On the other hand, in my experience most racists and bigots shout their abuse at people who are different then go home and forget about them. It rarely occurs to them that these people are individuals with families, feelings and rights. On Celebrity Big Brother the bigots can watch the abuse and no doubt find it jolly amusing - but then they have to watch the reaction. Probably for the first time they're sitting there seeing what happens after someone is abused simply for their skin colour and culture, when they're by themselves and quiet. I doubt that they would have realised the insult doesn't just go away once the aggressor has left the scene.
If one person, be they a builder or a ballet dancer, thinks twice about shouting abuse next time, or reconsiders their BNP membership as a result of watching Shilpa, this might have been worth it.
Personally I'm delighted by what's happening. Let me rephrase. I deplore what's happening to Ms. Shetty as an individual - nobody should have to go through that. On the other hand, in my experience most racists and bigots shout their abuse at people who are different then go home and forget about them. It rarely occurs to them that these people are individuals with families, feelings and rights. On Celebrity Big Brother the bigots can watch the abuse and no doubt find it jolly amusing - but then they have to watch the reaction. Probably for the first time they're sitting there seeing what happens after someone is abused simply for their skin colour and culture, when they're by themselves and quiet. I doubt that they would have realised the insult doesn't just go away once the aggressor has left the scene.
If one person, be they a builder or a ballet dancer, thinks twice about shouting abuse next time, or reconsiders their BNP membership as a result of watching Shilpa, this might have been worth it.
|