Oh Goody
Yesterday Britain was hit by real storms which killed ten people and disrupted life for thousands - visiting Manchester for work purposes I had a dire journey there and back, but at least I reached my destination and returned safely: many others had to abandon journeys, were stranded and unable to get home, or both.
But much of the media attention was on the Big Brother storm rather than the real ones.
I have never watched the programme or taken part in a Big Brother vote, but I seriously considered voting to evict Jade Goody today. There is little doubt that today's vote to remove her will be interpreted around the world as a rejection of racism by British viewers. There is even less doubt that if instead Shilpa Shetty had been thrown off the programme it would have been taken in every other country as proof positive that we are a deeply racist society, and done disproportionate damage to community relations and to Britain's relations with many other countries.
In the event I decided that because I have not watched five minutes of the programme, it would not be right for me to judge the participants in it on the basis of hearsay. Instead I left it to those who had seen the programme.
There has been a vast amount of press coverage attributing deeply offensive and unpleasant comments to participants in the Big Brother House. If even a significant fraction of these statements are true, those responsible should be deeply ashamed of themselves. And so should those who broadcast them in the name of entertainment.
Equally I had confidence that if the allegations were true, those who watched the programme would make their displeasure clear: the 82% vote to evict Jade Goody appears to suggest that this is precisely what has happened.
When they emerge from the Big Brother house, those who are percieved as having taken part in racist bullying will find that they pay a heavy price for it. And so will the producers of the programme: the loss of Carphone Warehouse's sponsorship is only the first part of it. As responsible broadcasters, perhaps they should think very carefully about how this programme was edited.
The statement issued by the broadcaster that their initial investigation failed to prove racism misses the point. Bullying and offensive behaviour remains ugly whether it is motivated by racism, class hatred, jealousy, or just malice.
But much of the media attention was on the Big Brother storm rather than the real ones.
I have never watched the programme or taken part in a Big Brother vote, but I seriously considered voting to evict Jade Goody today. There is little doubt that today's vote to remove her will be interpreted around the world as a rejection of racism by British viewers. There is even less doubt that if instead Shilpa Shetty had been thrown off the programme it would have been taken in every other country as proof positive that we are a deeply racist society, and done disproportionate damage to community relations and to Britain's relations with many other countries.
In the event I decided that because I have not watched five minutes of the programme, it would not be right for me to judge the participants in it on the basis of hearsay. Instead I left it to those who had seen the programme.
There has been a vast amount of press coverage attributing deeply offensive and unpleasant comments to participants in the Big Brother House. If even a significant fraction of these statements are true, those responsible should be deeply ashamed of themselves. And so should those who broadcast them in the name of entertainment.
Equally I had confidence that if the allegations were true, those who watched the programme would make their displeasure clear: the 82% vote to evict Jade Goody appears to suggest that this is precisely what has happened.
When they emerge from the Big Brother house, those who are percieved as having taken part in racist bullying will find that they pay a heavy price for it. And so will the producers of the programme: the loss of Carphone Warehouse's sponsorship is only the first part of it. As responsible broadcasters, perhaps they should think very carefully about how this programme was edited.
The statement issued by the broadcaster that their initial investigation failed to prove racism misses the point. Bullying and offensive behaviour remains ugly whether it is motivated by racism, class hatred, jealousy, or just malice.
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