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Racism in the Big Brother house

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  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    Well if you take into account historical events and the fact that you can choose to be a public schoolboy but not to be born black, I'd say that being prejudiced against black people is a tad more serious than being prejudiced against public school students...

    Irrelevant - though I'm pretty sure most children have pretty limited choice against their parents wishes.

    Would people have been so het up if the three had bullied her, but their abuse was based on her class (which I think was as much of the real reason as her skin colour)? I suspect the answer is no, so bullies get away with it...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well I guess it depends whether one believes some kinds of abuse are worse than other. I happen to believe racist abuse is a lot worse and than simple bullying or the stereotyping of social classes. I understand other people think differently.

    It might be wise to take human history into account as well when judging whether all kinds of abuse are as bad as each other or whether some of them are a lot more serious.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You mean like the Russian revolution or Khmer Rouge?

    That said bullying in the BB house is unpleasent and wrong, but its not akin to Armenian Genocide is it?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    iwozere wrote:
    You do not use racist abuse if you are not racist.

    tosh.

    so you've never told an 'englishman, scotman, and an irishman' joke? or a made a joke about the opposite sex, asian, southerner, geordie? etc etc...

    jade fucking goody is so insignificant. she is too stupid to be a racist anyway. she is just ignorant to it.


    pretty much all of what kermits said is right.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    drumbeat wrote:
    she is too stupid to be a racist anyway. she is just ignorant to it.

    :eek:

    tosh!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You don't seem to be getting this ignorence breeds racism thing. Ignorence is NO excuse for what Jade said. Personally no I have never said a joke like that and I think the bit of banter between you and your friend is said in a tongue in cheek way yes?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Rachael wrote:
    You don't seem to be getting this ignorence breeds racism thing. Ignorence is NO excuse for what Jade said.

    If you've never sworn at someone when you're angry with them; if you've never said something hurtful in anger; if you've never got angry and said something you regret, then you can cast stones IMHO.

    We're not going to agree (especially as I make a point of not watching BB so don't know the context) but anyone who says that someone who utters a racist word is a racist is a moron.

    Certainly in many parts of the north it isn't uncommon to call the corner shop the p*ki shop.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    Certainly in many parts of the north it isn't uncommon to call the corner shop the p*ki shop.

    That's your defence? :eek:

    In the eighties a portable steroe was known as a wog box. Does that make it any less racist?

    Sorry Kermit, I kind of agreed with your earlier points about the difference between racism and bullying, but I can't agree whole heartedly.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sorry Kermit, I kind of agreed with your earlier points about the difference between racism and bullying, but I can't agree whole heartedly.

    I should clarify- it isn't an acceptable term, but anyone who is trying to say that everyone who uses that term is a racist is quite clearly out of their tree. It's an awful term because of the connotations, but its not always racist.

    It's a very subtle distinction, really, between abuse and racism- both can look like each other. My point all along is that abuse is not acceptable, but that people seem to obsess too much about racism without actually seeing things properly.

    I have no doubt that these women in the BB House were setting out to be hurtful and malicious, and were using all their tools at their disposal, but that doesn't necessarily make someone a racist.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I really hope I wouldn't get involved, but I disagree with the analogy of 'if a racial slur makes me a racist, then 'cunt' would make me mysogynistic.'

    Cunt is a derogatory term to begin with and has (for me) very little connection with the female genitalia when used against another person.

    I think it is much more 'taboo' (in well taught families), to use '******', 'gook' or whatever in fights and by breaking this taboo it shows that you look down onto those people of other ethnic origin.

    That doesn't make much sense, but I'm a bad debater anyway. I would never tell a black person he's a ******, just because I think he's a moron for any kind of reason. If I think he's an asshole, I call him an asshole. It's not the skin colour I have a problem with and I think derogatory seperating people of their origin/appearance does show (maybe repressed) racism.

    /edit: there are a few "rasistic" terms in the german language too. For example the "Jud" which is the way of kicking the football with your toes (as opposed to your instep). Jud' means Jew.
    Or "Ich habe bis zur Vergasung gelernt." which figuratively means "I studied a whole whole lot", but "Vergasung" means 'gasification' and I think you know where that comes from.

    You do not use those vocabs in derogatory context tho, it's everyday figure of speeches and does not make it racist (to your p*ki shop analogy)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Kermit wrote:
    If you've never sworn at someone when you're angry with them; if you've never said something hurtful in anger; if you've never got angry and said something you regret, then you can cast stones IMHO.

    We're not going to agree (especially as I make a point of not watching BB so don't know the context) but anyone who says that someone who utters a racist word is a racist is a moron.

    Certainly in many parts of the north it isn't uncommon to call the corner shop the p*ki shop.

    Firstly, I am not casting stones and yes of course I've sworn at people when I get angry but like 'iwozere' said, if you are angry with a person then the colour of their skin shouldn't even come into it.

    The word **** is racist. It isn't hard to figure out. How far do you have to go to get the badge of racist?? Oh and the delightful phrase '****-shops' is pretty common down south too. Only the other day in my sociology class did a twat of a boy say it. It just isn't acceptable.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    hmmn, yeah I agree with that. I don't think that lack of racial abuse towards someone of another race is significant evidence to argue against someone being racist though.

    ETA: with reference to 250
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You mean like the Russian revolution or Khmer Rouge?

    That said bullying in the BB house is unpleasent and wrong, but its not akin to Armenian Genocide is it?
    No, but racism itself has been behind more misery, wars and death and arguably all other forms of discrimination put together (apart perhaps from religious discrimination, and then often there is a link between the two).

    Racism is particularly repugnant. A lot more than class prejudice, whichever way you want to look at it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    If Jade had called a Scot Jock McHaggis, would there be an international outroar?

    I think not.

    She's clearly culturally prejudiced, but that's about it. Race doesn't really come into it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Spliffie wrote: »
    If Jade had called a Scot Jock McHaggis, would there be an international outroar?

    I think not.

    She's clearly culturally prejudiced, but that's about it. Race doesn't really come into it.

    what i was trying to say. exactly right.
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