Posted on 01/17/2007 7:07:21 AM PST by quesney
LONDON (Reuters) - Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, a contestant on hit reality television show Celebrity Big Brother, finds herself at the centre of a storm over racism and bullying that has many Britons asking -- are we all bigots?
The 31-year-old, a major star in India but little known in Britain until now, will be one of the last people in the country to know that her treatment in the Big Brother house, which is cut off from the outside world, is front page news.
A record 13,000 complaints have been made to media watchdog Ofcom, politicians are weighing into the debate, the police are investigating e-mail threats against contestants and the row has spread to India where the movie industry is up in arms.
The actress has been called a "dog", one housemate said "she makes my skin crawl", people refused to learn her name, her accent has been mocked and she has been reduced to tears by a group of contestants ganging up on her.
But there have been no overtly racist attacks, prompting a debate in Britain about whether what viewers have been watching is racism or bullying or both.
"Racism is racism," Sunita Patel wrote to the Mirror tabloid. "Shilpa is from another country and they are taking advantage of her manners and general differences."
One contributor to Web site www.digitalspy.co.uk added: "As an Indian, I feel thoroughly ashamed. It seems racism is still rife in this country."
But many people disagree, arguing that mocking someone's accent does not constitute racism, and that it is Shetty's beauty and poise that has triggered the abuse, not her race.
"I think racism is probably a bit strong," Philip Lindsey wrote on the BBC's Web site. "I would consider it some fairly intense female rivalry, especially in such an unnaturally claustrophobic environment."
MIRROR OF A NATION?
What makes Big Brother uncomfortable viewing for some is the idea that its contestants reflect broader society.
Commentator Germaine Greer argued that Britons should not be surprised at Shetty's treatment, in a country where bigotry was widespread.
"This is a racist country," she said in the Guardian newspaper. "There is almost no inter-penetration of English and Indian cultures in Britain."
In the same newspaper author Hari Kunzru said a contestant's refusal to learn Shetty's name was "straightforwardly racist".
"This is what Big Brother is for. It holds a mirror up to national attitudes. If we don't like what we see, we ought to change," he said.
Finance Minister Gordon Brown, widely tipped to take over as prime minister from Tony Blair, was drawn into the debate on a trip to India on Wednesday.
"I understand that in the UK there have already been 10,000 complaints from viewers about these remarks which people rightly see as offensive," he told reporters in Bangalore.
"I want Britain to be seen as a country of fairness and tolerance ... and anything that detracts from that, I condemn."
Calls for action from Channel 4, which airs the show, have grown, some coming from unlikely sources like tabloid The Sun.
"This is prime-time telly, with millions of impressionable teens tuning in," the newspaper said. "Can Channel 4 turn a blind eye any longer? In a word, no."
Channel 4 is likely to have mixed feelings about the row. While it is under pressure to act, ratings for the main highlights show on Tuesday evening hit 4.5 million viewers, up from 3.5 million on Monday, the BBC reported.
And Shetty is now the bookmakers' favourite to win the show.
(Additional reporting by Sumeet Desai in BANGALORE)
When I see people call any tiny and sometimes imagined rebuff as racism, I remember how far we have come and note that race pimps just won't give it up.
"This is a racist country," she said in the Guardian newspaper. "There is almost no inter-penetration of English and Indian cultures in Britain."
1) This is NOT a racist country, not by the standards of 95% of the worlds countries. Liberal assert this all the time, but saying it often and loudly does NOT make it true.
2) If there is no interpenetration of English and Indian culture in Britain, that is a matter of choice of both English AND indians, not so? Besides, I disagree. I think there is an increasing amount of "interpenetration", especially amongst the young.
Its a female thing. Every series of BB there has ever been there is always a squabble between the women, usually 2-3 weeks in (bit earlier this series) and one of them is always isolated and picked on. Its the law of the wolf pack.
From the Telegraph, January 12 edition:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/01/12/do1201.xml
Now, let's drill a little deeper. When was the last time you went to a dentist who was British? Tough one, eh? My idea of hell is dental surgery, so I'm not exactly a season ticket-holder at the local practice. Even so, I haven't been worked on by a British dentist for nearly 25 years. My daughter, who is 18, has never been to one.
It isn't just that they are jealous. We caught the first week of the show while we are over there and I've been following it since we got back.
Shilpa is very high and mighty and spoiled. And that came across very quickly on the show. I'm not surprised she rubbed people the wrong way.
That said, Jade Goody is a nasty little thing - I'm happy not to have to be subjected to her on the cover of all the rag magazines and newspapers everyday.
But it's not racism. That much I agree on.
Perhaps it's all those yellow teeth Guardian readers!!
I can understand that!!
You are dead right Snowman. This ought to be a non-event.
Perhaps you are unaware about said person's cooking of chicken curry, in the programme. Lol!
Now THAT is funny! She'll be disowned!
Shilpa showed her culinary skills this weekend after Jackiey, one of the participants, was voted out of the show. Everybody thought that Shilpa would leave the show halfway given the verbal onslaught Jackiey unleashed on the Indian actor. Shilpa surely must have heaved a sigh of relief when Jackiey was evicted.
In fact, Shilpa was so upset that she cried on Jermaine Jackson's shoulder and even tried to shift her attention to the "sexy" Dirk Benedict - the American actor on the show who has also publicly admitted he has got the hots for her, reported Shilpa's publicist Dale Bhagwagar.
That said, Jade Goody is a nasty little thing
Jane Goody could never in a million years be described as little, she has more chins than a Chinese phone book.
That is true. Although, she looks much better now than she did when she was first on BB.
And of course, to answer her infamous question - YES JADE, you are mingin'!
When you think about it, American men are very much sought after globally - many women in every country dream of landing an American husband.
There are over 3 billion women in the world and less than 150 million American men. So that's over 20 gals to choose from for every guy.
So boys, we don't have to pick high-maintenance, domineering American women. I didn't!
"So now socially challenged losers who can't get a date can more easily find mail order brides from afar who would get with anybody for the chance to come to America. "Feminine grace, poise, warmth and family values," yeah I'm sure that's what you are getting from some Bulgarian chick advertising herself out on the net to "rich" Americans."
Let me guess: you're female, big city, East or West Coast?
A bunch of fat british cows going after a pretty Indian actress.
Not surprising at the behaviour of these insecure british girls.
...and here's my second guess: you're a happily married public defender from a small town down south. ;)
Do some Indian parents cause an outrage if their children date/engage Pakistanis? Or is racism only something found in the white Western world?
NOT AGAIN...what IS it about this american perception that the British have bad dentistry??
Call it what it is, racism. Oh wait, both nations are majority white. Well maybe it's just a stereotype and a joke then.
What does this prove? I've only ever been seen by British dentists. I dont have any problems with the service.
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