Saturday, May 12, 2007

The End?

Since the birth of little Rowan life has taken a definite turn towards the extremely busy. As a result, I have decided to finish my blog and concentrate on the more important things in life. I began blogging here on the 16/06/05 and have thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. Until later......

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Rowan James Matthews

Born at 2240 on the 17/03/07, what a beauty!





Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Racist???


I've recently been watching a bit of Celebrity Big Brother and closely following the fall out surrounding Jade, Danielle and Jo's alledged racist bullying of Shilpa. In case you missed it, here are a couple of the more offensive comments made by Jade,

16/01/07 – A big row. Shilpa says she only ordered Oxo cubes. Jade: “It’s not the only fucking thing you ordered, you liar… You’re not some princess in fucking Neverland…. Go back to the slums and find out what real life is about, lady…. You fucking fake”

17/01/07 – Jade refers to “Shilpa Poppadom”

What has puzzled me is the way that these statements have been construed as racist. Don't get me wrong, Jade presented as a nasty bully and I found the way she and the others treated Shilpa very uncomfortable to watch, but I'm just not convinced that her attacks were racist.

Chakrabati defines racism as the following,

'Racism is, first a set of beliefs or a way of thinking within which groups identified on the basis of real or imagined biological characteristics (skin colour, for example) are thought necessarily to possess other characteristics that are viewed in a negative light'

While Jade's statements may have contained a racial element, it is difficult to argue that they were racist if you agree with the above definition. Bullying has always gone on in the Big Brother house (remember Chabaz), and I don't see what makes this series any more sinister than the others. Do you agree, or have I missed the point completely?