Big Brother 8

I watched it for the first time last night and I really needed subtitles for that daft Welsh woman. It's like a house full of Vicky Pollards - yeah but no but yeah but....

I watched it last night for the first time just to see for myself what had happened. Having seen it I think it was slightly misreported. I'd heard that the black girl Charlie to who the n*word was addressed had not been offended but simply surprised, this is not the impression I got on seeing the footage. I thought she was genuinely shocked by what happened and even though she said that she was not offended by the use of the word I think she was very uncomfortable that someone she had only known for a few days had referred to her in that way. The fact that she kept on talking about it and seemed really confused as to what she should feel about it made quite uncomfortable viewing.

Was it a racist remark? Yes of course it was. The very essence of the word is born out of racism it can't be anything else.

Was it meant to offend? Probably not but it was totally out of order in the context of the situation for someone in Emily's position to have used such a word.

Was Channel 4 right to make her leave? I think they had no alternative. She was a very stupid woman that tried to show off her 'Street cred' not understanding the implications of what she was saying. Apart from anything else it was condescending and patronising of her to assume that she had the right to use such language in that situation without even considering that she was being watched by millions who would without doubt be offended.

This does show the power that certain words still have and rightly so. In many ways the comments made in celebrity big brother were more offensive and had more racist overtones in the context of when they were said (they used a person's race as a means of attacking her), but the use of the n*word in this context was also inexcusable.

I agree-you cant say it unless your black. I think she was tired of the house and the level of brain power in there and always set her stall out to belittle them. It was a Fraudian slip.

Ziggy! wrote:

I agree-you cant say it unless your black. I think she was tired of the house and the level of brain power in there and always set her stall out to belittle them. It was a Fraudian slip.

No it wasn't a slip she meant to say it she just completely misjudged the context.

Yeah, it was - she meant it in what was supposed to be a colloquial 'between friends' manner. Completely misjudged though - she'd been in there five days and was being viewed by millions...

Apparently before Big Brother started ALL contestants had to sign the they would not use racist, offensive and so on language and the consequence will be that they get removed from the house without warning. She signed it, she offended, she was kicked out.

I'm surprised that our resident conspiracy theorist hasn't come up with the obvious one in this case...She was actually a Big Brother plant and said what she did under orders to push up the viewing figures and allow Channel 4 to show off their anti racism credentials!

Emily isn't stupid, far from it from what I've seen so far. I don't believe her comment was malicious but she was incredibly naive and lacking in common sense when she made the comment.

Channel 4 probably would have let her stay if what happened in January hadn't happened but they had to be seen to be clamping down on anything that could be considered racist whether it was or not.

By the way I heard Charlie call Chanelle a white bint - could this be considered a racist slur ?

I think she was 'thinking it' of Charley and then said it in the only context she could. She clearly she didnt like Charley and pretty bored of the rest of them, as we would be. She just had that superior supercillious nature about her from the off, coming from a 'good' university etc.. I suspect she has no black friends and few Asian ones. Anyhow, her back-story will come out on this issue and soon we will know.
Gay guy coming into the house tonight guys! Galloway said so it must be true:>

Mauri wrote:

I watched it last night for the first time just to see for myself what had happened. Having seen it I think it was slightly misreported. I'd heard that the black girl Charlie to who the n*word was addressed had not been offended but simply surprised, this is not the impression I got on seeing the footage. I thought she was genuinely shocked by what happened and even though she said that she was not offended by the use of the word I think she was very uncomfortable that someone she had only known for a few days had referred to her in that way. The fact that she kept on talking about it and seemed really confused as to what she should feel about it made quite uncomfortable viewing.

Was it a racist remark? Yes of course it was. The very essence of the word is born out of racism it can't be anything else.

Was it meant to offend? Probably not but it was totally out of order in the context of the situation for someone in Emily's position to have used such a word.

Was Channel 4 right to make her leave? I think they had no alternative. She was a very stupid woman that tried to show off her 'Street cred' not understanding the implications of what she was saying. Apart from anything else it was condescending and patronising of her to assume that she had the right to use such language in that situation without even considering that she was being watched by millions who would without doubt be offended.

This does show the power that certain words still have and rightly so. In many ways the comments made in celebrity big brother were more offensive and had more racist overtones in the context of when they were said (they used a person's race as a means of attacking her), but the use of the n*word in this context was also inexcusable.

I agree. I think that Charley was a bit offended as she seemed so shocked that it was just said with no second thought- like Emily has said it before.

I didn't like Emily anyway, she was a silly little girl and I really just wanted to shake her when she was explaining herself last night on the show. It WAS totally out of order, and although she said otherwise I really believe she does not understand why she was kicked out.

Ziggy! wrote:

I agree-you cant say it unless your black.

Totally disagree.

I see where you are coming from, however I just think it should be one rule for all, otherwise you can't really blame other races for using that word.

I wouldn't go around calling myself white trash etc so I don't see how it is exceptable for black people to use offensive words about their colour either.

Black guys and girls can call each other what they like-they know how to use that word.When they do, its a unified understanding of the power of it and expresses their feleings on race in the UK in that one word. Its a truely unique and powerful word with likewise ambiguity. Racism is white people in the UK against a minority with a different color.

Ziggy! wrote:

Racism is white people in the UK against a minority with a different color.

Bollox. Anyone of any race can be racist. Not just the people in the U.K.

Ziggy! wrote:

Black guys and girls can call each other what they like-they know how to use that word.When they do, its a unified understanding of the power of it and expresses their feleings on race in the UK in that one word. Its a truely unique and powerful word with likewise ambiguity.

By black people calling each other n***** surely causes confusion for white people. It's a word with racist connotation and noone should use it.

Nope! Black people use it as a compliment to each other-a unifed expression of going through the same bigotry as one. An understanding of the struggle. Kinda flipping the word inside out. Only black people can ever use that word...

Anyhow...


Two gay guys in the house....Dont think thats going to work as well, dynamic wise, although they will take over the house now they are the nominaters. Bitch central!

Ziggy! wrote:

Nope! Black people use it as a compliment to each other-a unifed expression of going through the same bigotry as one. An understanding of the struggle. Kinda flipping the word inside out. Only black people can ever use that word...

That is ridiculous. Black people don't use it to highlight their struggle against 'white oppressors'. You think the rappers out there (who use it in every line of their songs) are expressing a shared heritage with the black community? No way.

Ziggy! wrote:

Racism is white people in the UK against a minority with a different color.

This is a very misguided view of racism too. As WormThatTurned said below, anyone can be racist - you don't have to be of a certain colour or nationality for it to be classed as 'racism'.

agree with Sam, but just here to say DING DONG THE WITCH HAS GONE!!!!

Thank god, at last after days of saying she would, Lesley has walked. She was a bad housemate, and the way she was shown to talk to the twins last night ("It's ok Emily is safe with her Mummy and Daddy now") was just weird.

I dint know Leslie had walked. Good spot!
I think most people on here understand why black people use the 'N' word they way they do. When rappers are making millions of dollars singing it into their yrics its the ultimate stament. on beating the prejudice.

spoilt_little_brat wrote:

DING DONG THE WITCH HAS GONE!!!!

didn't know she had walked off! Why was she even on there?!?

Ziggy! wrote:

Nope! Black people use it as a compliment to each other-a unifed expression of going through the same bigotry as one. An understanding of the struggle. Kinda flipping the word inside out. Only black people can ever use that word...

Anyhow...

Not sure that is entirely the case, there was a programme on a year ago with one ofthe members from So Solid Crew who used the word in lyrics and generally and saw nothing wrong with it, the show was about him understanding the words origins and how others, balck and white felt about its use, after a visit to a museum on slavery in Liverpool his vew on the words use had certainly changed and he felt that if others in the black cummunity and particularly rap artists uderstood its origins they would not be so prepared to use it, to be honest it was used initially as a shock tactic and then you definition was conveniently adopted to justify its use.

If fat people call themselves fat so-and-sos..its the same thing.

Seems to be an ethnic split now the gays are in the house. Charley really is Vikki Pollard.lol

atticusuk wrote:

Ziggy! wrote:

Nope! Black people use it as a compliment to each other-a unifed expression of going through the same bigotry as one. An understanding of the struggle. Kinda flipping the word inside out. Only black people can ever use that word...

Anyhow...

Not sure that is entirely the case, there was a programme on a year ago with one ofthe members from So Solid Crew who used the word in lyrics and generally and saw nothing wrong with it, the show was about him understanding the words origins and how others, balck and white felt about its use, after a visit to a museum on slavery in Liverpool his vew on the words use had certainly changed and he felt that if others in the black cummunity and particularly rap artists uderstood its origins they would not be so prepared to use it, to be honest it was used initially as a shock tactic and then you definition was conveniently adopted to justify its use.

I'm sure you're right the word is often misused even by Black people but when black people use it might well be offensive but not racist.

The word carries all the racist agenda of its history and for a white person saying it to black person that meaning (intent or not) becomes implicit in the word. When a black person says it they might want to offend or shock but they cannot be using the word to express their racial superiority over another black person, which is what makes it racist...

Nonesense! If a black guy says it to a black guy its term of endearment-mutual shared history. How can one black person be racially superior to another? Yes I can see animosity if used between Carribean and African, but not racially...

My God! No wonder women didnt rule the world from day one. BB explains the 18% pay gap.lol