1. Brutal verbal abuse and racism erupted last evening on Channel4's Celebrity Big Brother as described below. I did not see this since I do not watch Big Brother except for a few minutes after midnight to see what is happening as an afterthought during the last couple days. They were sleeping night before last, and there was a junk programme on about it last night. Clips from last night's programme are being aired on BBC News24 this morning while Channel4 refuses to intervene citing their position as one that views this as only a cultural and class difference. Obviously, Channel4 is exploiting the commercial advantage of this verbal abuse confrontation reflecting overt racism against this successful Bollywood actress. Complaints have been made to the police who are now according to news reports reviewing tapes for consideration of a violation of the law.
I think it's terrible that Channel4 has not stopped this at the beginning instead of letting it get worse as has occurred. Such exploitation for commercial advantage reveals a key reason why racist bigotry exists in this country. Standards have to be set and maintained from the top, and they are not. It is critically important for the broadcast media to do this since its impact on the nation is so significant. This kind of confrontation feeds the ignorance and bigotry which go hand in hand that communicates to the population especially the young that this kind of behaviour is acceptable. Big Brother is a programme that appeals to the basest part of the character of the human animal, and this reflects a prime example.
I have found in my personal experience that such tolerance for racism is the standard in the broadcast media, and it's no surprise to me that Channel4 would behave in this manner. Several years ago when I used to listen to BBC Radio 2's Terry Wogan programme in the morning for his humour and music, there was a racist incident which offended me deeply. This occurred on two consecutive mornings when the tea trolley lady was late. Terry Wogan began mocking this black lady by calling her "Aunt Jemima" and claiming she was "slow as molasses." He did so by imitating a southern US accent. This was clearly racism of the worst kind which characterised the former slaves in the US as being slow, plodding people. The same complaint of racism occurs from Mexicans who are portrayed in as similar manner. The second day when this occurred again, I recorded it. Another presenter who was on air before Terry Wogan also started making the same racist remarks about the tea trolley lady. This racist abuse was infecting BBC Radio 2's broadcasting.
I complained about this in a letter to the BBC Radio 2 Controller and others. The letter was sent to Terry Wogan's programme, and its producer sent me a reply claiming that I was the only one from their audience of millions who had complained. He complained that I had not sent this to the programme itself. And, he indicated that Terry Wogan had been the centre of controversy many times in his broadcast career. I took exception with these comments. If I was the only one who complained, then there certainly is a serious racism abuse problem that is generally accepted by the British population. I sought to complain to those in charge rather than the programme as I felt proper since it was also spilling over into another presenter's broadcast. Being controversial is irrelevant to an issue of outright racism of the most degrading manner against an employee at the BBC who would be reminded of servant status and associated with a "step 'n' fetch it" characterisation associated with black people in a derogatory manner.
I also felt that this woman would not complain herself because she might very well be afraid of rocking the boat when it concerned someone as venerable as Terry Wogan, and she valued her job. She was put into a position, I suspect, where she had to put up with racist abuse. As David Cameron recommended yesterday, there is always an "off" button, and I have never listened to BBC Radio 2 since and will not as long as Terry Wogan is on the air. He has an audience of millions including the Queen, and the BBC is not going to do anything that would jeopardise this. Thus, they have ignored this terrible racism from Terry Wogan which abused another BBC employee. I did sent along my complaint to the some in the press after this failure at the BBC.
This occurred at a time when other racist events were in the news. A British Army black soldier was driven out by racial abuse where white soldiers had scrubbed him with bleach to make him white amid a long series of racist abuse. This highlighted a series problem of racism in the British Army at that time. Also, Naomi Campbell was discussing the racism she had experienced in the fashion industry and virtually labelled it as racist. I felt that this kind of broadcasting from the BBC by Terry Wogan contributed to setting a standard of racism in this country which was also reflected in these other areas. The BBC should have done something about recognising this as racism and condemning it so that the BBC would go on record as being clearly against racism and help to maintain that standard which would not accept racism in any way in its broadcasts.
After this occurred there also appeared an interview with Terry Wogan and his daughter in the Sunday Times Magazine as part of a regular interview feature. In this interview he was asked what he would do if his daughter brought home a Muslim boyfriend. Terry Wogan is a Catholic. His reply was with words to the effect that he thought his daughter knew her own kind. It took the statement he made as saying that she would not do such a thing. This revealed to me what I thought was also religious bigotry on the part of Terry Wogan which revealed a bigoted personality along with his racism. I was sorry to see that he was knighted by the Queen on a subsequent honours list because I did not feel that he represented the values which this country maintained as standard which excluded bigotry of any form. Again, this struck me as an assertion that racism and religious bigotry are tolerated by the establishment as well as the media.
Thus, it's no surprise to me to see that this racial abuse in the Celebrity Big Brother house on Channel4 is not stopped by that broadcaster who is trying to misrepresent it as a cultural and class conflict in its commercial interest as has occurred on the BBC in the example I just cited with respect to Terry Wogan. And, the people involved in the racial abuse on the Celebrity Big Brother programme feel free to escalate the racial abuse as occurred last night. It seems that in this country those who can generate large audiences feel that they can behave as they please even if it involves appealing to the most base kind of bigotry that is repugnant to any decent person. This only serves to sustain and increase bigotry of the worst kind during a most important period when everything should be done to promote racial harmony and integration. "Respect" for people as people without any abuse based upon superficial characterisations of any kind which reflect denials of fundamental freedoms and rights for any person to be human as they choose is the only standard which can be acceptable. Those at the top and in significant positions must act to ensure that this standard is maintained and not abrogated in any way.
BBC News Thursday, 18 January 2007, 08:46 GMT
Shetty fears Big Brother 'racism'
 |  Shetty, 31, is an award-winning Bollywood actress  |
Shilpa's mother Celebrity Big Brother housemate Shilpa Shetty has spoken for the first time of fears that she is a victim of racism.
Fellow contestant Jade Goody told the actress: "Go back to the slums" in a row that erupted over stock cubes.
Shetty later told housemate Cleo Rocos that she feared she was being targeted because of her race.
Reports say Shetty and Goody are to go head-to-head in the next Celebrity Big Brother evictions, with Goody 1-5 favourite to get the boot.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6273677.stm
BBC News Thursday, 18 January 2007, 14:21 GMT
Big Brother sponsor suspends deal
 Goody joined the house with her mum and her boyfriend |
Carphone Warehouse has suspended sponsorship of Celebrity Big Brother following allegations of racism toward actress Shilpa Shetty on the C4 show.
The company said its sponsorship would be removed from the current series "with immediate effect".
The move follows media watchdog Ofcom's demand that C4 must respond to complaints about 'racist' comments.
"Clearly what is happening is very serious," said Ofcom's chief executive Ed Richards.
A record 30,000 complaints have been made over alleged racist remarks towards Indian actress and Big Brother contestant Shetty.
Three of her fellow housemates have been accused of racist behaviour, with Jade Goody receiving the brunt of the public criticism.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6274881.stm
MediaGuardian.co.uk Thursday, 18th January 2007
Shilpa abuse a 'racial incident'
By Vikram Dodd
Police have formally recorded the abuse Shilpa Shetty has suffered at the hands of three white Big Brother housemates as a racial incident, MediaGuardian.co.uk can reveal.
The development adds to the pressure Channel 4 faces over the row and further undermines the broadcaster's defence of the onscreen antics that have caused outrage in Britain and India.
The Big Brother home in Elstree is covered by Hertfordshire police which this morning began a criminal investigation after receiving more than 30 complaints from the public about the alleged racial abuse suffered by the Indian actress.
The definition of a racist incident is drawn deliberately wide and the abuse can be classed as a hate crime even if a third party reports it.