Coming Out

After agonising long and hard I have decided that I have to come clean, come out and confess. This pains me greatly, especially in view of my earlier comments about Celebrity Big Brother…… but this year, I decided to watch it so that I could try and understand the whole phenomenon in a social and cultural context. Now that the row has broken out over potential racism there are some points worth mentioning. In case you are not aware, one contestant Shilpa Shetty, an Indian Bolywood actress is being victimised verbally. This is verging on the abusive use of a human being by the TV programmers.

The producers and editors of the programme are able to manipulate both the housemates and the viewers to an extensive degree by means of selective editing. For example, on last night’s programme I was all for adding my objections to the thousands already made in a formal manner to the media Watchdog, Ofcom, on the grounds of racism, bullying and abuse. Allied with this I was concerned that our country is being showcased to the world in a manner that is quite frankly appalling. However, towards the end of the show, the producers showed two “diary room” interviews which redressed the balance, including one clip which illustrated how an “inmate” had vowed to learn from her ignorant and unacceptable behaviour. More successful editing. With regard to manipulation of housemates, this I am sure can be done very subtly in the diary room, with questions and innuendo.

And all the while the programme makers must be delighted with all the extra publicity. As for me, well, I am still interested in the interaction of the participants, whilst still being aware that any act of experimentation or observation will inevitably alter the state of the subject being studied. (Sorry, I cannot remember the scientific term for this!) I just hope that some intelligent people bring more understanding out of all of this. The big worry is that the programme is actually a true reflection of our society; as Shilpa said at one point, “Is this what the UK is like today? It is really frightening!”