So....What Now?

It seems like the issue about Shilpa Shetty has grown into a big debate. Now everyone wants to know about racism. Whenever the media are involved in an issue it suddenly becomes very important. Before the media picked it up, it was not at all cool to talk about the issue. I believe racism of this sort has been around for a very long time, in fact, ever since the process of colonisation but that's for another post.

The future prime minister, poor lad, has been ‘forced’ to speak on the matter. Well, what else can he say other than ‘this is very intolerable, we do not accept racism in this country’…

Well of course that’s how it SHOULD be, but is it?

WE know racism ISNT obsolete. And when I say ‘we’ I mean those who are of the ‘minority’. If you look at the meaning of that word ‘minority’ you will notice that it depicts connotations of ‘small’ , ‘marginal’, ‘alternative’ and they all connote ‘the outsider’. So, as long as the word ‘minority’ is used, those who fall into the ‘minority’ category will always be an outsider (...)

A friend of mine asked how I work in the office I'm currently in. Being the only black person I don’t tend to fit in with the others as much as they do with each other - and that's the truth. Why? It’s definitely NOT my colour but more the culture associated. While I do not have a noticeable Asian or African accent like Shilpa, there are still many cultural differences which tend to distance me from the other people in the office. They are not obvious differences but honestly, they are there. For example in Big Brother, Shilpa was criticised for cooking her chicken to long and Science in an episode before was criticised for cutting the rear end off a chicken. THESE are examples of cultural differences that are not so apparent first hand.

As for Big Brother, the culprits are allegedly bullying Shilpa simply because she has a different accent and name. Yea I’m sure a lot of you have been teased about your name just because it’s different. Either that or you’ve had a few people find it hard to pronounce. I admit, when I was young I use to cringe when they came to my name on the register at school. Now when I tell someone my name they say ‘o that’s an unusual name’ to which I reply ‘not in my country it isn’t’ then add a ‘mate’ if I'm feeling extra cockney.

The point I want to get to here is; are the culprits on Big Brother reflecting the general public? Are they not just saying what most people think?

I was discussing this with work colleagues (why they feel they should discuss it with me I don’t know, I can take a guess though) and one of them pointed this out. He said ‘Well unfortunately, the people in Big Brother reflect the general public’. He may have said it in passing but I picked up on it. He’s right to a certain extent. How many times have Black/Asian people out numbered the White British people in Big Brother? Then think of the proportion of Black/Asian people to White British people in the UK population. The same applies to anything but athletics and hip hop. I am also aware that it's not a simple divide of 'black' and 'white'. Maybe they’re (the Big Brother contestants) being racist but they are expressing their true opinions. They are saying what they think and I appreciate that. Why? Because I would personally prefer someone to tell me they’re racist so that I know what I’m getting myself into rather than make snide comments relating to my race or the culture associated.

So…what now? Because racism is now a cental issue, does that mean something will be done about it?

I don’t think so.