Posts
Big Brother: Emily's Word Was Nigga
Sounds from the accounts of the incident so far that Channel 4 high ups have got it wrong again. Emily trying to be down with the kids while dancing about in the early hours with Charlie. More may emerge.
But a poor attempt at street argot (cf Eminem, Jackie Brown, NWA etc) from a 19-year-old drama student - however annoying she may be - is not in the same ballpark as the culture clash of celebrity big brother. And the Diane programme was over-egged also.
Are Channel 4 trying to make themselves unprivatiseable?
6 comments:
All sounds a bit Nathan Barley. Given her background she's unlikely to understand the difference between 'you nigga' and 'my nigga' or even 'yo nigga'.
The problem is that it can only be ironic when the person using it is someone who could easily be on the wrong end of the insult. For Emily to use it is to presume that she's an 'honorary black' (in the sense that South Africa had honorary whites under apartheid).
Having said that, I've not been watching, but it doesn't sound like a sacking offence.
Don't know if there have been any major developments (see small one below) but the description of the incident seems to run counter to all the venom and vim.
Emily and Charlie dancing about together in the wee small hours. Emily tries her street talk which falls a bit flat. Charlie and Nicky say they're a bit shocked at first but not upset.
Emily is clearly trying to be clever, even bond with other residents, rather then to insult or denigrate anyone.
Emily is intensely irritating but I do not believe on this evidence that she is a racist in general or was being racist in this case.
And I did hear one little snippet on R5L in which Channel 4 now claim she had to go - not because of the actual offensiveness of the remark in its context but in case someone in the broad population was upset.
I could be wrong. It happens. But I still need to be persuaded that this was justified and not an over-reaction and an attempt to hype the show. Which already seems more interesting from the few snatches I've seen that the last few.
The token boy seems a smart cookie.
NAAR and Vaz are among the celebrants. NAAR are saying quite rightly that early firm action in the case of Celebrity Big Brother would have been useful. But suggesting it would have prevented a silly posh drama student taking a punt at a Yo Nigga moment is far fetched.
They were wrong about the ballet dancer also.
They showed the whole thing tonight. The whole incident, the whole diary room discussion ahead of eviction, and then edited account of what followed the initial remark. Seemed to me Charlie, Shabs and Nicky were not being entirely friendly as this played out. I'm going to be very interested to see how this plays out over the next few days.
On BBBM (with George Galloway in the chair) no one would say they thought it an over-reaction though one email commend and one Times TV critic said it was a shame that a conversation about race could not have been maintained in the house instead, doing more good with this silly and to some extremely offensive mistake.
PS
This incident is not in the same league as the most minor race ructions from Celebrity Big Brother. In this case no malice and no real upset between contestants. Last time so much malice. And so much cowardice from C4/Endemol.
PPS
Having read the red tops on Friday I must report that whetehr C4 were right or wrong on this particular incident the Tory girl Emily has a history of careless talk which is construed as or actually is racist and certainly is offensive.
All her college mates dobbed her in. Perhaps c4 knew all along? Did they pay here to do it (as a budding actress) so that they could rehabilitate themselves?
And were Shabs, Charlie and Nicky being purposely dim in referring to this over and over and over again before the eviction, or just being game players?
And was Charlie crying because she was genuinely pally with our Emily and/or just a bit guilty about the game playing.
Fascinating.
Emily uses a word that Channel 4 use in their reviews and is also is included in title of Hip Hop CDs that are reviewed on their website for instance, Ol' Dirty Bastard's Nigga Please album. you can even go to Channel 4's website and have a listen to Nigga What Nigga Who (Originator 99).
My main point is that in the diary room when Emily was being told about what she had done she was told that the word was extremely sensitive and racist. If so, why is it being used on their own bloody website!!
And secondly if Charley and Nicky didnt find it offensive and the public hadn't heard it at the time she was evicted, how did she break to the rules?
This is extreme injustice and labeling somebody as a racist incorrectly is inhuman and will stick with the poor girl all her life. Channel 4 should correct this matter one way or the other, i.e. reinstate Emily or remove the alleged offending word from their websites.
Post a Comment