Celebrity Big Brother (CBB) and alleged racist bullying!
Key References (a more extensive list of references is published at the end of this document):
News of the World “transcripts” of the Channel 4 daily uptake of what happened in the CBB house. Available at,
Daily Mail, 16 February 2007. "The shocking story of the real Shilpa Shetty", by Paul Bracchi. Available at
Lifestyle Extra, 12 February 2007. 'Celebrity Big Brother' winner Shilpa Shetty accused of racism. Available at
Institute for Policy Studies in Education, London Metropolitan Universtity, 02 February 2007. Celebrity Big Brother 'White Trash' Row Hides Truth about Middle Class Racism. Available at
Racist bullying is a behavioural and socially divisive issue, which requires serious debate. However, the mass frenzy over the alleged racist bullying in the recent CBB show, sadly points to a widespread inability of many, to differentiate between the victims of discrimination and the perpetrators of such behaviour. If one looks objectively at what really happened in the show, the real perpetrators were Shilpa Shetty, Jermaine Jackson, Channel 4, Endemol, the media, some politicians and some members of the public. The real victims were Jade Goody and her mother Jackiey, Jo O'Meara and Danielle Lloyd.
Racist bullying is driven by a bigoted discriminative attitude, which is carried out using only bullying behaviour. This includes using offensive manipulative and verbally abusive tactics directly against others. Shilpa distinguished between racism and bullying as she denied the former and instead, insisted she was bullied. While still in the house, Shilpa did not complain either to BB or any of the three girls that she was being racially bullied. However, she did contend to another housemate she was subjected to racial discrimination, which is inconsistent with her later denial.
It was only after Shilpa had left the CBB house did she ever use the word ‘bullied’ regarding the way she perceived she had been treated in the house. Shilpa has consistently failed to give any reasons why, how and when she was bullied. She told the Daily Mirror she had no idea the bullying was so bad, until, she had watched the complete footage of her ordeal. Only those of us, who have truly experienced racist bullying, would know the true devastating effects and consequences, of having been at the receiving end of this hideous behaviour. Only those of us who have suffered such discrimination can truly feel, how wide and deep, the misery and pain really is!
Jo O’Meara has been shown in an interview on GMTV, sobbing and in deep distress saying that her life had been ruined and that she could not go home because of death threats. She spoke about wanting to self-harm and of possibly contemplating suicide. Danielle and Jade have also both received death threats, and Jade is receiving psychiatric care. Jackiey has also been subjected to a vicious racist attack by four Asian youths. The perpetrators insist that this suffering was self-inflicted but I wish to show, that this could not be true.
Bullying is often perpetrated by personalities who may have all or some of the following narcissistic characteristics; domineering, exploitive, envious of others, lacking empathy, pre-occupied with success and power, and have strong beliefs in their own superiority. Bullies, as well as their victims, can come from or have different, class, cultural, religious, racial, age, gender, language, accents, physical features, behavioural, educational and economic backgrounds or identities. Any or all of these differences may reinforce and/or be perceived as excuses by bullies for discrimination and intolerance.
Bullies primarily have a strong sense of superiority regarding their personal beliefs, opinions, values, background and identity, which they seem to need to reinforce and maintain. To achieve this, they often use strategies such as; demean other people’s identities and backgrounds, recruit for support and sympathy other discriminative individuals with an equal sense of superiority, pick on their victims to deliberately raise petty and unfair personal issues, turn any of their victim’s concerns into personal criticisms and bad behaviour on their part, say bad things about their victims to their faces, deceitfully say bad things about their victims while stressing their own self-righteousness and superiority, usually to those people they recruit for support and sympathy.
Bullies discriminate against other people, who they perceive and treat as inferior usually for their own personal influence and gain. They also have; an inability to feel sorry for others, no guilt for their victim’s suffering, cannot accept criticism, an excessive need for admiration, never admit their faults and are unable to relate to others. They also have, a sense of entitlement, a need to control others who must be subservient to them. Bullies are often arrogant but never ignorant of what they are doing.
Narcissistic motives and intentions may have been the underlying reasons why Jade, Jo, Danielle and Jackiey were discriminated against. This discrimination may bebased on a ‘perceived’ view of the girl’s lower social and educational background, varying accents, voice tone, and a so-called lower celebrity status. This demeaning perception also appeared to be fuelled by a resentment of their success, which in turn may have been a threat to certain housemate’s need for admiration and success. They seem to need to be, in control and at the centre of attention both within the house and for the viewing public. Jade and the girls did not behave in this or any discriminatory way toward any of the housemates. Instead they, especially Jade, were the victims of a long and protracted discrimination, intolerance and bullying by certain other housemates, particularly Shilpa.
The older housemates have, in every BB show, bullied those younger and more vulnerable who, will naturally unite when shared age, social, and other backgrounds are being discriminated against. Such discrimination forces the victims to protect and support themselves. This is exactly what Jade, Jo and Danielle was forced to do, which could not, therefore, be Jade’s recruitment of the other girls, in order to create a gang and then allegedly bully Shilpa?
It is essential that bystanders and members of the public report any racist bullying involving violence, but verbal racial abuse should be reported when it based on objective and informative choices and assessments. The truth is, Shilpa and those who made and supported the allegations against Jade share a set of discriminatory views proclaiming she is loud, not very clever, a bully, racist, bigot, cheap celebrity status etc. etc. all of which speak, disgust and envy. The other real truth is, Jade, throughout the CBB programme, showed a great deal of human empathy and a clear sense of shared human values and goals. She also demonstrated reason and a sense of fairness in argument, was never unkind, manipulative or petty and many of her comments during the row spoke of the real truth regarding human inequality, discrimination and bullying. While still in the house the journalist Carol Malone said, “I’m shocked by Jade completely surprised, I think she’s a kind girl, a considerate girl.”
On the other hand, the supporters of the allegations against Jade also perceived Shilpa as having behaved with dignity, did not ever swear or shout at anyone, that her different celebrity, class status, cultural and Indian background and so-called beauty were enough reasons for Jade to be jealous of, and so possibly bully, Shilpa.
From what was shown on the programme Shilpa frequently swore, shouted at others, behaved in a deceitful, discriminative, controlling, manipulative and flirtatious way and repeatedly referred to her personal and cultural superiority over Jade and the girls and even of Britain itself.
Shilpa repeatedly spoke, of how “really, really hard” it was for her “to adjust to” and of “being in the same house with people from a different culture.” On the day of, and just prior to the ‘stock cube’ row started by Shilpa, she comments in the Diary Room, “I just don’t like things becoming petty, but the most difficult circumstance is being without my family, to be with people from a different culture altogether, to bond with them equally, to adjust to different accents, they all have different accents, but only mine is singled out.” “If they came to India they wouldn’t be able to speak the language I speak.” and “I’ve come to their country, and I think I speak it very well. And I think my vocabulary is better than most of them, I’m so very proud of myself.” “We’re all from different cultures and different backgrounds, and different religions, but we still have blood running through our veins, that’s the only common factor.”
Throughout the show Shilpa also repeatedly spoke of a superiority of her intelligence, Indian culture, class and so-called celebrity background while she repeatedly and deceitfully demeaned these personal aspects of some of the housemates, especially Jade. Speaking with Jermaine about life in the CBB house, Shilpa said, “People who have achieved a lot and who have made it in life aren’t flaky. We’ve made it. We’ve been there and done that...for most of the girls out there this is their one chance to make it, this is just one part of my life, it’s not the be all and end all. Even for Jade this is a great platform.” This last sentence was said a few days prior to and repeated, during the ‘stock cubes’ row, where Shilpa had provoked Jade with a number of other derogatory remarks, “Oh please learn some manners. You know what you need? You need elocution classes Jade,” and “You know what, lose your tone.” Soon after the row she tells Jermaine “I cannot fight people like that, I’m not from the roadside, she must be and she is.” and, “I will not have people talk to me like that. I will not. Through no fault of mine,” It was Shilpa who started, prolonged and made no effort to stop the argument getting out of hand.
In reality, the ‘stock-cube’ argument lasted for about twenty minutes at the end of which, Jade began shouting at Shilpa. The short footage shown on all the News Channels could not possibly explain why or how Jade was doing this. The context and the development of the argument began and end, with both Shilpa and Channel 4. However, it was Shilpa who unfairly, perhaps maliciously, instigated this argument. Jade, Jo and Danielle had in fact answered and explained many of Shilpa’s initial and ongoing questions. Their reasoned answers were not good enough, as Shilpa persisted that the stock cubes were the only thing she had ordered on the shopping list. Jade rightly maintained and repeatedly asked Shilpa to admit, this was not true. Instead, Shilpa turned Jade’s questions into personal criticisms such as “ You know what you need Jade, you need elocution lessons.” Shilpa also made a litany of excuses and raised other irrelevant issues. The argument was therefore, provoked and prolonged by Shilpa, especially with her ongoing sense of superiority insisting, “I don’t need to dignify this stupid argument.” To exacerbate matters Shilpa told Jade to “shut up, shut up.”
The footage of Jade shouting at Shilpa and repeatedly shown to the public on all the News Channels, points to an assumption, on the part of this media and in particular Channel 4, that this footage apparently represented the main evidence for Jade, Jo and Danielle’s alleged racist bullying. This footage could not in any way, point to the ‘developing’ tensions created by the social engineering of the CBB show, by Channel 4 and Endemol. Nor could it show the tensions created and exacerbated by Shilpa’s ongoing discriminatory, controlling and deceitful behaviour towards Jade and the girls. Throughout the show Channel 4 repeatedly failed to intervene with Shilpa’s discriminative bullying behaviour and were therefore, complicit with Shilpa.
From the time that Jade and her family were introduced into the house they were repeatedly and unfairly singled out by Shilpa to again raise various other petty concerns. Rightly or wrongly these concerns were of a personal nature and the way in which they were raised, point to the difficulties Jade had to face in the house, especially in having to also deal with Shilpa’s sense of superiority and deceit. As any human being would, Jade had desperately tried to protect herself and her mother. Jo and Danielle were also similarly affected. They must have felt very intimidated especially when their repeated efforts to try and embrace Shilpa were to no avail.
Jade’s mother Jackiey was the first victim of Shilpa’s behaviour. Sometime soon after Jackiey arrived in the house Shilpa insisted on pulling her into the bedroom to complain about some personal aspect of her behaviour, then insisted further on Jackiey going with her to the bathroom because, “I don’t want to fight in front of the cameras.” She also expressed her objection to Jackiey calling her ‘princess’, which Shilpa had previously embraced. Jackiey agreed to call Shilpa by her name and walked away but was then told by Shilpa, ‘I’m not done yet’. Jackiey’s difficulty in pronouncing Shilpa’s name is a product of her Cockney glottal stop, meaning that she could not pronounce an L before a P. Shilpa’s defiant objection here, to being called ‘princess’ and Jackiey’s difficulty in pronouncing her name may explain why she called Shilpa ‘The Indian.’ Shilpa yet again approached Jackiey and offered her a glass of water because she said she wanted Jackiey to “calm down”. Jackiey told her she had wine and could she leave her alone. Prior to this incident, Shilpa referring to Jackiey asks Jermaine, “What is her frigging problem?” Jermaine says she has the right to speak her mind but ‘warns’ her Jackiey will come at her. Jackiey did not do this, as it was Shilpa, who soon after this conversation had approached Jackiey. Here Jermaine hid his apparent unremitting goading and support for Shilpa’s treatment and dislike, of Jackiey.
Jade did not interfere, even though this scenario had plainly affected her. In another incident Ken Russell complained to Jackiey for having asked BB to alter the temperature of the air conditioning. Jackey tried to explain why she did this but Ken insisted “why don’t you just dry up.” Jade was naturally fed up with these attacks on her mother and in tears and distress complained to BB, who ignored her concerns. Ken’s comments to Jackiey may have been intentional, since Shilpa seemingly sought his support and sympathy of her disgust of Jade and her family. She told Ken, “I can’t get myself to mingle with them. Feel so contrived when I speak to them.”
After Jade had arrived in the CBB house and within minutes, Shilpa pulled Jermaine into the toilet and insisted on whispering to him, “I can’t stand her voice,” “I won’t be able to put up with it,” and “it will get on my nerves.” Throughout the show, during and after the ‘stock cube’ row, Shipa frequently spoke in very derogatory ways of Jade’s accent, language, mannerisms, tone of voice, diction, vocabulary, celebrity origins/status and behaviour. In the Diary Room she repeatedly said; “I just don’t like the way she speaks, that is my only complaint against Jade,” but then adds, “She doesn’t even understand half the vocabulary she uses.” “I think she’s really worked very hard to be where she is right now,” and again then adds, “But oh, she definitely needs to brush up on some manners and the way she speaks.” Even after Jade had left the house she told Ian, “I couldn’t understand her language.”
While Cleo, Jade, Danielle and Shilpa were sitting in the living area, Shilpa insisted, “I’m just someone who feels vibes, and it’s negative.” She then told Jade that she doesn’t have to speak to her if she didn’t want to. Jade replies “I have not ignored you at all.” and asks, “What do you mean? I speak to you.” Shilpa persists, “I can’t take you talking at such volume.” “Don’t patronise me.” says Jade, walking off. Shilpa however, continues with her onslaught shouting, “Patronise is the wrong word, sweetie,” and“Learn the dictionary!” An argument ensues as Shilpa insists “Just speak to me with respect.” Shilpa seems to dislike Jade’s tone of voice, which may be natural to Jade and should not and could not have been any reason for Shilpa to discriminate against and bully Jade. The reason lies elsewhere, seen in Shilpa’s derogation of Jade’s intelligence while insisting of her superiority in being spoken to with respect. The next day Shilpa goes to the diary room and said, “I won’t patronise people,” adding, “I want to be liked in the house by the time I leave. I just want people to have liked knowing me.”