Julie Burchill on Big Brother

In today's times, Julie Burchill writes a stern rebuttal of the criticism around this year's Big Brother. I agree with nearly everything she says, but as usual find that she's strayed a little close toward defending the indefensible at times.

Saskia made it clear that she didn't like 'foreigners' in her original tape when she was applying to be on Big Brother. She backed it up with statements throughout the TV show that started with caveats like "I'm not racist, but…" and "Look, my grandad was Sri Lankan so I can't be racist…" as well as several other muttered comments which i can't be too sure about. It certainly seems that she is a racist, and I think that Julie Burchill does a rotten job at brushing over the allegations. But then Julie doesn't much care for my style of poncey-liberal egalitarianism. She thinks that anyone who says a young, white member of the working class may be racist is immediately wrong. I understand her point of view. She's defending a section of society (the young, low income whites) which she sees as being continually put down to the benefit of other sections of society.

In fact, I get the impression that Julie Burchill doesn't much like members of any other section of society, be they middle class, Guardian journalists or black. The inexplicable venom she spits about Kemal and Makosi certainly backs up that view… but one must always remember that with Julie, nothing is as it seems. She's a brilliant thinker and writer, and is well known for applying the strategy of looking for any kind of accepted truth, and arguing persuasively for the contrary.

So is she right or wrong? Well I said ages ago that I hoped Antony would win it, so perhaps we're in agreement (Julie calls him 'gorgeous'). But I just want him to win because he seems like a nice guy. Perhaps Julie Burchill's the one with all the political baggage here. Hey, Julie: leave those viewers (and reviewers) alone!

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Edit: there's a decent artcle on the clash between ethical psychiatry and entertaining television in today's Guardian.

And for those who didn't already know, coverage of the last evening of Big Brother starts at 2030 BST tonight on Channel 4.

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August 12, 2005 | Filed Under General 

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