Celebrity Big Brother and the Lesser of Two Isms

I'm sure none of us have forgotten the infamous Goody - Shetty race row that reared its head on Celebrity Big Brother just a couple of years ago. Whatever you thought of the media furore that followed - I personally saw it as much ado about (almost) nothing - it was clear that the Big Brother team would never again take a soft stance on anything that may be construed as remotely racist. This was evident in this dismissal of Emily from the house just a year later, after she called a fellow housemate a 'nigger' (it was said, somewhat ignorantly, without cruel intention).

So, it would follow that, two years down the line, the Big Brother producers would be on their toes, checking for any signs of prejudice or unacceptable behaviour in the Big Brother house. However, as the recently completed run of Celebrity Big Brother 2009 has shown us, this was certainly not the case.

What I am referring to here are the unacceptable actions of Coolio, a self-professed 'male chauvinist pig'. He made a number of unacceptable comments, most notably stating that 'all women are stupid, you proved that by being secretary of state'. Another contentious issue was his constant use of the terms 'bitch' and 'ho'. Whether you agree with his actions or not, he was clearly being sexist.

What has aggravated me the most during this whole episode is not the lack of intervention on the side of Big Brother, although I do think more should have been done. The public reaction, or lack thereof, was the most resounding issue throughout the whole thing. A few murmurs were let out here and there, but it certainly did not make front-page news.

This seeming public acceptance was epitomised by the appearance of Coolio on spinoff show Big Brother's Big Mouth. Upon his admittance of his sexist ways, the majority of the females in the audience wildly cheered. I was astonished at such behaviour - the fact that women seem willing to accept sexism as a commonplace part of society, even as a desirable thing, is enough to make me feel physically sick.

I am aware that it can be a hindrance to compare forms of prejudice, namely sexism and racism. Both are equally wrong, yet are also equally complex, and very different. But it is helpful to compare the two here in order to fully make my point clear.

Let's assume that Coolio was, in fact, white. And, rather than him being sexist, he was racist. Imagine that, instead of calling himself a 'male, chauvinist pig' he had said 'I'm a white, racist bigot'. Rather than calling all women stupid, he said that 'all black people are stupid'. He would be immediately ejected from the house, his media image in tatters. Certainly, no black people would be cheering him on. Yet for some reason, we are rewinding back to the dark ages, with sexism almost universally accepted, amongst both men and women.

If women do not stand up against the sexism that seems rife in our society, it will perpetuate and grow, untill all that has been accomplished will become obsolete. Discrimination against women is not acceptable, and it should be fought by all. If we cheer when men call us 'bitches' or 'hos', coyly accept any perverted sexual advances, then we will simply aid a popular culture that sees women as sex objects. Only by making it clear that we are strong, and by raising our voices against any wrongdoings, can we rise up and achieve the true equality that we so deserve.