So I’ve been a fan of Big Brother since season eight. I’ve seen seasons eight and on as well as seasons five and six. I know the game well. I also know that often times things get personal and the game is thrown out of the window come time to put someone up for eviction, vote eviction night, and/or vote for who wins the game. Season 15 is unlike any other season due to the endless racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks made by a number of the house guests.
Today, I was accused (by three strangers on Twitter) of justifying a house guest’s “racist” remarks after I pointed out that Amanda was playing the game too hard but to remember that all of the house guests break (get paranoid) eventually. My exact tweet:
If you were Team Amanda before but jumped ship when she started playing too hard, remember the house breaks everyone at some point.
Does this have anything to do with when she said “racist” remarks? No. It has everything to do with when she played the game too hard. Yet it’s as if someone yanked my swing one way when I was going the complete opposite way. Even though the trolls are out, half of them are just trolls but the other half really are human beings and truly believe what they are “fighting for.” Which is great but fighting what you believe to be hatred with hatred to get your point across doesn’t work. I can’t help but laugh at the people who curse others out behind their computer screens instead of going out into the world and making a real difference.
Once I’m done laughing at that, I laugh at how everyone says reality shows/competitions aren’t real and yet here we are. In a racism war. I got wounded and I wasn’t even fighting. So now I’m going to say a few things:
It should go without saying that racism is inexcusable. It should also go without saying that we all fall short. Coming down hard on another person’s shortcomings to make yourself look like a saint is cheap. I refuse to demonize only the house guests who have said racist things. ALL of the house guests have said and/or done something inexcusable in life. This doesn’t make them a bad Big Brother player. I don’t look at one component (racism) & deem a house guest a bad player. A bad house guest? Sure. A hard heart? Possibly. A bad person? Maybe. A bad player? Not quite.
Look at ALL of the components of their game play. Yes, racist remarks will hurt their social game play. Who you are as a person, what you say offhandedly and especially what you say to hurt others, social game play as a whole means more this season than it has any other season. But are they physically strong, mentally strong (puzzles, memory, etc…), high on endurance, able to keep their lies and backstabbing straight, not playing too hard, not showing all of their cards? All of this makes up what makes a good player. Not racist remarks alone.
Here’s the difference between Amanda and Aaryn. Amanda’s “racist” remarks have been said lightheartedly as jokes (can you take a joke?) and are based on what she’s grown up around, not ignorance because the girl is cultured. Aaryn has said racist remarks with both ignorance and malice and denied making making all such remarks, all of which have hurt her game play but she’s also a bully. I truly believe that if she acknowledged these faults early on and made it a point to take it down a notch or ten, even if just for the duration of the game while she’s on camera 24/7 for three months, she wouldn’t have been a target as quickly as she became. But she did not pay a single attention to her social game play. So not only is she a bad house guest but she’s also a bad player.
Amanda has more control so while for some, she may be an unlikable house guest, it’s undeniable how great of a player she is in this game. Helen and Elissa might be the front runners of the alliance but to not give Amanda credit where credit is due because of her remarks is ridiculous. Evel Dick wasn’t my favorite house guest of his season but he was my favorite player of season eight. Amanda isn’t my favorite house guest of the season (Judd is) but she is one of my favorite players. Yes, I disagree with some of Amanda’s social play but that doesn’t take away how smart she is in this game. She’s a problem solver and she’s skilled. Orson Scott Card being homophobic doesn’t take away the brilliance that is Ender’s Game. You may disagree with what a person says and believes but talent and skill are undeniable.
If you’re watching to see the most likable house guest win, you are watching the wrong show. If it were that kind of show, we could take a “Who is the least racist in this house & in life?” quiz & award that house guest the prize money. Bypass the competitions. End of the game. Hooray. This is not a game of who’s the biggest saint (or who can float by the best). And it doesn’t matter how you terrorize a house, if you’re terrorizing house guests period, you should be gone. Right? Hmm. Don’t be a hypocrite and pick and choose what’s acceptable. Racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks are unacceptable but mental abuse, what Evel Dick did is? No. What Evel Dick did was unacceptable as well. Yet he played a darn good game, deserved to win because of that and he did win. Good for him.
Clearly, some house guests are more cultured, respectful, etc… & we’d rather have, let’s say, Judd win the game than Aaryn. He’s more likable. But accept that it can go either way. The person who is unlikable and has won more competitions than the likable person can win the entire game and there’s nothing you can do about it. Sure, you can be “America’s Vote” for a short time this season but it’s not going to be there every season. This show will not be here forever. Don’t you think what you can do for your cause out in the real world can make a bigger and longer impact on the world rather than harassing people with your racist agenda online about the racism on a reality competition show? Seriously. Do the right thing. Be remembered for spreading a good message a positive way instead of overshadowing a good message and chance it getting lost in your hatred towards people you are targeting.
In case you haven’t noticed, I’m black. I don’t need a TV show to fuel the discussion for racism. That’s great if you do but I’d appreciate it if you don’t force your agenda on me. I live it so I really don’t need or want that to be the only thing I see and talk about on a reality show I watch for entertainment. Thanks.
All of that to say, I will be satisfied with whoever goes home tonight. Howard is a great house guest but a terrible player and Amanda is a fantastic player but her paranoia may have gotten the worst of her and it might be better if she goes now and doesn’t completely crack. We’ll see! Two hours until the live show!