CBS Official Statement on Amber's Bigotry
CBS has issued the following statement:
"BIG BROTHER is a reality show about watching a group of people who have no privacy 24/7 - and seeing every moment of their lives. At times, the Houseguests reveal prejudices and other beliefs that we do not condone. We certainly find the statements made by Amber Siyavus on the live Internet feed to be offensive and they will not be part of any future broadcast on the CBS Television Network.
Any views or opinions expressed in personal commentary by a Houseguest appearing on BIG BROTHER 8, either on any live feed from the House or the broadcast, are those of the individual(s) speaking and do not represent the views or opinions of CBS or the producers of the program."
Finding CBS' statement below par for the offense, the Anti-Defamation League has issued a response.
Anti-Defamation League Response:
UPDATE: Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League tells TMZ: "It's offensive. It's part of the unintended consequences of the communications revolution. Anybody can say what they do - but reality shows are now giving license to these expressions of anti-Semitism. Now, all of a sudden, the world is privy to their bigotry and it's on national television... then enhanced on YouTube. What they've done is distributed anti-Semitism -- which started as a private conversation -- and by putting it on a reality TV show broadcast it to the world at large. I want CBS to understand they are facilitating anti-Semitism. They should act responsibly to the community; they are legitimizing bigoted conversation."
Source:tmz.com
posted by CarolynBBDish @ 4:38 PM
9 Comments:
While I think any kind of racism, anti-semitism or bigoty is reprehensible, in CBS' defense, this was not aired on the network or even on Showtime. It was something that was caught on the live feeds. And with live feeds, you're going to see what people really have to say and you're going to see people's prejudices come out.
I think it's misguided to claim that CBS condones this behavior.
I agree with the comments made by anonymous. I truely believe what Amber said was terrible, and racist. It is unfortunate that the world is full if ignorant uneducated people. What people need to remember, however, is that this does not and should not reflect on anyone but Amber as she is the one that made the comments. No one has made a statement about the emotional abuse that Dick is inflicting upon house guests, or the pornography that is appearing on the show. It was unfortunate that Amber's comments were caught on tape but really we know what we are in for when we watch the feeds. Let's not be misguided and make this out to be what it is not. It is simply the ignorant ramblings of one misguided woman. Let's leave it at that.
I for one thing Amber will have a rough time once she gets out in the "real world" again. It's been out and about for a couple days now and someone needs to put out the fire. All CBS did was spit on it.
I agree with both anonymous and Elizabeth.
About Dick-not one person has said boo about his what he has said.
They instead showed a tape filled with people insisting Dick is more famous than famous. Really, should anyone listen to a guy named Dizzy?
(I am sorry,but that whole tape made me ill)
What Amber said was sickening,but I suspect she will find out when she leaves the house.
I suspect she will feel the consequences for quite awhile.
I don't accuse CBS of condoning her behavior at all.
I do accuse them of ... I don't know ... cowardice (?) in choosing not to air the comments as part of the Thursday show. They had no problem airing Erika's "immigrant" comment from Season 4 and they addressed it. They should have done the same thing this time.
Color me appalled.
Let us not forget dustins racist remarks, I wonder how Jam will feel about what he calls his dog when she gets out...they are both disgusting people. I am glad I do not know them
This world is full of hateful, uneducated and ignorant people... why should a house filled as a reflection thereof be any different? These HG are no different than the outside, except they are put in a situation w/o anything to do but talk, plot and gossip. Who hasn't said something stupid in life, about somebody else? If you claim not to, I think it's a lie.
Amber is a very silly person with her ignorance. However, similar comments about other groups of people, have been said and or condoned by all. It's no better to trash a gay person or a woman or whatever. However, it is a game, and those who play in it hopefully will grow from the experience and after effects of it.
Very few are straight forward about their feelings like Dick is... so at least he can be admired about his more honest way of being... telling people to their face rather than snicker beind their backs. YES... I did say admired. I appreciate honest feelings, even if brutal on occasion. No group should be excempt from ridicule and no group is better than another. It's only words people. Get over it. Don't let other people's opinion decide how you feel about yourself.
From http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/big_brother_7/2007_Aug_09_history_of_bigotry
Very well put. This is nothing new!
"The more disturbing trend is that this is nothing new for Big Brother. The show has a history of houseguests saying horrific things about groups of people nearly every season, and those people have even gone on to win the show. That tradition goes back as far as the first season seven years ago, when Eddie told racist jokes.
On Big Brother 2, Justin Sebik, who was eventually evicted for holding a knife to Krista’s throat, “expressed violent sexual fantasies about at least two of the women in the house” and said “he would trick into performing oral sex on him in the house, so he could ejaculate, and then spit, in her face and walk out. The other, he fancied raping after the show and throwing to the gators,” Salon reported back in 2001.
The winner and runner-up of Big Brother 4 both said horrific things. Winner Jun said houseguest Robert’s “father should’ve stayed in Cuba. His family is like … No speaky English,” while the runner-up, Alison, called him a “Cuban faggot.”
Sometimes, but all too rarely, the houseguests actually confront one another on their behavior. On the finale of Big Brother 5, contestant Marvin asked finalist Cowboy if he was “a racist liar or a lying racist.”
During Big Brother 6, Ivette called Kaysar a “sand nigger.” This season, besides Amber’s bigotry, Dick is particularly fond of throwing the word “bitch” at women (although so is Gordon Ramsay on FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen), which is broadcast without bleeping.
I repeat these things not to be sensational, but to illustrate how horrific the speech coming from the house has been over all eight seasons. And these are just the well-reported comments; with three months of conversations every season, the feed watchers have probably observed much more than this. Equally troublesome is that more often than not, these comments never make it on television, so the majority of TV viewers are unaware that the contestants they may like actually deserve their scorn.
Producer Arnold Shapiro, who’s no longer with the show, explained two years ago that he’s “appalled by any racial or religious slur, personally” and producers “and CBS do not want to put those kind of comments on national television. There’s a bigger purpose and picture here, and I wouldn’t want my name on a show that was having those kinds of things spoken,” he said.
That makes sense, although there’s plenty of comments (see Dick) that are broadcast, and viewers could still be made aware of a contestant’s feelings without the show broadcasting every hateful word. In the UK, where the show originated, a contestant was removed by producers for using the n-word; in the US, producers ignore it.
Most significantly, why is this happening so frequently on Big Brother? Perhaps producers just (accidentally or intentionally) cast some crazy racist, sexist, bigoted assholes. More likely, this is a product of the show’s unparalleled transparency. No other show has so many cameras recording so much, and no other show lets the world eavesdrop on every conversation. More likely than not, some of the stars we’ve grown to love on other shows have said similar things. The question is, would we rather know what they truly think or remain blind to that reality?"
While agreeing with most of the above, with all the heat Amber is going to get on the outside, I am personally disgusted that CBS would show a picture of her innocent daughter. That was uncalled for and what exactly was the point?
C=Venus
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