It's been nigh on impossible to escape the controversy centring around "Celebrity" Big Brother this week.  For those of you on Mars, there's a useful synopsis here. 

Let me lay my cards on the table.  I find most "reality TV" fairly loathsome.  I think there's something particularly distasteful about the sort of television which makes a spectacle out of other people's misery, incompetence or misfortune. 

There's enough debate out there already on the current Big Brother spat, so I'm giong to try not to duplicate what's already being said.  Is it racism or is it just fear-driven bigotry?  I think Christian O'Connell summed it up quite well on the radio this morning when he pointed out that, by definition, the adoption of racism requires a certain level of intellect.  In the case of Jade Goody, I leave you to draw your own conclusions. 

Over the course of this blog I've mentioned Carphone Warehouse and Charles Dunstone once or twice.  CPW sponsors Big Brother.  I think they should reconsider.  Not because of any allegations of racism, not even because of the bigoted and really-quite-scarily-strange freaks and weirdos that Endemol seem intent on throwing together for the purposes of entertaining the masses.

Here's why.

Jade Goody, much like Chantelle Houghton, has secured her fifteen minutes of minor fame not through talent but simply by making a spectacle of herself on reality TV.  Fair enough, but in the process she's secured role-model status among a generation of teenage girls desperate for their own fifteen minutes.

Danielle Lloyd, too, is an aspirational figure for the same generationl, having held (briefly) the crown of Miss United Kingdom.  We'll leave her downfall out of this for now.

Jo from Steps - also a role model, in this case for the "tweens" - kids the same age (or a bit older) as my daughter.

So here we have three role models, each exhibiting the kind of deplorable behaviour of which they should be thoroughly embarassed.  I just hope that the kids and teenagers who, hitherto, have idolised these people now realise they've been duped.

I gather that Act Against Bullying has dropped Jade Goody like a hot potato.  In view of the above, CPW should do the same to Big Brother, and the sooner the better.

A footnote:  Theo reckons we should boycott CPW.  I'm not sure that will help - I'm not boycotting Guido or Bloggerheads either. (no, nothing else on them today).