Watch your p's and q's

[Prufrock]

Also possible that the two white people are in the current eye more? I had forgotton who Don Warrinton was until they reminded me...even then I had to scroll back to see his surname.

I really don't think race or colour comes into it (do you really think racists are really going to be that bothered or even organise a mass vote for non blacks etc) its down to skill, personality and popularity......or in Jon Sergeants case amusement

Sometimes people are too busy looking for hidden meanings etc they miss what is right in front of them and bloody obvious.

I don't care who wins, colour, race etc etc......as long as its not Austin "l love myself" Healey

Dont watch it, but from the outside i think anyone who dismisses race as a factor is being naive. It will definately influence SOME people. Hopefully not many. And the views of a lot of people on this matter are that it is more the white people Heather Smalls and Don Whatsit were up against were bigger names and more popular. You would hope however that in this day and age the numbers of people for whom the colour of the participants is a factor in who they vote for would be minimal.

[TANGODANCER]

People don't get voted off the show, they get voted to stay in. A vast amount of voters go for their favourite people based on many things besides dance skills, it's true. If a lot of black people vote for Heather Small because they like her, is that racism? Don Warrington isn't well known amongst the very young except for Rising Damp. His Shakespeare acting will hardly be known to the masses. A likeable guy, but what chance against say, Rachel from S Club 7?

Of course racism exists, but to indicate it does in a dance show with no proof other than suspicion just seemed unnecessary to me to raise the topic. Of course, the NOTW had a field day and blew it all out of proportion, but the damage is done. As a follower of the show and a reader of the website, some of the reasons for voting for certain contestants are mind-boggling in a supposed dance show. Multiple voting is also allowed in order to raise funds (usually for charity). None of it has much to do with dance, but there you go.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

People don't get voted off the show, they get voted to stay in. A vast amount of voters go for their favourite people based on many things besides dance skills, it's true. If a lot of black people vote for Heather Small because they like her, is that racism?

Bloody hell Tango, careful... if 95% of a State's black Democrat voters vote for the black candidate, then we're not allowed to see the racism in that.....

[Puskas]

People don't get voted off the show, they get voted to stay in. A vast amount of voters go for their favourite people based on many things besides dance skills, it's true. If a lot of black people vote for Heather Small because they like her, is that racism?

Bloody hell Tango, careful... if 95% of a State's black Democrat voters vote for the black candidate, then we're not allowed to see the racism in that.....

Why not - who's stopping you?

Or are you just whining about some non-existent "political correctness gone mad"?

[bristol_Wanderer3]

People don't get voted off the show, they get voted to stay in. A vast amount of voters go for their favourite people based on many things besides dance skills, it's true. If a lot of black people vote for Heather Small because they like her, is that racism?

Bloody hell Tango, careful... if 95% of a State's black Democrat voters vote for the black candidate, then we're not allowed to see the racism in that.....

That wouldn't be racism would it?

Surely racism is about seeking to gain an advantage, or power, using a system or structure that has its foundations in discriminating based on culture, colour or backround?

Although it is difficult to prove, Black voters voting for a black candidate, particularly in the US, are more likely to be fighting against racism i.e. voting with the intention of changing a structure they believe is racist (assuming they believe that a white candidate is continuing to perpetuate an albeit more understated racist attitude), rather than seeking to establish their own system of rule by discrimination?

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Just saying that the fairly obvious truth that people tend to stick together with people of their own ethnicity seems to be labelled 'racism' when it's one group, and not when it's another.

Hardly a sensibility-affecting whine...

[Puskas]

Just saying that the fairly obvious truth that people tend to stick together with people of their own ethnicity seems to be labelled 'racism' when it's one group, and not when it's another.

Hardly a sensibility-affecting whine...

Except you weren't just saying that, were you?

You were saying "Careful...you're not allowed to say..." as though someone would come along with a big stick and hit you if you dared suggest such a thing.

Which sounds very much like a whine to me.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Just saying that the fairly obvious truth that people tend to stick together with people of their own ethnicity seems to be labelled 'racism' when it's one group, and not when it's another.

Hardly a sensibility-affecting whine...

Except you weren't just saying that, were you?

You were saying "Careful...you're not allowed to say..." as though someone would come along with a big stick and hit you if you dared suggest such a thing.

Which sounds very much like a whine to me.

No, you're absolutely right. My post was a serious note of caution to Tango, lest he be whisked away by the over-zealous PC Police. To hell in a handcart and all that...



Which one of us is looking for a whine?

[communistworkethic]

People don't get voted off the show, they get voted to stay in. A vast amount of voters go for their favourite people based on many things besides dance skills, it's true. If a lot of black people vote for Heather Small because they like her, is that racism? Don Warrington isn't well known amongst the very young except for Rising Damp. His Shakespeare acting will hardly be known to the masses. A likeable guy, but what chance against say, Rachel from S Club 7?

Of course racism exists, but to indicate it does in a dance show with no proof other than suspicion just seemed unnecessary to me to raise the topic. Of course, the NOTW had a field day and blew it all out of proportion, but the damage is done. As a follower of the show and a reader of the website, some of the reasons for voting for certain contestants are mind-boggling in a supposed dance show. Multiple voting is also allowed in order to raise funds (usually for charity). None of it has much to do with dance, but there you go.

you know full well it isn't - unless their only reason for liking her is her colour

in your opinion.

as I asked before, who got the better scores the black competitors or white ones? You may well vote positively but to suggest nobody votes in favour of one because it is ultimately against another is missing the point entirely.

racism exists in many forms, some quite overt, others are less obvious, even subconscious, but they are none the less racism

[TANGODANCER]

As I said, why not join the site and ask them? For me, genearally the best dancers should get the votes. They don't because of personal favouritism. That's why I said it's become a popularity contest. I also said I watch it fo the dancing, not the politics. Watch the show and you might see what I mean.

[communistworkethic]

As I said, why not join the site and ask them? For me, genearally the best dancers should get the votes. They don't because of personal favouritism. That's why I said it's become a popularity contest. I also said I watch it fo the dancing, not the politics. Watch the show and you might see what I mean.

but that favouritism may be based on race - you don't know but you dismiss the theory out of hand. Two black dancers who were better than their white counter parts didn't get as many votes as them when it came down to subjectivity, and there's no possibility that race was the reason?

[CAPSLOCK]

Alesha Dixon aint white

But then she can mooooooove

[TANGODANCER]

As I said, why not join the site and ask them? For me, genearally the best dancers should get the votes. They don't because of personal favouritism. That's why I said it's become a popularity contest. I also said I watch it fo the dancing, not the politics. Watch the show and you might see what I mean.

but that favouritism may be based on race - you don't know but you dismiss the theory out of hand. Two black dancers who were better than their white counter parts didn't get as many votes as them when it came down to subjectivity, and there's no possibility that race was the reason?

Whoa, whoa there. Putting words in my mouth again. Go read my post again and show where I dsimiss anything out of hand. I said there was never any mention of it previously and didn't see why someone should bring it up based purely on a view of their own suspicions. It would appear you just love to take the opposite view, fine. But let's stick with the script shall we?

[communistworkethic]

oh no of course, you did your usual thing of introducing a subject and having no opinion on it either way

[TANGODANCER]

oh no of course, you did your usual thing of introducing a subject and having no opinion on it either way

My opinions, for what they are, have already been stated. Read the original post, ,make of it what you will. Replies on a postcard to Strictly Come Dancing.

I’m really starting to get concerned that the voting for Strictly is really racist. There’s no way Don and Heather both deserved to be in the bottom two on Sunday. Mark, Andrew and John – who are all white men – got worse scores than them but when the public vote came in they were saved from the dance off.

The same thing happened to Heather the other week when she was in the bottom two when she’d actually done pretty well.

I’ve just started to get quite disgusted about this when looking at some of the results from previous years. It always seems black contestants face a far tougher time. I’m fed up with it. Surely some people here must have noticed what’s going on?

Series four was really bad. Spoony went out far before he should of in week three. And you could argue that Mica Paris and Ray Feron did too.

And then in series two and three Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson were far superior dancers to Darren Gough and Jill Halfpenny but why did they lose out at the last hurdle???

I think there’s racist voting going on and the BBC’s going to have to do something about it.

[Raven]

As I said, why not join the site and ask them? For me, genearally the best dancers should get the votes. They don't because of personal favouritism. That's why I said it's become a popularity contest. I also said I watch it fo the dancing, not the politics. Watch the show and you might see what I mean.

I slightly disagree, its a personality thing in the first few rounds but the better dancers always get through to the later rounds.

I'll put money on it that the final three will be Austin & Erin, the bloke from Casualty and Camilla and Cherie and ? (dreadful memory here). Sorry none of them black but thats down to their dancing skills not their colour

[TANGODANCER]

As I said, why not join the site and ask them? For me, genearally the best dancers should get the votes. They don't because of personal favouritism. That's why I said it's become a popularity contest. I also said I watch it fo the dancing, not the politics. Watch the show and you might see what I mean.

I slightly disagree, its a personality thing in the first few rounds but the better dancers always get through to the later rounds.

I'll put money on it that the final three will be Austin & Erin, the bloke from Casualty and Camilla and Cherie and ? (dreadful memory here). Sorry none of them black but thats down to their dancing skills not their colour

I'm not disagreeing with that Raven. Not even with your choices although I think Vincent and Rachel may creep in there. Austin Healey will probably win because of his consistently good performances. Tom Chambers is from a hospital soap, but not Casualty (not that it matters) . Trouble is favouritism does play a big part in the voting. I read the message boards and some of the reasons for voting are totally not dance related. " I like him/her because he/she seems a nice person. Isn't xxxxxxx hot?, I'm definitely voting for him. Doesn't matter he isn't such a good dancer, he's great entertainment " etc etc. You just hope there are more dance fans than just watch the show for entertainment.

BBC know they're on a good thing. The show just beat Cowell's X Factor in the National TV Awards.

[communistworkethic]

oh no of course, you did your usual thing of introducing a subject and having no opinion on it either way

My opinions, for what they are, have already been stated. Read the original post, ,make of it what you will. Replies on a postcard to Strictly Come Dancing.

I’m really starting to get concerned that the voting for Strictly is really racist. There’s no way Don and Heather both deserved to be in the bottom two on Sunday. Mark, Andrew and John – who are all white men – got worse scores than them but when the public vote came in they were saved from the dance off.

The same thing happened to Heather the other week when she was in the bottom two when she’d actually done pretty well.

I’ve just started to get quite disgusted about this when looking at some of the results from previous years. It always seems black contestants face a far tougher time. I’m fed up with it. Surely some people here must have noticed what’s going on?

Series four was really bad. Spoony went out far before he should of in week three. And you could argue that Mica Paris and Ray Feron did too.

And then in series two and three Denise Lewis and Colin Jackson were far superior dancers to Darren Gough and Jill Halfpenny but why did they lose out at the last hurdle???

I think there’s racist voting going on and the BBC’s going to have to do something about it.

as i stated you've kept out of offering an opinion as to whether race is the issue, being dismissive of others in the process.

[TANGODANCER]

Commie.

I passed on a topic that someone else had posted on another site . I expressed a view that racism needn't have come into it. Replies from the initial comment caused it to be picked up and blasted all over the News of The Word, a publication I believe you've spoken of in not too favourable a light in the past. I pasted the original article so that you, and anyone interested enough, could air your own views. Oh, and where exactly have I been dismissive of others views? Point it out if you will please.

My "view", if it's so obscure that you can't understand it, is that no one had previously mentioned racism related to the programme. Now, the original poster (who some are of the opinion may have been a plant) has conveniently disappeared after that one post,, damage done. Racism is being effectively hinted at in voting as if it is the major issue and nothing to do with personal favourites or impartial views based on dance skills. My view is that this is not the case. Based on what, you'll ask?
Based on six seasons of watching the programme and seeing people of mixed race do well enough based on their skills with no talk of racism whatsoever. Alesha Dixon Won, Mark Rampakesh won, Denise Lewis reached the final. Colin Jackson lost because of bad choreography.

I have also been a member of the website for quite a long time and the topic has never been raised previously in that time. Favouritism has caused havoc with truly bad dancers such as Kate Garraway and Christopher Parker progressing due to it whilst better dancers were voted out. Racism, never.

I am quite aware that racism exists in all walks of life. To call for BBC action on racist voting (what exactly they are supposed to do is as big a mystery as why it was hinted at with no proof whatsoever) smacks of stone-throwing from the back of the crowd by someone hell-bent on mischief.
Thus, for what it's worth, is my view. I have no intention of taking it further as I wanted to hear the views of others.

[chester white]

Has anyone seen the bottom of the article!?

If you think Strictly Come Dancing is racist, you can complain to the BBC at bbc.co.uk/complaints. You can also ring the BBC to complain on 03700 100222 or write to BBC Complaints, PO Box 1922, Glasgow G2 3WT

WTF!!!??? This just about sums up the gutter press in our country! Similar to the Brand & Ross thing. Lets make a mountain out of a mole hill, and sell more papers! Never mind the ramifications!

I wouldn't wipe my arse with this paper!