For those who've asked, no, Big Brother is not normally like this. It's always heartily car-crash, but I'm not sure there's ever been a year when viewer (and possibly housemate) involvement has hinged quite as much on hating those concerned. One indicator of this is the reaction to Kinga entering the House. Usually, new housemates airdropped in midway through have a relatively short shelf-life: they're generally shunned/distrusted at having failed to 'earn' their place there, and quickly nominated/voted out. This year, no-one has nominated Kinga; if anything, they're so sick/pissed off with each other, they fell over each other to welcome her in.
As has been said several times already, it's another measure of how repellent most of the housemates are that one finds oneself rooting for a fox-hunting Monday Clubber. And now he and my other I-want-them-to-winner, Eugene, are up for eviction. Bastards.
Psi-Lock:
Agree about Craig...I feel like he's beating other people round the head with the 'oh I'm such a victim' for sympathy.
He's kinda done that from the start, though, hasn't he? Presumably with some degree of success too, since many of his fellow housemates appear to a) indulge him as one would a tearful child, and b) overlook his vileness. I think it's a combination of this projected helplessness and am 'awww, unrequited lurrve' reaction that's stopped people voting for him before now. That and the fact that none of this year's housemates appear to have been selected for their ability to appreciate the boundaries of appropriate behaviour.
Prior to the vomity horror of ViolateGate, I read several opinion pieces in the gay press (including such bastions as Graham Norton and Hudson, editor of Boyz) peddling a 'yes, he's annoying, but haven't we all been there?' line - basically attributing Craig's behaviour to the ouchiness of being in love with someone who won't/can't love one back, a sort of 'ahhh, the agony of loving straight men'. I really hope ViolateGate has informed this viewpoint... but I wouldn't put money on it. Appallingly, I think there may still be gay people prepared to defend his actions...
God forbid that anyone does what he wants them to do and watches him on BB to learn from his approach to dealing with his 'sexuality'. Only he seems to want to maintain that it is an issue in there, as everyone else in the house doesn't bat an eyelid.
And God only knows what these mysterious "issues" actually are. Not only does nobody else in the House have an issue with Craig being gay (as he's so cunningly whispered behind his hand) but neither do his parents - as they indicated in their video message. Such is Craig's (victim) power within the House that no-one openly discusses the pink elephant in the living room, no matter how paradoxically Craig behaves (Kinga's direct 'what's your sexuality, Craig?' was subsequently characterised as tantamount to abuse).
Who, then, does have an issue with Craig's sexuality? His working colleagues? Doubtful, since he runs a hairdressing salon. His friends? Possibly, but given the effect of two teaspoons of Top Deck on him, it's difficult to see that Craig's moxenness would come as a huge revelation.
Craig himself says he has absolutely no issues himself with his sexuality. But then, Craig says a whole load of things which, increasingly, make me wonder whether he suffers from one of the almost-psychotic personality disorders... |
