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Monday, July 14, 2008

Big Bad Bill

Poor old Equality Bill.  Along with his pal Harriet Harman, he's been getting a bit of stick recently.  Apparently he'll be driving people to vote for the BNP and is putting the future of the white middle class male at risk.  
No fan of red tape I'm not exactly in favour of yet more rules and regulations, however well intentioned.  However, I think the creative writing favoured by our tabloid press has more to answer for when it comes to keeping a them and us culture alive and kicking.

My favourite sensationalist headline last week?  Has to be the Advert for Blind Air Traffic Controller.  Oh no, was it political correctness at its worst?  I shouldn't have been fooled, after all it was the Daily Mail I was reading.  Reading between the lines the real story seems to be quite boring really: a normal advert with bog standard equal opps statement tagged on the end.  So, the crime wasn't about ignoring requirements for the job, it was using the standard format for an ad.  The out of proportion coverage does reinforce the terror of error that must face so many public bodies in today's climate.  No wonder there is a feeling of can't do right for doing wrong amongst those subject to the public duties.  

It's not all bad, occasionally common sense does prevail, I liked one journalists re-writing of the Bill in plain english.  "Appoint on Merit and Don't discriminate"  Seems simple doesn't it.  

posted by Sherpa at 8:58 AM 0 comments

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Model behaviour

AMTM, BNTM - either an acronym too far or like me you are well aware of the empty head nonsense that is Americas/ Britains Next Top Model.  Programmes where lot's of girls who are (by industry standards) too old, too short etc etc fight it out in the hopes of becoming the next 'top' model. Great fun, but I suspect Agenyss Deyn is still sleeping soundly.  
So working on the premise that model perfection lies somewhere between size zero and 5ft11" can a disabled girl become a mainstream model? This is the question posed by BBC3's Britains Missing Top Model.  As with the more familiar Living TV series, a handful of stunning girls have to share an apartment and compete for the top prize through a series of modelling tasks.  The difference of course that the girls all consider themselves to be disabled.  

In episode 1 the ranking of disability started, the girls moaned about who was more disabled than who, the judges couldn't agree if they were looking for a model or a role model, a poster girl for disability if you like.  At judging all of the contestants were angry at the lack of constructive feedback, disappointed at with comments like ' didn't you do well', 'do you think you could cope in the real world?' .  
By episode 2 things really started to heat up:- well, my blood was boiling!   The models mentor, Jonathon 'i've only ever met perfect people' Phang, decided that ensuring the deaf girls could participate in a group discussion was a bit of a luxury, after all wasn't it annoying/inconvenient/expensive (for him) to have an interpretor on hand.  Never mind the phone call to give instructions for the next days task - couldn't he send a text or did he really enjoy telling the girls who hadn't heard what was going on a dressing down?

For me the jury is out on this show.  Like The Apprentice I can watch and cringe at the gaffs of the 'industry experts' and sneakily enjoy the catty remarks between contestants, but I do wonder if this programme will really achieve its aim of challenging stereotypes or if in fact it will perpetuate a view of disability as one of inability and not ability.  

posted by Sherpa at 11:58 AM 0 comments