Ah, another 'classic' from the Beeb exploring the wonderful world of identity politics. Who could live without them, eh?
In all seriousness, this is yet another episode in the continuing subgenre of the examining bigoted people in society as a way to conflate their views with the mainstream views of others which they have to share. Sometimes, they can be pretty funny in exposing legitimate bigots whose egos are too big for their own good (see the Dispatches programme with a young Mark Collett for that).
Otherwise, they're just boring and uninteresting. This is especially true for BBC works in that particular genre as they've become so one-sided and uninteresting, not to mention cringe worthy with their often inexperienced and dense hosts, that they're insulting to watch. I can remember watching a slew of these on BBC Three when they aired (shortly before it got cancelled... can't gather why with quality programming like this), and they were pretty dire all round. This isn't as bad as the cringeworthy We Want Our Country Back, but it's mostly poor and offers little insight in to such subject matter, due to the host's own biases and the dumbed down nature in which such information is conveyed.
Perhaps the most obvious example is an experiment whereby the host gets a few people to deliver doughnuts on the street and enter stores, to see how people reacted to certain groups in society. While the information confirmed that certain groups get treated differently based on certain characteristics, there is no further analysis of why this is the case. There is no mention as to how certain groups could be perceived due to stereotypes that pervade them, often based unfortunately on inconvenient facts the show daren't touch to not alienate its left wing audience.
Meanwhile, it never asks why some people may have such prejudices in the first place either, assuming people are just racist cranks is a good enough explanation. Her showing up at an English Defence League rally (an already dead organisation by the time this documentary came out) and complains about some of the bigotry and football hooligan esque violence is one thing, and she does have some sympathy in that regard. But she never touches upon why people are drawn to such groups in the first place. Nothing about say mass immigration (a taboo only recently broken by both UKIP and Brexit, which showed that the electoral majority were not in favour of such a thing - it's very telling that this show came out before that happened, given how it is presented here) and grooming gangs getting ignored by several police forces not wanting the 'racist' slur thrown at them is discussed, as that would have added a level of depth or humanity this sorely needed to be more then just more left wing agitprop. But nope. Simply say that those who go to such rallies make her 'uncomfortable' and that is good enough. Great job, lads!
Finally, it advocates the very Orwellian measure of using technology to remove 'unconscious biases' from yourself. In other words, brainwash yourself to rid yourself of natural instincts that don't necessarily hurt anyone, provided they're not acted upon to either harm others or justify actual bigotry. The host - 'journalist' Mona Chalabi - seems thrilled at this prospect, calling it a 'privilege' to take the 'test' which checks for it. This is deeply chilling to advocate for, given the inherently authoritarian nature this has planted in it, not to mention that given that this network has advocated in the past for kids to not recognise gender differences and has joked about white people being killed for their race, it seems rather troubling is all I can really say.
However, it isn't all bad, as some of the information can be interesting, and genuinely surprising. Mainly this comes to the unconscious bias malarkey that springs up, which while leading to a sinister conclusion, yields some interesting facts. This mainly comes in dating app data, which shows how certain men prefer women of different races and not their own. It also does show some of these bigots for what they are, mainly that of Jack Buckby, whose racist views on 'homelands' seem not far off from anything a fringe commentator may say. He's apparently since 'reformed', but it's definitely hard not to feel uncomfortable watching that part.
But overall, it isn't that good. Poorly researched, handled and one sided to the point of boredom. Skip this and watch something more enlightening and educational please.
In all seriousness, this is yet another episode in the continuing subgenre of the examining bigoted people in society as a way to conflate their views with the mainstream views of others which they have to share. Sometimes, they can be pretty funny in exposing legitimate bigots whose egos are too big for their own good (see the Dispatches programme with a young Mark Collett for that).
Otherwise, they're just boring and uninteresting. This is especially true for BBC works in that particular genre as they've become so one-sided and uninteresting, not to mention cringe worthy with their often inexperienced and dense hosts, that they're insulting to watch. I can remember watching a slew of these on BBC Three when they aired (shortly before it got cancelled... can't gather why with quality programming like this), and they were pretty dire all round. This isn't as bad as the cringeworthy We Want Our Country Back, but it's mostly poor and offers little insight in to such subject matter, due to the host's own biases and the dumbed down nature in which such information is conveyed.
Perhaps the most obvious example is an experiment whereby the host gets a few people to deliver doughnuts on the street and enter stores, to see how people reacted to certain groups in society. While the information confirmed that certain groups get treated differently based on certain characteristics, there is no further analysis of why this is the case. There is no mention as to how certain groups could be perceived due to stereotypes that pervade them, often based unfortunately on inconvenient facts the show daren't touch to not alienate its left wing audience.
Meanwhile, it never asks why some people may have such prejudices in the first place either, assuming people are just racist cranks is a good enough explanation. Her showing up at an English Defence League rally (an already dead organisation by the time this documentary came out) and complains about some of the bigotry and football hooligan esque violence is one thing, and she does have some sympathy in that regard. But she never touches upon why people are drawn to such groups in the first place. Nothing about say mass immigration (a taboo only recently broken by both UKIP and Brexit, which showed that the electoral majority were not in favour of such a thing - it's very telling that this show came out before that happened, given how it is presented here) and grooming gangs getting ignored by several police forces not wanting the 'racist' slur thrown at them is discussed, as that would have added a level of depth or humanity this sorely needed to be more then just more left wing agitprop. But nope. Simply say that those who go to such rallies make her 'uncomfortable' and that is good enough. Great job, lads!
Finally, it advocates the very Orwellian measure of using technology to remove 'unconscious biases' from yourself. In other words, brainwash yourself to rid yourself of natural instincts that don't necessarily hurt anyone, provided they're not acted upon to either harm others or justify actual bigotry. The host - 'journalist' Mona Chalabi - seems thrilled at this prospect, calling it a 'privilege' to take the 'test' which checks for it. This is deeply chilling to advocate for, given the inherently authoritarian nature this has planted in it, not to mention that given that this network has advocated in the past for kids to not recognise gender differences and has joked about white people being killed for their race, it seems rather troubling is all I can really say.
However, it isn't all bad, as some of the information can be interesting, and genuinely surprising. Mainly this comes to the unconscious bias malarkey that springs up, which while leading to a sinister conclusion, yields some interesting facts. This mainly comes in dating app data, which shows how certain men prefer women of different races and not their own. It also does show some of these bigots for what they are, mainly that of Jack Buckby, whose racist views on 'homelands' seem not far off from anything a fringe commentator may say. He's apparently since 'reformed', but it's definitely hard not to feel uncomfortable watching that part.
But overall, it isn't that good. Poorly researched, handled and one sided to the point of boredom. Skip this and watch something more enlightening and educational please.
