One Paralympian And a Gay Man Is hardly a Woke Response
Just recently it wasn’t article in the Telegraph that really disappointed me. I’m not going to say who the writer was, but what I will say is that what they wrote to be over very short sighted and derogatory at best. The article was a direct critical response at the BBC over the latest series of Strictly Come Dancing.
As anyone who watches the show, including myself, will know that it’s a show about dancing. And for those who watch the show so is that it’s about entertainment but most importantly, it’s about inclusion and diversity. Last time I checked, diversity and inclusion were about bringing people together from all walks of life and backgrounds. Whether that be by religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or by race.
Now come what I read on the article from the Telegraph, this is where I confess, that I didn’t read it all in it’s entirety. Thankfully, I was watching a morning talk show on TV where it was being discussed.
The basic gist of the article was that it was accusing the BBC sea of being woke. Basically claiming that the producers were just bringing people like Richie Anderson and Ellie Simmonds in just to tick boxes.
Richie Anderson is a TV and radio host who is also openly gay. Hey he is also no of mixed raced background. Ellie Simmonds is a paralympic swimmer who has a form of dwarfism.
At the end of the day anyone can say that was past 3 or 5 years TV producers have been trying to force the whole equality and diversity agenda down everyone’s throats. However, for a great many years we’ve all been used to seeing the same type of contestants over and over again. Every so often it’s just nice to see different types of contestants on TV. It’s not one of those ‘forcing it down your throat’ thing at all, but more of a showing but there are many different types of other people out there are and that we should be embracing this sort of change rather than criticise it.
Now over the years we’ve had a number of contestants from the disability and LGBT + community. We’ve had JJ Chambers, Will Bayley, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Julian Clary, Scott Mills, Susan Calman and even Will Young to name a few.
Now last year ear we had Rose and John who both represented the LGBT+ and Disability community and I don’t recall any argument about their participation, so why is it being brought up this series?
Why has the appearance of people from various minority groups such an issue for some people? Just what is it about seeing people from certain minority groups that upsets people?
As I have mentioned on numerous occasions in previous columns, I myself am Autistic. Now I have admit I wouldn’t mind seeing The Chase star, Anne Hegerty, or former Gogglebox star, Tom Malone Jr, participate in a series. Now before you ask, it wouldn’t be part of a box ticking or woke decision, it would be because there’s probably meet good contestants. Also Gogglebox star Tom Malone Jr is a freestyle dancer.
I’ll confess that another reason I admit to it is because it’s a good way of sticking two fingers up up at a blind ignorance. Autistic people are viewed in certain ways, and those ‘ways’ are never really positive in that there’s always this preconceived notion that they can’t. I’d definitely see it as a way of saying “wanna bet”. So no, it wouldn’t be as part of a box ticking thing will because I think they’d actually make good contestants
Something that many people don’t actually seem to stop and think about is that that when people from certain groups participate in programmes like this it helps send a positive message to people both within and outside of those communities
To the people within those communities it shows them that’s something that they believed it was beyond them is actually possible, and to those outside those communities is that actually they can and that they’re just as good as their are heterosexual and and able bodied counterparts.
Ultimately it sends out the message that’s this is for everyone and that at anyone can do this. Whether you’re wheelchair bound or LGBT + you can feel included. If you watch any dance show whether it be Strictly, Dancing on Ice or So You Think You Can Dance the message it sends out is that it is for everyone and that no one should be excluded.
Want further proof, Did you see Ellie Simmons the form of the waltz with her dance partner? She’s 1.25 m, basically 4ft high high as she performed an incredible dance routine. Her Heights which is a result of their disability didn’t hold her back at all, if anything, we will all too distracted by her dancing and that’s regardless of her stature.
As for Richie being gay, quite honestly who the hell cares and why should we care. And even I have to admit that he definitely knows how to strut his stuff on the dance floor. But just in case we haven’t forgotten Strictly judge Craig Revel Horwood and former judge Bruno Tonioli are both gay and yet we never seem to to have a dig at that.
At the end of the day can we just see it as that in this series there is a rich variety of contestants and just enjoy it rather than see it as an excuse to accuse the BBC of being too woke and trying to tick boxes?https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/showbiz/2022/09/24/strictly-launch-black-countrys-ellie-simmonds-and-richie-anderson-paired-up-with-dancers/
