Christian Berkenberger, a white contestant who was eliminated in week 5, immediately scolded fans via Twitter.
HostJulie Chen Moonvesalso wholeheartedly disagrees with that sentiment.
“I have heard some call the formation of the Cookout a form of racism.
CBS
In my humble opinion, it is not.
That rarely happens.”
“The accusation of so-called reverse racism amongst some fans is a bad faith argument,” continues Dr.
Past “Big Brother” contenders Jun Song, Kaysar Ridha, and Ovi Kabir discuss the Cookout alliance.Doug Benc/Getty Images; Cam Montgomery/CBS via Getty Images; Sonja Flemming/CBS via Getty Images
Brandy Monk-Payton, a professor of media on African Americans in popular culture at Fordham University.
What did you think about that mandate?
We must be anti-racist.
CBS is trying to make an effort and acknowledging the past actions that happened in previous seasons.
JUN SONG:I’m just grateful that they’re being made in general.
The casting process has not changed for so long.
Or even someone from the LGBTQ community.
We’re always a token casting choice.
KAYSAR RIDHA:This was an opportunity to correct mistakes of the past.
People make assumptions: “Black people can’t get along.”
“Look, there’s more Black-on-Black violence.”
“Oh, they can’t get ahead because it’s their fault.”
And we apply that lens onanypeople of color.
What I loved about what happened this year was how [the Cookout] got along just fine.
Hell, they played one hell of a game.
KABIR:From my season, we sawa lot of micro-aggressions.
We saw implicit biases and heard a lot of racist remarks throughout that season.
Cast members like myself could argue we were at a disadvantage from the get-go.
It’s really hard to go back and watch it.
So I love to think of us as the straw that broke the camel’s back.
CBS is trying to figure out a way to mitigate that so it never happens again.
The Cookout is not just one singular season.
The difference is what is motivating it.
It’s not just to bring them further in the game.
This was never about Black versus white.
It was more about this kind of beautiful solidarity between six people who came together.
I’m just really grateful that my son gets to see someone like Derek.
He gets to see this Cookout Alliance come together.
They respect each other.
They’re having fun.
So shame on people who are saying that this is racist.
RIDHA:Is it a race-based Alliance?
Maybe, but that’s honestly inconsequential as far as I’m concerned.
They’re damned if they do and they’re damned if they don’t.
I think that’s fantastic.
They had to over-index it on race to make a point.
They didn’t choose to have racism inflicted upon them.
I think it’s really admirable.
I think Tiffany is a great example of that.
In her heart, she cannot take a shot at another African-American player.
They have to tell you what you are and who you are and how the story should play out.
That’s the ugliness of racism.
If you venture to present an alternative path forward, then you will be punished for that.
That’s what people don’t realize.
SONG:My son asked me a very direct question a couple of weeks ago about the Cookout.
I said no, because there have never been six Black people in the house before.
He and I had a really frank talk about race and skin color and dynamics.
He was like, no.
I said, “Do you think their alliance is based on hate in any way?”
And he said no.
I said, “I’m so proud of you, that you’re free to recognize that.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY How do you see this season impacting the future ofBig Brother?
KABIR:This is the resetBig Brotherneeded.
People will be mad about it.
You will never be able to convince everybody, but that’s what change and progress are.
People who are mad at CBS, I just want to say, “Get with the times.
This is the way the world is moving forward.”
RIDHA:I want the winner to bask in his or her glory.
I really want that for them.
They were brown and I’m brown.
They said, “Thank you so much.
I hope that this creates momentum rather than an excuse to celebrate a moment in time.
