Only if your name is Donald Trump.

He won't win, but millions of americans will vote for him.

I feel it is being singled out. Remember, this discussion isn't taking place down in GD; it's in the context of Strictly and was prompted because the first two celebs to be eliminated are black, as though no other considerations could be relevant to what people find appealing or not when they decide how to vote.

In the spirit of both truth and humour I felt this hit the nail on the head with a smile and it's fab too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RovF1zsDoeM

I hope that truth and humour are both things I can get behind.

I don't think people are saying that and actually it tends to form part of a general discussion of why people vote - there are suspicions of bias in favour of attractive male contestants debated ab nasueum for example which last year proved without the talent to back it up that'll only get you so far. You could argue is the Mirror did erroneously IMO that race had something to do with Anthony the boxer last year getting an early bath but this ignores a)that Iwan Thomas who is white went first and b)that the gent in question was pretty crap and competing with an injury he had before the show and obviously didn't understand was a pretty major impairment to being any good . For what it's worth apart from the possible exception of Tamika it isn't relevant (I think that being just plain dull and not seeming to be having fun was what probably put Melvin and Naga out) but I have found myself wondering with some contestants if its one of the factors at play. Emphasis on the word one. For example I'll admit to a degree of male bias and also I wonder if I'm a bit of a snob which tends to influence which contestants I do and don't like.

Melvin and Naga went because they were no good, if voting is really racist how did Naga stay so long? Tameka is a weird one, her and Laura shouldn't have been there but it happens sometimes,voters assume they're safe and vote for other people. But all the judges can do is vote out the worst dance off and imo they did.

Apologies if anyone has already mentioned this but if the voting is racist, surely both Ore & Joanne and Danny & Oti would have been given the boot despite being at the top of the leaderboard over the last couple of weeks?

Omg this thread 😳😳😳

This thread has included some long and detailed discussion of very complex and subtle concepts beyond this simple reduction.
I think to get a proper flavour of it you need to read a lot of it and not just skim-read it, otherwise the simplistic stuff and eye-catching headlines don't tell the whole story.
It's gruelling stuff, but then so is the wider issue it reflects.

But if time is short, I think the poster who said "America has a black president- doesn't mean America doesn't experience racism" puts it about as briefly and eloquently as it gets.

Greg Rutherford has had his say on the possibility that there may have been an element of racist voting

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...liminated.html

That's helpful, isn't it?

A difficult subject is being discussed as sensitively as possible.

So, like everyone else, he doesn't know.

But, at least he knows he doesn't know.

That's actually where I stand (despite the fact some people might have wrongly deduced otherwise)

Doesn't mean it's wrong to at least consider the possibility though.

From what he said I doubt that he "fears" voting could be racist - that's quite a string emotion which isn't reflected in his words. What he needs to really fear is that viewers aren't "gingerist".

IMO he is hinting what a lot of people think is happening with the voting.

Greg would have been well advised to give a bland non answer to this question rather than these virtue signalling musings. Not my world? What world is he living in? Isn't he a member of the British public too? And to hold the world of athletics up as a bastion of ethics is really pushing it.

But drug taking to cheat or pushing over to do it knows no racial barriers either unless being Russian counts.

Long-jumping does in fairness to tend to fairly free of that (it's not high profile enough to attract it) - I agree with the first part but then again we can chalk this down to an understandable lack of media savy and I think that's what Greg is talking about - sport especially althetletics is about performance only and not personalities and people's personal preeves - unless it's about the drugs you can get away with taking.

An important and obvious topic, which people are aware of, but for some reason the discussion is considered to be uncomfortable. I have noticed especially on DS that some people not all skirt around the issue making all sorts of excuses IMO. I have read some very well reasoned discussions on here.

I really admire him for that answer - I like that he was honest and didnt just dismiss it as silliness. I don't think there is anything worse than people sneering at accusations or discussions of racism because it offends them to think that it still exists. Good for Greg.

Celebs really can't win can they? They're either bland, beige and too media-savvy or they're criticised for responding to a direct question from a journo.
I've read his response and it's intelligent, measured and humane and reflects what he does know about -BAME achievement in sport, which is high- and refuses to be drawn into specifics on what he knows less about- the "not my world" of tv.
It made him go up in my estimation; he was prepared to stick his neck out and be counted rather than play it safe to avoid criticism, even though what he said "We can't say it's not racist" is actually irrefutable.

Really the only direct action we can all take is to vote Ore. A lot.

Disclaimer: I might have started his App Thread.

One of the rules of marketing - don't dilute your message! You could have guilt tripped no end of folks into voting for Jo & Ore if you'd played your cards right.

I am too honest.

(DS really should allow us to write our disclaimers on page 155 in tiny print or invisible ink.)

I also have to confess that I'm having to distract attention from Oti's colour and nationality to promote my Vote Ore campaign.

Drat.

Typical dog - everything on display!

Haha! It's true.

Though to be fair, cats are the same. It's just that their bits are tidier and discreetly fur-covered.