How many white English nationals have left Strictly so far?

My memory might be failing me, and I apologise if I've forgotten anyone's favourite, but I feel like the answer to this is Lesley.

All other departees have been either foreign nationals or BAME.

I'm saying this with no slant. I think. But (if they're the facts) them's the facts. Maybe I should look up on Google first before posting to see if I've forgotten someone*.

Sensitive subject, but not necessarily one to sweep under the carpet.

ETA
* Will who walked. That's who was confusing me

if you are to raise such a sensitive subject then you need the context of SCD voting because otherwise any conclusions from this year mean nowt. Furthermore as the UK had its remain/leave vote for the EU, which is a very sore point it matters even more that your provide a context.

The ethnicity, or nationality, of any celebrity is only one of the factors which might influence voting patterns. Here's a selection of factors garnered from my regular reading of this forum since late 2005 (I eventually signed up to post later than that):

- can't warm* to him/her (*interchangeable with 'dislike', 'can't stand', 'hate' etc)
- can't warm to his/her partner
- have never liked that particular dance style
- didn't like the way they danced that particular dance style
- didn't like the choreography
-didn't like the facial expressions
-didn't like the lack of facial expressions
- he/she is the judges' pet
- he she is overmarked
- he/she gets all the best costumes and/or music
- don't like the way the BBC is 'pushing' them on the viewers
- don't like the [various conspiracy theories]
- they fell victim to the way the voting system works
- it was all a fix anyway
- he/she isn't a particularly good dancer
- he/she is a dreadful dancer
- he/she is an adequate dancer, but didn't dance this one particularly well
- I've never heard of him/her before
- I like him/her, but....
- I used to like him/her, but...
- he she is smug, conceited, guilty of false modesty, dead behind the eyes, fake, cries too much, doesn't show enough emotion, is desperate, doesn't care enough, is only doing it for the money/to revive a career/through desperation, has been forced into it by employers or agents....

Let's face it - I've already got a long list of 'factors I have seen on DS', and I've barely scratched the surface!

What other boxes did the departees tick? The one in bold is a hardy perennial, of course.

I don't have a context. It's just a pattern that is tweaking at me... Dunno... I honestly don't know. Craig says it's a 'popularity contest'. Is that any more sound or less sound a proposition? How can he know enough to dismiss unconscious racism as a factor.

It's so hard to know anyway when an item of clothing or the choice of music makes such a profound difference to our perception of a dance, where the responsibility for any departure lies -- with voters or producers.

Trying not to be controversial. And I'm certainly not saying it's a conspiracy. It's just a worry. On this night of possible Trump I think maybe I'm finding it harder to sweep my worry under the carpet.

Gawd, yes, I know! All of those and more. I agree.

Some (or most!) of those reasons, it seems to me, are nudged into place by people so as to explain or to justify a feeling that is just *there*. Stated reasons are not always the same as the motivations that we may not ourselves understand...

The big one you've missed off your list is probably 'I prefer x and so must somehow find the way to dismiss y and z, and persuade others to do the same'. Preferences not antipathies are the key thing. Sooo, who has been collectively preferred? I think if it's a factor at all, it's at that level of preference, not in the out and out disgusting redneck racism that the word 'racism' conjures.

Dunno. I might ask the mods to delete the thread because it is just my Trump-nervousness in overdrive perhaps

ETA alerting mods to the thread so they can decide... Trusting to the modly wisdom

If a person does badly in the public vote because he or she has not performed well, is that an issue? If a person does badly in the public because he or she has not performed well and is black (or American, or Irish) does that actually make a difference?

If the voting is racist, how come Alesha Dixon and Louis Smith won? How come Natalie Gumede, Denise Lewis, Colin Jackson and Simon Webbe made it to the final?

Not forget Mark Ramprakash never in the bottom two once from what I recall (it was pre-dance off) and I voted for him a few times too. Very obviously of Indian descent even down to the name. Race is probably one factor amongst many influencing voting along with gender - but look how often contestants who are BAME don't go out early and it's not just they're shoe-horned in - Louis Smith got a few pasting for the judges for being unexpressive, Alesha was in one DO showing it was possible and yet they both won.

The situation for certain ethnic groups in America got worse overnight. It's incredible and I'm incredulous that he won, but equally Hilary is a moral bankrupt and the electorate have been poorly served by the candidates on offer. This is my worry with UK politics too, which is why I like Corbyn.

I think racism is subtle and insidious and you'll not find it by asking the question although there's no problem with asking. The one thing I dislike in such conversations is the assumption about what is white. Lesley, Daisy and Robert are Jewish for starters. So when you ask about white English I think you need to be careful and exercise sensitivity. I think the race of celebs does play a part, how could it not. I can't draw a conclusion. I find Strictly quite homophobic and all the judges have been guilty of this in respect to Robert. Darcey mimicking his pout was one of the most distasteful moments for me and unbecoming of her.

Then there's the "I don't like xxx" the professional of the pairing, or "I'm voting for xxx" professional because it's about time he/she won..

How many don't like Anton? How many turned against James Jordan? How many are saying Kevin is too big for his boots?

Many of the professionals aren't white British Nationals, so have you factored that in, or are you saying viewers only vote for the celeb and ignore who the professional is?

Reasons for voting are far more complex than race.

As someone whose previous favourites were Pixie Lott and Helen George I'd add pretty, blonde female and a good dancer to that list! Have we had a winner who fitted that description?

Mrs. Crouch.

Plenty of other pretty women, too.

Abbey. Plus there have been pretty brunette winners in Kara and Alesha. I don't think it's the looks or hair colour, it's the personality, or perceived personality, that goes with them.

Caroline & Jill, too.

Surely possible racism (and all the other -isms too, for that matter) has been done to death already on here??

Well on DS there are far more important issues than race or creed
1) Do the say Thank you ?
2) Do they wear glasses on ITT ?
3) Are they fake or false or genuine ?
4) Does the pro hovvor twirl to cover up the celeb
5) Do they train enough/ too little/ too often / too hard/ too soft

Ds is far too busy noticing such failings to even notice if they are black or white or a bit black or a bit Irish or even a nutty American

6). Poppy wearing. There's much to be learnt from the prominence/absence of their poppies.

Which is strange you say that because two of the judges are very openly gay - Craig is probably the worst critic of Robert's face and he's gay himself (and also a degree of camp - the frequent use of the word darling and the fact he's worked as a drag artist in the past mean he's no stranger to camp) so it's not a homophobic thing.

I think it's a grey area in some cases because as with Ore traits that have some people labelling him as arrogant could be attributed to being bought it in a different cultural environment. I'm no expect but it does seem like Afro-Carribean cultures being more expressive or 'loud' is more acceptable and commonplace than in mainstream culture where being more reserved is valued. I think a midwife once told me that Afro-Carribean women in labour tend to much more vocal than Asian women who barely make any sound at all. So it's not racist necessarily to think with someone like Tamika - I don't like her because she's too loud and bolshy but it is influenced by a difference of cultural background. I suppose what I'm saying is someone can irritate you for cultural reasons without you being aware it's a sort of prejudice.

And there was me thinking it was a dance contest!!! 🙄🙄🙄

It's not strange at all. Homosexual men are no more free of homophobic reactions than those of other sexualities. It's facile of you to assume openly gay = not homophobic. There is one difference between Craig's remarks about Robert's face and Darcey's, Craig does not mimic Robert, which is a potentially humiliating. At the least it's belittling.

I'm sorry I can't agree with you remarks about loudness. They are the leading edge of stereotyping.