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Blackpool beach & promenade

Blackpool beach 11/06/14

Why Big Brother is still my guilty pleasure:

In 2010 when Channel 4 announced it was axing the reality show Big Brother from its schedule, my heart sank a little. I’d been watching Big Brother for as long as I could remember and despite how much it was slated by people, I couldn’t help but watch it.

So when Big Brother announced it was returning to Channel 5 I was unashamedly excited. The 15th series has just begun and it’s just as addictive and entertaining as ever.

I’m naturally a nosy person and for me Big Brother is an interesting insight into a world of personality clashes and non-stop drama. Human behaviour is put under the microscope in the Big Brother house and with a fun mix of people stuck in the same place for so long – arguments are guaranteed.

Big Brother has repeatedly been at the centre of media attention because of the controversies it has caused series after series. Some of the events that have taken place in the Big Brother house have been some of the biggest and most memorable of the past TV decade. Big Brother touches a nerve with some people when it exposes racism, bullying, sexism and homophobia so publicly. Therefore, people are willing to criticise and dismiss it as “trash TV” because it makes them feel uncomfortable. All those issues are problems in society, not just in Big Brother and they can’t simply be ignored. Big Brother should be credited for making people discuss these problems – even if it is in the most trivial context of gossip and entertainment.

Nothing is really off-limits in Big Brother and that is what makes it such good viewing. Already, in the few episodes of the new series that have aired there have been house divides over ‘laddism’ and the controversial power wielded by some housemates over others. However, there are two main things at stake in Big Brother – reputation and money. What makes the show so interesting is the extent people will go to, to protect themselves and not others and how far they will “game-play” to be the winner.

Big Brother is a social experiment at the same time as being a reality TV show but I’m not going to sing its praises for being such. Ultimately, I watch it for the same reasons most people probably watch reality TV – to get a glimpse into other people’s lives.

The generation thing:

Generation gaps and differences naturally exist because no two generations can ever really be the same. Whether we like it or not – time brings with it new people, new social and cultural practices and changing ideas.

However, one thing that really grates on me is phrases such as “well, it wasn’t like that in our day” or “things were better back then.” In my opinion, this mindset does nothing to bring different generations closer together and just creates an environment of apathy. Perhaps, if people focused less on what separates old from young and more on what everyone can learn from each other there would be less talk of increasing generation divides.

I often remind my parents that I hate it when they slip into using such phrases. Understandably, there are things that young people do that shock and disgust older age groups and they feel inclined to comment. Similarly, young people often dismiss older people’s attitudes and beliefs because they can’t comprehend them. Both these tendencies leave us narrow-minded and unwilling to accept that we could have more in common than we think. The real problem is that certain rhetoric exaggerates generation gaps and leaves us more out of touch with each other than the real differences do.

Recently, I’ve started to think more about why certain changes trigger people to talk about generations becoming more divided. One change I think contributes to this is the increase in people going to university and the impact this has on people in towns and cities where universities are based.

I was born and brought up in Lancaster – a small town with an ever-expanding university campus and a rapidly growing student population. For most of the time I’ve lived here our street of terraced houses,  near the town centre, has been mostly full of families. However, since leaving home two years ago to go to university and having returned home during holidays, I have noticed the increasing presence of students in the area. The house next door to us has six students living in it and with nothing separating us but a wall – listening to their music and pre-drinking parties has become a regular occurrence for my parents. The streets surrounding us are also quickly becoming taken over by student houses and “To Let” signs advertised specifically at students.

On this issue I’m torn. On the one hand, I’m a student myself and I know that students have to live somewhere. From my experience I know how hard it is to find a flat close to your university campus. Lancaster poses an even more difficult problem because the campus is a bus ride/drive away from the centre of town and it’s almost impossible to live really close to the campus unless you can afford and find space to live on it. Therefore, many Lancaster students live in the town itself which is no doubt reaching its limits in being able to provide sufficient housing to local residents and students.

Having lived in my area as long as I have I also feel sorry for the people who call this home. I used to deliver newspapers on the streets next to mine and became friendly with some of the local residents. One elderly man used to talk to me about the student problem. He would talk about students “dominating over the locals” and point out how many houses now belonged to students and not couples and families. I got the sense that he was voicing the older generation’s concerns – for many of whom university and student life is something very unfamiliar and alien.

Personally, I think there needs to be a concerted effort on the part of students to respect residents and their community. People in students halls might not have a problem with a 3am party and drinking session but working families and elderly people in a neighbourhood are likely to. It should also be the responsibility of universities to help make sure students integrate into local communities – especially when it is universities that are failing to provide adequate university accommodation for their students.

However, older generations who have never experienced this great influx of students into towns and cities where they live, may also have lessons to learn. Lancaster is undoubtedly a more lively place when the students are around. The difference when they disappear is noticeable and hits Lancaster’s nightlife particularly hard. If older generations recognise the positive impact students can bring to their local economy, businesses and communities then maybe the generation gap would become more of a myth.

This problem is not unique to one town but is mirrored in many towns and cities across the UK. The only way to change things for the better is to get people talking because the longer these tensions persist the less visible the underlying problems will be.