'Big Brother' Live Feeds Capture Racist Conversation and Twitter Backlash Is Swift

Television By TooFab Staff |
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The live feeds for "Big Brother" haven't even been up for a full week yet, and already the racism has begun. Sadly, that's par for the course on the long-running reality show, and so is the social media outrage that will have no affect whatsoever.

It all went down on Monday when Season 20 Houseguests Rachel Swindler and Angela Rummans were sharing a hammock in the backyard. The two young women started comparing their tans, as you do, when things started to get a little sketchy, as detailed by TMZ.

Based on the online response to this exchange, there are many people who are struggling to ascertain exactly when things took a racist turn, but we think it's pretty clear. But don't worry, if you're not sure, we'll break it down in parentheses to help you out.

RACHEL: My stomach is as dark as Bay's. (Our first red flag that this conversation is heading nowhere good. Bayleigh Dayton is a fellow Houseguest who happens to be black. Not racist yet, but the potential is there.)

ANGELA: I know, I look ghetto here with the skin coloration. (There it is! And if you don't see why associating skin tone with ghetto is racist, then you just might be a racist. No, seriously.)

ANGELA (cont'd): And If we have nothing to do tomorrow or the next day, I'm gonna look--

RACHEL: I can't be in the sun for two days straight.

ANGELA: We're gonna look--

RACHEL: I'll look like a frikk-- I will look-- (It sounds like Rachel is either struggling to find the word she's looking for, or maybe struggling to find a different word than the one in her head because she knows it's totally racist.)

ANGELA: Leather. (That's not it, but also not racist ... god job, Angela!)

RACHEL: I will, legit, I will change ethnicities. I mean, I already have, basically. (Okay, this one is borderline, but not necessarily racist because different ethnicities often have different skin tones, so Rachel is still hanging in there.)

ANGELA: But it looks good.

RACHEL: I can't be changing ethnicities two days in a row. I mean, two more days in the sun, I will be-- not be good. Not be good for me. (Well, we're not sure what she means by "not be good for me," but if changing ethnicities would not be good, then that's some grade A racism, right there, meaning Angela and Rachel are two peas in a pod ... or hammock, as the case may be)

The response on social media was near universal condemnation, with many patiently explaining to their defenders why "ghetto" and "not be good for me" as comments are institutional or systemic racism at best. The young ladies may not be malicious racists, but that doesn't mean there isn't racism in their words.

And while many were calling for CBS to condemn the comments, or even eject them both from the game, a very small minority disagreed. While agreeing that the comments were problematic, they are also representative of the systemic racism in America, and isn't that what a show like "Big Brother" is supposed to expose? We don't have to be comfortable with it, but it is real.

And based on the social media response, we are most definitely not comfortable with it. Check out video of their conversation, taken from the show's live feeds, and those responses below:

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