Well, there is clearly more interest in Big Brother than social centres or radical politics. I bet that more indymedia readers watch big brother than are involved in running a social centre or even attending them for that mater.

Face it, big brother rules!

I think realist means that realist is a telly addict. Who the fuck watches that shit. Its sad.

'Did they see the irony of phoning a squat project to find people to take part in a programme that encourages the public to gang up on unpopular people and have them evicted?'

Probably not, every human endeavour is like that, doubtless the Big Bro office is like that too. There is certainly reason for any pre-existing squat to sue Endemol, I duuno if that is covered by legal aid. Still, I hope we see no further adverts for 'goldie lookin chain' or George Galloway on IM.

Big Brother is the pinnacle of TV culture in this dumbed down nation; conversely, though set in a very unreal, artificial and oppressive cultural environment, it is a possible vehicle for personalities to challenge cultural conventions and an opportunity for people involved to be inspired to create thought-provoking assertions of truth through acts of cooperation, albeit at a very superficial level - but which can have a positive impact on Joe Public. So, BB is a contradictory phenomenon in that whilst it exhibits all the very worst aspects of our shallow, celebrity-obsessed, intellectually sterile and superficial culture, it also has the opportunity through spontaneous happenings to break through the dross and homogeneous convention that most people accept as the cultural stimuli of their everyday lives. So, perhaps people like art-activists should defy the conventions by joining BB!

You must be a fool to think you can make any significant difference through attempts to undermind the status-quo by appearing on mainstream TV and being 'different'. Plenty have tried and their legacy is non-existent.

For a laugh, read Dead Famous and see how well 'swampy' did on Big Brother