This is an instalment of a regular commentary on Big Brother from Dr Toni Johnson-Woods, Lecturer in Contemporary Studies, The University of Queensland.
Jerry, Jenny, Ricki, look out, Big Brother is your greatest rival.
The BB Adults Only (Thursday night) shows seem to mirror the Jerry Springer Show: coming out stories; my first sexual experience, and open relationships. From the moment they stepped out of the limos, the contestants have been steered to talking about intimate relationships.
When the contestants swing into confessional mode, they give rather graphic verbal and non-verbal descriptions of sexual activities. Sometimes they forget polite turn-taking and talk simultaneously, getting louder and louder which renders the conversation incomprehensible to viewers (to this viewer anyway). Though loud, the talk is non-confrontational.
Comparison between the discussion which followed Johnnie's coming out and the shocked silence which followed a Boot Camper's coming out reflects positively on Australian attitudes to homosexuality. (Positively, I hope). Interestingly, when the girls are away, the boys tend not to discuss sex (Thursday night 17/5).
Some of these sex-talks are punctuated with profanity, as are the contestants' normal conversations if the amount of bleeping during the 7pm show is anything to go by. But this is not just an Australian penchant. Apparently, in Danish and Norwegian BBs "swearing was more a rule than an exception" (Anne email 17/5) and even the US winner "loved to swear" (yblehs43 email 17/5). Neither is it a new phenomenon. It is about 30 years since Graham Kennedy's notorious crow call. In BB swearing is naturalised and contagious; some contestants have caught the bug (Jemma, AO Episode 17/5).
After explicit and fulsome sex-talk, gossiping is their next favourite conversational activity (or at least that is the one viewers see the most of). Most of these discussions are negative in content; but are positive in outcome. They are bonding experiences for those who participate and give viewers insights into which alliances are forming and contestants' motivations.
These conversations tended to be whispered; confrontations (i.e. non-agreement statements) are calm and unemotive. Generally, most conversations are "cocktail party talk". In linguistic terms, these "phatic communications" signal friendship or at least lack of enmity, the type of conversation in which viewers regularly participate. Controversial topics are notable for their linguistic sparseness (e.g. housemates' discussion of ANZAC) and rarity.
The biggest silence comes from the Diary Room. Contestants have to visit the Diary Room at least once a day, but generally only nominations are aired. Christina has provided the most insightful confession talk so far. If emails are anything to go by, Australian viewers are frustrated by the blocking of the Diary Room (elchbo75 various emails). Even online viewers are bounced to another room when people enter the Diary Room.
While we might have sex-talk, gossip-talk, cocktail-party talk, the most interesting talk is yet to come-as the contestants learn more about each other and as confessionals become a central feature, then talk could become confrontational and thus make for compelling viewing. As Blair would say: "Jotta!"
Dr Toni Johnson-Woods
The complete set of commentaries is available at https://www.uq.edu.au/news/bigbrother
