Race has always been a very sensitive issue on Big Brother, and this year it’s coming back thanks to a potential move that has fans outraged. But is it actually racist, or just really stupid?

Dominique, who is African-American, is on the block and the target this week, thanks largely to Paul. Dominique has figured out that Paul was behind it and she’s been going around telling people that he’s a snake (or at least that he has snake-like tendencies).

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This has gotten back to Paul and he is offended that she’s calling him a snake. In order to mock her, he told several other HGs that he planned on dressing up like a snake. However, he decided to go with a black snake, wanting to dress in all black and wear a black moisturizing face mask.

And this is where it gets ugly, because many fans have pointed out that his plan is basically to wear blackface in order to mock the only black contestant on this season. Even if you’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he’s just trying to be funny, it’s easy to see how it could be taken as racist.

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Adding to this idea is that, in private and unbeknownst to Paul, Dominique has been talking about how she doesn’t want to come across like the typical “angry black woman” stereotype. She is able to recognize that being the only black person in a house filled with mostly white people is an issue.

Dominique isn’t wrong. No black person has ever won the game and Danielle Reyes in season 3 is the only black person to reach the Final 2. In fact, in the last five summer seasons, no black person has done better than 10th place, and that was Zakiyah last season.

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Let’s all hope that Paul doesn’t go through with his plan and drops it completely, because as we saw with Aaryn on season 15, racist comments and even perceptions of racism can be very damaging outside of the house and they really leave an ugly stain on the show.

(Image courtesy of CBS)

John Kubicek

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.