[Bells]

I personally don't think it's racism really, and have never said it was. IMO the people picking on Shilpa just don't understand her, her culture or the way she's been brought up. But the fact is they don't even seem to WANT to understand, or know - so they're ignorant and pick on her instead. The fact that Shilpa's Indian is just an additional factor so they can do things like make fun of her accent as well (which of course I'm not condoning, since it's so ignorant and childish). Frankly, the closed-minded people (well, some of them anyway) simply have weak and bitchy personalities, and don't know how to deal with Shilpa's respectable personality.