:clap1::clap1:

He's got a **** and outdated opinion so no, we shouldn't accept it!

He would have been evicted over his attitude to women despite yesterday's task anyway

It's not a question of accepting it, it's a question of letting him air it so it can be challenged and debated

I suppose much of the apparent overreaction to one person's "unpopular belief" is the fear that it's secretly held by the majority: let's not pretend that gay rights are the most stable thing in the world right now. So whilst to us it's just "WINSTON IS WRONG!!! EVICT HIM!!!! SICKO!!!" there's basically an underlying worry that he and his party are canvassing the votes of like-minded people. Which they are. Weren't they the 3rd largest party in terms of votes across the country?

It may be an overreaction but it's a fair one - maybe 50 years down the line when gay adoption isn't still a "new thing" that could very quickly and promptly be written out of law by a party on the extreme right, we can all look back and laugh at the idea of adoption rights being at jeopardy. Right now we can't, really.

Obviously, lol. I'm not saying 'WE MUST UNDERSTAND HIS OPINIONS!!!11' I'm saying that you can't change someones opinion by publicly shaming them and telling them how wrong they are. You can disagree, of course, but doing what everyone is doing won't solve anything. I just don't understand why people are getting so worked up over it.

I wasn't offended I found his view amusing

Of course we should accept his opinions. Whether you choose to label them as "wrong" is entirely of your own volition and not some holier than thou world view that everybody needs to accept.

The reaction of some of the housemates to Winston's comments was embarrassing to watch and I'd argue that that sort of ganging up and the sort of bitchy faces being pulled by John Partridge do more damage to the cause they purport to care so deeply about than they'd like to expect.

One of my best friends is gay and totally disagrees with gay couples being allowed to adopt children, as do many others, does that make him a backwards homophobe too? Of course it doesn't.

While I would agree he is entitled to his opinion I have 0 respect for a person who thinks gay couples adopting is child abuse.

I'm also a bit perplexed by the 'well it doesn't concern you' about I guess straight people being annoyed or disgusted by his opinions - I find that stupid actually - I've never experienced animal abuse but I'd be fuming if somebody said it was funny

You weren't voting though :p

When I say 'We should respect other peoples opinions' I don't mean we should say 'yaas you're so right, i totes agree', I mean that we should say 'Well I don't agree with your opinions but I can put that behind me and treat you like a human anyway.'

I just think the way Winston has been treated tonight has been completely OTT.

people have opinions over an opinion and some views/opinions do not go down well with others and the people who are angry have the right to be angry too. Respect has to be earned too. Can't really respect something that you don't agree with can you?

No, you can't 'respect' something you disagree with, but you can rise above it and treat people like humans either way. You can try and encourage them to see the light. You can show them how their opinions are wrong, and if at the end of the day, they don't change their opinions, you can shrug your shoulders and say you tried.

But does he compare it to child abuse?

No, you don't have to respect their opinion, but I do respect their right to their opinion.

Well it's Big Brother, the whole way the show works is if we don't like a persons opinions we say so and get them out

No he doesn't but the main point I was making was that, in my opinion, the ridiculous overreaction by the housemates, John Partridge's awful facial expressions and Emma Willis' attacking of Winston McKenzie do far more damage to the cause of the LGBT community than the opinions of a powerless minority like McKenzie.

But child abuse?


Coming from a seemingly intelligent guy?

He said gay adoption is akin to child abuse. It's a statement that's beyond ignorant and offensive. He offered no evidence to show his view is correct and instead rambled on about his christian beliefs.

Respecting opinions is a 2 way track however, the View of Winston that gay adoption has any relevance to child abuse, doesn't command respect it warrants contempt.

He of course has the right to hold his views but once he makes them public then he opens that up to debate and criticism.

Respect for opinions of those who disagree with us is of course correct but not deliberate offence with no full and unreserved retraction of the offensive comments.

6 JAN 2016

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/e...kenzie-7126431

I would have liked to have heard more about his views on the child abuse issue.
Was he on about sexual abuse, physical abuse, or was he on about mental abuse?

It's quite clear Big Brother wanted him out. They literally dug out a really strange comment (even stranger that he still agrees with it) from the past to set him up and get him out.

There must of been a hell of a lot of OFCOM complaints...

Yeah if he had been allowed to expand on this a bit, it might have made a bit more 'sense'

I don't mean it would justify it, but the child abuse thing just..I can't make any sense of at all. I cannot see anyway in which it is abuse. Nor did the 'the child can't cho0se' make any sense as an explanation.

Beautifully put as always Joey :love:

I don't think an opinion should automatically be respected. Any ass can have one. I'd need to respect the person giving the opinion first, and secondly decide if they have valid points to make.
Winston lost on both counts.

I can accept other people's opinions, but I don't feel the need to respect someone for having one which differs from my own.

I felt he was given ample time to expand on it but he didn't do a good job of it and prattled on about nothing

I felt he was given ample time to expand on it but he didn't do a good job of it and prattled on about nothing

I don't believe that all views should be respected. It's very dependant on the circumstance and how that certain opinion effects somebody personally. I don't think ignorant views like Winston's deserve much respect from anyone and I don't think he should expect to receive respect for them either.

The word is ACKNOWLEDGE, NOT RESPECT.

...hmmmm, it's interesting that so many of us always say how we would like the 'old style' BB back and the social experiment, type thing...surely, having Winston in the house with his extreme views on homosexuality, together with homeosexuals in there as well, is an inetersting social experiment..I mean, is that not a big part of it all...to see if there could be any understanding gained or any mind-set changes etc...yeah, we can hate on people who have the same views as Winston/we can boo them and scream get out... but if we do that, then all it'll cause is for nothing really to ever change because that hate will inevitably cause a defensiveness that will not leave an open door for listening...it's 2016, views like Winston's should not still be something that exist but they do exist and maybe that's partly because they're attacked, rather than discussed..a mind-set is a mind-set, something that isn't easy to change and I would doubt, would ever be changed through a BB experience but at least it's a beginning and an opening for questioning that mind-set...why do you believe a homosexual guy would be a sexual predator in any way, why would you have to have your 'back to the wall', while sharing the same house space/environment...why would it in any way be damaging for a child to have homosexual parents..?...all of these opportunities lost by hating on someone, by attacking what they believe...as abhorrent as it may be, it's their genuine belief and one that will continue sadly and be 'inherited' if all there is, is attack on it...the 'divide' will remain, the divide will widen because it's not just his beliefs, it's also the beliefs of others as well....we're kind of quite selective with our free speech because we don't like it when it offends and Winston's opinions are certainly very offensive and prejudice...but what really the importance of our own personal offence, compared to a possible changing of like-minded opinions to Winston's opinions...is that not the 'bigger picture', to not shut down the Winstons of the world, to not name call and attack...that's only going to re-inforce their mind-sets...if we want change, we have to allow change to happen and we have to hear and listen to some pretty unpleasant stuff...there will be no 'fix' unless that happens...I could not be more opposed to everything Winston seems to believe, which is why any possible house conversations with him would have interested me the most...there was a chance here for a real social experiment, something that I've always loved about BB from 'back in the day' but it's sadly been lost to a 'hero/villian' thing which has been manufactured by BB...let's hate on the villian, that's so fun and entertaining, well yes it is but it's kind of missing a great opportunity of something much more than entertaining by just fuelling more hate and more intolerance...

..anyways, it is what it is, an entertainment show but personally, I'd like to see less and less Winstons coming along in the future because they have listened and been listened to and mind-sets have been changed or at least questioned by themselves..that would be an ideal world, I guess..the sort of Hollywood ending which just doesn't happen, does it..but a step closer to it happening possibly..?...I don't know if anyone has watched the movie, Pride...and incredibly beautiful movie, that did have that 'Hollywood Ending'...except that it was real life as well, the coming together of an LGBT community and a very prejudice, 'nuclear family' mind-set in a Welsh village...quite a few 'Winstons' in that village, I would reckon...or at least, that's how the story started but progressed to a very different ending...there was no 'the villians were killed in the end' ending/I don't mean literally killed obviously, that would have been a bit extreme..what would that ending have achieved anyway, along would come another Winston and another and another and etc etc....because they do keep on a comin' when they're distracted (these homophobic mind-sets..) by defending, rather than to be made to think about...by living with somone/sharing house space with someone for instance, who is gay and who (they possibly) could come to think of as making a darn good parent to a child...just a possibility that was booed out with no understandings given any opportunity to happen...a possible 'oh actually, this John person would make an amazing parent, I think..he has great values and character etc..so much to enrich a child's life with...so if that's possible...could it also possibly be that other gay people would make great parents as well...OMG, OMG, OMG..., maybe, just maybe my 'Christian beliefs' need questioning..'...so much easier to 'hate back' I guess, show the same lack of tolerance...but that's not really ever going to do anything positive though, is it...and really, because his opinions/views were about parenting/gay parents and so extreme...what is any of this teaching our children...that we won't tolerate a 'bad man', darling..that we need to show the same intolerance that has been shown by them..that, that will 'fix', well it won't because it hasn't...these mind-sets have not been 'fixed'....


..anyways, just my opinion of course...

but in this day and age - everyone should no what is acceptable.

100% Yes

of course we should. How do you think the LGBT community has come to be accepted now? By letting people speak and their views heard. I find it obscene that people forget that and are not capable of accepting anyone with a different view to their own.

He can have any ignorant view he likes.

He was asked to explain his view. Hardly unreasonable.

How is gay adoption akin to child abuse? He couldn't answer because its not true.

Beautifully said Ammi. As always :love:

He didnt bring these views into the house though. Big Brother did

Meh I don't respect his opinion but then that means that I just wouldn't engage with him about it. He believes what he believes and will continue to do so whether you try and lambast him and shout him down or not. Ultimately he is a throwback but there will always be people like him in any generation who are unable to come to terms with changes in society.

Everyone has the right to an opinion...it's called freedom of speech.
However we don't have to like or respect anyone's opinion...we have to respect the fact that they are entitled to one.