A favourite 'fun' 'teambuilding' or 'group' activity that teachers often put in front of captive students is that sinking ship exercise, or variations on it where you're asked to choose which poor fucker you'd have to kick out of the hot air balloon, in what order, to save your own skin. There's usually a societal context, so you'd have to decide whether you'd prioritise the life or death of the plumber, the doctor, the teacher or the priest and so on.

I think the process was supposed to help us understand the relative value of the work undertaken by people in society - who contributes the most and the least. It was also sometimes an exercise in consensus forming or a taste of majority democracy.

You weren't allowed to stray from the rules of the game: the ship could ultimately only keep afloat with one passenger, and you had to keep picking off one person at a time, and your choice had to be 'reasoned'. So you couldn't, say, suggest fixing the boat or committing mass suicide or simply having a brawl. That would be messing about.

This vile little 'game' is one that students are expected to take seriously, and draw lessons from, on its own terms. Looking at it now, it is a gem of an exercise in inculcating an individualist and dog-eat-dog logic. It was couched in the scenario of a crisis, and I guess this is the very logic the bosses try to instill in workers - one of triage or the least-worst option; A&E wards or incontinence services, fund four year olds or ESOL classes, tax nurses more or accept tuition fees, city academy or no school, New Labour or the BNP.

'Shilpa Poppadum' or Jade 'Face of Hate'. Ok, I didn't cast a vote, nor am I strictly compelled to engage with any of this. But it is compelling. And there's a logic, albeit confused, to the whole analogy - perhaps.

I was in a caf trying to watch Jade's eviction earlier tonight, but between the kitchen noise, the low-volume and the bizarre running commentary of the two women nearest to the TV, it was difficult to follow. I kind of knew already that I was going to have a bit of a wrangle in my head about the whole scenario. I have a few, perhaps tentative, conclusions.

I know a lot of people just like Jade, who speak like Jade, tan their boobs like Jade, and consider voting BNP, as Jade probably would, should they stand in her area. Many have been friends in the past, some are still. Very few of them would admit to being racist, Jew hating, but most of them are, in all the ways that I understand racism. There's a whole market of products, magazines and programming aimed at them. They're lucrative - mainly as non-unionised low paid workers, divided by our education system. This is what Britain is openly about, until it is embarrassingly international while you're trying to drum up business and neo-colonial acceptance in India. And for fuck sake, is Jade today much different to the Jade, darling of the nation, that won Big Brother before; Jade who's now had her perfume pulled from the shelves. But that's only part of the question for me.

I also know a fair few self-styled high caste princesses. Shilpa is repulsive as far I'm concerned, and frankly fucks me off far more than Jade. She's a pale, high caste, super-rich doll, with an aggravating voice, eliciting this sickening chorus of acceptance - and probably deserves more than a bit of bullying. While it bothers me a lot to see all manifestations of racism, I wouldn't be surprised to see her face, along the line, on some skin-bleaching soap that her no doubt dark-skinned servants would be encouraged to use.

It makes me fume that you can have the Sun on its front cover urging its bigoted readership to 'EVICT THE FACE OF HATE', while on page 2 is their usual stock of racist scapegoating - '600 use asylum 'cheat'. You have Brown parading as PM in India courting big business, laying a wreath for Gandhi, hugging kids in a school in Delhi reliant on some UK tax money crumbs. Brown should shoulder his part of the blame for accelerating the economic and political system that creates the social reality of both Jade and Shilpa. There are a hundred insidious hypocrisies to note, if I could be bothered.

But a few points. There is obviously a class issue at stake. I don't make apologies for any bigot or racist, but I do think that in the absence of being able to articulate, or give useful political expression to, rightful class hatred, it's not a-typical of British white working class reality to be ever ready to spew mouth loads of racist vitriol. And there is a daily education in this provided by the likes of the Sun and the tabloid press. And from New Labour through their own work in demonising of Muslim people and asylum seekers.

I also know, that for all the establishment pretence at outrage at Jade, she is their monster. She currently represents the ultimate in the crass idea of a rags to riches, success story; that perverse kind of spectacle, in the crucible of this society - loved for making her money through comparing unfavourably with the lowest common denominator. The two women sitting by the TV tonight, spoke like Jade, were hard-faced like Jade and were gloating over her fall from grace - she apparently deserved it, the stupid fucking bitch. Apparently, also, Shilpa will win now because now she's gonna be a fucking martyr. Everyone'll be forced to vote for her...

This week it's Jade, but believe me so many eyes will be waiting impatiently to watch the Indian fuck up and god only knows what conclusions will be made from this new insight in retrospect with regard to Jade.

Push comes to shove, they should both be drowned, no second thought, though Brown first, certainly. This week's like the best type of car-crash, and thanks to our media moguls and politicians, has probably done considerable damage to the collective understanding of issues of race and class.