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Is BB Exploiting Ben?

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oh_the_reality

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I have been watching Ben closely and I have concerns about whether it's appropriate that he has been chosen for the show this year. I believe Ben has some form of intellectual disability and is struggling in the house. I say this from experience. My Aunt fostered a little girl with intellectual disability and as much as my Aunt was an awesome person, she mollycoddled the girl and never let her grow up to be an adult, hence she became an adult with childish behaviour.

On the other hand my SIL had a daughter with Spina Bifida and from day one she made her strong and independent and offered her no advantages. The result was a daughter who has a career, drives her own car, has competed in the last Olympics and is one hell of an independent woman.

I think Ben has been brought up to be too reliant on Mom and Nana and you can see he is miles apart from the other Housemates. BB has thrown him into a House with meatheads, models, socially active people and general "it's all about me" people. They are all to busy getting camera time and so Ben becomes the kid in the schoolyard corner, on the verge of being bullied by some and ignored by others. So he then retreats to the safety of Mom and Nana albeit by photos. You can see some Housemates try to help him a little but the majority of them use him as a scapegoat and spend more time laughing at him than feeling for him.

I just think BB did the wrong thing with young Bradley last year and he is doing it again with Ben this year. How do you see it?
 
He's playing up to the cameras, no 30 year old man, no matter how dependant they are on their family, has to retreat to photos of their Mum and Nanna.
 
frenchbrah said:
He's playing up to the cameras, no 30 year old man, no matter how dependant they are on their family, has to retreat to photos of their Mum and Nanna.
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This.
And correct me if I'm wrong but didn't he say he's been living by himself for the last 10 years?
 
I don't see that Ben has an intellectual disability at all! He actually comes across as very articulate and intelligent. Perhaps he has mild social anxiety (as he has claimed), although I wonder how much of that is sincere and how much is a play for audience sympathy as you have to be personable and outgoing to be a flight attendant.

I think a lot of people go into the house with preconceptions of how they're going to think and act and due to the unusual circumstances with strong competing personalities, the formation of social hierarchies, and 24 hour surveillance, they find their own values challenged under pressure and their self-esteem failing them. Being amongst total strangers, away from your home and the people who care for you, is disorienting at the best of times (such as when traveling or starting a new job) but living in the BB house is like a pressure cooker that amplifies people's reactions to everything.

The other day when Mikkayla was upset about being up for eviction, Ben gave her a little pep talk that showed him to have a very well-balanced perspective, and he was quite sweet and caring. I haven't been a big Ben fan because I see him playing up for air time to win the audience's favour, but when you get little insights into the real Ben, I think he comes across as a nice guy and not nearly as helpless or vulnerable as he'd like people to think.
 
chumly said:
I don't see that Ben has an intellectual disability at all! He actually comes across as very articulate and intelligent. Perhaps he has mild social anxiety (as he has claimed), although I wonder how much of that is sincere and how much is a play for audience sympathy as you have to be personable and outgoing to be a flight attendant.

I think a lot of people go into the house with preconceptions of how they're going to think and act and due to the unusual circumstances with strong competing personalities, the formation of social hierarchies, and 24 hour surveillance, they find their own values challenged under pressure and their self-esteem failing them. Being amongst total strangers, away from your home and the people who care for you, is disorienting at the best of times (such as when traveling or starting a new job) but living in the BB house is like a pressure cooker that amplifies people's reactions to everything.

The other day when Mikkayla was upset about being up for eviction, Ben gave her a little pep talk that showed him to have a very well-balanced perspective, and he was quite sweet and caring. I haven't been a big Ben fan because I see him playing up for air time to win the audience's favour, but when you get little insights into the real Ben, I think he comes across as a nice guy and not nearly as helpless or vulnerable as he'd like people to think.
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I agree.
 
Ben's exploiting my TV I would like him removed please.

His act is so corny I'm afraid for the camera guys.
 
I take on board all your comments. Maybe I used the wrong terminology when describing Ben as intellectually disabled. I see him as intelligent but more socially disabled. Almost to the point of being like Michael Jackson. Unbelievable in making music but so Peter Pan in his social life. I really think he has been mollycoddled by Mom and Nana to a very scary level

I even draw parallels about him being a serial killer in future years who kills his victims, dresses them up as Mom and Nana and has tea parties with the dead bodies. LOL I know it sounds gross BUT there have been many serial killers like that !!! (wonder what Mom and Nana would look like as lampshades ;)
 
Ben is faking it, if he was really like that he would never have gotten a job as an airline steward.
 
chumly said:
I don't see that Ben has an intellectual disability at all! He actually comes across as very articulate and intelligent. Perhaps he has mild social anxiety (as he has claimed), although I wonder how much of that is sincere and how much is a play for audience sympathy as you have to be personable and outgoing to be a flight attendant.

I think a lot of people go into the house with preconceptions of how they're going to think and act and due to the unusual circumstances with strong competing personalities, the formation of social hierarchies, and 24 hour surveillance, they find their own values challenged under pressure and their self-esteem failing them. Being amongst total strangers, away from your home and the people who care for you, is disorienting at the best of times (such as when traveling or starting a new job) but living in the BB house is like a pressure cooker that amplifies people's reactions to everything.

The other day when Mikkayla was upset about being up for eviction, Ben gave her a little pep talk that showed him to have a very well-balanced perspective, and he was quite sweet and caring. I haven't been a big Ben fan because I see him playing up for air time to win the audience's favour, but when you get little insights into the real Ben, I think he comes across as a nice guy and not nearly as helpless or vulnerable as he'd like people to think.
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Very insightful post.
 
Ben is fine, he has obviously been entertaining people for years and has got his schtick down pat. He's confident and calm and has got perfectly fine self-esteem. He knows how to get and give attention. He is an unusual character but he has been raised with love and validation so he is comfortable with his place in the world. At times he hams up his haplessness but that's because he want to win and he understands an air of pathos is one of his strengths.
 
kxk said:
Ben's exploiting my TV I would like him removed please.

His act is so corny I'm afraid for the camera guys.
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The most embarrassing thing he did IMO, was to have the picture of his mum and nana, and show the pictures around to show them the room. It doesn't matter how slow you are, no one does that, not even a child.
It was ridiculous, it was for the cameras. It didn't fit anywhere in his personality.
 
chiclet said:
Ben is fine, he has obviously been entertaining people for years and has got his schtick down pat. He's confident and calm and has got perfectly fine self-esteem. He knows how to get and give attention. He is an unusual character but he has been raised with love and validation so he is comfortable with his place in the world. At times he hams up his haplessness but that's because he want to win and he understands an air of pathos is one of his strengths.
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l.a.r.a said:
The most embarrassing thing he did IMO, was to have the picture of his mum and nana, and show the pictures around to show them the room. It doesn't matter how slow you are, no one does that, not even a child.
It was ridiculous, it was for the cameras. It didn't fit anywhere in his personality.
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^I agree with all of this. Ben knows what he's doing. I think he's fine.
 
Intellectual disability - please now I've heard everything. At least it's not the same of shtick that he has autism. Beside wasn't he a airline steward - interacting with people everyday is part of his job. I imagine he would be quite comfortable chit chating with people about anything and nothing - part of the job description really. Not the shy loner he portrays on BB.
Ben is playing a game - the lone outsider, different to everyone. For him it's working - how long it will work for is another question.
 
This is really interesting, I think of Ben more as an "old" fuddy duddy who is extremely set in his ways, and rarely steps outside of his comfort zone. But is obviously willing to or he wouldn't have applied for Big Brother. He loves his life - his home where he lives on his own with everything "just so", and his Mum and his Nanna who are both his family and his social life. He is very comfortable with who he is, but knows there's something more out there for him, hence BB.

He gives off an air of vulnerability, which leads people to underestimate him. I don't think this is deliberate or manipulation on his part, on the contrary, I think Ben is very honest and genuine. He doesn't pretend to be anything other than what he is. He'll disagree with the majority if thats's how he feels. Nobody thought he would cope five minutes in the halfway house, yet he was fine, everyone thought he would fall apart at being nominated, and he was fine again. He has the ability to reason well and put things in perspective. He at times lacks confidence, feels he doesn't fit in - with good reason, he IS very unusual, and he worries when he thinks he may have hurt or upset someone. I don't think any of it is fake.

He is SO funny when he does those accents.

I think Ben is fine, and he's one of my favourites in the house.

There's my armchair psychology of the day ;)
 
Intellectual disability? The guy is smart enough to reject God and souls/spirits.

He seems intelligent rather. When he impersonates voices and does accents, he does seem like an actor to me.

If anything, he has a social disability. But then again, he chats a lot when he's one-on-one with a housemate.

He's just quirky.
 
Kaz said:
Ben is faking it, if he was really like that he would never have gotten a job as an airline steward.
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This is all you need to know. How the F could he have been an air host if he was so weak and fragile and useless?
 
oh_the_reality said:
I just think BB did the wrong thing with young Bradley last year and he is doing it again with Ben this year. How do you see it?
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I don't know about that bit, I think Bradley is one housemate who may have had his life trajectory changed for the better by being on BB. It caught him early, before it was too late, gave him a bit of confidence, some friends, experience with girls too, apparently. I think he's probably better off for that intervention.
 
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