Is Amy a victim of BB or just a victim?
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TV ClubHouse: Archive: ARCHIVE THREE: Is Amy a victim of BB or just a victim?

Twintown

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 07:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I've read a lot of posts that theorize this BB experience has been a traumatic and negative one for Amy.

Since none of us know what the woman was like prior to this show, all we can do is presume she was normal and sound of mind, but again, we can only presume that.

From what I have seen though, I think the woman has a number of issues that certainly must have been present before she came into this house and have manifested and amplified themeselves due to the BB circumstances and environment. I think she first and foremost is an alcohol abuser if not an alcoholic. I think she has the conflicting issues of both wanting to be the center of attention and adored, yet doesn't have the social and esteem skills to do so.

I don't think that BB has done anything to Amy, some people can handle situations and some can't. Amy chose to be on this show, she chose to go back into the house when she was "emancipated" the first time. Too bad if the tension, the backstabbing, the snarking, the manuevering, etc.., is too much, that is part and parcel of the game.

When the BB concept was developed, I can bet you they expected some people to "crack" so to speak and melt down, and I'm sure that they knew that would make for good tv. So, Amy is playing into that hand and as BB should, they are exploiting that.

I don't think BB should be blamed for any of the behavior or pain that Amy has sustained. I believe it is self-inflicted. She is not a victim of BB, but she just seems to be a life victim.

Itsallgood

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:10 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't think AMY is a victim at all. That was someone else's OPINION that they chose to make a thread about. There is not one person in that house that doesn't have "issues" in one way or the other.

As far as her being an alcoholic, I beg to differ with you. When I do drink, which is not often, I do tend to get drunk and act silly, but I don't consider myself an alcoholic by any means.

I do think that all the mean things that were said about her "personally" were uncalled for and consider the source of who started them all mostly came from Danielle's mouth and some had no truth to them whatsoever!

I also don't think this has been a "tragic" experience for Amy. Every HG in that house will take away some learning experience when this is all over with, not just Amy.

I think if any one of those houseguest were treated like she was, they too would of been sad.

She's a young woman, full of life and I find her actions in that house coincide with being just that.

JMHO ;-)

Bbholden

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:14 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Amy's 24 years old... duh... I remember getting naked and rolling in the mud, drunk as a skunk at Dead concerts... I grew up and now I'm a legal consultant, married to a judge and Marilyn Manson scares the bejeesus out of me.... so go figure.. If I am ok she will be ok...lol

What555456

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:20 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Amy is not a victim. She freely chose to be on this show and she can freely choose to leave. She can accept the way she is treated or she can stop it.

Whether Amy has issues does not translate into whether or not she is a victim. She is in complete control of what she does and what happens to her -- and for whatever reasons, she is willing to take the abuse she has received in this house. She has no one to blame for this than herself.

She knows where the door is.

Lisad

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:21 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I will differ on the alcohol "problem/abuse" and "alcoholic" comment. I wouldn't peg what I've seen as being in the problem level. We don't know.

There was a cute falling off the hammock episode & some slurring/babble - I'm not seeing this as a problem.

The way I see it is this - She's 24 & likes to have fun. Amy seems very fun-loving, likes excitement, etc. She's in a special situation with fun people, doesn't have to wake up at 6am to go to a job, etc. I'm sure she sees it as a party type situation. I see it as she wants to have fun. Drinking/getting tipsy IS fun (for most people). Let's give her a break.

Gosh - I just read Itsallgood's post and I totally agree with everything.

I think Amy's just bummed about about everyone treating her poorly. Marci reamed her & was ridiculously hurtful & condescending. Since then, I've seen the other HGs (not really Lisa tho') be condescending up to and including Jason recently. They are treating her like a child with clear disrespect.

Bbholden

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:24 am EditMoveDeleteIP
My dear What555456, and I thought we had an understanding??? lol Do you also blame women for wearing sexy clothes when they get raped???

She was NOT willing to take the abuse, and she made more than one attempt to leave the house.. but BB3 firmly told her she would be breaking her contract, no stipend for the days spent there, and damn... she's 24 years old.. How many times have you bought something that was not returnable and wanted to return it the minute you got it home??? lol She and the others were not even told the rules.. no one, not us, not the HGs know the rules or can even interpret them correctly. Now you behave yourself...lol

Realfan

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:31 am EditMoveDeleteIP
ITA, BB. Amy is NOT in "complete control" of the other HGs actions and words. She does not have the power to determine how they treat her. That's like asking kids who are picked on by schoolyard bullies to MAKE the bullies change. It isn't likely, nor is it realistic to expect that.

The bullies are the ones who are choosing to treat her that way. She can only do her best to cope. Telling them where to stuff it might make her feel better temporarily (and we would LOVE to see that), but in her mind it might also make living with the vipers more stressful and difficult, because she can't walk away (not without repercussions.) She can't practice avoidance, which most people bullied would use as their first step to solving the problem

Which is why how they treat her really frosts my cookies!

What555456

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:31 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Bbholden

So, you are saying she has chosen to accept all that happens to her for a few thousand bucks in stipends and pressure from BB. That, to me, is a choice, not a victim. She can walk out that door. Accepting pressure from someone else is a decision.

Yea, she's 24. The same age as a lot of people who have kids and are strugglng with making a go of life, the same age as a lot of young adults in law school and medical school, the same age as a lot of world class athletes, the same age as a lot of musicians with hit records.

So many want to make it sound like 24 is young and that someone who is 24 should not be held accountable.

I disagree. 24 is plenty old enough to be held accountable because there are millions of 24 yos who are accountable.

If Amy or any others have chosen to continue to live like they were 18 when they are 24 --this again does not translate into someone being a victim. It is a decision and they can grow up and become an adult at any point they want.

Earthmother

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:31 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I tire of hearing about the victim. None of these people are victims of anything except being the targets of school yard bullies, and greed. Whereas a child has no recourse these people do..THAT FRONT DOOR IS NOT LOCKED..Money is the motivation and if you want to stay for it, so be it.

Amy as well as others have and still are making rude remarks about others. Just because her remarks are usually done in a witty way, does not excuse her. Is Chiara a victim? If you say Amy is then so is Kiki and the victimizer is Amy. Is Roddy a victim or Gerry? Somehow these little cry-baby girls get everyone all riled up, and they all want to run to their defense. She is a grown woman and she needs to leave or stay, but stop feeling sorry for herself. If she is a victim then her victimizer is her.

Csnog

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:32 am EditMoveDeleteIP
BB treats her badly because of their editing of the show.

Big Brother is clearly NOT showing the others in the same light as Amy.

Therefore BB is making Amy a victim and they are doing the victimizing.

What555456

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Realfan--

No it is not like kids in a school yard, because Amy is NOT a kid. Why isn't Jason treated the same way? Because he chooses to act differently. Why isn't Danielle treated the same way? Because she chooses to act differently. Why isn't Lisa treated the same way? Because she chooses to act differently.

Amy has chosen to act in a certain way. In doing so, she has accepted the way they treat her. She does not have to accept it. She can put a stop to it. Now, it might not be easy and the others may not like it -- but she is not some child in the school yard being bullied. She is a grown woman and can act like one if she chooses.

Shar7414287

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:36 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Itsallgood>> wow we must be sisters LOL!!! I agree Amy is a kid like we all were at one time..no harm no foul... She has made problems for herself on the outside (DUI) but she too shall grow up some day, the problems in the house have been instigated by others.. the girl just wants to have fun .. for cryin' out loud.
Truthfully Amy was my least favorite HG in the beginning because of her uppidy attitude( I am better than the others) but honestly now I would be tickled to see poetic justice jump in and save her.

Remember Woodstock 1969 WOOOOOW !!!!!!!!

Bbholden

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:36 am EditMoveDeleteIP
What, you make some very good points, and with some people, my own children for example... one at 24 was ready for marriage, saved his money, and had his goals set. Another one at 24 was totally unprepared for even living in an apartment attached to our home.. so it all depends on the person.

I'm not saying that they cannot walk out.. I'm saying they were not given the details of what was ahead.. that they were not told that they could not walk out without losing everything. I don't think they were told half of what they needed to know in order to make a good decision about taking on this game.

Plus, I think people were not chosen for their stability.. but rather for their entertainment value. (Entertainment being AS's idea of what is entertaining).

I'm one smart cookie, and I'm way ahead of these people as far as figuring out how to play this game.. but put me in the actual situation and I guarantee I would be hunting for that panic button. Which btw, Amy did... and was talked into staying... more than once.

Shar7414287

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:42 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Bbholden my previous post was for you... dammm CRS ( acn't remeber chit) kicked in and I address my square to the wrong person... sorry itsallgood LOL

Shar7414287

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:45 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Bbholden wow we must be sisters LOL!!! I agree Amy is a kid like we all were at one time..no harm no foul... She has made problems for herself on the outside (DUI) but she too shall grow up some day, the problems in the house have been instigated by others.. the girl just wants to have fun .. for cryin' out loud.
Truthfully Amy was my least favorite HG in the beginning because of her uppidy attitude( I am better than the others) but honestly now I would be tickled to see poetic justice jump in and save her.

Remember Woodstock 1969 WOOOOOW !!!!!!!!

Misschris

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:47 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Amy is not a victim of anything but her own, probably sheltered lifestyle...I mean come on, she admitted yesterday to not knowing what "69" refers to.

Anyway, I can relate. I am 29. My childhood and adolescent years were very sheltered. i am a "responsible adult" now but rarely attempt anything that takes me out of my comfort zone. I don't pick fights, I am slow to defend myself when verbally attacked (no, it doesn't happen often) and I say all the time that I don't care what people think while secretly and desperately searching for acceptance. Does this make me a victim? no. Sure, low self-esteem and mixed up self-worth issues, but I know where I stand with the people I care about most and I don't question their acceptance and love for me. So if I get drunk on occasion and act like a fool, I am getting better at saying that those who love me can laugh at those times I step out of my shell and those who don't will get a good laugh anyway. But it has taken me a long time to get to that point. I was just out of college, around age 24, when I started to make these changes.

By the way, My hubby and I go out with friends every Tuesday night for dinner and cocktails. This week we cooked out and I started on the bloody mary's relatively early. I, like Amy, took a head first dive out of the hammock a little to early in the evening. To take it a step further, we all started laughing so hard that I could not get up and...well, lets just say it is a good thing I keep a change of clothes in the car!

Give the girl a break. She is young, sheltered, insecure and in a nest of vipers. She will move past this in no time!

Shar7414287

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 08:51 am EditMoveDeleteIP
MissChris well put and thank you for saying what alot of us are thinking.. :-)

Itsallgood

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 09:29 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I assure you all Amy WILL NOT think she was a VICTIM in ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. It is the view of others on this board that THINK THAT, so until she can speak for herself I would suggest that people on this board consider that before thinking that she considers herself a "VICTIM".

And no I do not know Amy personally, but all I see is someone having a good time and getting bashed for doing just that. I will defend her however, because I think the people that bash her just don't understand what having fun is all about. Been there done that and I'm perfectly normal with a husband and 3 wonderful kids, 2 boys 21 - 16 and 1 daughter 13. Yeah I know...it's only just begun. :-)

Bigbrotherbelle

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 01:18 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I agree with Itsallgood, AMY never said she was a victim.

The things that I see she is a victim of are things she doesn't even really know about. The editing for one... She has no idea how she was shown and the others were portrayed to be the angels of BB on the last couple of shows. Another thing is the bullying and ridicule, of which she does not even know the full extent.

So what is she a victim of? Nothing in HER EYES (gotta be specific about that). In my eyes, she is the victim of BB and of the bullying by other houseguests.

Costacat

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 01:27 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Uh, actually, the front door IS locked! Don't some cute little interns hafta run to the door to unlock each eviction day?

<grinning running and ducking REAL fast>

Realfan

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 03:58 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
ITA BBB. I never called her a victim. But the others are bullying her.

I earlier used a schoolyard bullying analogy. That doesn't mean that adults can't be perpetrators of and victims of bullying. It happens every day, in a lot of ways, some involving violence, sometimes involving verbal emotional attacks.

It has less to do with how Amy really ACTS than how others choose to treat her because of how she acts. IMO. She certainly doesn't have "complete control" over that, not in any way, shape, or form.

Woodpecke®

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 05:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Three months in an isolated house with a chance to win $500,000. She is not a victim. These people will be out of her life completely in a few weeks, if not sooner. Posters on this board go way too far babying Amy. She has done a lot of damage to herself with her alliances, her comments about her family, and her lack of game playing skills. People tend to bully self-centered, protected, ex-beauty queens that get two chances to win half a million. Boo hoo Amy. Fight back or be evicted. Life goes on.

Joker11962

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 05:34 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
"they were not told the details...."

You mean grown adults, educated, intelligent people signed a blank contract? That explains a lot!

Woodpecke®

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 05:39 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
LOL @ Joker! Exactly.

Sadiesmom

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 05:40 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I believe that they were not told everything, else there would be no twist.

You are an adult going there, but I think most people would not expect the lack of civility that developed in this house and in the Nicole crazy period.

I also think few people could afford to go several months without being paid something. The contract also has some restrictions on future employment, so if you want to be in the entertainment business, you need to have second thoughts on walking out.

Silversamba

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 05:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
What I think has affected how Amy behaves in the house and how she is treated is this: She is basically a person who has been spoiled her whole life and given just about everything she wants. She is used to having her way and being treated like she is the belle of the ball. In an atmosphere like BB, where you are people from different walks of life, that can work against you.

Woodpecke®

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 05:45 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Come on Sadiesmom. Even if I had never watched the show before, I would definitely do my homework and learn everything I could about previous shows. I would expect the worst if I was trapped with 11 other people that I do not know. They are getting $700 a week. Amy is 24. I am guessing she has never made $700 a week.

Bernie

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 05:57 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
My take on the victimisation of Amy is that yes, she's a big girl, and yes, she signed up for this BS, but she could never have expected to be made the whipping girl of the house, nor could she have expected that BB would edit her in such a biased way for the TV show.
I cannot believe that any of us who watch both the show and either watch the feeds or read the LF posts could deny that the Amy we see on the show and the Amy we know are two very different people. BB has been very unfair to her, and Marcellas for example has been given a free ride. So yes, I agree with Bigbrotherbelle that Amy has been victimised by both BB and by her fellow houseguests.
She might bear some responsibility for how her fellows treat her, but she has no control over how BB decides to fool their TV audience. I like her, and hope that she has the intestinal fortitude to get over it, once she 'knows all'. It will still hurt though, and that's unnecessarily cruel. It's gratuitous mental violence for the sake of ratings, and what bothers me the most is that all BB had to do was show each HG just as he or she is, warts and all, for a terrific and watchable show.
It's the same hubris that makes directors and producers rewrite classic books when they try to bring them to the screen. Truth is stranger than fiction and usually more entertaining.

Mollywood

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 06:30 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Amy is not a victim. not of bb or anything. she is a free spirit , who seems to like being in the moment..shes 20 something years old...when i was 24, i was also doing everything she does, but i was unemployed and would have no idea how to buy a car ect...i think she is a good rep for women of her age...of all the so called strong women in the house...she is the only one who really is on many levels...she just has a soft heart..so what..to me its kind of charming.

Onlymytulips

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 06:34 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The perception that BB3 is making Amy look bad on the show is also in the eye of the beholder. Reading this thread and the different opinions on what watchers see it is obvious. I personally just see someone that is having fun. When all of the other houseguests are losing sleep talking about strategy she is living it up. I try not to be overly judgemental of any houseguests due to the fact the evicted ones always say that there is something about being in the house that makes you do things that you would normally not do in the real world.

Jaysgal

Wednesday, September 11, 2002 - 06:43 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't think that Amy is a victim; simply because I believe this is all part of her script and making. She loves to be the centre of attention. Part of her formula of being successful as centre of attention is to provoke or create drama. She herself has admitted that she loves drama.

Believe me, from personal experience with drama Queens, I can affirm that Amy would rather feel miserable if no attention was given to her and she was not treated as she's been treated. She also creates drama by exaggerating situations. If she's chastised as anyone else would be for a certain behaviour, she throws a fit. And then people who do not realise that this is her nature assume that she's been abused. She's simply a drama Queen, no ifs and buts.

Now, if you were asking about Gerry, that would be a different subject and be worth consideration of "victim".

Sunflowr

Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 06:35 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I notice that... how some of the HGs treat her like she is a child. Marcellas did that to her alot, from what I could see.

No, I dont think Amy is a victim of BB.. not anymore than anyone else there. You sign up to play and you know (or should know) what you are getting into. I am sure she did.