BBC defend clarkson

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BRASH said:
I don't find Clarkson funny, entertaining or even very interesting. IMHO he is an overgrown, childish, boring old, middle class tw@t.
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What is the definiton of middle class?

You only need to read any of Clarkson's columns or listen to him to see that he only says things to provoke. Do you really think he actually believes half the stuff he says? It's like comedians jokes - do you really believe all these amusing things actually happen to them?
 
f1charlie said:
What is the definiton of middle class?
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It's just a label anyone working class applies to those who have attained an education and don't work in a manual labour or service industry job so far as I can tell. Similarly, it's probably used by the upper class to describe professional people who are not independently wealthy.... I've no idea what it actually means, or where working class becomes middle class ect. We're far to obsessed with social class in this country. I do find the instant dislike/distrust of anyone educated by the "working class" very ****ing irritating though.
 
I must be middle class then and my parents were working class! I suspect there must be more middle class than working class these days with the decline in manufacturing industries. However, if you have to work to live, I would say that you are working class. But, as you say, it's all b0ll0x really :)
 
It most certainly is [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER], yes.
 
jakeblu said:
For saying ni**er. Really, you think that's all he did wrong?
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It's really debatable he said it. All I caught was murmurs and stumbling his words. If he said it it was accidental and he was singing a nursery rhyme, not making offensive remarks. It's just people looking to take offense
 
ST4 said:
It's really debatable he said it. All I caught was murmurs and stumbling his words. If he said it it was accidental and he was singing a nursery rhyme, not making offensive remarks. It's just people looking to take offense
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He admitted that he did say it, but he didn't want to. He tried to mumble and make it ineligible, doing twice with the N word and once with teacher.

The version that got everyone riled wasn't aired as Clarkson himself wasn't comfortable with how clear it sounded.

It would have been more sensible all round if TG had only recorded the teacher/tiger/other word versions.


As for the latest issue, wasn't it believed that the term was only slang and not racist?
 
The thing about Top Gear and it's three presenters is how it does have the effect of making me enjoy watching it - even the re-runs on Dave - and yet I'm not at all a "petrol head" and don't even own a car. That's why it is all a huge success anyhow.

I think there should be a photography version of it, called Tog Gear. Can I claim the rights to that?
 
It's amazing! Like I said, people need to stop being outraged by proxe. The N word (why on earth we can't say it, but black people can????), started life and meant in the context of the nursery rhyme, a Street Urchin. Not a black person.
So Golly was the baddie in Noddy? So bloody what! Custard was the Baddie in Rhubarb, you can still have cat toys. I read comics when I was a child, The Germans were the baddies in Paddy Paine stories in the Victor (as I recall), I can go and buy a German WW2 aircraft without offending someone.
99% of 'offence' is taken by people who have nothing to do with those apparently being offended. In doing so you are being far more patronising and insulting than Clarkson, Bernard Manning and any other straight talking personality. If I am offended by the second part of the Golly word (something used all the time to refer to Cypriots in the 70's), then I'll say so. I don't need you to do it for me. If I am insulted by an Irish Joke then I'll tell you. You don't need to be offended on my behalf, because I am not! When will you bleeding heart hypocrites get that into your tiny minds?????
 
Bernie174 said:
It's amazing! Like I said, people need to stop being outraged by proxe. The N word (why on earth we can't say it, but black people can????), started life and meant in the context of the nursery rhyme, a Street Urchin. Not a black person.
So Golly was the baddie in Noddy? So bloody what! Custard was the Baddie in Rhubarb, you can still have cat toys. I read comics when I was a child, The Germans were the baddies in Paddy Paine stories in the Victor (as I recall), I can go and buy a German WW2 aircraft without offending someone.
99% of 'offence' is taken by people who have nothing to do with those apparently being offended. In doing so you are being far more patronising and insulting than Clarkson, Bernard Manning and any other straight talking personality. If I am offended by the second part of the Golly word (something used all the time to refer to Cypriots in the 70's), then I'll say so. I don't need you to do it for me. If I am insulted by an Irish Joke then I'll tell you. You don't need to be offended on my behalf, because I am not! When will you bleeding heart hypocrites get that into your tiny minds?????
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Ding ding, round 2
 
Bernie174 said:
It's amazing! Like I said, people need to stop being outraged by proxe. The N word (why on earth we can't say it, but black people can????), started life and meant in the context of the nursery rhyme, a Street Urchin. Not a black person.
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[PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER]!

Please reference your source for this, as I think you're talking utter crap. I've never once seen any evidence to suggest that the word's etymology stems from anything other than derivatives of the Portugese Negro, French Negré and Latin Niger, and that it's always been used as a pejorative for a black person.
 
When was it exactly we lost touch with reality? Going by some of the pish I've read on here it must have been some time ago. Never the less I can't help but laugh at some of the comments written with self-righteous indignation. FCIH!!!:rolleyes:

I now need to go and scrape my self off of the bottom of someones shoe.
 
Bernie174 said:
99% of 'offence' is taken by people who have nothing to do with those apparently being offended.
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This is the point which was raised in the other thread. You cannot give offence. Offence is taken. Something is only offensive if you take offence from it. You cannot take offence on someone's behalf.


Steve.
 
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BRASH said:
When was it exactly we lost touch with reality? Going by some of the pish I've read on here it must have been some time ago. Never the less I can't help but laugh at some of the comments written with self-righteous indignation. FCIH!!!:rolleyes:

I now need to go and scrape my self off of the bottom of someones shoe.
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Trying to work out what exactly you're contributing to the debate... not got there yet, but I'm sure there's a point in your comment somewhere. Perhaps you feel that it's fine to make racist comments... or that you just feel making them is a reality of life... or that you feel it's harmless. Be a good chap and clarify what the **** you're on about would you? :)
 
An old man sung an old nursery rhyme with no malice on tv, realised the word was bad and tried to stop himself. I don't see the fuss.

Furthermore then number of "coloured" people I hear refer to themselves with the N word I really wonder if they give a sh1t or whether its just the namby pamby lot up in arms.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Trying to work out what exactly you're contributing to the debate... not got there yet, but I'm sure there's a point in your comment somewhere. Perhaps you feel that it's fine to make racist comments... or that you just feel making them is a reality of life... or that you feel it's harmless. Be a good chap and clarify what the **** you're on about would you? :)
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Where did I even mention racist comments? Not once on here that's for sure. Pay attention there's a good boy and don't try to put words into my comments which don't exist. Was it you that mentioned education? I assume you have one and if so it shouldn't be too difficult for you to work out where I'm coming from.

Now, unfortunately I have to pop off to a funeral today (about a 200 mile round trip) so as much as I'd like to hang around (sic) and chew the fat I can't.
 
ST4 said:
An old man sung an old nursery rhyme with no malice on tv, realised the word was bad and tried to stop himself. I don't see the fuss.

Furthermore then number of "coloured" people I hear refer to themselves with the N word I really wonder if they give a sh1t or whether its just the namby pamby lot up in arms.
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The word coloured in this context is deemed unacceptable now too apparently. Black is what is used.
 
Custard wasn't a baddie in Roobarb (not rhubarb!) and Custard, he was merely a victim of poor upbringing, peer pressure and trial by media. :-)
 
ST4 said:
An old man sung an old nursery rhyme with no malice on tv, realised the word was bad and tried to stop himself. I don't see the fuss.

Furthermore then number of "coloured" people I hear refer to themselves with the N word I really wonder if they give a sh1t or whether its just the namby pamby lot up in arms.
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I think you'll find "coloured" people's opinions differ depending on who's saying the word, and why it is being said.

This isn't about whether Clarkson saying nigger actually offended anyone... black OR white, but whether it's appropriate behaviour for a TV presenter, and whether his many infringements of rules should go unchallenged or not. Quite simply... is it FAIR to punish him for using a word that never even got aired! However... "Look.. there's a slope on it": I'm struggling with that one. I mean all the others stuff he's said... you know.. truck driver's murdering prostitutes.. stuff like that... it's so clear and apparent that he, nor anyone else actually thinks this is true, that complaining about what is clearly a joke is pointless... but to say "Look.. there's a slope on it".. that's just not funny unless you feel using the word "slope" is in itself is funny. That's just on the level of Jim Davidson's "Chalky" or Russ Abbot's "C.U Jimmy", and I think we've grown out of such casual racism. You may think it's harmless, but it's genuinely not. Children brought up in an environment where casual, "harmless" racism is prevalent do actually have racist tendencies. The empirical evidence is staggeringly overwhelming. The fact that we live in a country where to this day my wife is asked where she was born because she's not white is just ridiculous. and when my wife replied "Islington, so stop being racist" obviously that was met with hostility and words such as "bitch" and "chink" being used frequently. I even get people asking ME if she speaks English as if she's not even there FFS... I once got, "They make good wives don't they" accompanied with a lurid wink... WTF?? This COMES from somewhere... and that somewhere is the casual acceptance of "harmless" racism. This is NOT harmless.


BRASH said:
Where did I even mention racist comments?
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That's what the entire thread is about. You sure you're in the right place? Besides... I'm afraid it wasn't clear where you're coming from, no.
 
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ST4 said:
It's really debatable he said it. All I caught was murmurs and stumbling his words. If he said it it was accidental and he was singing a nursery rhyme, not making offensive remarks. It's just people looking to take offense
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You've misunderstood me, Clarkson doesn't offend me, nobody should really take him seriously, thats his style and to some extent what makes him appealing it would still be funny if it hadn't become so boring. I stopped watching top gear a couple of years ago, theres only so many times you can see an old car break down or roll down the hill before it becomes predictable. No, its not Clarkson I find offensive just some of the posts on here defending him.
 
jakeblu said:
For saying ni**er. Really, you think that's all he did wrong?
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As he actually never used that word what else did he do? I find this whole conversation tiresome. We WASPS are getting so uptight about a word.
Yours is a classic example - mustn't use the N word but miss a few letters out. Do we really read it as n i star star e r? I hardly think so.
Which are the permissible letters? Is it less awful if I write *igge* or n****r or even Nword. With reference to the above about films being edited - is the name of Guy Gibsons black Labrador dog the reason the remake has not seen the light of day yet?
 
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ChasG said:
As he actually never used that word what else did he do? I find this whole conversation tiresome. We WASPS are getting so uptight about a word.
Yours is a classic example - mustn't use the N word but miss a few letters out. Do we really read it as n i star star e r? I hardly think so.
Which are the permissible letters? Is it less awful if I write *igge* or n****r or even Nword. With reference to the above about films being edited - is the name of Guy Gibsons black Labrador dog the reason the remake has not seen the light of day yet?
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You can read it how you like Charles, I personally prefer not to use the word as I find it offensive, as tiresome as that might seem to you. If he didn't used the word then I would advise him to speak to equity because apparently he is on a final warning and had to make a very humble public apology
 
I am completely lost here - I am 64 years old and have been around a bit and was totally unaware that SLOPE was/is racist. Is slant? unless of course used by HRH?
Some while ago there was an uproar about the term 'nitty gritty' when someone claimed that it was racist and referred to the 'waste' removed from slave ships. When challenged they were, I believe, unable to justify there stance.
 
jakeblu said:
You can read it how you like Charles, I personally prefer not to use the word as I find it offensive, as tiresome as that might seem to you. If he didn't used the word then I would advise him to speak to equity because apparently he is on a final warning and had to make a very humble public apology
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Which was my point entirely
 
Pookeyhead said:
I think you'll find "coloured" people's opinions differ depending on who's saying the word, and why it is being said.
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Exactly. And there is a difference between racism as a result of ignorance and/or upbringing and malicious racism.


Steve.
 
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ChasG said:
I am completely lost here - I am 64 years old and have been around a bit and was totally unaware that SLOPE was/is racist.
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If you use slope or slant to describe a slight gradient or hill, or angle... no, of course it's not racist. Use it to describe someone of oriental descent and it then becomes something else. Whether you've heard it used in that context or not is irrelevant.
 
Pookeyhead said:
If you use slope or slant to describe a slight gradient or hill, or angle... no, of course it's not racist. Use it to describe someone of oriental descent and it then becomes something else. Whether you've heard it used in that context or not is irrelevant.
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But one side was higher than the other. Or would that be some form of druggist comment. We could go on forever.
 
ChasG said:
But one side was higher than the other. Or would that be some form of druggist comment. We could go on forever.
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[PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER]. He knew what he was doing. You;d not say "there's a slope ON it" if your newly built bridge was crooked... you'd just say "It's crooked", or "it's leaning to one side" and you certainly wouldn't either wait for, or direct a stereotypical Vietnamese person to walk across it and THEN film that scene. How naive ARE you?
 
ChasG said:
As he actually never used that word what else did he do? I find this whole conversation tiresome. We WASPS are getting so uptight about a word.
Yours is a classic example - mustn't use the N word but miss a few letters out. Do we really read it as n i star star e r? I hardly think so.
Which are the permissible letters? Is it less awful if I write *igge* or n****r or even Nword. With reference to the above about films being edited - is the name of Guy Gibsons black Labrador dog the reason the remake has not seen the light of day yet?
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Guy Gibson's dog was indeed named Nigger. To portray it otherwise in a remake would be to p*** on the facts.
The last I heard of a remake, they were touting the name "Shadow" as a name. Ridiculous.
 
viv1969 said:
Guy Gibson's dog was indeed named Nigger. To portray it otherwise in a remake would be to p*** on the facts.
The last I heard of a remake, they were touting the name "Shadow" as a name. Ridiculous.
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I agree that IS stupid. Using Nigger in a correct historical context is fine, just as f**k (only asterisked to avoid the swear filter) is absolutely fine when used in context in films... as is sex, and violence. Movies are not real life though. Movies SHOULD reflect reality, but the fact that they do and should doesn't legitimise or condone that reality.
 
Pookeyhead said:
[PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER]. He knew what he was doing. You;d not say "there's a slope ON it" if your newly built bridge was crooked... you'd just say "It's crooked", or "it's leaning to one side" and you certainly wouldn't either wait for, or direct a stereotypical Vietnamese person to walk across it and THEN film that scene. How naive ARE you?
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Clearly very! I thank you for pointing it out.
Returning to the subject in hand. I would say that there was a slope on it meaning it was aslant. Your comment reminds me of the conspiracy theorists who also have brilliant imaginations.
The harder you look the more likely that you will find whatever your agenda is.
 
Pookeyhead


You can opt to believe that or not, I care not one iota. It is YOU, not Clarkson that is doing a disservice to the rest of the world. It is you, not clarkson or whoever you perceieve as the victims of words who are making it into an issue. Now, please stop patronising and insulting the rest of the world.
 
ChasG said:
Clearly very! I thank you for pointing it out.
Returning to the subject in hand. I would say that there was a slope on it meaning it was aslant. Your comment reminds me of the conspiracy theorists who also have brilliant imaginations.
The harder you look the more likely that you will find whatever your agenda is.
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Keep thinking that if it makes you feel better. Andy Wilman has gone on record saying it had been intended as a 'light-hearted word-play joke' which implies he was fully aware of the double meaning.
 
Bernie174 said:
Pookeyhead


You can opt to believe that or not, I care not one iota. It is YOU, not Clarkson that is doing a disservice to the rest of the world. It is you, not clarkson or whoever you perceieve as the victims of words who are making it into an issue. Now, please stop patronising and insulting the rest of the world.
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Err.. let me thnk about that for a second.....


No.


I don't believe standing against people thinking there's no harm in casual racism is doing anyone a disservice, and it's my right to say whatever the **** I like, just as you can, no matter what anyone else thinks., so sorry Bernie.. you'll just have to listen to me... or block me... not arsed either way. My comments aren't relying upon people's differences, nor are they using derogatory words to describe minorities.. that's the difference. However... if you wanna be casually racist, or even just defend those that are, knock yourself out... I don't give a toss... but don't get upset when someone complains... it's your choice after all.
 
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Being offended by racism is NOT being offended on someone else's behalf. Bloody hell.
 
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