[Closed] Clarkson/Top Gear guilty of offence racial term say OFCOM - [slope reference]

Ofcom have also recently ruled against a bbc nature documentary following complaints for the use of the word "beaver" for a dam building water mamal with teeth like janet street porter as it is pejorative

Link?

Apparently all damn building, buck toothed creatures must now be referred to as "vagina squirrels"

Dam you!

First time I saw that part of Top Gear it seemed like they were trying to make a "funny" joke about the fact the bridge was wonky and there was an Asian guy on it. It's about what you'd expect from Top Gear but that doesn't, somehow, make it not a racial slur. If they've bothered to write a joke about it, chances are they knew it was a word that was dodgy to use.

Personally I thought we were past the point where racial epithets passed as humour on mainstream TV programs and past the point where we needed to discuss if it had a place on TV.

Personally I thought we were past the point where racial epithets passed as humour on mainstream TV programs and past the point where we needed to discuss if it had a place on TV.

"We" are indeed past that point, thank goodness. The noise you can hear is "them" kicking up a fuss about being left behind.

Jeremy Clarkson is an ahole. My ex's dad really liked his shows, and washed* an Aston Martin and played golf and he was a massive ahole as well

* he never drove the ****ing thing he just washed it/****ed onto it. I was once shouted at because I sat on the seats in jeans that had pocket studs on them, that's the sort of ahole Clarkson is, they call Asian people Slopes because they're aholes not because its funny, but because they're idiots that should know better.

Edit Ooops thought they would star out 😳

Given the timing of this, would it be cynical of me to wonder if they have a new series starting soon?

[i]Dam you! [/i]
😆

Anyway, Bad people do bad things, because they can and don't care what others say about their actions or the names they are called for those actions.
Shit happens ! Find something else to distract you.

Struggling to see how those who are dfending Top Gear are doing. The whole point is the joke only works if you now that slope can be used as a negative racial slur so any bollocks about beaver is irrelevant.
The fact that the joke wasnt funny isnt much of a defence either. If it was an error then fair enough but it clearly wasnt.

I saw the programme and it was a 'did that really just happen?' moment. Glad they got brought to book over it but it'll make knacker all difference as long as the beeb are getting the cash for rights. He'd have to go the full Ron Atkinson before the suits grew a pair and got rid of him.

I have nothing to add on top gear, but I'm still giggling like a loon (can I say that?) at Vagina Squirrels

Tazzy - still waiting on that link btw...

I was completely unaware of the term "slope" regarding Asian people, but having watched to programme go out it was used with such intent, i.e. it was obvious there was a subtext to it, I was not surprised at what has happened. I would add that the opinion of some people I know who have been in Clarksons' company is that he is a tit.

^ + 1

I hope that distribution rights to Asia are now withheld given the unsuitability of the content.

I was once shouted at because I sat on the seats in jeans that had pocket studs on them

I'd be pretty pissed if someone/anyone marked the inside or outside of my car with metal studs, be they on clothes or not, and I don't even own an Aston. Am I an arse hole?

she said she sat on the seat not that she marked them , not that she was not invited to and not that she "jumped"

TBH i would be pissed off to have seats so fragile jeans damaged them and also at being so fragile I got annoyed about it and/or failed to warn and/or notice when someone got in my pride and joy with clothes so harsh they could hurt it.

I would also want to get a life and some perspective if I am being honest.

I hope that distribution rights to Asia are now withheld given the unsuitability of the content.

Which part of Asia is that then?

Russia, Cyprus, Turkey or one of the many other parts?

Nice to see that with the ethnic cleansing in palastine..the affronted of stw can still get all get up about something as trivial as a racist word uttered by a prick. Perhaps if folks spent more time putting pressure on their mp and government we could actually help stop a genocide rather than distract ourselves with such banality

Nice to see you have the time to [s]belittle folk you disagree with[/s] comment on this thread and not on the threads on that issue.

I agree with the comments of racism n top gear junky im not exactly a white english bloke. Lets just all focus on some proper issues..and eith regards to Palestine thread on here I could have spent my time arguing with apologists for the genocide or helping with more direct action to try to alleviate the situation like we all can.

I'll leave you with the moral ground though chap ad you always think im scum anyway

Nice to see that with the ethnic cleansing in palastine..the affronted of stw can still get all get up about something as trivial as a racist word uttered by a prick.

So a prick saying a racist word on TV is a "trivial" matter ?!

Britain's foremost national broadcaster should simply shrug their shoulders and dismiss it as "trivial" when one of their presenters makes a racist comment on TV ? LOL 😀

.

And btw shocking as it might seem it is possible to strongly oppose Israel's brutal treatment of Palestinians [u]AND[/u] also feel that pricks shouldn't utter racists words on TV. You don't have to choose one or the other.

Nice to see that with the ethnic cleansing in palastine..the affronted of stw can still get all get up about something as trivial as a racist word uttered by a prick. Perhaps if folks spent more time putting pressure on their mp and government we could actually help stop a genocide rather than distract ourselves with such banality

There's been at least 2 on that issue, one got closed as people couldn't play nicely and the other spawned from a random thread. The world keeps spinning not matter what else happens and the forum keeps having discussions about other items than what's happening in Gazza.

one got closed as people couldn't play nicely

Oh the irony...

One side got caught cheating ?

[img] [/img]

*holds hands up* fair point..probably a bit too close to the subject as there are people I care about in gaza at present. Anyway as you were back to a **** on telly x

Which part of Asia is that then?

Shall we say all of it? Better safe than sorry. And if we all contact ofcom we can double the complaints. Auntie might do something then.

The difference between Clarkson and Gaza is that in the case of Clarkson the BBC should have exercised some discretion and editorial control.

I'm not asking them to give me an unbiased and up to date view of how racist Clarkson is

Shall we say all of it? Better safe than sorry. And if we all contact ofcom we can double the complaints. Auntie might do something then.

2 of us contact them will double it.

As someone said further up,I remember the scene and thinking there must have been something I wasn't getting as they were emphasizing it so but I really didn't understand the reference and didn't look any further into it at the time. I'm not sure it's funny now I know. It's a bit of a 70s joke really.

I was going to try and write something long and profound asking why it seems it's only seen as a problem when it's a word used by a white person against someone of another colour/nationality/class but then I thought I'd see if there was a Wiki entry for this **** and turns out there is

[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs_by_ethnicity#European.2FWhite ]HERE[/url] is a list of racial slurs by ethnicity and it turns out there's almost as many aimed at Caucasians as for any other denomination.

I understand that it's not healthy to disseminate this stuff as it hardens the differences between us but why does it always have to be seen in this way? I'm not going to get offended of someone refers to me as a Tommy, Pom, Gringo, Peckerwood, Cracker, Honky or Roundeye as I realize it's a adjective that sums things up about me from their point of view without knowing anything else about me. Ok it may not be flattering but I certainly wouldn't want someone to get offended on my behalf.

Maybe it's easy to say that being a member of the majority in this country and not at any risk of being on the receiving end but I'd hope to be as even handed if the situation were reversed.

We're just animals at the end of the day and animals tend to live in packs and tend to distrust creatures that are not the same so it's a natural instinct to be "racist" in the purest sense. Since the advent of mass transport, we've become integrated in one way or another and that wasn't always the most peaceful of events.

Why can't we all just get along?*

I think we should ban the ist words as they're just making an issue of generalizations. Any of the following can be used as an insult.

men
women
young people
kids
pensioners
bald
short
fat
skinny

all can be covered by some kind of ist and I'm sure we're all guilty of a derogatory broad generalization from time to time. Mostly when driving.

I'm sure that doesn't make any sense and some could accuse me of being racist but I'm not or at least I try hard to suppress my natural instinct to think those who are different to me are errr different. I try to take everyone as they come.

G

*because that's just not human nature

I'm not going to get offended of someone refers to me as a Tommy, Pom, Gringo, Peckerwood, Cracker, Honky or Roundeye as I realize it's a adjective that sums things up about me from their point of view without knowing anything else about me. Ok it may not be flattering but I certainly wouldn't want someone to get offended on my behalf.

That's probably because none of those words have ever been used to insult you, and which presumably was why you needed to look them up in Wikipedia.

At least experience a lifetime of insults, hatred, and prejudices, before telling us how totally unbothered you are by insulting terminology on the telly.

2 of us contact them will double it.

*whoosh*

Ernie - Exactly. I have no idea what it's like. I can't put myself in their shoes, I can't even imagine it and I'm not saying it's right or defending those that abuse others in this way. All I'm saying is that it's a natural reaction from a human being and I hope that one day we'll get to a point where it's no longer the natural reaction.

I thought [url= http://llewblog.squarespace.com/journal/2014/5/2/im-a-bit-racist-and.html ]THIS[/url] was an interesting take on it when I saw it the other day from Robert Llewellyn (Crighton from Red Dwarf and the least funny stand up I've ever seen) But then he's also a white middle class male so isn't entitled to a point of view.

I guess we need the [i]over-reactions[/i] from the [i]professionally offended[/i] to make up for the [i]what is all the fuss about? it's just words[/i] like me. Hopefully at some point we'll reach equilibrium.

I think Ernie is in the "professionally offended" category.

My missus gets pretty tired of all the Filipino housemaid/whore jokes on TV when she's a professional who earns more than me and who's family are far far richer than my own.

Spent some time in the Philippines, never once had the piss taken because I'm white.

Nice to see that with the ethnic cleansing in palastine..the affronted of stw can still get all get up about something as trivial as a racist word uttered by a prick. Perhaps if folks spent more time putting pressure on their mp and government we could actually help stop a genocide rather than distract ourselves with such banality

If I'm not mistaken, lot's of people did get upset about Gaza. But some of them blurred the line between anti-zionism and all out hatred of Israelis that leads to nothing but more bloodshed, or between anti-Hamas and anti-Palestinian attitudes.

Kind of a shame as that's exactly whats causing the current mess, which is why I assume Jamie finds it ironic. It was an utter microcosm of the current conflict.

All I'm saying is that it's a natural reaction from a human being

You say that like it's some kind of fact...is it? I'd contend that it's not natural at all. The type of behaviour you're describing is more than likely learned/taught, not something "natural".

But then he's also a white middle class male so isn't entitled to a point of view.

I reckon the majority of posters on this very thread are white middle class males...I didn't realise they weren't entitled to a point of view. Has anybody told them?

over-reactions from the professionally offended

Jesus wept.

While greatly exaggerated in quantity and quality, by many who are proud to let a bit of casual bigotry slide (fans of JC, one might say), I'd prefer a few more of these kind of people to those who are guilty of under-reactions to apologists for racism and bigotry.

Also you don't need to be offended to know that something is offensive. Like racism, for instance.

Also you don't need to be offended to know that something is offensive. Like racism, for instance.

Telling the professionally unoffended this little simple fact never seems to sink in. They're never keen on facts.

azku - Member

I think Ernie is in the "professionally offended" category.
Posted 45 minutes ago

Really ? Do you know why you think that ?

Or was it just something to say because you wanted to say something and couldn't think of anything else to say ?

I'm not sure that I've ever been offended by anything in my life, apart from maybe when someone has turned down my offer to buy them a drink, or something along those lines. Which I guess goes some way in explaining why I've never reported a post on here.

I'm not offended by your comment btw, just a little puzzled.

Tom_W1987 - Member

But some of them blurred the line between anti-zionism and all out hatred of Israelis that leads to nothing but more bloodshed....

I can't recall anyone expressing "all out hatred of Israelis". I think you've made that up.

Telling the professionally unoffended this little simple fact never seems to sink in. They're never keen on facts

what do you expect of the professionally thick skinned*[**]?

it's only seen as a problem when it's a word used by a white person against someone of another colour/nationality/class

This gets trotted out all the time and is utter bobins
racism is rtacism is racism If you show me a black prsenter on a BBC flagship programme [ Likely eh ] using a pejorative racial slur i will be complaining
Skin colour does not make one racist nor make one incapable of being racist. What makes people think this could be true?

@ Tazzy

I'll leave you with the moral ground though chap ad you always think im scum anyway

* when you are left drawing a piss poor caricature of the opposing view like professionally offended it is generally because you cannot raise a rational counter point so you name call...imagine defending racism by name calling those who object

[**] please dont it is obviously ironic to prove a point

It was an utter microcosm of the current conflict.

I hope someone deals with your wives objections to stereotyping as sensitively as you dealt with the Israeli thread.

Again, failure to see the point that I was trying to make. Did any of you take the time to understand psychologically what makes someone drop a 500lb JDAM on a house in Gaza? Launch rockets at civilians? Bulldoze houses? Behead teenagers?

If any of you had done so, you might have realised that the entire threads discourse is what is fueling the entire stupid ****ing war in the first place. Both sides historically, have been pushed into what they are doing now by external causes.

But nooooooooooooooooooooo, Hamas are all terrorists and the Israelis are all Nazi zionists who control wall street. I get annoyed and make comments that wind people up because I'm really, really tired of the idiotic name calling and hypocrisy that we saw in that thread. I leaned more towards defending the Israelis in that thread because it was mostly one gigantic circle jerk.

People watch that crap?

failure to see the point that I was trying to make.

Whatever Junkyard. I'll stick by my opinion that every single one of you and I do mean all of you, including the pro-israelis and me, were wrong in that thread. There's something that I can't quite put my finger on about the debate, that irks me to the core.

Not one person tried to put themselves in the shoes of the opposing viewpoint to theirs and that is what is really needed to help bring about some understanding between people over the issue.

Try it sometime, try defending an opinion that isn't your own, simply as a thought experiment.

But nooooooooooooooooooooo, Hamas are all terrorists and the Israelis are all Nazi zionists who control wall street

I think you are making up stuff again.

I can't recall anyone claiming that Israelis are all Nazi zionists who control wall street. And even if I missed it and someone did make that comment it certainly wasn't the majority view on the thread as you are implying.

Why the need to make stuff up ? Do you feel that your argument is so weak that it leaves you with no other choice ?

second thoughts..

Not you in particular ernie, some of the others although I didn't like your line of reasoning either and thought it sailed close to Gonzys and others.

However at the time, I don't think I articulated my feelings about that thread very well, causing undue hurt/offence. My thinking can be somewhat disorganized at times.

If people can't take the time and think why their opponents are doing what they do, then were are all collectively ****ed. There are good reasons why Israelis are doing what they do, just as there are good reasons as to why the Palestinians launch rockets every day. After my comment about being able to understand why viper pilots do what they do, instead of debating how both sides could come to understand each other, it was 20+ pages of name calling and "you started it".

I was even more surprised by that thread because I think highly of a lot of the posters here including you Ernie, in terms of intellect.

Try it sometime, try defending an opinion that isn't your own, simply as a thought experiment.

Have you got my point yet?

You said this to your wife when she is faced with racism then

Actually that's how she copes with it. Put yourself in someone elses shoes and you can forgive them, or at least move on.

There's usually valid educational reasons as to why people are racist.

I didn't like your line of reasoning either and thought it sailed close to Gonzys and others.

If you are suggesting that Gonzy was saying that "Israelis are all Nazi zionists who control wall street" then I think that's probably a fib too.

This is Gonzy's view on Zionists, or at least what he posted :

gonzy - Member

I will however state again that I am not branding every Israeli citizen as evil. The evil that lurks within Israel is the movement of Zionism, which controls the government which is carrying out these atrocities.
There are some on here that refuse to accept that what the Israeli government is doing is wrong...and have gone as far as to blame the Palestinians for what is inflicted upon them.
People have to realise and see that it's not the Jews but the Zionists who are the problem. The Zionists are stealing the Jews off their identity and tarnishing their faith. In doing so they are also using the media that they control to brainwash the population with their twisted propaganda.

It's an edited version of a rather long post but it's obvious that Gonzy makes a clear distinction between all Israelis and Zionists, and Zionists and Jews. The very thing which you apparently accuse him of not doing.

You never saw the deleted posts did you? And what makes you think I care about the distinction between Israelis and Zionists, that completely misses my point. Such vitriol aimed at Zionists is just as bad as the vitriol aimed at Hamas, when it comes to ending this conflict, no matter what your historical or ideological opinions are.

I would buy you some whisky and argue over this all night at a bar, but I don't feel it's good for the forum any longer really. I just had to make my final opinion known.

it's all very confusing...best to just nod and shrug a few times. No one offended.. no ignorance displayed..

With reference to your edit :

If people can't take the time and think why their opponents are doing what they do, then were are all collectively ****. There are good reasons why Israelis are doing what they do, just as there are good reasons as to why the Palestinians launch rockets every day. After my comment about being able to understand why viper pilots do what they do, instead of debating how both sides could come to understand each other, it was 20+ pages of name calling and "you started it".

What a load of bollox.

There's a reason why the Nazis gassed 6 million Jews, obviously, the didn't do it because they were bored and couldn't think of any else to do ffs. But quite frankly I'm not in the least bit interested in the "reasons" or seeing it from their point of view.

And btw let's get this straight you didn't simply say that you "understand why viper pilots do what they do". You said, quote : "I don't think I'd have an qualms being a Viper pilot and putting 500lb bombs through the roofs of houses in Gaza."

You were very clearly implying that putting 500lb bombs through the roofs of houses in Gaza is justified.

Well, what I meant to say, was "If I was an Israeli". If I didn't I'm sorry as that confused a whole lot of arguing.

There's a reason why the Nazis gassed 6 million Jews, obviously, the didn't do it because they were bored and couldn't think of any else to do ffs. But quite frankly I'm not in the least bit interested in the "reasons" or seeing it from their point of view.

I am interested, you see the Nazi's as monsters which is the biggest mistake that you can make. They weren't, they were completely normal people. But also, there we go again with the Nazi references. The causes of the holocaust are so far removed from the causes of the current conflict in Gaza that the comparison is ridiculous.

I fear this is going to end up like AJ's helmet threads.

And what makes you think I care about the distinction between Israelis and Zionists, that completely misses my point.

You might not care about the distinction Israelis and Zionists but Gonzy obviously does.

I tend to agree with you, I see little distinction between Israelis and Zionists. I consider most Israelis to be Zionists so feel the difference is fairly minimal. In the same way most white South Africans were Apartheid supporters so despite many notable exceptions the two terms were fairly interchangeable.

I do however make a very clear a distinction between Zionists and Jews.

We are veering dangerously into the same territory as the last thread. I do feel like you do, that the blockade needs to be lifted Ernie. But I don't feel that answer is a one state solution and I don't feel the answer is more name calling. Both sides can be called a lot of things, terrorists (see what the Egyptian people think of them) and the Israelis could be accused of acting like South Africa. The thing is, I think that is all completely immaterial to the subject at hand when what needs to be done is that the two sides need to start to understand each other and compromise.

Unless that is, you want to pick a side and let the war reach it's bloody peak until one side is wiped out. I hope that clears things up with you in regards to my opinions.