You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Raybanwomble is a stupid moron calling “my sincerest apologies” a non-apology
Just after he accused the people who took offence of having diseased minds.
Looks like you seem offended by being called an idiot.
How utterly hilarious.
I definitely didn't intend for that to be taken as an insult, I was using it as it was used in the 19th century - as a purely scientific descriptive term. Then again, I shouldn't expect anything better from someone of unsound mind.
....well my work here is done.
There are people on the thread who are defending what DB said
Nobody has defended what he said.
I didn't see it as a racist tweet as I don't carry Megan's mixed race heritage in my conciousness, so I didn't make the link between "chimp" and "black" until I read it on here. If it had been, say, Tyra Banks and I HAD made the link, would that make me racist?
Aye, they are. They're calling people who thought it was racist snowflakes and easily offended. I'm not offended in any way, someone else's opinion has no reflection upon me and the more they defend it the sillier they look. I do however get mighty peeved off that these people are my kids future employers and inlaws and can influence my kids outcomes because of their own ignorance. People who hold these ideas are also parents and educators and so these ideas get passed on, our grandkids are going to be having the same discussions.
@pondo ?? No, it would not mean that you are racist if you saw the link between black people being associated with monkeys. To me it would suggest that someone can see beyond the end of their own nose
Have you ever done the Harvard implicit bias test
I just tried the race preference one - I got "No automatic preference for African American or European American". That's kind of what I would have expected, but I was also relieved - I really didn't want to score badly on that.
I've spent a lot of time living in countries where white people are not the majority, so I got quite used having having a) mostly friends of colour
b) As a minority I noticed a few things I'd never noticed before..
Thanks for taking the time to answer my posts. And really, get that teacher sacked.
All incorrect
OK then, I have to say I'm even more surprised that so many people are aware that the monkey insult is a well known racist insult and didn't make the connection in this case!
Cheers @easily, it was a real eye opener for me. It's not people's ignorance that surprises me, it's the lengths they will go to to defend it.
I could use the teacher who casually said "Black people can't swim" to a small group of 10yr old girls discussing their swimming lessons, one of them was black, as an example.
I informally enquired as to how the statement was qualified, the HT said that the teacher had a black brother-in-law and they were discussing which countries were good at sport? I asked where the Black Country was, as far as I was aware it was somewhere near Somerset.
The LA said that the information was "factual" and that black people are physiologically different to white people. It had also become a class discussion about athletics and it was a "factual" response. We even got offered extra free swimming lessons, my kids swim. In fact a black woman had just won a gold medal in swimming was beyond them as were socioeconomics.
No right of reply, I did anyway and was redirected to the SPSO. However, due to legislation the SPSO can't investigate anything to do with conduct, curriculum or discipline in schools.
John Swinney redirected me to the Govan Law Centre, but racism isn't in their remit.
Notice a pattern?
Legal aid doesn't cover human rights or public law.
That's not even the worst of it.
My kids had to move school and I was threatened with the losing them, it would be so much better if I stopped pursuing my complaint. They didn't quite agree with telling the racists to stop, apparently it's more offensive. It's not the teacher who I'd like to see sacked, he made a stupid comment when the others considered theirs. (It's also a bit weird that the kid who was considering suicide at 6yrs old records went missing in the transfer??)
I'm now considering my actions and have had a consultation with Aamer Anwar, but it will cost £60K to step in to court. I've done my homework though and have the support of not only academics but the whole bloomin institution.
I'm not going to name the council, they have approached other sites to redact it and I'd hate for STW to get into trouble but they can sue me if they wish as it would be a lot easier for me and I'm happy to pm anyone who asks
So...... Danny Baker posts a clearly racist image/caption, possibly without realising it was such. He offers a non-apology (worse, actually) and is fired from his job on a national broadcaster?
Not sure what else the BBC could do. If he'd have offered the most heartfelt and well crafted apology, he might have managed to keep his job, but he didn't, so he didn't.
The guy is either a racist or an idiot
OK then, I have to say I’m even more surprised that so many people are aware that the monkey insult is a well known racist insult and didn’t make the connection in this case!
The reason is that they didn't know who Meghan Markle was and if they did they didn't know she was mixed race as they clearly have never seen her or read/heard any of the 100's of stories about it over the last 2 years.
That could be true I suppose, but not likely to be true to Baker.
I’m impressed, your ears can obviously filter out certain news items when they are mentioned on the radio or TV.
Err....I don’t watch the news or listen to the radio (Netflix and Spotify are great). Reading doesn’t involve the ears so I’m all good when it comes to not hearing certain news items. I’m happy that you find me impressive though 😉
The BBC sack Danny Baker, yet for years turned a blind eye to Savile's 'activities'
What Savile did was far, far worse but kept his job...
lol @ funkmasterp, yeah Danny Baker probably never listens to the radio.
I cringed when I saw the tweet. Imo it was a sacking offence. Really dumb as well as depriving me of one of my favourite radio shows of the week.
And +100 for "Also very impressed with aweeshoes post(s)".
Err….I don’t watch the news or listen to the radio (Netflix and Spotify are great). Reading doesn’t involve the ears so I’m all good when it comes to not hearing certain news items. I’m happy that you find me impressive though 😉
Then perhaps avoid discussions where you're not armed with info that's common knowledge to most? That's pretty much what I do with footy.
The excuse doesn't stand for not making the connection between monkeys being associated with people of colour, he's a Millwall fan (allegedly the only intelligent one). I believe their supporters 'have form' for racist abuse of players on the pitch.
Agreed it's a sacking offence. I want to live in a UK where this stuff couldn't happen, zero tolerance.
I want to live in a UK where this stuff couldn’t happen
Good luck with that. This country is going backwards rather than forwards.
The excuse doesn’t stand...
Yes, but Megan Markle's identity and African American heritage are closely guarded secrets, rarely disclosed to the general public and only known to those of us who are avid readers of Hello magazine, so it's really easy to miss the racist connotations.
Impressed with Awesshoes post's? GTF.
All he's done is put up a load of explicitly and unquestionably racist abuse and equate it to posting a silly picture on twitter.
Yes, it's shit that your family and anyone else for that matter suffers abuse and discrimination but that is not the subject here.
What you seem to be unable to grasp is that not everyone sees a picture of a chimp and immediately makes an association with black people.
Not everyone thinks of other people in terms of race first i.e. Meghan Markle is a royal first, actress second and black somewhere down the list in order of characteristics of note.
When making a silly joke about the pointlessness of Royals, why would race even come intot he equation - the only reasons are 1. you are trying to make a racist joke or two you are black yourself and have been subject to abuse of that nature.
The image itself is not racist. The wider context makes it so and it should clearly be removed. Very, very few people on here have suggested that it was OK to be left in place. Those defending Danny Baker are simply saying he did not even consider race at the tie of posting, which is entirely plausible especially given the posts swift removal and proper apology once it was pointed out to him.
And frankly, if the likes of eat_the_pudding dont have the capacity to understand that, they have my pity...
Still going round and round I see.
Thing you don't get cumberlanddan, is that people on here are [i]soooo clever[/i] that they can actually read the mind of a celebrity, someone they don't know, someone they they have never met. They KNOW their thoughts. And there's no way us dopes can discuss something with people [i]that[/i] clever. And if you disagree with them well, clearly you're an idiot or a troll.
The image itself is not racist
But when viewed from a perspective that the baby's mother and one of it's grandparents is black, clearly it is. It's also almost certain (to a percentage of impossibility) that Danny Baker knows that. That he still posted it, and then made a half arsed apology which basically implied that anyone who sees this as racist has a diseased mind, and then trying to make himself a victim by suggesting that it was his "time in the barrel" pretty much made up the minds of people who can think.
Look, I don't think Danny is racist, I enjoyed his show, I think he's pretty funny and smart. But this is beyond what is acceptable in public. That's pretty much the start middle and end of the discussion.
Of course he knew about her race. He presents a radio show, he is embedded in the media and surrounded by current affairs
He would have had to attend lengthy BBC training courses on racial awareness, it was his responsibility to remain on the right side of acceptable
He made a silly mistake then made it far worse with his attacking non-apology
He was in breach of contract
He absolutely deserved to be sacked, whether or not his post was intentionally racist is largely irrelevant.
Megan Markle has been getting loads of online abuse, much of it rascist, and Danny Baker, being a journalist, will have known that and so to not be aware of the implication of what he was posting was severly niave and even incompetant - therefore he deserves the sack.
https://news.sky.com/story/trolling-of-meghan-how-duchess-is-abused-over-race-and-pregnancy-11696606
I think it's massively relevant, context is hugely important. I can't argue with the sacking but I think there's a vast gulf between a Danny Baker continuing his "monkeys in clothes" trope and a Danny Baker posting chimp pics because the mother of a famous baby is mixed race.
Of course he knows her race. When he posted the picture the joke wasn't "ha ha black baby looks like a chimp" the joke was "ha ha royal baby - another performing monkey". Race doesn't feature in the equation for the latter.
If you are predisposed to make that link you might see it straightaway (i.e. racists (diseased mind) or people who have been subject to that abuse). Clearly the post is inappropriate and should have been removed, which it was, with an apology (twice) but that's not good enough for the permanently enraged.
My objection is to the witch hunt and the refusal to see that it could be posted in error which is basically as, if not more, bigoted than the racism of which he is accused.
that people on here are soooo clever that they can actually read the mind of a celebrity, someone they don’t know, someone they they have never met. They KNOW their thoughts. And there’s no way us dopes can discuss something with people that clever.
There's people on here who when they hear someone was slapped in the face say "what's it matter? I didn't feel a thing..."
If you are predisposed to make that link you might see it straightaway (i.e. racists (diseased mind) or people who have been subject to that abuse)
or you might be someone who is aware of social issues, historical context of apes in racism and has a basic idea of what is deemed okay.
Bit late to the party, but he offended the royals, doesn't matter to the BBC whether it was racist or not. THey're not exactly known for their fair handling of anything
the joke was “ha ha royal baby – another performing monkey”.
Yep, I think every one who knows Danny's long running joke, understands this. Two things though,
1. Do you think that 2 black American women would've known this, and understood the nuance, above and beyond the very obvious historical connotation of monkey/apes and black people?
2. Do you think that a moments thought about the heritage of the baby would give you a pause to consider the wider implications of the image above and beyond the immediate joke, that TBF to Danny's ratings, a few thousand people may have understood? And do you think that Danny should've recognised that?
Race doesn’t feature in the equation for the latter.
When the child is of mixed heritage, it clearly does.
I get that Danny was making another contribution to his performing monkey trope, and that in his rush to make the joke he clearly didn't consider the wider implications. That he made a hash of the media scrum after the event is absolutely a cock up of his own devising. That folk are still trying to defend it, is frankly astounding...
And why would you automatically be thinking about race when making that joke?
Thats the whole point - if someone says I've had a baby I don't immediately ask "whats it's race"?
And why would you automatically be thinking about race when making that joke?
Because in this case the baby is mixed heritage and it's grandmother is black, and there is a long and sordid history on both sides of the Atlantic of comparing apes and monkeys to black people that anyone with an ounce of understanding, compassion and empathy has knowledge of.
If you don't (have that knowledge) than frankly, stop arguing on the internet, and go educate yourself so you don't end up in the same situation as Danny Baker.
And why would you automatically be thinking about race when making that joke?
Thats the whole point – if someone says I’ve had a baby I don’t immediately ask “whats it’s race”?
This, I don't know or think about the racial heritage of my own kids, let alone anyone else's. Who cares? People are just people.
If you don’t (have that knowledge) than frankly, stop arguing on the internet, and go educate yourself so you don’t end up in the same situation as Danny Baker.
Far from perpetuating it, we should be congratulating ourselves that racist imagery is so far from (most) of our consciousness that it can be used accidentally and most of us don't even notice it. Far from perpetuating it we should all forget it and consign it to history. (Many of us thought it had been.)
Lets try again...
If you are making a joke about "a royal baby", and you don't think about its race unless someone points it out to you, there is no reason to think that the picture would be offensive. The fact that there is a racist association between monkeys and black people simply does not come into it.
Once someone points out your error you would expect the post to be retracted and an apology issued. Which is what happened.
The intended joke was clearly "Royals are just performing circus animals". There was no consideration of race whatsoever in it.
This inability to see anything but the worst in people is absolutely staggering.
If he'd have come out with that response yesterday he might just have saved his job.
Glad he's taken time to explain things rationally
This inability to see anything but the worst in people is absolutely staggering.
this thread isn't about that, There are remarkably few people on here claiming that he did it on purpose, or that they think Danny is actually racist. It's about making judgements about humour vs the offence caused. Danny Baker made a joke that can be perceived as racist, he then compounded his error by trying to portray himself as the victim. He has been sacked because of his misjudgement.
The End
nickc - that's not the argument most people have been making at all.
The End (or is it, who gets to say?)
Once someone points out your error you would expect the post to be retracted and an apology issued. Which is what happened.
His apology was confused & angry it got him into more trouble
The End (or is it, who gets to say?)
Read Danny's own mea culpa on the twitter feed provided by PrinceJohn. I think that pretty much wraps it up, don't you?
Yeah. It basically says what I said all along.
Is this the end now?
Yes. Apart from those you describe as
the permanently enraged.
I'd call most people who are vaguely aware, and who got to where you now appear to be a bit quicker. And who for the most part come across as less cross 🙂
are the permanantly enraged the ones who are permanently enranged about the 'PC gone mad culture' we live in now or the ones who think posting pics of mixed raced kids as chimps (intentionally or not)
Where I appear to be? I haven't moved thanks.
Then perhaps avoid discussions where you’re not armed with info that’s common knowledge to most? That’s pretty much what I do with footy.
Is this not a public forum wherein one can post opinion on any number of subjects? I appear to be one of many that had no idea she was mixed race. Therefore I didn’t see racist in the image until somebody pointed out the fact. Whether or not the image itself can be construed as racist appears to now be a moot point as it has been decided that it is.
no idea she was mixed race
I find this incredible.
Put me in with the "didn't see it as racist until pointed out" cabal. I'm vaguely aware that the mother isn't pure white and that some related racist chanting occurs at some football grounds. I've also had to explain the connection to 3 other folk who also just saw it as a "royal baby in performing animal shocker" jibe. I reckon the link to racist chanting is less well known than many on here would expect.
no idea she was mixed race
I find this incredible
Seriously, I wouldn't have known if my wife hadn't mentioned it at some point. Gossip on the royal family isn't something I follow.
@cumberlanddan Wow! Any evidence of any racist comments I've made? No, there's not. I'd accept an apology for your abuse and defamation of my character.
Racism is not one of those "if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it" kinda questions, intention and interpretation have nowt to do with it. Relating the only black royals to a monkey is racist, end of. He could have qualified the photo at the time, but as in my story he chose to try and cover his tracks later instead.
I've stated my perspective clearly and concisely and provided you with ample explanations of unconscious bias and how racism manifests. Thanks for demonstrating my point so passionately, it's a shame that you can't grasp the concept but I don't think you're ever going to be able to grasp the complexity of simple bigotry
Gossip
It’s not gossip. I realise you’re getting on a bit, and maybe it’s hard to keep up with events that happen at what may seem like lightning speed to you at times, but not knowing that Megan Markle was/is mixed race is hilarious. Of course you’re not the only one, but it’s still hilarious that anyone who is vaguely aware of the Internet/social media/rolling news is not aware of that fact. By the way, the acceptable term these days is “mixed heritage” - you probably missed that one too. But that’s forgivable.
Geoff Lloyd has taken over for tomorrow. It looks like we are all being punished.
Aweeshoe
I didn't immediately make the connection. You then branded anyone who didn't 'ignorant and priviledged'.
You are just as offensive as anyone on this thread I'm afraid.
cumberlanddan
Yeah. It basically says what I said all along.
I'm pretty sure Danny Baker might disagree with you.
What you said:
It is a racist post to racists (and to those constantly vigilant for potential offence I suppose), but if your mind doesn’t work that way there isn’t anything obvious to be upset about. It took me a long time to work out what the offence was.
What he said:
"But it was a genuine, naive and catastrophic mistake. There is of course little media/twitter traction in such a straight-forward explanation. The picture in context as presented was obviously shamefully racist. It was never intended so - seriously who on earth would 'go there'?"
You might be right that it was unintentional (I agree) but the man himself agrees that "in context as presented was obviously shamefully racist".
Any additional thoughts cumberlanddan, I guess you could look him up on twitter and try to convince him he's wrong?
awesshoe - Concisely? No, you provided a tale of woe based on actual racism you and others have experienced. Fair enough, that should all be dealt with in the appropriate manner.
None of that experience really has anything to add to Danny Baker's situation. You leap to the conclusion that he is racist simply because racism exists and refuse to countenance that he might have posted something which can be construed as racist without any intention to be racist.
That doesn't diminish the inappropriateness (if thats a word) of his post but it does mean he should be cut a bit of slack, especially when he has no form, and when his first action on realising what the post looked like was to remove it and apologise.
Basically, as I said above, you are refusing to see anything but the worst possible intention. Your posts show why, but I don't think its a reasonable position to take.
I find this incredible.
Why ? I didn't even know her name.. If you'd given me 50 guesses i may have randomly got there from seeing something once on-line in passing. I don't watch the news, or current affairs, i don't read newspapers or visit their websites. I visit the BBC every day for weather and football, direct links on my favourites... that's it, that simple.
I was in the Docs with my lad this morning and the had an OK magazine and only now do i know that there's 2 royal blokes and girls, i assumed there was only 1 and he'd split with the Kate who lived near me and got this new one. I was only aware of her because we cycle through the village sometimes and there were press there on one ride.
Hence, i can say with 100% certainty i didn't know this girl had mixed race in her...
. I realise you’re getting on a bit, and maybe it’s hard to keep up with events that happen at what may seem like lightning speed to you at times, but not knowing that Megan Markle was/is mixed race is hilarious
Yawn. Go straight to the personal attack. Again. I'm sure some of your woke buddies will be along to back you up in due course. The fact is that I have the ability to filter out my social media to what is relevant and personal to me. Maybe you will learn to do the same once you grow up.
Anyway, reported for age-ism.
sorry, to dredge back a couple of pages....
I wouldn’t call a white kid it either.
Interesting. Why is that? Is it because the whole concept of simian reference now holds so profound racial stigma/connotation to you to the extent that it can't be used even when it clearly has no possible racial angle with the people involved? Can't think of another reason. Animal comparisons are a pretty common thing both positive and negative. Thankfully most are non racial in connotation.
Similarly, if Danny Baker had used the same image and comment about William and Kate's last sprog would it have not been acceptable to you?
Don't take it as a jibe at you, genuinely interested in the perspectives of others.
Hence, i can say with 100% certainty i didn’t know this girl had mixed race in her…
You're obviously getting on a bit. I can only assume you were at the GP due to an incontinence problem?
awesshoe – Concisely? No, you provided a tale of woe based on actual racism you and others have experienced. Fair enough, that should all be dealt with in the appropriate manner.
None of that experience really has anything to add to Danny Baker’s situation. You leap to the conclusion that he is racist simply because racism exists and refuse to countenance that he might have posted something which can be construed as racist without any intention to be racist.
That doesn’t diminish the inappropriateness (if thats a word) of his post but it does mean he should be cut a bit of slack, especially when he has no form, and when his first action on realising what the post looked like was to remove it and apologise.
Basically, as I said above, you are refusing to see anything but the worst possible intention. Your posts show why, but I don’t think its a reasonable position to take.
Broadly agree with this and see it as a fair and balanced viewpoint.
eat_the_pudding - DBs comments and mine say the same thing.
Any evidence of any racist comments I’ve made?
In this thread you admitted that you had referred to your ex as a cheeky "monkey" and he was deeply offended. You also admitted to *being* a racist:
"I called my ex a cheeky monkey once, I never thought anything of it but I may as well have called him a c*** judging by the look on his face."
"Have you ever done the Harvard implicit bias test? It covers a range of biases from ableism to sexism I was surprised to discover that I’m racist owards white people!"
Hence, i can say with 100% certainty i didn’t know this girl had mixed race in her…
Me too, I've only seen her on the front of papers and knew that she was American. Based purely on that I'd made the assumption that she was of South or Native American extraction and then given it no further thought. Having just looked at Wikipedia I now know that she is Caucasian/African American.
Either way, I don't particularly care. She is just a person.
For reference my Tanzanian postdoc and her Nigerian husband calls their 3yo daughter "little monkey". They call my 2yo Caucasian daughter "little monkey" too. I call their daughter "little monkey". When they are together we call them "little monkeys". None of us are apparently offended, nor are those nearby when it happens.
It would appear that context and intent may actually have something to do with it all.
Danny Baker made a stupid joke (that I interpreted in the way he intended), apologised when alternative interpretations were presented and removed the tweet. Maybe not the most savvy move on his part ever but he gave his explanation and it seemed reasonable to assume it was the truth given his past. Not really sure what all the fuss is about other than people putting words and intentions in his mouth and then judging him for it.
None of that experience really has anything to add to Danny Baker’s situation. You leap to the conclusion that he is racist simply because racism exists and refuse to countenance that he might have posted something which can be construed as racist without any intention to be racist.
....and fail to provide any motive for deliberately bringing a world of grief down on his own head beyond: "He thought he'd get away with it." - Why do something voluntary which has no benefit because you "think you'll get away with". That's not motive, that's an absence of motive.
Occams razor says he either didn't have the background of the baby at the forefront of his conciousness or he didn't have the special significance of chimpanzees to a tiny minority of deranged people at the forefront of his conciousness. (I didn't myself, indeed I wasn't even 100pc sure which of Charles's Daughter in laws had popped another baby until this thread, and I listen the Today all the way into work every weekday morning. Also I haven't heard the monkey reference to race since I was in primary school. [1]) That's not to say I didn't know both things if you gave me 30 seconds to think about it - I know lots of things that aren't at the forefront of my mind - Trig, for instance.
On the subject of 30 seconds to think about it, don't people who tweet to thousands have some kind of editor to check before posting? I'm staggered.
[1] EDIT: Actually that's not true there was a thread about it on here a while back.
Whether or not the image itself can be construed as racist appears to now be a moot point as it has been decided that it is.
The picture is not racist at all. Nothing racist about a dressed up chimp with two white people.
It is how the picture has been used that is racist and in the context in this case it doesn't pass.
If people didn't realise this after seeing the mother or hearing about her race on the news/media over the last 2 years then fair enough I suppose. But do you honestly think Baker was in that position? I don't think he has used that in any of his 'defences'
If people didn’t realise this after seeing the mother or hearing about her race on the news/media over the last 2 years then fair enough I suppose.
...because we all remember 2 year old celeb stories in detail. Jesus, I can't instantly remember what I had for breakfast last week, or what I did 5 weekends ago.
I'm genuinely surprised at the number of people on here that don't seem to either watch the news or read newspapers, even occasionally. I'm totally disinterested in the royal family but I'm aware of who she is, her background and certainly the fact William/Harry and Kate/Meghan are all different people, mostly as they're frequently covered on the evening and breakfast news (truth be told I mostly watch breakfast news in case there's been a zombie apocalypse overnight and it means I don't have to go into work).
Jesus, the BBC are still allowing some utter cretin on the news to say that "I think Danny Baker hasn't done enough, he needs to go and meet Harry and Meghan and abase himself, naked in front of them..."
FFS, as if they want to be involved in this. And again, this pathetic world we live in, in which "I got sacked, I apologised profusely, I'll never do it again" isn't enough.
BURN HIM! FLAY HIM! TAKE AWAY HIS BRITISH IDENTITY!!
I’m genuinely surprised at the number of people on here that don’t seem to either watch the news or read newspapers, even occasionally. I’m totally disinterested in the royal family but I’m aware of who she is, her background and certainly the fact William/Harry and Kate/Meghan are all different people, mostly as they’re frequently covered on the evening and breakfast news (truth be told I mostly watch breakfast news in case there’s been a zombie apocalypse overnight and it means I don’t have to go into work).
I'd be surprised if you remember everything you heard on the news. The fact there's a word "Memorable" suggests there's stuff that isn't memorable. Kate's family history is at the front of your mind, other stuff isn't. Other people will have different priorities. I listen to "Thought for the Day" every day as a drive. Not only do I not remember it, I zone out for most of it. (Except today when a name I recognized came up and it made me focus for a while.)
You simply can't argue that we all have everything we know instantly accessible at the front of our minds, and you can't argue we remember everything we hear. If we did exams would be quite easy!
I’m genuinely surprised at the number of people on here that don’t seem to either watch the news or read newspapers, even occasionally.
Me to, but also suprised that after opening this thread cliking the OP's link some people didn't feel the need to research the whole Harry/Megan thing before commenting.
Bit like the endemic trend on facebook of commenting on or liking articles without even reading them.
…because we all remember 2 year old celeb stories in detail.
Remembering the race of a person is not that hard and not really a celeb story is it. But as I said, if you don't remember or have never heard it or have never seen Meghan then fair enough you won't see the picture in the context as posted as racist. But again, do we really believe someone in Baker's position would be that unaware of popular media?
The stw racists just can't seem to let this one go! 😆
But again, do we really believe someone in Baker’s position would be that unaware of popular media?
Well there's cast iron evidence that he was unaware because if he'd been aware of it he wouldn't have posted an image that could cause him no good and was highly likely to cause him a vast amount of pain.
suprised that after opening this thread cliking the OP’s link some people didn’t feel the need to research the whole Harry/Megan thing before commenting.
I researched! I'm not interested in Celebs but I *am* interested in trying to win arguments on the internet. I've done the knowledge, I know everything about them now.
I doubt this is going to help, anyway...
Its not whether or not he knew Meghan of Meghan Markles heritage (which he may or may not have done), it is a question of whether it entered his brain when posting the picture. If the picture was posted about the other ones (Kate is it?) kids, no-one would have batted an eye, it would just be a silly post about how silly the royals are.
That it is Megan Markle's kid means that there is another meaning, however for Danny Baker to have been racist he would have had to have been actively thinking about her race when he posted it. He says he wasn't and that is entirely plausible to me (and many others).
That doesn't stop the picture having racist connotations and that is why he removed it and apologised. I don't see the need for the witch hunt which followed.
Its not whether or not he knew Meghan of Meghan Markles heritage (which he may or may not have done), it is a question of whether it entered his brain when posting the picture.
I kind of agree with this, but he was in such a hurry to be MR Clever he didn't engage his brain. Once posted though the damage was done and real world the BBC had no option but to fire him. Hopefully he can keep a low profile and find a role for is talents sometime in the future.
For what its worth I think posting a picture of a Chimpanzee as a representation of "anybody's" new born beloved baby is a crass and disrespectfull thing to do.
The stw racists just can’t seem to let this one go!
so by understanding the joke as showing the royal family to be a circus makes you racsit. That sums up how ****ed up this world has become.
yip.
he was in such a hurry to be MR Clever he didn’t engage his brain.
Seems plausible. Equally, if it's true the chimp thing is a running gag it feels more likely to me that he's got a big stash of chimp pics and he searches through them hoping to find one he can hilariously relate to a current celeb story. It's probably not that frequent to find a match, this time he finds one with posh man & woman & small chimp and posts without much thought. When the responses come he realizes the significance.
Well there’s cast iron evidence that he was unaware
Of course there isn't and I would be amazed if he wasn't aware. That it didn't occur to him is very odd but I would tend to agree that it would not have been posted as a racist statement.
Not knowing or caring about the race of the latest royal concubine makes you racist.
To help us out, maybe they should all be made to wear a badge.
He may not be, and is probably not, a rascist but, by the nature of his job, he should have known the sensitivity of the subject matter and the significance of the chimp.
If he didn't know that, in his position, then he shouldn't be a broadcaster.
He may not be, and is probably not, a rascist but, by the nature of his job, he should have known the sensitivity of the subject matter and the significance of the chimp.
If he didn’t know that, in his position, then he shouldn’t be a broadcaster.
I think that's fair enough, if you're going to post something to thousands you need to take the time to properly think it through and you probably want more than one pair of eyes on it. Frankly, I think if you're posting to thousands you need an editor to give everything proper consideration. I know someone who does exactly that for many local businesses. She manages their social media accounts, they give her the message, she tidys it if required and posts it on their behalf. She'd have caught this instantly.
He may not be, and is probably not, a rascist but, by the nature of his job, he should have known the sensitivity of the subject matter and the significance of the chimp.
I was about to write much the same. Racist? No. Insensitive? Yes.
Incidentally, everyone saying "I didn't know she was mixed race because I'm not interested enough in the royal family"- fair enough, but then you didn't post a picture online about the child did you? Anyone who did, presumably does pay some attention to the royal family