So after a silly prank phone call which caused 2 complaints after it was initially aired, a week later after the papers had got hold of it there are 30,000 complaints. The fallout is massive with resignations and suspensions and questions being asked in parliament. Ok, the phone calls weren't funny, and yes they probably shouldn't have been aired but this was a pre-recorded show and the producer decided it would be ok.
Fast forward to today, the new series of Top Gear starts with a feature on how hard it is to be a truck driver. Clarkson makes a couple of jokes based off some urban myths which weren't necessarily in the best of taste, but in the context of the program and the persona he projects not entirely unsurprising. As of this morning there were less than 200 complaints, by the end of the afternoon there were over 500 and people were calling for him to be sacked.
Now if you see something that is genuinely offensive you are well within your rights to complain, I don't want to take that away from people but I think you do need to have been there at the time of the incident to be truly offended. The fact that the number of complaints grows after the event seems to indicate that there are people who are just looking to complain because there's something to complain about, which of course begs the question why? Head outside and enjoy the wonderful countryside we have and think about all the huge things that are going on in the world that need to be fought against rather than some throw away joke from a motormouth television journalist.
It should also be mentioned that of the millions of people that watch Top Gear there have been only 500 complaints so in comparison there are a disproportionately larger group of people who watched the program and enjoyed it. Let's not forget these people (including me) who are likely to be lost in the moral outrage of the over vocal minority.
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2 comments:
What sort of urban myths? I need you to tell me so I can be outraged and complain... I find Top Gear quite entertaining but I think it would be much better without Clarkson. In fact, I think the world would be better without him so he should be shipped to Mars.
I didn't watch the Russell Brand thing but from what I've heard it was (a) really quite offensive and (b) not funny - a bit like stand up comedians who can only get laughs by swearing - swearing on its own isn't actually that funny... Though I think what they edited out was even worse so maybe the torrent of offensiveness affected the judgement of the producers involved - their tolerance had perhaps been raised a little.
But no, I really hate the tabloid frenzy around it - it's self-righteous and moralistic and entirely unnecessary.
Right, I'm in the library, I have to do some work.
Not sure the two can be directly compared. The Brand/Ross thing was highly personal and directed against Andrew Sachs (who was funnier as Manuel than those two could ever hope to be). They're overpaid children who have got so used to pushing the boundaries they've completely lost sight of what's acceptable and what isn't. I wasn't one of the ones who complained but I can see why it upset a lot of people.
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