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Why is Jeremy Clarkson allowed to make jokes about Americans but not Africans?

I was watching a Jeremy Clarkson show the other day and he made several negative references to the Americas including "Yanks" and "stupid Americans" (not that I care). Yet when he has made comments about Africans or Asians, there has been a national outcry.

In this country, at this time, when nasty tweets make headline news, society has become pathetic. People who play along with this "my favourite footballer go minus 2 points for not criticising the allowed groups and criticising the disallowed groups" are also pathetic for playing into it.

The idea that we "might" offend someone and have to rewrite a codified system of behaviour, language, laws etc. around "might" offending the disallowed groups (as opposed to the allowed groups) is pathetic.

When a system is broken or there is a systematic problem, we should not play into the problem, we should play into the solution.


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Also Mexicans. Apparently calling Mexicans lazy and sleepy is somehow worse than calling Americans fat and stupid.

I don't remember him making jokes about Africans though. The slope Asian thing is confusing because they acknowledge it's a pun on the guy on the bridge and the fact the bridge had a slope. Are they referring to his slitty eyes? It's really confusing.

Then they attempted some edgey humour by singing a song which used to have the N word in but casually muffled it as part of the humour, if anything poking fun at himself, but decided to not use the clip. Somehow, someone was able to get their knickers in a twist because we live in a world where out of touch morons like to cause trouble and play the victim complex.

Then people have the gall to say we're just trying to explain away offensive material when the accusation doesn't make any sense at all. And with the examples about Mexicans, aren't being compared fairly to the examples about Americans or Germans. Mexico isn't even a race anyway. Some people even think Hispanic is a race separate to white when it Hispanic really means Spanish culture and descendants. Many Hispanics in south America are mixed race with aztec/mayan natives.

So ultimately Mexico is just as diverse as Canada or the US but no-one would care to call those two a race.

So the accusations of racism towards Clarkson and Top Gear make no sense at all. It's ****ing laughable that any time is spent taking them seriously when all you need is to use your brain.

And seriously, the whole getting ran out of Argentina, if that happened in the UK it would be the British public getting the blame for attacking foreign TV presenters and even accusations of racism, even if the Argentinians are the same race the media likes to point out racism at any point it wants to make some more money selling newspapers or advert space on it's webzone.

But I've heard of no mention of racism or assault caused by the Argentinians against Top Gear. It's all being spun so that having a joke numberplate somehow justifies kicking foreigners out of the country when we have countless foreign murderers and rapists that we can't kick out. It's all being spun to blame Top Gear. It's somehow okay to throw rocks at foreigners as long as those foreigners are British.

I really hate people that don't think and support this unequal logic.
Clarkson IS borderline racist but there's an argument to be made here that comedy shouldn't automatically exclude things because they're seen as "oh you can't joke about that" - joke about everything because it's when you individualise something it starts to become a little bit wrong in my opinion :smile:
Because political correctness is a racist ideology which thinks non-white people are inferior, and can't take a joke.

Test it by qualifying "fat and stupid Americans" as "fat and stupid African Americans". That won't be okay anymore.

A true non-racist thinks all of these jokes are either stupid, offensive, acceptable or tolerable, but whatever they are, they share that quality to the same degree as each other, no matter who the target is.
Making fun of people who are perceived to be powerful and successful, is more socially accepted than making fun of people who are poor and lack empowerment. The USA is wealthy, well developed and successful, at this point in time, Africa is not, so until this changes, making jokes about Africans will be seen as bullying type behaviour rather than harmless fun.


In the same way, it's acceptable to mock and ridicule the wealthy, but poor people are essentially a protected class.
Original post by yo radical one
Making fun of people who are perceived to be powerful and successful, is more socially accepted than making fun of people who are poor and lack empowerment. The USA is wealthy, well developed and successful, at this point in time, Africa is not, so until this changes, making jokes about Africans will be seen as bullying type behaviour rather than harmless fun.

In the same way, it's acceptable to mock and ridicule the wealthy, but poor people are essentially a protected class.


Problem with this is that many Americans are not very wealthy.

Also, we should be thinking about why the USA is successful and Africa is not. The USA is successful because it is free. Africa is not because it is ruled by oppressive tyrants. Surely we should be mocking oppressive tyrants far more than we mock freedom-loving democrats.
Original post by Rvalance
I was watching a Jeremy Clarkson show the other day and he made several negative references to the Americas including "Yanks" and "stupid Americans" (not that I care). Yet when he has made comments about Africans or Asians, there has been a national outcry.

In this country, at this time, when nasty tweets make headline news, society has become pathetic. People who play along with this "my favourite footballer go minus 2 points for not criticising the allowed groups and criticising the disallowed groups" are also pathetic for playing into it.

The idea that we "might" offend someone and have to rewrite a codified system of behaviour, language, laws etc. around "might" offending the disallowed groups (as opposed to the allowed groups) is pathetic.

When a system is broken or there is a systematic problem, we should not play into the problem, we should play into the solution.


Posted from TSR Mobile


America is wealthy - it has no excuse for its populace to be as ignorant as they are. African and Asian populaces have plenty of excuses for being the way they are.

Then there's the race issue.
Because jeremy is a fat ugly low life racist who can only get attention by dissing the greatest country in the world.
Reply 8
Just the fact the USA is a predominantly white country, nothing to do with what countries are more developed. If I put on an American accent for a bit of fun no one would bat an eyelid, yet if I went around college trying to do an Indian one there would always be someone who'd whip out the racist card. It's always skin colour people worry so much about.

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Original post by felamaslen
Problem with this is that many Americans are not very wealthy.


America on the whole

Within American society this same pattern exists. Mocking poor disenfranchised groups is not acceptable behaviour, but mocking bankers and so forth is.




Original post by felamaslen

Also, we should be thinking about why the USA is successful and Africa is not. The USA is successful because it is free. Africa is not because it is ruled by oppressive tyrants. Surely we should be mocking oppressive tyrants far more than we mock freedom-loving democrats.


I'm sure many Africans themselves mock their own leaders and it would be acceptable for a person to do this, provided it was clear you were targeting the leader and not the collective.

At the same time, in the USA, Presidents are expected to allow themselves to be the objects of humour since this is in itself an anti-authority, pro-freedom symbol.
Original post by TurboCretin
America is wealthy - it has no excuse for its populace to be as ignorant as they are. African and Asian populaces have plenty of excuses for being the way they are.

Then there's the race issue.


If you think the average Brit is any more enlightened or intelligent than the average American, then you yourself are the ignorant person.


Say what you want about Bush, about Obama, at least their head of state was actually elected
Just one quick but important point...America is one country, while Africa is a whole continent. There are 53 countries (including islands; from Morocco to South Africa to Cape Verde to Kenya) so to make any general statements about a whole continent would be kinda of ignorant.

But yeah, I don't remember him saying anything about Africa anyway :biggrin:

Also I agree with the point about it being more socially acceptable to "make jokes about" a prospering country than to "make jokes about" a less economically developed continent.
Because white Americans originate mostly from Britain/Europe?
I think race has a good deal to do with it, mocking other white prosperous countries is one thing. Mocking a nation that is all of a race that has historically been discriminated against (or continent as you mention Africa), can easily slip into racism. It is possible to mock a country in Africa or Asia without being regarded as racist (e.g. The Interview), it is just a sensitive area and I doubt James Clarkson can do so with the care required. He has been caught saying foolish racist things in the past.
Original post by Snagprophet
Also Mexicans. Apparently calling Mexicans lazy and sleepy is somehow worse than calling Americans fat and stupid.

I don't remember him making jokes about Africans though. The slope Asian thing is confusing because they acknowledge it's a pun on the guy on the bridge and the fact the bridge had a slope. Are they referring to his slitty eyes? It's really confusing.

Then they attempted some edgey humour by singing a song which used to have the N word in but casually muffled it as part of the humour, if anything poking fun at himself, but decided to not use the clip. Somehow, someone was able to get their knickers in a twist because we live in a world where out of touch morons like to cause trouble and play the victim complex.

Then people have the gall to say we're just trying to explain away offensive material when the accusation doesn't make any sense at all. And with the examples about Mexicans, aren't being compared fairly to the examples about Americans or Germans. Mexico isn't even a race anyway. Some people even think Hispanic is a race separate to white when it Hispanic really means Spanish culture and descendants. Many Hispanics in south America are mixed race with aztec/mayan natives.

So ultimately Mexico is just as diverse as Canada or the US but no-one would care to call those two a race.

So the accusations of racism towards Clarkson and Top Gear make no sense at all. It's ****ing laughable that any time is spent taking them seriously when all you need is to use your brain.

And seriously, the whole getting ran out of Argentina, if that happened in the UK it would be the British public getting the blame for attacking foreign TV presenters and even accusations of racism, even if the Argentinians are the same race the media likes to point out racism at any point it wants to make some more money selling newspapers or advert space on it's webzone.

But I've heard of no mention of racism or assault caused by the Argentinians against Top Gear. It's all being spun so that having a joke numberplate somehow justifies kicking foreigners out of the country when we have countless foreign murderers and rapists that we can't kick out. It's all being spun to blame Top Gear. It's somehow okay to throw rocks at foreigners as long as those foreigners are British.

I really hate people that don't think and support this unequal logic.


Oh Dear, That is the most primitive nihilistic trash i have read to date, and i read a lot. Justify your barbaric views please...
Original post by yo radical one
If you think the average Brit is any more enlightened or intelligent than the average American, then you yourself are the ignorant person.


Say what you want about Bush, about Obama, at least their head of state was actually elected


Er, where did I say that?

By all means criticise things I say, but spare me the criticism of views you've just ascribed to me for no reason.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by TurboCretin
Er, where did I say that?

By all means criticise things I say, but spare me the criticism of views you've just ascribed to me for no reason.



Original post by TurboCretin
America is wealthy - it has no excuse for its populace to be as ignorant as they are.


The implication being that the American populace is ignorant.
(edited 9 years ago)
Original post by yo radical one
The implication being that the American populace is ignorant.


Yes... They are. I didn't, however, say that the British populace is much better. You came up with that part all on your own.
Attacking Americans is xenophobia which has often been seen as more acceptable. However when it's used on countries which are made up of a different race then people see it as racist.

It's fine to make fun of the Irish, French, Germans etc. but probably not Chinese for example
Original post by JamesNeedHelp2
Oh Dear, That is the most primitive nihilistic trash i have read to date, and i read a lot. Justify your barbaric views please...


What's barbaric? Or trolling?
(edited 9 years ago)

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