The video is there to be viewed, on the Mirror website.
Decide for yourself.
Seems, to me, that he's deliberately mumbling the words with the sole intent that, in the face of any criticism, he can say "Well, I was saying 'Ninja' but if you misinterpreted that as something offensive I guess it says a lot about how your mind works".
Meh, I'm not sure about this. I mean, yes, he clearly said it, but...ugh. Not defensible, as such, but the way memory works, it chunks things. I don't think he made a decision to say n*gger as much as he started "eeny meeny miny mo" and then his mind just spat it all out the way he learned it. Obviously it was the right choice not to show it, but I think a lot of the things that have clearly been scripted and said intentionally on Top Gear about other nationalities/ groups of people are far greater evidence of him being racist and bigoted.
I wondered how long it would be before people were mentioning political correctness and crying over the fact they can't be racist (or homophobic) any more
I wondered how long it would be before people were mentioning political correctness and crying over the fact they can't be racist (or homophobic) any more
Well ya cant even buy a golliwog now without being branded the 'R' word.
Meh, I'm not sure about this. I mean, yes, he clearly said it, but...ugh. Not defensible, as such, but the way memory works, it chunks things. I don't think he made a decision to say n*gger as much as he started "eeny meeny miny mo" and then his mind just spat it all out the way he learned it. Obviously it was the right choice not to show it, but I think a lot of the things that have clearly been scripted and said intentionally on Top Gear about other nationalities/ groups of people are far greater evidence of him being racist and bigoted.
Meh, I'm not sure about this. I mean, yes, he clearly said it, but...ugh. Not defensible, as such, but the way memory works, it chunks things. I don't think he made a decision to say n*gger as much as he started "eeny meeny miny mo" and then his mind just spat it all out the way he learned it. Obviously it was the right choice not to show it, but I think a lot of the things that have clearly been scripted and said intentionally on Top Gear about other nationalities/ groups of people are far greater evidence of him being racist and bigoted.
Could be or it could be he was trying to be subversive/heroically non-PC and then realised he wouldn't be able to get away with saying it out loud properly.
But why be offended or have strong feelings about something where you're only experience of it is second hand information?
So if someone was to insult or in some way verbally abuse your; wife; husband ;mum; dad; brother; sister; son or daughter, you would be fine with that, just as long as you didn't hear it first hand?
By strange coincidence, right now there is a film on Channel 4 called 'Ten Little Indians', originally titled 'Ten Little N******', a book by Agatha Christie.
Meh, I'm not sure about this. I mean, yes, he clearly said it, but...ugh. Not defensible, as such, but the way memory works, it chunks things. I don't think he made a decision to say n*gger as much as he started "eeny meeny miny mo" and then his mind just spat it all out the way he learned it. Obviously it was the right choice not to show it, but I think a lot of the things that have clearly been scripted and said intentionally on Top Gear about other nationalities/ groups of people are far greater evidence of him being racist and bigoted.
My feeling is that Clarkson thrives on controversy, and like Si says, he's just trolling for faux outrage. He's got just the result that he was looking for. It's a setup. He'll be found not to have actually said the words, but put it in such a way that the suggestible public fill in the missing word.
But why be offended or have strong feelings about something where you're only experience of it is second hand information?
Because if something is wrong, it's wrong whether it happened to you or someone else?
Also "offended" is kind of loosely defined, which doesn't help. If I say "Saying X is offensive", it doesn't mean that every time I hear someone saying X I am personally emotionally offended. It just means that I categorise X as likely to cause offence unjustifiably.
The video is there to be viewed, on the Mirror website.
Decide for yourself.
Seems, to me, that he's deliberately mumbling the words with the sole intent that, in the face of any criticism, he can say "Well, I was saying 'Ninja' but if you misinterpreted that as something offensive I guess it says a lot about how your mind works".
So if someone was to insult or in some way verbally abuse your; wife; husband ;mum; dad; brother; sister; son or daughter, you would be fine with that, just as long as you didn't hear it first hand?
Well, I am not going to be offended by something I did not hear myself because I have no way to be sure that it was actually said. Second hand information is notoriously unreliable.
Could be or it could be he was trying to be subversive/heroically non-PC and then realised he wouldn't be able to get away with saying it out loud properly.
My feeling is that Clarkson thrives on controversy, and like Si says, he's just trolling for faux outrage. He's got just the result that he was looking for. It's a setup. He'll be found not to have actually said the words, but put it in such a way that the suggestible public fill in the missing word.
Yeah, he does do that a lot, and I've always assumed he doesn't believe half of what he says! I'm just not sure whether this particular incident was intentional. But if this one is what actually brings him down and it WAS unintentional, that would be pretty amusingly ironic, since like you both say, the vast majority of the offensive things he says are intentionally controversial/ offensive.
Well, I am not going to be offended by something I did not hear myself because I have no way to be sure that it was actually said. Second hand information is notoriously unreliable.
He was certainly intent on shit-stirring but I fear the people determined to assert that he was using an offensive word are on a hiding to nothing.
I think the people who are trawling dictionaries to argue that he maybe didn't say it are looking a bit desperate. It's not like it's got an equal chance of being any of those words - it's so much more likely to be the word that fitted into that rhyme in the first place than a different random obscure word that just HAPPENS to sound like the offensive word that is usually there
.....sorry but he did not say 'it' as you put it!!!
I've just watched the vid and all you can hear is him saying ......'catch a near by his toe'.
You can very clearly hear him say 'near' - there is no doubt that there is definitely no sound of igger in-between when he starts to say whatever 'n' word he said. People are expecting to hear the 'n' word in that rhyme so of course, everyone assumes that is what he said........
Yeah, he does do that a lot, and I've always assumed he doesn't believe half of what he says! I'm just not sure whether this particular incident was intentional. But if this one is what actually brings him down and it WAS unintentional, that would be pretty amusingly ironic, since like you both say, the vast majority of the offensive things he says are intentionally controversial/ offensive.
You'd have to be pretty naive to think it wasn't intentional.
TG is scripted and the point of the piece was to show that the 2 cars were equal in almost every way so that point could have been made using a coin toss or some other device but, clearly, everybody involved thought it'd be a good idea to have Clarkson use that particular rhyme, in that particular way, because they knew it'd have the bonus of being controversial.
Comments
It's like your grandad trying to be cool. Tragic
The video is there to be viewed, on the Mirror website.
Decide for yourself.
Seems, to me, that he's deliberately mumbling the words with the sole intent that, in the face of any criticism, he can say "Well, I was saying 'Ninja' but if you misinterpreted that as something offensive I guess it says a lot about how your mind works".
Well ya cant even buy a golliwog now without being branded the 'R' word.
Oh I utterly despise him. I've said so on here many times in the past.
The 'slope' remark was equally repellent.
And quite right to I was told 30 years ago why I would never be allowed one and my Mum and grandparents were right
Ha
Slope
cracked me up that one did
So if someone was to insult or in some way verbally abuse your; wife; husband ;mum; dad; brother; sister; son or daughter, you would be fine with that, just as long as you didn't hear it first hand?
My feeling is that Clarkson thrives on controversy, and like Si says, he's just trolling for faux outrage. He's got just the result that he was looking for. It's a setup. He'll be found not to have actually said the words, but put it in such a way that the suggestible public fill in the missing word.
Also "offended" is kind of loosely defined, which doesn't help. If I say "Saying X is offensive", it doesn't mean that every time I hear someone saying X I am personally emotionally offended. It just means that I categorise X as likely to cause offence unjustifiably.
But he said it.
Such as, perhaps...
Naira, Nanna, Nassa, Natka, Ninja, Nomia, Nonda, Nyula, Nagger, Needer, Nester, Nimmer, Nitter, Nodder, Nosher, Nudger, Nurser or Nutter.
He was certainly intent on shit-stirring but I fear the people determined to assert that he was using an offensive word are on a hiding to nothing.
What is a 'hand wringer'?
So you actually don't think he's a racist then? You just generally hate him?
No, he didn't. You just assume he did.
Well, I am not going to be offended by something I did not hear myself because I have no way to be sure that it was actually said. Second hand information is notoriously unreliable.
Yeah, he does do that a lot, and I've always assumed he doesn't believe half of what he says! I'm just not sure whether this particular incident was intentional. But if this one is what actually brings him down and it WAS unintentional, that would be pretty amusingly ironic, since like you both say, the vast majority of the offensive things he says are intentionally controversial/ offensive.
It was filmed and you can view it yourself.
.....sorry but he did not say 'it' as you put it!!!
I've just watched the vid and all you can hear is him saying ......'catch a near by his toe'.
You can very clearly hear him say 'near' - there is no doubt that there is definitely no sound of igger in-between when he starts to say whatever 'n' word he said. People are expecting to hear the 'n' word in that rhyme so of course, everyone assumes that is what he said........
You'd have to be pretty naive to think it wasn't intentional.
TG is scripted and the point of the piece was to show that the 2 cars were equal in almost every way so that point could have been made using a coin toss or some other device but, clearly, everybody involved thought it'd be a good idea to have Clarkson use that particular rhyme, in that particular way, because they knew it'd have the bonus of being controversial.