tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244044300216345080.post6619223958450946355..comments2024-03-04T10:20:10.154+00:00Comments on Anna Chen: Madam Miaow Says: Yet more depravity at the top: Jeremy Clarkson's jokeMadam Miaowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10237951918529887305noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244044300216345080.post-36066965845325421162011-12-07T15:54:56.167+00:002011-12-07T15:54:56.167+00:00I don't think he was exactly joking - I think ...I don't think he was exactly joking - I think he was being deliberately crass and provocative. And I think he should take the consequences of that. And yes, the fact that he's a notorious right-wing bigot does probably make a difference!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244044300216345080.post-6017615128130472582011-12-05T18:44:07.207+00:002011-12-05T18:44:07.207+00:00So I take it it's not so much about what was s...So I take it it's not so much about what was said, but more who said it. Fair enough...Paul Leahyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17575958994586425082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244044300216345080.post-32323205168742720022011-12-04T13:22:03.128+00:002011-12-04T13:22:03.128+00:00I have to agree with Ian, Paul. Clarkson isn't...I have to agree with Ian, Paul. Clarkson isn't any old lumbering buffoon. He is one with power to help set the bar for what's acceptable in the culture. His newspaper columns are there to vent a poisonous view that potentially means misery and worse for struggling working people, even if they are dressed up as entertainment. <br /><br />Given the trajectory of our economics, headed for a dark place, I'd prefer to challenge it before it becomes naturalised and acceptable.Madam Miaowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10237951918529887305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244044300216345080.post-85615475321959904082011-12-04T12:42:49.382+00:002011-12-04T12:42:49.382+00:00That's the thing, though, Clarkson is not &quo...That's the thing, though, Clarkson is not "merely an entertainer". He's a particularly highly paid, highly prized and ubiquitous entertainer AND commentator. His remarks are located not just in the context of his flippancy, but also in that of what we can infer from the totality of his output about his genuine views, and additionally in the broader context still of the culture that accords such a position, such prominence and such value to such a person. His remarks taint the entire culture, and I for one object to being thus tainted.Ian Shuttleworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11380337075876291291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1244044300216345080.post-28916671256341278412011-12-03T15:33:38.909+00:002011-12-03T15:33:38.909+00:00Mmmm.I worry about the "outrage" caused ...Mmmm.I worry about the "outrage" caused by JC's comments. Clearly they weren't to be taken seriously, and in the context of the interview it was apparent he was just being his sarcastic, arrogant, OTT media-persona. Like him or loathe him, he is merely an entertainer. Are we really getting to the point that we do have to use "only joking" to highlight humour? And yes, people have been arrested recently for not doing just that, and that IS wrong. Let's hope they never happen again! <br /><br />I'd also mention that Unison calling for his instant dismissal, given what they stand for, is surely the dictionary definition of irony...Paul Leahyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17575958994586425082noreply@blogger.com