Top Gear presenters in legal firing line over anti-Mexican comments

[Xipe Totec]

Source: The Guardian UK

A Mexican who saw the BBC's Top Gear programme on Sunday, in which her compatriots were described as "lazy, feckless, flatulent overweight", has instructed lawyers to bring a test case against the show under a new equality law.

Lawyers for Iris de la Torre, a 30-year-old jewellery design student in London, accused the BBC of using racism to boost ratings and said the case could cost the corporation up to £1m in damages. They demanded an investigation by the BBC and suspension of the show.

The BBC has already received an official complaint from the Mexican ambassador, who demanded an apology for the broadcast's "xenophobic" and "offensive" content.

The remark was made by the presenter Richard Hammond, while his co-presenters, Jeremy Clarkson and James May, described Mexican food as "refried sick."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/feb/02/top-gear-viewer-sues-bbc

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Here is a link to the offending remarks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STaq9XCp9Aw

[DeSwiss]

1. K&R

Hope she takes them to the cleaners.

[Xipe Totec]

2. I hope so too because it was way over the top.

I am still seething.

[Judi Lynn]

46. Was furious reading those obnoxious, hateful remarks, too. Guy has a real hate problem.

Clearly he's out of control, and this hatred undoubtedly gushes out of him no matter what the focus.

It's the fact he imagines he is going to have some kind of support when he says stuff like this which gets me wild.

How much lower will the human race fall before it finally hits bottom, if THIS is not the worst of it?

I've never heard language like that employed until he pulled it out of his ass. Damned evil.

He owes the world an apology, and he needs to go away.

[alp227]

3. But what about freedom of speech?

So the Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal for the public broadcaster to use racist jokes? I mean in America talk radio hosts like Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage make these kinds of jokes ALL THE TIME. Under that law, if a BBC radio host did what Limbaugh did recently - mocking the Chinese prime minister with "ching chong" - would that be grounds for an investigation too? I feel that free speech is for everyone, including bigots and the ignorant. Any punishment to the BBC would not stand in the US Supreme Court.

[wickerwoman]

5. I think the difference is the BBC is publically owned and operated by the government.

It's taxpayer funded.

I agree Limbaugh has a right to be an idiot, but I don't think tax dollars should go towards broadcasting his idiocy (so, for example, I think it's wrong that army radio stations carry Limbaugh).

Looking closer, yes, this is the distinction:

"the remarks made on Top Gear are unlawful and a breach of the rules banning discrimination *by public bodies*."

"Under the law, anyone providing a "service to the public" is prohibited from anything that constitutes discrimination."

[alp227]

24. I've heard that Top Gear mocks EVERYONE not just foreigners

so I wonder if that'd be compliant with that equality law.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

35. They DO take shots at every one

they lampooned the southern USA mercilessly a couple of years back. And as a southerner, I found it HILARIOUS!

Overly sensitive people should stay the fuck indoors...and not allow themselves to access anything that might upset them.

sP

[MorningGlow]

38. What about the Christians?

In this past season's Christmas special, the boys drove across the Middle East to Bethlehem to bring gifts to "the bebbyjeeezis" as Clarkson always calls him. Gold = a garish gold Jesus pendant so he'll know "what he's going to look like", frankincense = frankincense-scented shampoo from the hotel, myrrh = well, nobody knew what myrrh was, so they substituted a Nintendo DSi.

And this is what they found when they got there:



(For those who haven't experienced TG, that's a baby Stig, their "tame racing driver".)

Where was the outrage for all that?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

39. STIGGY JESUS!

People that cannot laugh at themselves just plain suck. You can usually tell when people have ill intentions in their words...but maybe that is where the problem lies. People are so damned busy looking for something to be pissed off about that they fail to see the humour.

WAS there consternation over Stiggy Jesus? I don't recall any, but usually I ignore people who are looking for something to be offended at...

sP

[MorningGlow]

41. I expected a far bigger stink than there was

A blip, nothing more.

Actually, they were equal-opportunity offenders, because there was also a bit of outrage about their wearing burqas in the same episode. Maybe they offended so many people it was like "divide and conquer" and people didn't know where to direct their ire.

I think the TG guys go over the line with their bigotry and stereotyping quite often, but it's like their nonsense is SO over the top that it's parody in itself. I mean, who the hell actually believes that Mexicans are poncho- and sombrero-wearing, siesta-taking people? IMO that's nuts. But perhaps there are very dumb people who take those comments as encouragement to perpetuate a stereotype. I hope there aren't many, though.

Personally I was pretty offended at their comments about Mexican food. I happen to love Mexican food!

[DeSwiss]

13. I have no problem with Freedom of Speech.....

...and neither do I have a problem with Responsibility of Speech.


- That's what's on the other side of the "free speech" coin.

[Ikonoklast]

4. They denigrate EVERYONE.

You should have heard what they say about Americans.

[DeSwiss]

20. Then they should stop denigrating everyone.

Who the hell are they?

[ProdigalJunkMail]

40. They poke as much 'fun' at themselves as anyone else...

THEY are comedians...who like cars. Get the fuck over it...

sP

[DeSwiss]

43. No, you get the fuck over it. [IGNORE] n/t

[ProdigalJunkMail]

45. Yes, people who have no sense of humor

need to get the fuck over it...including you. I am grateful to be on your 'list' because I am sure that my happiness would be offensive to someone as miserable as you seem to be...

sP

[ClassWarrior]

30. Ya know what? It's one thing to point out the worst excesses of the homogenous and relatively...

...blessed American public, and another thing entirely to advance racial stereotypes about an historically oppressed people.

:eyes:

NGU.

[WatsonT]

34. We're homogenous?

[WatsonT]

33. Yep they better hope no americans have seen their show

-American Stig

[Ilsa]

6. I havent seen this show. This is too bad. they have a very

Entertaining show, and they make fun of each other and themselves as much as anyone.

I'd rather see their ratings suffer for insensitivity and stupidity, though, rather than just a loss of £1m I a lawsuit. Ratings losses would be a better lesson to learn and extremely expensive.

[MellowDem]

7. Many if not most comedians...

use racial steryotypes as part of their bit to boost ratings....

Some people really need to stop taking themselves so seriously or get out from under a rock and understand how "humor" works.

[flvegan]

8. For Christ's sake.

Mocking stereotypes is part of comedy. Let me know when our very own tv screens go blank over shit like this.

I know the Beeb is funded by license fees, but people need to get over it.

[HipChick]

9. Exactly.. This is still by far the best episde..

Top Gear in Deep South...hilarious


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z0Z0WhL2aE

[flvegan]

12. Very funny.

Top Gear has been to the US three times now, and they make fun of Americans more than anyone else. All based on stereotypes.

[dionysus]

25. oh god, is that the one where they had "we love hillary" and "nascar is rubbish"

painted on the cars?

[Xipe Totec]

11. No skin in the game, I gather

I hope you at least saw the clip before opining.

[flvegan]

14. I've seen the whole show, thanks.

As for me having no skin in the game, I fail to see your point.

[Xipe Totec]

17. That is precisely my point, you don't feel offended because it does not offend you personally

It doesn't affect affect a group you feel any kinship for, so it doesn't matter to you.

I've seen you take a dimmer view of humor at the expense of other groups.

Jokes at the expense of people in the GLBT community.

Or jokes about vegans.

Or jokes about animal cruelty.

Or jokes about drunk driving.

So why is this group different in your view?

[flvegan]

18. As I stated before

they've been to America 3 times, and I don't get offended when they refer to us as fat, burger chomping idiots. It's comedy. Matter of fact, right now I'm watching a show that somewhat stereotypes a gay couple (Modern Family) and it's funny. I will take dimmer views of humor at the expense of other groups when it's not meant as mocking a stereotype or comedy. If someone is just being an asshole, it's meant as douchebaggery. Your thoughts that the comments about a "group (I don't) feel any kinship for" is pretty unfounded.

But hey, when folks *want* to be offended, there's no way to really stop them, so...

[DeSwiss]

21. Some people NEVER get it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msfu8YCCc8Q">The Mean World Syndrome - Desensitization & Acceleration

- Which is in-part why the world is so fucked up.......

[marasinghe]

15. well, "lazy", "feckless", "flatulent", etc., were some of the more polite terms our people used ....

for the old colonial overlords, back in the day when they lived life high on the hog & brought civilization to us native serfs.
but, since the terms were spoken in the native languages, & very few brits bothered to mug up on the vernacular, it didn't appear to bother them. so, on the basis of precedent, i, personally, would give the bbc a nose-holding pass on this.

off topic, on a historical & linguistic note: the usage was accepted to the point where - doctored, shit-stained fabric, given to the wondrous english masters as gifts, insinuated both the term & the textile known as "khaki", into the british lifestyle. of course, to give credit where it's due - our people got the idea from a quaint british practice; that of handing out smallpox tainted blankets as Christmas gifts, to recalcitrant segments of the native population, in varied outposts of the empire - in an attempt to resolve the problem of recalcitrance.

:evilgrin:

[DeSwiss]

19. I'm certain that Dennis.....

...would http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d4gmdl3zNQ">NOT approve.

[ClassWarrior]

32. You do understand that there's a difference between parodying an archetype and making...

...a racial slur, right?

NGU.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Bluenorthwest]

16. The part of the show where the hosts remind me of sunburned

holiday makers staggering about Ibiza drooling from too much drink making xenophobic comments about anyone not English has always been the drawback in the production.

[madrchsod]

22. one of the top shows on bbc and bbc america

they are equally offensive to anyone and everything. they won`t be fired.

[MorningGlow]

23. I saw the episode--much as I love the guys

it was juvenile and stupid. Interestingly enough it seemed forced, like they were thinking "Oh crap we're in this now" but they just couldn't stop themselves.

Sigh. It's what they do. They offend some nationality, race, etc., including Americans (we're all fat and stupid) every effing week they're on. Not excusing them, mind, but they have been working their way through just about everybody. Pretty soon they'll have nobody left and they'll have to start over from the top. :shrug:

[dionysus]

26. before you know it, someone will be suing gordon...

[SoCalDem]

27. When will they ever learn?

There are CAMERAS...and sound recording devices....and shit you might say to your friends & family at a drunken party, is NOT acceptable when you are filming for TV:rofl:

[ClassWarrior]

28. I love that show, but Clarkson's a pig. A charming pig, but still a pig.

The fact that Hammond was involved surprises the hell out of me.

NGU.

[MorningGlow]

31. +1

I love him too, but his mouth does not have an "off" switch.

[AngryAmish]

29. Thankfully, there are no Mexican shows that deal in offensive stereotypes

[ProdigalJunkMail]

37. +1 n/t

[WatsonT]

36. British comedy is notoriously cutting

at times. That's just how they are.

That said this mocking of people with legitimate physical disabilities went too far: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_silly_walks

I hope they were sued for that.

[Stevenmarc]

42. £1m is a high price for thin skin

If Iris de la Torre is so concerned with the damage to the reputation of her country then why not sue some of the drug lords that have actually caused real damage far in excess of £1m.

[Lance_Boyle]

44. Gawds I hope they comment on this in their next "news" segment.

Iris de la Torre should be laughed out of the UK.

The idea that Clarkson, May and Hammond are government employees by virtue of having a show on the Beeb is ridiculous. Hope the "test case" is roundly rebuked by sensible people in powdered wigs.