Clarkson/Top Gear guilty of offence racial term say OFCOM – [slope reference]

Probably a big surprise to many of you to realise this eh 😉

After a thorough investigation, Ofcom has found the BBC breached broadcasting rules by including an offensive racial term in Top Gear, which was not justified by context. Jeremy Clarkson used the word ‘slope’ to refer both to an Asian man crossing a bridge, and the incline of the bridge. This was scripted in advance. The BBC failed to take the opportunity, either during filming or post-production, to check whether the word had the potential to offend viewers.

Apparently it was scripted so who knew he was not off the cuff racist funny.
Ps I read it in the Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jul/28/top-gear-jeremy-clarkson-racial-term-ofcom-bbc

I’m so outraged I’ve just wet the bed!!!

Be fair the guardian is not that bad, surely you are used to bad spelling by now 😉

So who wrote the script?

There’s a new script for each show?

Actually, I remember when my daughter was about 2 and her favourite TV show was The Teletubbies. I was always amazed at the way they kept showing the same stuff over and over again. In fact, in any 25 minute slot there would sometimes be only 5 minutes of unique material. Apparently, the developers of the show had commissioned some psychologists who told them that constant repetition was the best way of catching the attention of an undeveloped brain.

I guess the team behind Top Gear used the same psychologists.

“Racist man is found to be racist shock!”

There’s a new script for each show?

Actually, I remember when my daughter was about 2 and her favourite TV show was The Teletubbies. I was always amazed at the way they kept showing the same stuff over and over again. In fact, in any 25 minute slot there would sometimes be only 5 minutes of unique material. Apparently, the developers of the show had commissioned some psychologists who told them that constant repetition was the best way of catching the attention of an undeveloped brain.

I guess the team behind Top Gear used the same psychologists.

Clarkson and May are starting to resemble teletubbies as well and they both talk nonsensical shit. Although they are slightly more bigoted, ignorant and xenophobic than LaLa and Po.

An impressive amount of frothing in so few posts!

Ofcom received two complaints from viewers who complained that the word Clarkson used was an offensive racist term.

WTF! Is there not some threshold for bothering to waste money looking into things?

^
This.
What a complete and utter waste of time and money.

2 complaints – I guess that the person from Ofcom who investigated the complaint was the other person who still reads the Guardian.

An impressive amount of frothing in so few posts!

This is new concentrated STW. Twice the frothing, for only half the contributors.

Anyway. We all know the rules. Fans on the right, haterz on the left.

Also, as we are playing Kabaddi rules, you must hold your breath while posting.

GO!

I’m more amazed (well, not really) that nobody noticed this when the show went out and that we all had to have it pointed out to us.

That’s how racist it was…..

There should be an non-complaint system in place, so you can register a non-complaint. If these non-complaints outweigh complaints then the complaint is dropped & the professionally offended should be fined for being idiots.

I mean, how hard can it be..

I only really keep up with Top Gear through clips of Stewart Lee mocking them and occasional Guardian articles about how their tiresome humour has been ruled definitively racist.

🙂

Slope?

I don’t get it.

The bed wetters must be placated at all costs.

Charlie Brooker wrote this years ago. And it seems more relevant than ever to describe the professionally offended

probably clarkson and wilman that wrote the script…

Slope?

I don’t get it.

It’s a racial stereotype based on the fallacy that all asian men like snowboarding.

I’m more amazed (well, not really) that nobody noticed this when the show went out and that we all had to have it pointed out to us.

That’s how racist it was…..

This!

They’d be better off firing someone in Ofcom…

My favourite part is white people declaring how silly the whole thing is.

This is new concentrated STW. Twice the frothing, for only half the contributors.

Genuine lol at that!

Slope?

I don’t get it.

Me neither. Is it racist to point out the wonkiness of a wonky bridge.

Am I racist now? Is slope actually a racist word? (obviously any word is if used in racist intent), but is it a full on racial slur, like Porch Monkey? Can we take it back? Is it too late? I use slope all the time, I don’t want to be racist…

Quite surprised how many people think casual racism is ok in mainstream Tele. I wasn’t outraged or shocked by it by I’m happy for Ofcom to give the beeb and top gear a slap over it.

Is slope actually a racist word?

That’s the inference! I think it’s one of those words which is more racist in other parts of the world. I certainly didn’t know it was considered a slur, and thus totally missed the joke at the time. Personally I think it’s funny, but I’m not prone to hang wringing or mouth frothing.

Me neither. Is it racist to point out the wonkiness of a wonky bridge.

“that’s definitely what thy were doing, absolutely, just talking about the badly built bridge, nothing more.“

was probably what the beeb’s lawyers said to ofcom, that worked well for them.

1. They knew what they were doing, and it was quite clear from the way it was scripted and shot. Even if you didn’t know ‘slope’ in that context was a slur, it was clear – or should have been – something was going on. Admittedly it is a program for infants so this might have passed some by.

2. That you don’t know it’s a racial slur, doesn’t make it not a racial slur. Perhaps if it had been in Africa and they’d joked about leaving a ‘spade’ on the bridge my offense would be approved.

3. I agree with Charlie Brooker’s article. It has zero relevance to racism.

The “joke” works because (hilariously) the bridge has a camber, and there is also a Burmese chap on it. So when he says “it’s got a slope on it”, that is a witty double-entendre.

Someone wrote that joke, and obviously came to the conclusion that “slope” wasn’t really a racist slur.

That was a fairly bad decision. A swift look at the top 5 definitions on Urban Dictionary would reveal that you probably shouldn’t call someone a “slope” if don’t want to take some flack. Especially for the incredibly limited payback of that joke.

was probably what the beeb’s lawyers said to ofcom, that worked well for them.

Hardly the same level of proof as a court. Ofcom just looking to bash the BBC to keep it’s masters happy….

so footflaps you genuinely believe it was not a pun/joke using what is held (if not widely) as a racially pejorative word?

Wikipedia maintains a List of Ethnic Slurs which is useful if you either (a) want to avoid derogatory terms for people of other races in your comedy or (b) want to use racial slurs as part of the controversial opinions you have for money.

🙂

My favourite part is white people declaring how silly the whole thing is.

you presume a lot with that statement.

so footflaps you genuinely believe it was not a pun/joke using what is held (if not widely) as a racially pejorative word?

I’ll answer the question with a question, could you prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was intentional?

you presume a lot with that statement.

I presume only that white people make up the overwhelming majority (which they do) and that being so, that they would be most likely to dismiss racism against an overwhelming minority.

Plus let’s not kid ourselves. This is STW and look at the most of the responses on this thread.

Im not racist, I have a colour TV.

I’ll answer the question with a question, could you prove beyond reasonable doubt that it was intentional?

Keep up. Top Gear already admitted it was intentional. They described it as ‘wordplay’.

I didn’t even know the meaning of ‘slope’ until now but then I can expect such term from Mr Clarkson so not a surprise. However, it’s not the end of the world.

I wonder what jezza thinks about it all?

……I suspect that hes just your stereotypical brit and could care less about an ofcom ruling

Im sure the only reason hes not joined UKIP as a candidate is that hed be snubbed at the next cameron/brooks/murdoch shindig in chipping norton

then he could stand on a platform of abolishing the EU and all regulatory watchdogs

Crikey, that photo put me off me fag. 😯