It's not much of a leap to imagine similar things being said, and snickered over, at dinner parties in the company of David Cameron and other members of the ruling elite. Worth noting that Cameron described his friend's comments as "silly", as if he were reprimanding a mischievous child instead of a responsible and influential (warranted or not) adult who, in a less forgiving assessment, might be regarded as inciting violence.
Then, of course, there's the irony of Clarkson himself being a handsomely paid "public employee" of a sort, as host of a program produced by the BBC.
I didn't hear Clarkson's remarks about train suicides but in your telling they certainly seem appallingly insensitive—perhaps even intentionally provocative. And maybe that's the point with Clarkson and his ilk: their pronouncements aren't part of an honest exchange of ideas but are cynically calculated to provoke and "entertain," in the basest sense of the word.
Dugal: I just wish that people would stop inviting him onto their shows & letting him spout his brand of "humour". I guess it doesn't help when people like me start complaining as well? Thereby giving him even more publicity. But, there are times when you have to say something.
It's not much of a leap to imagine similar things being said, and snickered over, at dinner parties in the company of David Cameron and other members of the ruling elite. Worth noting that Cameron described his friend's comments as "silly", as if he were reprimanding a mischievous child instead of a responsible and influential (warranted or not) adult who, in a less forgiving assessment, might be regarded as inciting violence.
ReplyDeleteThen, of course, there's the irony of Clarkson himself being a handsomely paid "public employee" of a sort, as host of a program produced by the BBC.
I didn't hear Clarkson's remarks about train suicides but in your telling they certainly seem appallingly insensitive—perhaps even intentionally provocative. And maybe that's the point with Clarkson and his ilk: their pronouncements aren't part of an honest exchange of ideas but are cynically calculated to provoke and "entertain," in the basest sense of the word.
Dugal: I just wish that people would stop inviting him onto their shows & letting him spout his brand of "humour". I guess it doesn't help when people like me start complaining as well? Thereby giving him even more publicity. But, there are times when you have to say something.
ReplyDelete