I fear for our future. I worry that bad behaviour is being erased from society, and that unless the trend can be reversed somehow we’ll all have to go through life on the Planet Stepford, a rictus grin masking the boiling turmoil of desperation inside. I yearn sometimes when I encounter a neatly stacked pyramid of tins of beans to push it over. Don’t you? Wouldn’t it break the monotony of having to drive at 30mph and eating a wholefood fair-trade sandwich at your desk.
Recently Annie Robinson and I dreamt up a TV show that would serve as an antidote to the endless parade of hectoring and finger-wagging programmes we get today. Instead of running down the street after a cowboy builder who’d charged an old lady a million quid to build a fireplace, we would go after the victims.
It was to be called Sucker and it would celebrate the ingenious while pointing the finger and howling with laughter at the stupid, the gullible and the fat. Never has the nation needed such a show more. And never has such a thing been less likely to get commissioned. Unless, of course, we could get Max Mosley to present it.
One of the reasons that Top gear is SBS’s best rating show is that fact that Jeremy Clarkson is able to give voice to the thoughts that the PC zombies are so keen to stamp out his latest column in the times is a wonderful example of a man standing up against the madness of Political Correstness and the excesses of the Nanny state.
Cheers Comrades
Filed under: Anti fun brigade, England, Ethical questions, Petrol Head Heaven, Political Correctness, This Sporting Life | Tagged: Jeremy Clarkson
It’s been done. It was called ‘Seinfeld’ and it hung shit on all the ‘victims’ – brilliantly.
Remember the last show when they were all charged and put in jail for ‘failing to render assistance’ and for laughing at “a victim”? It was brilliant comedy.
Also we had Fawlty Towers, which made fun of people from all walks of a life. Now we’ve got “The Chaser” who are about as funny as a pair of wet socks.
Never got into Seinfeld Ray but I agree with you about the Chaser
Nay, the spirit of ANTO-POLITICALCORRECTNESSISM lives on at my blog…. and many others who arent afraid to attack or poke fun at things even the most tight-ass conservative would laugh at behind closed doors.
Long live free speech,and down with the over-sensitive reactions from the majority.
And Free Tibet.
Thanks for that Laila
Mark
is that relevant?
It will be soon (8/8/08).
It was to be called Sucker and it would celebrate the ingenious while pointing the finger and howling with laughter at the stupid, the gullible and the fat. Never has the nation needed such a show more.
Ahh the dulcet tones of the true narcissist. Completely unable to distinguish between their personal need to belittle and degrade others for base enjoyment, and the needs of society around them. “Hey – I’d enjoy the freedom to cruelly mock those less fortunate than me so that’s clearly what this nation needs more of!”
Truly these arrogant, elitist twits have had an empathy bypass at some time in their past.
It seems your dislike of PC is only okay if it comes from a rightist.
‘The Chaser’ was very much a Clarkson (who I like BTW) type of show, attacking sacred cows and being totally un-PC. It’s just they weren’t right enough for you?
Clarkson is a one trick show pony. He is as much a rebel as the middle class goths who hang around shopping malls looking miserable and wondering if their latest piercing is infected. Release the (baseball) bats.
If Clarkson thinks his life too sanitised in Britian then why doesn’t he jump in a car and dash from Amman, Jordan to Baghdad, Iraq. I can assure him there are no speed limits on the way and it would be an adventure without the risk of a free trade sandwich or felafel.
Mondo welcome back
But really there is no reason to wear your terribly serious trousers all of the time.
Clarkson is some one I empathise with because he just refuses to give in to the namby-pamby PC brigade (not unlike yourself) What you fail to appreciate is that rejecting political correctness does not lower your empathy with those who deserve your concern but it does mean you have no patience for those who preach about how you should feel.
Craigy
I felt that the Chaser was a bit like a joke that went on for too long funny in the beginning but less so later
Rudi
why should Clarkson have to leave home?
sounds like you are wearing the same brand of trousers as Mondo
Iain,
I wear no trouses while on the internet.
I wouldn’t take Clarkson too seriously. His books are entertaining and you got to love all those great machines he gets to drive. Top Gear is good value, good production values and a bit of fun.
I don’t think someone in his position has much to complain about.
Me on the other hand……
Yes I am very familiar with your culture of complaint Craigy
What you fail to appreciate is that rejecting political correctness does not lower your empathy with those who deserve your concern but it does mean you have no patience for those who preach about how you should feel.
It’s not his rejection of political correctness that leads me to believe that he lacks empathy – it’s his suggestion that he be allowed to create a show where he invites the audience to laugh with him at other people’s misfortune.
Rich tossers often get a kick out of laughing at and belittling the poor, sick or just plain unlucky. It probably makes them feel good about their own success and/or wealth, and satisfies an innate desire to rate themselves as ‘better’ than most of the people around them.
Mondo
Do I detect a bitter streak of envy in you? Do you resent the fact that he has a collection of expensive cars ect?
I also think that you don’t appreciate that even the poor and downtrodden can be legitimate targets for sarcasm just as much as the rich and frivolous can.
I like laughing at homeless people and when they complain telling them to go home. It gets me every time.
No probs Iain – if you’re comfortable belitlling the poor and downtrodden specifically because they are poor and downtrodden then good luck to you. I would find such an attitude personally repugnant, as would most people, but that’s obviously because we’re just jealous of the rich. Yup – that’s the only explanation that I can think of.
Anyway, fear not – I’m sure you won’t notice my absence while you’re sneering at the unfortunate since there’ll be plenty of societies real elites lining up with you for a good old chuckle at those pathetic poor people.
Careful, though, that you don’t end up on the wrong side of the abuse.
Do I detect a bitter streak of envy in you? Do you resent the fact that he has a collection of expensive cars ect?
Iain, let’s say that Clarkson turned up on your doorstep and took the piss out of you because he has a dozen snazzy motors and you just drive an old Falcon and a low-slung demountable lawnmower-on-wheels. You’d be OK with that, would you? I somehow doubt you would and that you’d take offence – and rightly so.
Sounds more like it’s you that’s envious of Clarkson’s penile-replacement cars than anyone else, otherwise why bring it into the discussion. Personally I prefer to judge people by their behaviour, not their assets; you can be just as big a wanker with nothing as with millions of bucks.
Mondo and MarkL, it’s not often I defend a post by Iain (actually by Clarkson), but I’ll give it a try.
Firstly, Clarkson doesn’t say his hypothetical show would be “belitlling the poor and downtrodden specifically because they are poor and downtrodden” He said the show would poke fun at “the stupid, the gullible and the fat.” Now while I wouldn’t go about attacking all fat people, some like Andy Landeryou or Al Gore are fair targets. As for the stupid and the gullible, well a bit of a poke may be instructive rather than insulting.
Secondly, MarkL’s statement “Clarkson’s penile-replacement cars” is a weird one. I am a greenie and yet love cars. They wouldn’t work in bed (for me at least)and I look forward to a powerful, light and clean Hydro cell Honda in my garage very soon (as a replacement for my nice Ford straight six). I get a lot of joy from maintaining my cars.
So there you have it, for the first time Iain. Don’t expect me to make a habit of it though.
Mondo
what do you think the Latte Sippers are doing when they knock the “bogans” or “chavs”? exactly what you complain of here. As far as I can see mocking the poor , the fat and the stupid is exactly the same as it was a while back when people told dingo jokes at the expense of Lindy Chamberlain, everyone laughed even though there was a chorus of righteous indignation from the politicly correct (like you). I actually think that it is more objectionable to patronise the poor and ignorant(as you leftards are so fond of doing) than to occasionally mock them.
I suspect that you yearn for excuses to abuse me no matter what I write:it’s water off a ducks back mate.
Mark
I get almost universal respect from other drivers when I am out in my clubman and I have no reason to believe that Jeremy Clarkson would be any different to other drivers. He clearly appreciates what goes into building a car even though he admits to having no mechanical aptitude. You suggest that I am envious of his cars well not at all I have a couple of friends up here with euro machines one has a V8 Audi ($150K+)and my neighbour has a Lamborghini, Nice machines but I am happy with the old Fairmont and my Clubman, envy is just not part of my life.
Thanks Craigy
I agree with you on the defence of Clarkson’s HYPOTHETICAL show
what do you think the Latte Sippers are doing when they knock the “bogans” or “chavs”? exactly what you complain of here.
Indeed they are – although they aren’t generally televising it or letting the bogans know about it (I don’t actually know what a “chav” is, by the way). Nonetheless you are correct that this behaviour is no different in principle, and I would equally object to a ‘latte sipper’ openly mocking someone else due to their financial position.
I suspect that you would too.
I suspect that you yearn for excuses to abuse me no matter what I write:it’s water off a ducks back mate.
Dunno where that came from – I haven’t been abusing you at all.
As for the stupid and the gullible, well a bit of a poke may be instructive rather than insulting.
Come on Craigy – you don’t really believe that a show where people are encouraged to howl with laughter at the fat, stupid and gullible would be anything other than an excercise in shaudenfreud (sorry for the spelling). Hardly what any society ‘needs more of’ if you really think about it.
you don’t really believe that a show where people are encouraged to howl with laughter at the fat, stupid and gullible would be anything other than an excercise in shaudenfreud
Shouldn’t that be “… an exercise in Seinfeldfreud”? That’s what he did, and we all loved it.
That’s what he did, and we all loved it.
Seriously Ray – I won’t have you reduce what was a seminal piece of television comedy into a base exercise in laughing at other people’s weaknesses. Seinfeld (well, Larry David mainly) invited us to laugh at ourselves – and he did so using bumbling and flawed characters who, amongst other things, laughed at others for their weakness.
The audience was never asked to join the characters in laughing at others.
I never found Seinfeld funny myself, although I could understand why some do.