Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 1:33 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

But I do think is that if a forensic audio expert analysed the audio then they should be able to offer the use of the word in a sound file and making up our own opinions rather than trusting the opinion of a paid expert to provide a transcript.

And what would be the point? If he's said the 'N' word, he's deliberately mumbled it so as to be almost unintelligible. Are we now lynching people for recognising an offensive word and not uttering it out loud? Granted, perhaps not the wisest choice of rhyme in the first place but again he recognised that and changed the word to 'teacher'.

If I were to sing the version of the old nursery rhyme '10 Little N*gger Boys' and mumble over the 'N' word every time am I a racist? If I sing a rap song containing the 'N' word am I racist or should I mumble that bit? If I wrote a blacklist on a blackboard am I racist?

Saying that, apparently 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' is racist so perhaps there's no point trying.

People choose to take offence though I accept Clarkson isn't to everyone's taste (certainly most of the mob on here). Personally I like that way he sticks two fingers up to a sorry, lilly-livered society which declares 'offence' at the drop of a hat and screams for a faux apology and/or resignation, plus he's a fantastic wind-up merchant and everyone (including on here) bites every time.

If I'm annoyed Subway have replaced ham & bacon with halal turkey ham & rashers at many stores am I racist?

Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 1:55 pm  

A forensic sound expert? FFS! Please retain at least a molecule of proportion.

Look, we ALL know what a common version of that rhyme is, and it is clear whether he succeeded or not that he was choosing to mumble the "offending" line so as to make it a method of selecting one of two cars by a regular this-that rhyme. It's bleedin obvious WHY he was mumbling and slurring. If he wasn't, then we wouldn't NEED a "forensic expert", as the majority of us have working ears.

If it takes a "forensic expert" and presumably his high tech equipment to advance a theory of what you might have hear or enhanced, if you were a forensic expert with the latest technology, then to the rest of the world, which would not normally hire a forensic expert to tell them what Clarkson says, he did not say it.

The whole thing is very reminiscent of the blasphemy scene in the Life of Brian. Clarkson even put out another video explaining, and apologising for any misunderstanding. The whole thing is so OTT now as to be past absurd.

Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 2:05 pm  

You can hire me at reasonable cost, I'm a forensic sound expert and can easily tell you what he said, I even know what he was thinking at the time, can't say any more though until you agree to my terms and settle the invoice.

Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 4:58 pm  

Cronus wrote:

And what would be the point? If he's said the 'N' word, he's deliberately mumbled it so as to be almost unintelligible.

If he said the N word then we'd hear it. If he mumbled something that possibly sounds like the N word but could equally apply to 'Begger' then HE DIDN'T SAY THE N WORD.

The "audio expert" has provided a transcript that concludes that he has said the N word. If he has been caught saying that word then IMO he's getting sacked from Top Gear and virtually all of his media work. He's going to get another job as easily as Ron Atkinson has.

So yes, I think hearing what he actually said is pretty important.

Are we now lynching people for recognising an offensive word and not uttering it out loud? Granted, perhaps not the wisest choice of rhyme in the first place but again he recognised that and changed the word to 'teacher'.

I honestly wouldn't know if I knew the N word version of eni meeni when I was a kid. I might have done, but I could have easily known a less offensive version.

I do recognise that eni meeni as a way of deciding between different cars is a very Top Gear thing to do. He might have been trying to get away with a racist jibe or he could have just been mumbling a rhyme from when he was a kid that he couldn't even remember the words to.

If I were to sing the version of the old nursery rhyme '10 Little N*gger Boys' and mumble over the 'N' word every time am I a racist? If I sing a rap song containing the 'N' word am I racist or should I mumble that bit? If I wrote a blacklist on a blackboard am I racist?

It would depend on the context of you doing it. Given these things are difficult to fit into a normal life I'd say unless you had a good excuse you probably were being racist.

I think Clarkson was acting like Clarkson and I'm not sure what he was doing.

People choose to take offence though I accept Clarkson isn't to everyone's taste (certainly most of the mob on here). Personally I like that way he sticks two fingers up to a sorry, lilly-livered society which declares 'offence' at the drop of a hat and screams for a faux apology and/or resignation, plus he's a fantastic wind-up merchant and everyone (including on here) bites every time.

If he wants to be the new British version of George Carlin and shocking the world while saying things on the borders of acceptability I have no problem with that. But he can't really do it while fronting a massive BBC show on a few million quid a year.

If he actually said the N word then he's pretty much done. If he hasn't actually said it and this is just a Mirror smear campaign then the Mirror needs to follow the NotW out of existence.

Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 5:12 pm  

...all of which is irrelevant because he didn't 'say it'. He mumbled a word which may or may not be taken to be n*gger. What he actually said was, "mmmmer". You even admitted as much:

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

When I first listened to it he just seemed to be mumbling words because he couldn't remember what the actual words of the rhyme were.

You only considered it could be n*gger when you were told it could be by the Mirror/Mail/whoever. And then you chose to be offended and decided he should probably be sacked.

Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 5:47 pm  

World of Redboy wrote:

There are more important things in the world to be worrying about.

Would your existence on the planet be one of them perhaps?

Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 6:35 pm  

Cronus wrote:

...all of which is irrelevant because he didn't 'say it'. He mumbled a word which may or may not be taken to be n*gger. What he actually said was, "mmmmer". You even admitted as much:

You only considered it could be n*gger when you were told it could be by the Mirror/Mail/whoever. And then you chose to be offended and decided he should probably be sacked.

No. I want it to be proven what he actually said. If he just mumbled and there's no proper evidence then I think this is a disgusting witch hunt and would defend Clarkson totally.

If the tape proved that he did actually use the N word and has been caught on tape then I think his career is toast. I'm not that offended by what he did, but IMO getting caught doing that for the BBC is sacking yourself. I wouldn't waste sympathy on Clarkson because his future is secured and he'll be able to still live a fantastic life without ever working again.

I just want the truth to come out. If he has been caught saying the N word he's done and he should know it. But I don't trust the impartiality of either the Mirror or the words of Clarkson. I think the BBC has more independence, but they still have a financial interest in clearing Clarkson whether he did it or not.

I just hope that he's cleared if he's innocent and punished if found guilty. I don't want him getting off with it or, even worse, found guilty when he didn't actually do anything.

Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 8:49 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

No. I want it to be proven what he actually said. If he just mumbled and there's no proper evidence then I think this is a disgusting witch hunt and would defend Clarkson totally.

If the tape proved that he did actually use the N word and has been caught on tape then I think his career is toast. I'm not that offended by what he did, but IMO getting caught doing that for the BBC is sacking yourself. I wouldn't waste sympathy on Clarkson because his future is secured and he'll be able to still live a fantastic life without ever working again.

I just want the truth to come out. If he has been caught saying the N word he's done and he should know it. But I don't trust the impartiality of either the Mirror or the words of Clarkson. I think the BBC has more independence, but they still have a financial interest in clearing Clarkson whether he did it or not.

I just hope that he's cleared if he's innocent and punished if found guilty. I don't want him getting off with it or, even worse, found guilty when he didn't actually do anything.

The 'truth' is already out. He's already said the rhyme was the 'n*gger' version as it's the one he knows (and a version I remember) but his intention was to mumble in place of the actual word, however when he viewed the take he realised there was a possibility the word might be recognised. That's why they changed it completely, to 'teacher'.

Still, what he said was "nmmmmmr". He did not say 'n*gger'. You want him sacking for vaguely hinting at the word and mumbling virtually unintelligibly. Again, it was a poor choice of rhyme but nothing more than that.

It's not often people are sacked for not actually saying anything.

Re: BBC : Fri May 02, 2014 9:35 pm  

Cronus wrote:

If I'm annoyed Subway have replaced ham & bacon with halal turkey ham & rashers at many stores am I racist?

More pandering

Re: BBC : Sat May 03, 2014 3:46 pm  

Lord God Jose Mourinho wrote:

If he wants to be the new British version of George Carlin and shocking the world while saying things on the borders of acceptability I have no problem with that. But he can't really do it while fronting a massive BBC show on a few million quid a year.

Shows how much you know about George Carlin if you compare him to a throwback like Clarkson.