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WATCH BBC IPLAYER HERE: TOP GEAR CHINA Series18 Episode 2
Not many BBC'ers responded to the previous article, so it begs the question :
Is anti-Chinese casual racism by the British media so deeply accepted amongst British Born Chinese that we would not want to make a complaint about it, because by not doing so shows that British Born Chinese shouldn't get offended by it?
For those that think that what Top Gear promotes is just harmless fun, take a look at this link from 2007 that discusses its irreverent attitude http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6324129.stm ,
Richard Hammond, 37, was left fighting for his life in September following the crash in when his jet-powered car came off a runway near York at 280mph, the BBC Two show featured footage of the crash. A BBC spokesman said: "Top Gear's audience is familiar with the irreverent tone of the programme and this was typical of the type of exchanges that take place between the presenters. It was certainly not intended to cause any offence.
The programme has fallen foul of Brake, the national road safety charity.
"A shockingly disproportionate number of young male drivers are dying on our roads and it is highly irresponsible for the BBC to allow Top Gear, with its target audience of young males, to openly make light the deadly act of speeding."
Is it now okay, in the spirit of irreverence to laugh at the near-death of Mr Hammond who maybe should have died by smashing his car in a state of complete boy wonder idiocy? No? Then why is it okay for idiots like Jeremy Clarkson to make light of Chinese car manufacturers or make reference to cockle pickers?
Does Top Gear justify casual racism against Chinese by the target audience of it's programme, arguably mindless 18+ car fanatics, and even be deemed as inoffensive by British Born Chinese sellouts ?
Does Top Gear justify casual racism against Chinese by the target audience of it's programme, arguably mindless 18+ car fanatics, and even be deemed as inoffensive by British Born Chinese sellouts ?
Also it would be nice if one of you made a proper post about the recent Top Gear in China
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01brd8t/Top_Gear_Series_18_Episode_2/
42:50 onwards.
Racial stereotypes ahoy there. And unlike the Indian Top Gear Special a month or so ago, they didn't hold back on the common stereotypes - height mockery (despite Indians being shorter than us!), the "L-R" word thing, safety standards (the car going at 1mph for the crash test) and Kung Fu Stig... oh yes, oriental music with trademark gong at the end! But unlike the Indian embassy and later on, everyone in India getting angry over the blatant racial stereotyping (mild and few compared to this short segment), which spawned a lot of press over here... there has been zero reaction from the Chinese embassy, or even Chinese populace in Britain. You can just see the clear difference in attitudes towards racial stereotyping - we as a race are so apathetic to it all.
Yes, there was racial stereotyping on that episode, and it wasn't particularly offensive. If it is offensive to use 'Oriental' music on an item about Chinese cars is it offensive to use 'Indian' music on an item about Indian cars or 'Japanese' music on an item about Japanese cars? Not worth getting angry and offended over it.
DeleteSome Chinese brand cars are not safe, so what? Again, hardly something to get 'offended' over. A lot of Chinese themselves know that (Mainland) Chinese products are poor quality and they even make self-deprecating jokes about it (see: shanzhai). Why would you get offended over something that Chinese themselves like to make fun of?
Korea and Japan both used to make laughable unsafe cars that were copies of western ones. Now China is going through that phase. That episode even ended on a 'positive' point saying that Chinese automaking is eventually going to go the way of Japan and Korea. Offensive?
Wow, like I said above, our race is either apathetic or seems to accept things, no matter how bad they get.
DeleteSo you didn't pick up on the height joke? The L=R thing? The automatic assumption that Chinese don't take safety seriously (despite mentioning that the car has already been changed to suit European standards)?
The difference being that the stereotypes with us are personal, whereas with India earlier on it was more to do with their hygiene standards in the country - something that can be changed.
And wait, you are saying that because SOME Chinese joke about it, it's alright for other races to do so? Like SOME blacks call themselves the N word, so obviously that gives everyone free reign to use it, and if a black comes along and DOESN'T approve, they are sensitive?
The reason why Asians and blacks always make a fuss over racial incidents, no matter how slight, is because they DO make a difference - slowly, the perceptions of what is or isn't offensive changes, and gradually other races get a better idea of how to properly treat someone of that race. But with the Chinese, by keeping schtum about everything, or folk like you saying "no big deal", it's doing the opposite... gradually letting other races push the boundaries on what is acceptable or not.
You need to look at the bigger picture with things like this. It isn't about any one insult or stereotype; anyone can handle or ignore that. But they clearly have an impact on how non Chinese treat and act towards Chinese, and to be frank, I'm fed up of the casual racism we get when all we want to do is get on with our lives like everyone else.
I watch very little UK TV as there are little to zero representation of our Chinese culture on the British screens, So I did not know about it. However, since casual racism against Chinese is indeed so common, its rather dull covering it all the time, but this appears to be the main way Chinese are presented in the western media.
DeleteIncidently, in both cases of TOP Gear's Indian racism and Jeremy Clarkson's 'cockle pickers died with synchronised swimming' comment, high authority filed complaints. The Indian High commission in Britain (received thousands of letters of complaints) and the Chinese Embassy in Britain both wrote letters of complaint. The BBC like Jeremy Clarkson shrugged it off - It was deemed not racist by the BBC!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jan/18/top-gear-india-not-offensive-bbc
If any of you have tried complaining to the BBC before, you will know they always do this, they always defend the programme makers, the fact these complaints were written to the HIC and Chinese Embassy (both foreign and non British) and not directly to the BBC (which is British!) directly...speaks volumes about race and who represents our interests, doesn't it?
Hear hear. I read the BBC article on the bus stop ad only being shown to women, to highlight discrimination against them.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17099518
Judging by some of the childish facebook responses from men, I'd say it's done a good job. It basically highlights that, much like white males cannot understand how damaging sexism is - in whatever form, no matter how casual - whites cannot understand the full extent of racism, simply because they are white - the privileged group in society.
One quote that particularly stuck is this
"to challenge the discrimination that girls face as a result of their sex. WE WORK TO CHALLENGE NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES.” says Plan UK CEO Marie Staunton."
What interest group do British Chinese have in challenging negative stereotypes like those shown in the Top Gear programme? It is clear that Indians have their own government (and by extension, their own people) to shout out for them... Jews have their own lobby and media pressure groups here... as do Muslims, and Christians even.... who do we Chinese have?
Also I have seen the programme when it was first shown, it wasn't just mocking Chinese car manufacturers for its safety, features and so on - that would have been fair play imo - but they used racial stereotypes regarding height, pronuncuation of English, how everything the Chinese do has to involve martial arts and the gong - that to me is far more damaging, especially if it goes unopposed. Or maybe we should be grateful they didn't mention ordering number 42 on the Chinese menu?
DeleteThis is the way the british media do it. They start off innocently then just sneak stuff in there. gradually, slowly, subtlely - and by the end of it, the whole gamut - into the realm of social acceptance for their undiscerning 'irreverant' target audience of young racially indoctrinated british males.
DeleteWe just have to accept we live in the land of anti-Chinese media, and those that do well lick the arse of white imperialists. Otherwise we get labelled as 'oversensitive' by our own.
Even on the BBC facebook page, I pointed out that the two most popular comments on there were by two whites. One hapa ( im assuming) and some white idiot with a tin can avatar. On a BBC facebook board!
And me pro-Chinese/pro BBC gets outvoted by the BBC whitelickers on there.
That just shows how indoctrinated BBC'ers are. They defend the white speakers and they try to shut me - fellow BBC- up. Being proud to be Chinese has become taboo. And trying to promote British Born Chinese cultural identity? Forget it.
If your own kind arent even going to stand up for our own culture,and tear you down for speaking out, what is basic truth that a 8yr old can tell whether its truth or not...
speaking out against Top Gear is just a pipedream- its just another BBC show full of anti-Chinese slandering that is part of the normal acceptable PROGRAMMING that is good old British TV.
By the way, did you write anything about the two-episode BBC programme that Robert Peston did on China? (How The West Went Bust) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWtrbGWixRQ
DeleteThat seemed to put 強國 in a good light compared to the 'lazy' west, did it not?
No, but you are welcome to submit an article.
DeleteClarkson is a JEW
ReplyDeleteend of
C4C
Combating what you perceive as racism against Chinese by being racist against Jews makes you a hypocrite.
DeleteDont you have a home troll - or is invading other cultures something that you are used to? . Actually if you are jewish, you are giving jews a bad name. You just sound like a homeless zionist.
DeleteJeremy Clarkson is not Jewish, but even if he was, he's fair game. IMO, anyone who treats and racially disrespects Chinese as fair game for abuse should be treated with the same reciprocal racial disdain by the Chinese.
Deletebbc alex,
Deletenot at all, I am pointing out he is jewish.
what is wrong with that ? are you saying it should be hidden like he is ashamed of it ?
I'm Chinese and proud of it, I have no problem if someone wants to point that out.
So why should you ?
C4C
I think you will find the name clark, clarkson jewish.
DeleteYes indeed, their numbers are FAR greater in UK/USA than they'd have you believe.
Look at his curly hair and rather distorted face.
Check out Gen. Wesley Clark's 20 something pics, look at him, with mud coloured hair, little beak nose.
Tell tale signs
C4C
Haha, are trying to make me us feel guilty? Jeremy Clarkson has no regrets, so why should any Chinese person posting on here feel regret or guilt? We have no regrets at all.
DeleteAnd in answer to your question, Jeremy Clarkson stereotypes and degrades Chinese 'as a race' but its fine, the BEEB ruled it was not racist, therefore its perfectly fine for it to be reciprocated by Chinese. If its not racist for Jeremy to do it, then its not racist for us to do it either.
What nazi style ?
DeleteI merely said he was Jewish and you jumped up like I had shot him in the head.
I leave it to people what they make of a ( potentially ) jewish guy who makes racist insinuations against Chinese.
Therefore if he can be racist towards Chinese why must he protected from vice versa.
As explained by the others - tit for tat is fair.
BTW hope the BEEB knows that China now makes TOP of the range cars - VOLVO. Yes Beeb why talk about that.
Perhaps it cause for the 1st time in history CHINA'S CAR INDUSTRY HAS OVERTAKEN UK.
C4C
The Guardian has just made this amazing article... every sentence hits home
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/21/jeremy-lin-racism-asian-americans
Reading through these comments is actually hilarious. Top Gear was making fun of Chinese cars because they're shit and often mimic or blatantly copy Western designs. But at one point Korean cars were also shitty, now look who's laughing. Hyundai is taking over everything because the Koreans finally have the hang of this car-making business. China will eventually learn as well. As for racism, Germans are usually their main target, Top Gear loves making fun of Germany b/c of the war. I don't think they specifically target Chinese.
ReplyDeleteAnd to the idiot who suggested China now makes Volvo- yes, Volvo is owned by a Chinese company, but they're still based in Sweden, engineered by Swedes and assembled by Swedes. Saying Volvo is now made in China is like saying Saabs were made in America when GM used to own them.
Lighten up, guys.
From your neighbour to the south,
Burma
Top Gear and Jeremy Clarkson has a mini history of derogatory remarks towards us. This episode is just the latest in the series of derogatory remarks against Chinese. That you think casual racism is okay against Chinese and that we should 'lighten up' means its okay for me to tell you white pedophiles to 'lighten up' and stop raping Burmese children.
DeleteNot only has Fartson poked racism at those wonderful little Chinamen but also referred to Malaysian er, supercar, Proton as 'that car by the junglemen'. Regardless of whether he be Jew or Anglo Saxon I reckon he'd think twice of following Prince Phillips shoes in using the term 'Pygmy' towards a black person or 'Shylock' towards a Jew. However if we are going to act docile and shrug off what we see as 'harmless' little comments than we too are also responsible for the unprogressive attitudes towards out communities. Look at a consensus form and the only far eastern race mentioned is Chinese despite UK holding a massive Filipino community. Methinks we need some social reform amongst our own community here...
ReplyDeleteNice blog...baby name
ReplyDelete