Top Gear sparks Mexico complaints

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Even though I understand the irritation of some forum members about what was said in the last episode of Top Gear, I cannot really sympathize. Instead I have a strange feeling of witnessing some double moral standards here.

Because I would bet some money on the fact, that the same Mexicans, who now complain about having been insulted, laughed at Top Gear's insults of other nationalities before. I'm quite sure they laughed or grinned at tasteless comments about Americans being incesteous rednecks, Germans still all being Nazis inside or French being lazy peasants who burn cars all the time.

It's all funny, ha ha ha -- as long as you're not on the recieving end of the TG humor.

So now Mexicans have gotten their share. So what? :rolleyes: Take it like men, for crying out loud. Being insulted by Top Gear is almost a commendation. Get over it. I also sometimes frown about some tasteless jokes on Germans invading Poland, or when James May repeatedly uses the Auschwitz motto "Arbeit macht frei" (Work sets you free) in various TG episodes.

No one ever complained about that, though... and frankly I'd rather be called fat and lazy, than repeatedly being mentioned in one breath with Hitler's regime.

Top Gear is an entertainment show with a strong emphasis on satire and parody. Anyone who takes the show too serious, clearly has trouble with perception in my eyes. The show lives from generalizations and clich?s. Watching it is knowing that. Don't like that kind of humor? Then don't watch it.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. But when perception becomes selective, when you laugh about jokes on Americans, the French, Germans, Australians or anyone else and then complain, when you are a victim of TG humor for a change, I call that hypocrisy.

Hypocrisy? It is not up to Mexicans to defend the other nationalities. If French and German feel it is cool that they say such things about them, then its one of two... 1) It is somewhat true or completely true, 2) it is not true at all.

In fact, from a Mexican point of view, and ignorant casual viewer might say... wow! So the Germans are still killing Jews? Wow, so the French are lazy and their vehicles suck? WOW! Revealing! Because some people are THAT gullible.

My wife is a Registered Nurse but as a single mother, never had the time to travel or culturize herself. The first time I took her to meet my family and friends she was concerned about if we were going to have electricity and internet. She received a surprise when she was received in a 7 bedroom home with maids... and yes... with internet and electricity.
 
Where are all the Australians defending Clarkson for wishing them well after all the flooding and devestation they have dealt with? Cmon Aussies!

Well, some of us are getting tickled by a slightly large and inconvenient cyclone that is almost as furious as the Mexicans.
 
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I think you'll find that 1) not everyone is a TG fan and 2) some Mexicans might have a view of their own or 3) some people might take random nonsensical jabs made on an entertainment show far, far too seriously.
small addition there
 
I think you'll find that 1) not everyone is a TG fan and 2) some Mexicans might have a view of their own. I'm not Mexican, I'm well versed in TG humour, but when he said that I knew instantly that this time there would be a shitstorm. And so it has proved.

So basically you're saying that it's ok to insult Americans, Germans, Australians, French, Spanish, etc. but not ok to insult Mexicans?

Thank you for proving my point ;)

Hypocrisy? It is not up to Mexicans to defend the other nationalities. If French and German feel it is cool that they say such things about them, then its one of two... 1) It is somewhat true or completely true, 2) it is not true at all.

In fact, from a Mexican point of view, and ignorant casual viewer might say... wow! So the Germans are still killing Jews? Wow, so the French are lazy and their vehicles suck? WOW! Revealing! Because some people are THAT gullible.

My wife is a Registered Nurse but as a single mother, never had the time to travel or culturize herself. The first time I took her to meet my family and friends she was concerned about if we were going to have electricity and internet. She received a surprise when she was received in a 7 bedroom home with maids... and yes... with internet and electricity.

That's all fine and I understand your point of view but it doesn't touch the point I made about double morals here.

And we Germans don't complain about being insulted by the British, because a) we don't really take them serious in that area and b) because we are self-confident enough to simply shrug such things off -- as are the Americans and the Australians obviously. And the self-confidence of the French couldn't even be scratched with a diamond knife.

What I sense in your story about your family, though, is some kind of deep-rooted inferiority complex. And that might also be a reason for the strong reaction on the Top Gear jokes. Maybe your people are simply more thin-skinned, than others.

Just a theory, though ;)
 
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Hypocrisy? It is not up to Mexicans to defend the other nationalities. If French and German feel it is cool that they say such things about them, then its one of two... 1) It is somewhat true or completely true, 2) it is not true at all.

In fact, from a Mexican point of view, and ignorant casual viewer might say... wow! So the Germans are still killing Jews? Wow, so the French are lazy and their vehicles suck? WOW! Revealing! Because some people are THAT gullible.

My wife is a Registered Nurse but as a single mother, never had the time to travel or culturize herself. The first time I took her to meet my family and friends she was concerned about if we were going to have electricity and internet. She received a surprise when she was received in a 7 bedroom home with maids... and yes... with internet and electricity.

I knew it! D-Fence has been killing Jews all this time! :p

Seriously, untie your twisted panties and get on with life. The Western populace who watch Top Gear U.K. aren't as dumb as you accuse them of being.
 
You have to admit that it is entertaining.

An official complain filed?
Youtube videos sending "thank you notes"
An entire radio network dropping all of BBC programs.

It IS entertaining. It is like watching a fight after school.
 
I knew it! D-Fence has been killing Jews all this time! :p

Seriously, untie your twisted panties and get on with life. The Western populace who watch Top Gear U.K. aren't as dumb as you accuse them of being.

Because you also have better things to do than reply to my every single posts? Riigh.... Some people should learn to read. It would be helpful.
 
You have to admit that it is entertaining.

An official complain filed?
Youtube videos sending "thank you notes"
An entire radio network dropping all of BBC programs.

It IS entertaining. It is like watching a fight after school.

I agree. Watching a country overreact like this is quite entertaining.
 
So basically you're saying that it's ok to insult Americans, Germans, Australians, French, Spanish, etc. but not ok to insult Mexicans?

Thank you for proving my point ;)



That's all fine but but it doesn't touch the point I made about double morals here.

You're not understanding - it's up to Americans, Germans etc etc to stick up for themselves. There's no correlation. Far from proving your point, you've proven mine. Obviously Americans aren't offended by the jibes otherwise they would be complaining, but obviously Mexicans (and others) were offended by this one. And as I've said, it was most definitely in a different hue and sentiment to all the other stuff. It wasn't funny, is the biggest problem - just offending people with xenophobic remarks is not funny. Not to me, anyway.

Umm... Double morals? What are they?
 
I agree. Watching a country overreact like this is quite entertaining.

You do know that the good old US of A with our glorious first amendment and all sent the BBC a nice little note "inviting" the presenters to stay within the limits of their licenses while filming here the next time (after the first special), and this is why the entire show they kept on making jokes about "staying within the facts."

And the USA has a long long long standing below the belt punching relationship with the UK....
 
Well, some of us are getting tickled by a slightly large and inconvenient cyclone that is almost as furious as the Mexicans.


Ah, crap youre right. My apologies. Be safe! Like Australia hasn't had enough to deal with right?
 
What a drama for something so stupid! I hope they buy a mexican car for the next episode and let tortillas fall on it ... <_<
 
You do know that the good old US of A with our glorious first amendment and all sent the BBC a nice little note "inviting" the presenters to stay within the limits of their licenses while filming here the next time (after the first special), and this is why the entire show they kept on making jokes about "staying within the facts."

And the USA has a long long long standing below the belt punching relationship with the UK....

And I think it was an idiotic action, just as I think Mexico's reaction was idiotic.
 
You're not understanding - it's up to Americans, Germans etc etc to stick up for themselves. There's no correlation. Far from proving your point, you've proven mine. Obviously Americans aren't offended by the jibes otherwise they would be complaining

I understood the point, I suppose it takes being in the same wavelength (to call it something), and Americans DO get offended by jabs. If you remember that first American episode when they stopped in that gas station in the back woods, those folks were not precisely "in good spirits."

In Mexico to call someone "pendejo" is more often than not an friendly remark often shared among close friends and relatives. Say the same word in Puerto Rico and see how 20 large guys beat you until you are a pulp of mangled meat and broken bones.

For Mexicans, Pendejo means dumb... stupid.
For Puerto Ricans, Pendejo means a guy who likes his wife to have sex with other guys while he watches, encourages and enjoys it, which is something that some guys might find more than objectionable and some other might say... meh... so what?

People simply react different, we all have different buttons.
 
Umm... Double morals? What are they?

Your assumption of those remarks being xenophobic is one example. I don't believe for a moment they're xenophobic. It's nothing more that silly jokes. Bad jokes, if you want, but not xenophobic.

Jeremy, James and Richard have travelled the world a LOT more than probably everybody else on this forum and have repeatedly shown, that they're not prone for any kind of xenophobia or racism -- despite the occasional bad joke. Using the xenophobia accusation seems just an instrument to me, to make the outrage sound louder and more dramatic. Everyone with a sane mind cannot really mean that serious.
 
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Because you also have better things to do than reply to my every single posts? Riigh.... Some people should learn to read. It would be helpful.

I'm at work and bored. Yes I did misread your post, you accused your own countrymen of being profoundly ignorant of the world.
 
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