Top Gear sparks Mexico complaints

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What a drama for something so stupid! I hope they buy a mexican car for the next episode and let tortillas fall on it ... <_<

The first run is a 30 limited edition production and there is a waiting list. So this is unlikely. And the BBC is not precisely swimming in cash as of late.
 
The reason that news of this has proliferated as it has is not because of the remarks about flatulence or laziness, though those insults were a bit harsher than what Top Gear usually doles out, but primarily because of Hammond's remark of: "I'm sorry, but just imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican."

In all of the harsh jabs they've made in the past, they've never taken it that far. There were so many other good jokes they could have made about the drug wars or political corruption, but they chose to take a route that made them look bigoted and ignorant. That's why even I was shocked and taken aback. I'm not the slightest bit Mexican, nor do I know anyone who is Mexican.
 
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I'm at work and bored. Yes I did misread your post, you accused your own countrymen of being profoundly ignorant of the world.

I am also here waiting for a couple of servers to finally give up with so many people telecommuting today since this is the coldest it has been in Dallas for the last 20 or so years. All the roads are absolutely frozen.

So... POST AWAY! LOL.
 
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."

Did the American government ban BBC programing as a result? Nope.
 
Yes I did misread your post, you accused your own countrymen of being profoundly ignorant of the world.

Incorrect, I accused humanity of being gullible and easily influenced by mass media. Why do you think our president is the president. This is not exclusive of Mexians or Americans, is a human defect.
 
Did the American government ban BBC programing as a result? Nope.

Did the presenters made a pointed and directed joke about a US high official? This is a true question, I don't know... but I am not sure they have such big balls...
 
Incorrect, I accused humanity of being gullible and easily influenced by mass media. Why do you think our president is the president. This is not exclusive of Mexians or Americans, is a human defect.

I have yet to meet someone who believes the Germans are still killing Jews.
 
Did the presenters made a pointed and directed joke about a US high official? This is a true question, I don't know... but I am not sure they have such big balls...

They can say the President rapes donkeys and BBC programing still won't be banned.
 
The reason that news of this has proliferated as it has is not because of the remarks about flatulence or laziness, though those insults were a bit harsher than what Top Gear usually doles out, but primarily because of Hammond's remark of: "I'm sorry, but just imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican."

In all of the harsh jabs they've made in the past, they've never taken it that far. There were so many other good jokes they could have made about the drug wars or political corruption, but they chose to take a route that made them look bigoted and ignorant. That's why even I was shocked and taken aback. I'm not the slightest bit Mexican, nor do I know anyone who is Mexican.

+1 It was only Hammond's remark towards the end. That was beyond a doubt xenophobic. Implying that being Mexican is so horrible, that every morning when you wake up, you put your face in your hands in shame for being born in Mexico. It was a very stupid and entirely unfunny comment to make.

All the other Mexican jabs were funny enough, although I don't think Hammond and James would know good food if it was thrown at them.
 
I'm outraged that there haven't been more Canadian jokes on Top Gear!!!!

We have tons of lazy do nothings in this country! I'm writing a letter of protest to the High Commission as soon I can be arsed to do it.... probably...maybe.

AND it's going to have to be hand delivered because we have the worst/most expensive internet in the world.
 
Did the American government ban BBC programing as a result? Nope.

Again, because of Hammonds remark of "I'm sorry, but just imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican," the response is really not overblown. We can all sit here as fanboys and try to justify what was done on our most favorite of all shows, but it comes down to some people with a very very large audience taking their usual humorous critical remarks of other people, nations and cultures more than a bit too far.
 
There were so many other good jokes they could have made about the drug wars or political corruption, but they chose to take a route that made them look bigoted and ignorant. That's why even I was shocked and taken aback. I'm not the slightest bit Mexican, nor do I know anyone who is Mexican.

And I don't think they have the balls to make a joke about a Mexican drug lord (the prime consumer of the products they peddle mind you) unless they would like to spend the next 10 years watching over their shoulders. I don't think that if they made a mockery out of a Mexican drug lord, they would be able to see a Mexican looking dude the next time without sweaty palms.

I like this line from a classic:

"If there's one thing I know, it's never to mess with mother nature, mother in-laws and, mother freaking Ukrainians."

Replace Ukrainians with {Drug lords} {Pissed off hilly billies] etc. etc.
 
They can say the President rapes donkeys and BBC programing still won't be banned.

There is a difference between banning and dropping. For a ban, the SCT (Mexico's FCC) would have to emit a communication in the Official Dairy of the nation which can only be published by the Executive and it would have to get the go ahead by the Senate. Then the product would be banned from consumption in any station.

Here is just an official radio network deciding to drop the programming as a sing of protest. They are not forbidding anyone from anything. So it is not properly a ban. Sorry if I misspoke and it was misunderstood as a result.
 
They can say the President rapes donkeys and BBC programing still won't be banned.

But I am sure the Secret Service of the US wouldn't be to pleased and Hillary Clinton would have a thing or two to say. Or not at all but at pure Clinton style an American missile will mysteriously loose track and land in an embassy somewhere...

History is a bitch!
 
+1 It was only Hammond's remark towards the end. That was beyond a doubt xenophobic. Implying that being Mexican is so horrible, that every morning when you wake up, you put your face in your hands in shame for being born in Mexico. It was a very stupid and entirely unfunny comment to make.

All the other Mexican jabs were funny enough, although I don't think Hammond and James would know good food if it was thrown at them.

I tend to agree to both of that but if you watch it closely, you'll realize that the scene has been cut right before Hammond's remark. So it probably has been pulled out of context -- although I'm not sure the context would have made it any better.

But the reason, why you felt this one remark was so bad, was probably because you can relate to it more, than a bad remark about a German or Frenchman, because you live near the Mexicans and have to deal with them every day.

I'm simply trying to see all this from a neutral point of view, being more objective and not value any nationality higher or lower, than another. Which also means, that the Mexicans cannot claim a special "joke protection", just because they are a poor country with a lot of problems.
 
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Umm... Double morals? What are they?
double standards - the term "double morals" is somewhat of a false friend when translated from German to English

Hammond's remark of: "I'm sorry, but just imagine waking up and remembering you're Mexican."

In all of the harsh jabs they've made in the past, they've never taken it that far.
"The Germans always aim high: Stalingrad by Christmas and the World by Easter, and then we'll sort out Rover."
"VW Scirocco: From Berlin to Warsaw in one tank"
"If they do it, what's the point in having Germany?" - on the possibility of general speed limits on the Autobahn
"[T]here?s no known cure for being a bit German."

Trust me, if I wanted to be offended by Top Gear and the other shows presented by the TG3, I could easily find enough to blow myself up with rage thirteen times.
 
I'm outraged that there haven't been more Canadian jokes on Top Gear!!!!

We have tons of lazy do nothings in this country! I'm writing a letter of protest to the High Commission as soon I can be arsed to do it.... probably...maybe.

AND it's going to have to be hand delivered because we have the worst/most expensive internet in the world.

And this is why I love Canadians... I do!
 
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.

I agree completely. The worst you could say is that Hammond is xeno ph? bic?
 
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double standards - the term "double morals" is somewhat of a false friend when translated from German to English


"The Germans always aim high: Stalingrad by Christmas and the World by Easter, and then we'll sort out Rover."
"VW Scirocco: From Berlin to Warsaw in one tank"
"If they do it, what's the point in having Germany?" - on the possibility of general speed limits on the Autobahn
"[T]here?s no known cure for being a bit German."

Trust me, if I wanted to be offended by Top Gear and the other shows presented by the TG3, I could easily find enough to blow myself up with rage thirteen times.

So making jokes about Germans being calculating, over achieving, and perfectionist is a bad thing? Sorry, I don't see it... for me they are values.

Heck, everyone knows that if it had not been because of the alliance (of which Mexico formed a big part with supplies of food, cattle and oil and an air force squadron) British would speak German.
 
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