[09x03] February 11th, 2007

the USA is expected to help out the rest of the world. Hell, when a big disaster hits outside the country, the various volunteer groups are first on the scene. Same thing with Katrina. But does the USA ever get help from other countries? FUCK NO! We don't see shit

That not entirely true, before you write down what your highly accurate American media tells you maybe you should check some facts. Both North Korea and Cuba along with most of the rest of the world sent aid after Katrina, where the money went i do not know (evidently not on rebuilding). Per Capita Western Europe spends over 5 times what the USA does on over aid to the third world. (Ignoring Iraq, but does spending money rebuilding something you blew up really count as aid?)
 
No one knows where the money goes... We gave MILLIONS of dollars. My employer got us out on the corner the Saturday after the floods, and with the local firefighters raised almost a quarter million dollars. In ONE afternoon! People just out and about, doing their sweekend shopping, were dropping $500 checks into the donation box!

But where did it all go? Probably the same place the 9/11 donations went. That vault at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark? Yeah. That's where it all is.

It blows my mind that we American citizens can donate more money than any other nation in the world to philanthropic causes, yet most of it never reaches its intended recipients, and all the while our legislative bodies continue to vote for and approve raises for themselves. And we're cool with that, as long as we get to argue about it online without ever actually having to act on our ideals. This isn't 1984 we're living out, it's Brave New World. More Soma, please...

(funny how a program about cars can elicit this kind of commentary)
 
Wait, how the hell do you have all those guns in Kommiefornia?

I went to my local purveyor of fine firearms and viewed the selection available for retail sale. Upon making my selection, I indicated my desire to engage in a financial transaction to acquire the appropriate firearm by saying to the effect of "I'll take that one, please." This then started a process of form-filling, identification-checking and handing over of a small piece of plastic which contained on a magnetic strip information with monetary details. The Hi-Power came home with me two nights ago, actually.

The exception to this was the FAL, the components for which I purchased over the Internet from two Florida locations and one in Illinois, requiring the services of an FFL only for the upper receiver.

Basically, the PRK's firearms laws are bad, but they're not -that- bad. We're not talking DC or NYC here. They're based on a total lack of rational thought process and blind emotion, with a likely intent to effectively drive the industry out of the state, but for those of us who are determined, you can stay within the law and still enjoy the hobby. I can deal with the fixed-magazine requirement for rifles, that's easily dealt with when I go to a free state like Nevada when I visit my brother-in-law. The effective CCW prohibition for Bay Area residents, however, really irks me. CCW is easy enough to get in the rest of the State, I see no reason I need to be defenseless in my home town when a chap from Marin or Merced can be armed when visiting me.

Though I do find it pretty damn scary of the amount of people who carry firearms in America. Damn, that really puts me off visiting (especially the part when Hammond discovers the bullet markings on that used car.

Stay away from drug-dealers and other such low-life, and also avoid conducting any unlawful activities of your own, and you should have little to worry about. Areas where firearms are legally more prevalent tend to be the safest ones.

NTM
 
Wow. This thread is now full of Americans.

I can practically smell the cheese as all humor is drained from the conversation.

-Justin
 
Wow. This thread is now full of Americans.

I can practically smell the cheese as all humor is drained from the conversation.

-Justin

Has it been following you around? The cheese smell that is. Next time you join a forum owned by an American, wait until you have at least 15 posts before you start the ham-fisted, cheese insults.
 
First off, if I repeat anything here apologies, I read about 10 pages then got tired and decided to just go ahead and post :)

With regards to the Stig's American cousin, his name is Steve Shelton. His brother Wes is my team-mate in an F1 BATracer game (his cousin Tom plays in it too). They're a bunch of amatuer racers, you can check out their website. Apparantly Steve is real short and the TG crew gave him an oversized Stig outfit, so he looked worse then Jacques Villenueve ;). Oh, and someone mentioned something about him being stuffed with pillows, yes, that's true.

About the episode itself, wouldn't say it was my favourite, not by a mile, but it was a superb episode non the less, fantastic.

Getting down to the nitty gritty, and the whole Alabama/redneck thing. Some people here have been suggesting that people anywhere can be offended so easily. True, but the thing which had me concerned is that they got upset over issues which really didn't warrant any sort of violence, no matter what opinion you hold. I mean, if someone in Britain drove around in a car which said Cameron for PM (the opposition leader, for our non-Brit friends), anywhere in the UK, no one would give a crap. If someone drove around saying F1/Football/Cricket sucks, no one would give a crap. If someone drove around saying man love is good, people certainly wouldn't give a crap here, in fact they'd probably laugh in most places.

Mind you, I think this is a bit of a superficial point, because I'm not entirely convinced by that whole scene. A lot of things in TG these days are scripted, which I don't mind in the least (in fact I enjoy them), but for me the jury's out on whether they were attacked by rednecks and why James and Richard were still bothering to jump start the car, or what happened to them after the cameras stopped, or what happened to the rednecks that gave chase, or........ ..

You get the point.

About New Orleans, fair enough perhaps some people there are being ungrateful (and the people JC and RH donated their cars to didn't look entirely grateful to be fair, but then perhaps that's understandable considering there wasn't much to be grateful about :lol: ). But remember after the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, some Afghans were not very pleased at the handouts given to them by aid agencies (winter was approaching and they were frustrated at the lack of appropriate winter clothes/tents). Is that reason enough to abandom them and let them fend for themselves? No, the aid effort continued and still continues as it should. At the very least, forget the individual handouts, I would have expected much of the mess that is littering the streets to be cleaned up by now. I'll hold my hands up and say I am by no means an expert on issues affecting individual states in America, but if this really is the fault of incompetence on part of the local government, isn't this a bit of a crisis and thus why the nationwide authorities need to step in and help sort out the mess asap? Just my thought (for whatever it's worth).

And finally, about the TG Jessica theme and Bart Simpson, I personally loathe the Simpsons, but I've found the clip on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTzxgni9Tg

:)

p.s. I think I might be right in saying this is a new record for the longest TG specific episode discussion. 1000+ and counting! :)
 
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I wouldn't bet on that. That would depend more on UK law (of which I'm pretty ignorant) than American law. And I don't think you really need a release in USA either (I've been televised several times, and have never signed anything; plus, how else would the paparazzi sell any photos).

Iffy at best for US Law, plus i'm doubtful there is a "Standard." For example, Dog the Bounty Hunter on A&E has virtually NO "bystanders" faces blurred out in Public Spaces, while Little People, Big World on TLC had nearly every other bystander in the Hawaii Episodes faces blurred out.
 
Does anyone know if any Stateside right-wing media has caught on to this episode? It seems like PERFECT fodder for people like Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh to start railing on how our alleged "allies" are actually just laughing at us! I have many friend sin the UK and it's really not causing any sor tof dust-up, other than ratings. This was a big on for the BBC! Not as big as the crash, but it was definitely water cooler material for a while.
That seems unlikely. Bill O'Reilly or Rush Limbaugh, etc. don't care about the BBC's TV shows.
 
Can you play that tune on the Banjo?

-Justin

I'll let your posts speak for themselves, such as they are.

Hint - There is no need to tell us who you are at the end of them. Your username is on the left.
 
I'll let your posts speak for themselves, such as they are.

Hint - There is no need to tell us who you are at the end of them. Your username is on the left.

I always initial/sign my posts, even if though my identity is often known by real name on a board. I'm not alone in this policy, it's been discussed on other boards. It's just a way of saying "this is my opinion, I stand by what I have written above, and this is the end of the post"

NTM
 
Getting down to the nitty gritty, and the whole Alabama/redneck thing. Some people here have been suggesting that people anywhere can be offended so easily.

It's been pointed out that It's not really the insults that caused them to get angry, but the way 3 strangers (with camera crew) where making fun of them "backward idiots". And I can believe that. I don't agree with the reaction the southerners had, but how much of that stuff is orchestrated? How much of that stuff is edited to make it look worse than it really is? At around 24:50, JC complains everyone is very fat, very stupid and very rude, with emphasis that "it's the truth", said with utter contempt and antipathy, with a good dose of snobbish superiority, as if he's out to get them back or something. I'm not american and I was like "where the fuck did that come from???". If you are in that disposition of mind and try hard enough to piss people off, I think you will get people pissed off anywhere in the world! Add a clever editor, and you can arange for the same turn of events. If you are a guest somewhere, it's basic "savoir vivre" to be open-minded, respectful and polite. Fail that, and you will be in for a VERY unpleasant stay. That's why I did not find the episode particularly great or funny as I don't even believe they had such a great time. There were a few spontaneous stints of genius, but they were way overshadowed by the labored anti-american humor. And I won't repeat this enough... no automotive content! This should have been a TG special, not a regular episode.
 
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Top Gear has just put for these up for sale:

stig_fc_fr.jpg


:)
 
Just a few more quick comments. (OK I just read my post, not as quick as I had planned).

First off, I am totally fine with the jokes about Americans being fat. It is true Americans on average are fatter than the rest of the world. But it seems a little funny that Clarkson is the one pointing this out. Uhh, JC, this isn't a radio show, we can see you.:D

Also, Americans have done an enormous amount to try to help the hurricaine damaged areas after Katrina. The church I belong to raised over $50,000 and collected 2 full sized semi tractor trailors full of supplies to go to New Orleans. The aid is continuing as well, a group from our church is leaving next week to volunteer with more clean up and building. And this is from one average sized church in Missouri and I know that there are thousands of others that have done the same. Katrina's damage is not some simple quick fix that will magically get better just because a British entertainer thinks it should.

I know this has been said before, but it is worth repeating. I did not mind the content of the show. I thought it was absolutely, incapacitatingly funny. What I don't like is that so many viewers believe that this is an accurate depiction of America. Does America have problems? You bet, BIG ones. But, is everyone in America, fat, stupid, and rude? Not even close and I feel sorry for those of you who think so.

I really like top gear and will continue to watch it. Many native brits seem to think that this episode introduced Americans to Top Gear and to this forum. You underestimate how many TG fans are in America. We love cars, and JC and the boys have put together a fantistic motoring show that has a huge following even though it is only available online. The replies here are simply to defend (yes defend) what is percieved as an unfair portrayal of our country. Is that really hard to understand? We get the jokes and I for one was able to enjoy them. But, Clarkson went too far in venting his venom and hate (yes I do not believe that hate is too strong a word here) at every person that lives in the United States.

A bit of advice to Clarkson. If you don't want to be treated rudely, don't go somewhere with the attitude that everyone you come in contact with is a stupid, inferior life form. It telegraphs pretty obviously and people don't respond to well to it.

In my experience America is one of the most hospitable places in the world. I have traveled extensively and even lived in Europe for 5 years (Germany) when I was younger. I have found that many Europeans despise Americans and treat us quite poorly regardless of who we are as individuals. Misleading depictions such as this, that people accept as 100% fact, is not helping.

Again, America has faults and has made many mistakes recently. But I still love my home country. Please think before you throw too many more stones.
 
In my experience America is one of the most hospitable places in the world. I have traveled extensively and even lived in Europe for 5 years (Germany) when I was younger. I have found that many Europeans despise Americans and treat us quite poorly regardless of who we are as individuals. Misleading depictions such as this, that people accept as 100% fact, is not helping.

It's just a stereotype; lots of Yanks still think we (the Brits) have bad teeth (despite the fact we get dentistry free until we're out of school), that Germans don't have a sense of humour (OK that may be true ;) ), and the French are all arrogant.

When someone here (I live in the US) comments on the bad teeth thing, I don't get offended, I just take it as a Yank getting their own back for all the times I've called one of you fat and stupid... ;) :D

Anyway, you know what I mean.

I do agree with you on the hospitality thing though, I've never met so many freindly people, especially in the Southern States (and Texas).
 
It's just a stereotype; lots of Yanks still think we (the Brits) have bad teeth (despite the fact we get dentistry free until we're out of school), that Germans don't have a sense of humour (OK that may be true ;) ), and the French are all arrogant.

When someone here (I live in the US) comments on the bad teeth thing, I don't get offended, I just take it as a Yank getting their own back for all the times I've called one of you fat and stupid... ;) :D

Anyway, you know what I mean.

I do agree with you on the hospitality thing though, I've never met so many freindly people, especially in the Southern States (and Texas).

I think you were missing my point. I am fine with the jokes about fat, stupid americans when they are said as jokes. This is equivalent to the jokes about bad teeth and no sense of humor.....etc. What Clarkson did was express this with pure hateful contempt, and followed by and stating that it was a fact. This went beyond joking.
 
It's been pointed out that It's not really the insults that caused them to get angry, but the way 3 strangers (with camera crew) where making fun of them "backward idiots". And I can believe that. I don't agree with the reaction the southerners had, but how much of that stuff is orchestrated? How much of that stuff is edited to make it look worse than it really is? At around 24:50, JC complains everyone is very fat, very stupid and very rude, with emphasis that "it's the truth", said with utter contempt and antipathy, with a good dose of snobbish superiority, as if he's out to get them back or something. I'm not american and I was like "where the fuck did that come from???". If you are in that disposition of mind and try hard enough to piss people off, I think you will get people pissed off anywhere in the world! Add a clever editor, and you can arange for the same turn of events. If you are a guest somewhere, it's basic "savoir vivre" to be open-minded, respectful and polite. Fail that, and you will be in for a VERY unpleasant stay. That's why I did not find the episode particularly great or funny as I don't even believe they had such a great time. There were a few spontaneous stints of genius, but they were way overshadowed by the labored anti-american humor. And I won't repeat this enough... no automotive content! This should have been a TG special, not a regular episode.

I agree with what you say in the sense that strictly speaking it's not correct behaviour, but the whole point is TG is entertainment. When I tune in to watch it, I want to be entertained (especially since I watch very few other tv programs). I pay something called a license fee, and IMO so long as TG is keeping me entertained I feel they are spending my money well. As far as the American bashing goes, sorry, but I love that sort of stuff, no insult intended to any American's here. I also like the jokes about Italians, the French, the Germans, the Australians etc etc. It's not right, but it's funny, and I like it, and I pay for it. :)

Of course everyone, including people outside the UK, are entitled to their opinion, but TG is a British program intended for British audiences, the sensitivity or reaction to it outside the UK is not the concern of the TG production crew, and that's how it should remain.

I'm cool with that, I hope everyone else is too.
 
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