Top Gear sparks Mexico complaints

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Honestly, we've all seen what complaining about what Clarkson, Hammond and May do on the show get you. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if there's a Morris Marina dropped onto a Mexican VW Beetle in one of the next few shows.

I'll almost guarantee, the Mexican ambassador won't like the 'apology' he gets from Clarkson and the boys.
 
I felt it maybe went too far too BUT, it's what they do on the show sometimes. It won't make me not watch. And I got over it after about a minute.

We Americans can be pretty uptight about things, but we don't get in an uproar when Jeremy calls us fat and stupid all the time. Why? Because we know its just bs.
 
You're only offended because you're Mexican. No need to take it personally.

Heh. I think your geography is off a bit. :p

So have either the U.S. or Australian ambassadors complained when they received jabs?
 
I had another look at what the ambassadors complaint was, "Mexico's ambassador in London has complained to the BBC over "offensive, xenophobic and humiliating" comments made about his country on Top Gear.Eduardo Medina Mora has written to the BBC about "insults" made by Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May", and I will give him that if you are mexican, it may have been a little offensive, but it was not xenophobic, I looked it up to make sure I knew what that meant, and how did it humiliate unless what was said is true about you.

If Jeremy says britian is the stupidest country in the world, you may take some offense if you feel it is not the stupidest, but his remark was not xenophobic and I don't see how anyone would be humiliated.
 
As a mexican I do feel that they did go too far on this one, I can't say that we mexicans dont muck everyone based on stereotypes and general beliefs, but this segment was probably one of top gear's "this is why some people hate us" top 10 moments.

I understand that people watch top gear because of the jokes, and that no one should really take any of what is said in this show seriously, but as ja404 pointed out... When you have that many viewers and some of them (mostly finalgear members :p) are fanatics/doctrine followers of Top Gear you get 300+ million biggots based on a comment ment to get some laughs.

Of course this here is a dead end situation; First, TG has never apologized. Nor they ever will.
Then, as a country Mexico needed to stand for its interests, that at the present moment are rather damaged by the international perception of Mexico as a "violent hell".
Finally, we, the mexican fans do "try" to understand that this was a joke, but its a bit hard when a country, its diplomatic representatives and the one sportcar company we have are all targets of the most watched tv show "in the world" <Insert Clarkson voice>

Bah, as a country with a driver in F1, winning drivers consistently in the top echelons of US motorsport and a number of excellent and historic race tracks, taking insult from what Jeremy Clarkson says about your country says more about you than him.

(not aiming that remark at you personally)

The Ambassador was pretty much forced into asking for an apology - but seriously this is no worse than anything else that comes out of Clarkson's mouth on a weekly basis. And let's be honest there is a reason he is so popular.

Bigots are bigots, and blaming others for their prejudices won't get you anywhere.
 
No pondras mi comemtario moderador?? Ok gracias puedes seguirte riendo de mi cultura amigo de gringos!!!
 
?Y por que? Yo si te entiendo no es mi problema que tu no me entiendas.

Dagnabbit, he's a speakin' this hear funny jibber jabber, that I can't make hide nor tails of! /spits chew

(Just in case you're not getting the joke, I'm poking fun at the stereotype that all americans are ignorant of other cultures, as well as uneducated in general)

and just for you, Teen:

En caso de que no est? consiguiendo la broma, estoy burlando de el estereotipo de que todos los americanos son ignorantes de otras culturas, as? como en sin educaci?n
 
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Why? Because we know its just bs.
+1
I haven't chimed in on this whole debate, but this line just about sums my feelings.

It is BS, as is most of the stuff they say on the show :rolleyes: ...Remember Clarkson's comments about Mallorcans? Do you think they really "sit in a plastic chair all day, then throw a donkey off a towerblock...?" the Mexican remarks were just meant to get a rise out of of people. There is no need to dissect it and its obvious it shouldn't be taken seriously. If you watch the show you should know how many other nationalities they've already "offended." Its nothing new, and nothing very deep.
 
I felt it maybe went too far too BUT, it's what they do on the show sometimes. It won't make me not watch. And I got over it after about a minute.

We Americans can be pretty uptight about things, but we don't get in an uproar when Jeremy calls us fat and stupid all the time. Why? Because we know its just bs.

That's where the line was crossed. When Clarkson does it, it's done with charm and is clearly self-effacing - the subtext is clearly "I'm ignorant and I don't care".

When Hammond said what he did, it was charmless and sounded just plain nasty. And for an American audience (I speak as an ex-pat living in the US), it was off-colour given the situation in states like Arizona. In the US, it really makes him sound like a idiotic, red-necked Glenn Beck fanatic. I just hope he realises...
 
That's where the line was crossed. When Clarkson does it, it's done with charm and is clearly self-effacing - the subtext is clearly "I'm ignorant and I don't care".

When Hammond said what he did, it was charmless and sounded just plain nasty. And for an American audience (I speak as an ex-pat living in the US), it was off-colour given the situation in states like Arizona. In the US, it really makes him sound like a idiotic, red-necked Glenn Beck fanatic. I just hope he realises...



Hammond and May used to have their own personalities. Now they've become Clarkson's yes-men. Anything they say comes across as staged - like puppets with Jeremy's hand up their bottom...uh whatever puppets have down there.

Still like the show though.
 
I think they went too far too. Insulting this or that is fine, playing on stupid stereotypes is funny enough, but trying to claim that being Mexican is a bad thing is too much. That is xenophobic, imo.
 
Heh. I think your geography is off a bit. :p

So have either the U.S. or Australian ambassadors complained when they received jabs?

But there is a difference there.

If you go to say a mall, and grab any old guy and tell him... Hey, you fat F$, you blow!

Chances are you might get a punch in the face.

Do the same to your pall, you get a laugh and a "pass the beer and shut up"

Britain-USA There is a relationship. After all, the USA are sons of Britain.
Britain-Australia Same story, well.. they are the sons of the prisoners of the Brits..

Mexico? Other than Mexico sending merchant ships, oil and an entire air force squadron to help Britain defeat the Germans... there is no real relationship there.

I feel there is a big difference. Plus the comment was truly mean and ignorant.

And if you remember, the people of Louisiana and other parts of USA were not precisely laughing at their antics when they came over here to do their specials.
 
FTFY.
Waaaay back in S10 they mentioned the SSC Ultimate Aero -- a US-built car -- in the news segment. They made fun of it. They never tested it. Last season, before James's attempt to max out the Veyron SuperSport, they mentioned another US-built car, tuned by Hennessey I believe; that car has never been reviewed by TG, either.

Short version: There have been plenty of cars mentioned on TG that they've never tested on the show. It's nothing new.

I understand this, but you need to wrap your head around Macroeconomics and the influence of world media on things. This car the Mastretta http://www.mastrettacars.com/ is one of the very first serious attempts by a Mexican engineered and manufactured sports car.

Making fun, or even making true statements of the RAM Challenger doesn't damage much the prospect because the target demographics doesn't care that it is a big heavy hunk... in fact.. that is what they want.

But the USA auto industry, crippled or not, archaic at times or not, is tried and true. The USA is a flagship country technologically speaking. We make airplanes, and rockets and satellites. Our technology is truly unquestionable.

Mexico, in the other hand, is a growing economy, with limited stints into high tech... for whatever reason you might think of.

Why be so mean to a new player in the game? Why not give them a chance and instead call their food "refried sick with cheese" and catalog the Mexicans as a bunch of lazy, cactus observing peasants?

What has a Mexican ever done to a Brit to award this?
 
I'm sorry, this is Jeremy Clarkson, a man who's consistent hatred of Rover played a not insignificant part in their downfall. That was a major car company.

And while i'm sure that there is quite a bit of industry in Mexico, it isn't exactly renowned internationally for it's engineering excellence.

And this is precisely the reason why ignorant comments like the ones the Trio made are so damaging.

I studied my engineering degree in a top tier Mexican university, and I had to re course over 60% of my degree in Texas Tech just because they didn't have a reciprocity deal. But I was way more advanced, I had studied mecatronics since highschool and here in Texas they were just starting to include it in the engineering degree.

Not saying that Texas Tech is inferior, no, in fact they have better labs but the point remains.

Because of these ignorant stereotypes, they make some of us work twice as hard for the same lunch.

Is like if someone said, that all that black people are good for is for them to play Basquetball or become entertainers. It would be an ignorant and untrue statement right? The problem is that this puts the wrong idea inside of peoples heads.
 
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