Jeremy Clarkson accused of 'racism' during Top Gear series finale in Thailand

[ginjag]

"Slope" is an insult? Biggest load of <deleted> I have read here for years.

So when teachers described an inclined plane, they are not allowed to call it a 'slope'?

Seriously, some people need to get over it.

Yeah, some peoples minds are on a slippery SLOPE.

[borisloosebrain]

Sticks and stones.

[Gifford]

Anyone 'offended' by this is a &lt;deleted&gt;

[PepperMe]

Jeeze didn't we come here to get away from PC crap?

PS

waiting for resident yellow fellows to say this is Thaksins fault lol

They won't.

But it doesn't remove the fact that every non political thread on here, you always seem to make an anti-Suthep comment.

Just like you have hijacked this thread also trying to troll it into a political thread.... yet again.

You more than anyone need to get a life.

One thing worse than PC is PO 'politically obsessed'.

[sprq]

Living in Asia over 10 years and grew up with many Asians and had Asian GF's in America and I have never heard of this term. Must be a British thing. Stupid comment if it is true. Classic Clarklson though. Been waiting for this episode.

Nope, it's American, from the Vietnam War, used to refer to Vietnamese, because they have "sloping" eyes. Not meant as a compliment, of course. You're just too young and sheltered to have heard it before.

[noitom]

I never heard that expression "slope" used with reference to Asian people anytime in my life.

[farangman]

_{Is it racism when someone says "Hey you Farang!"}

...and the second facile award goes to...........

Does the word "whiner" or "whinger" offend you as well?

Sent from my i-mobile IQ5.1 Pro using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[wilcopops]

The river "Kok" is a tributary of the Mae Khong. again the show had great delight is mispronouncing this work too. something that they clearly had no need to do as they were accompanied and organised by a large crew who specialise in S.E. asia and would have had good knowledge of the Thai language.

[3SoiDogNight]

I had no idea 'slope' was a racist term. From now on, I'll just stick to right angles, vertical and horizontal lines with designs. If I ever have to communicate diagonal lines, tangents or derivatives, I'll just rely on my Thai co-workers to deal with it.

As for Jeremy Clarkson,

Edited March 18, 2014 by Lite Beer
Profanities removed

[appleman]

Being an Asian American I can tell you that the term "slope" is extremely derogatory. It is the equivalent of "slant" and refers to the supposed angle of an Asian person's eyes. "Chink" and "Chinaman" are bad ones but I get more of a visceral feeling hearing this one. It is never used in a neutral manner and is always used in the negative. For those white people who have never heard this term it is because no one has ever used it with you out of a hatred for your race. I am guessing but I believe that Clarkson was not aware of how strong this racist word is. So I will forgive him for this. But it is no joke. Try it on me and I will verify that.

[klauskunkel]

Frankly, those Top Gear viewers being outraged on behalf of the "International Slope Association" should first proof that they are qualified slopes themselves before commenting.

[brit1984]

Clarkson for PM

Thailand, not UK

[PepperMe]

Did anyone read the reports of mass indignation over this scene?? No.... I doubt it.

So what's the difference?

[m3dave]

, what a lot to do about nothing bring back Mary whitehouse and Longford at least you knew what they were complaining about! From dave the Falang oh sorry have I just offended myself.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Lite Beer
Profanity removed

[evadgib]

I watched this earlier at 1st I thought it was James May walking across until he made his slope remark.

The BBC doesn't take kindly to remarks like that, but yet they aired it.

I think it was a bit out of order but with my British humour I did a chuckle only at his gall to come out with that..

There will be more on this I can guarantee, he will get his arse kicked and so will the editor.

Yet the word "ferang" or Burmese equivalent were used ad nausium by their roadies to describe the trio during filming...

[Marvo]

What a load of old Bol..ks the people who complained about this need to get a life, my mrs is Thai and had never heard it said or knew what it meant IMHO JC was just refering to the angle only, slope is an English word used by English people , what will be next ?????

Again you miss the point.

the term is a derogatory racist ten used by mostly Americans referring to the "enemy" and other S.E. Asians during the wars they fought there.

saying your wife has nervier heard this term is completely irrelevant.

It appears that Clarkson & Co were using the term with reference to this and inferring that ALL S.E. Asian peoples must be the same.

The British used the ten &lt;deleted&gt; originally to refer mostly to Araic people it then sifted to refer to those from the Indian subcontinent. By the time Italians and Greeks were immigrating to Australia, they found themselves of the receiving end of this word.

it's not who it;s applied to that matters it is the generalisation and thinking behind it that is so appalling.

Life must be a laugh a minute in some TV'ers homes

[m3dave]

, what a lot to do about nothing bring back Mary whitehouse and Longford at least you knew what they were complaining about! From dave the Falang oh sorry have I just offended myself.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Lite Beer
Profanity removed

[jaffacakes1]

You have to remember where this came from - some moron using Twitter. Let's face it, anyone who uses these social(?) things like Twitter do not have a real life so please excuse them.

Tweets @JoePai (870 tweets so far)

Same same but different, no?

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile appjxnhl

[Bluespunk]

Gym in my hometown.......

Thai nationals 2.500 bath a month

Foreigners 5.000 a month

Visiting Zoo or national parks

Thai national 100 bath

Foreigners 250 bath

Barber in my hometown

Window pricing

Thai Nationals 50 bath

Foreigners 80 bath

Racism is a Slippery Slope in Thailand if you ask me.

i think you missed the average income of thais vs farangs

Plenty of both earn more than me. Unless all pricing is based upon each individual's income, then there should be one price for all.

including children, students and OAPs?

As long as any discounts based on age/education status are applied irrespective of ethnicity, nope.

[wilcopops]

Being an Asian American I can tell you that the term "slope" is extremely derogatory. It is the equivalent of "slant" and refers to the supposed angle of an Asian person's eyes. "Chink" and "Chinaman" are bad ones but I get more of a visceral feeling hearing this one. It is never used in a neutral manner and is always used in the negative. For those white people who have never heard this term it is because no one has ever used it with you out of a hatred for your race. I am guessing but I believe that Clarkson was not aware of how strong this racist word is. So I will forgive him for this. But it is no joke. Try it on me and I will verify that.

You guess wrong - Clarkson is well aware of the connotations of this word, he is an extremely literate person, his show top Gear is not only shown in the states the concept has =been sold there and his produced under licence.....his well familiar with American culture and where and when the term was used.

[m3dave]

Clarkson for PM

Thailand, not UK[/quote. And Boris. For deputy, laugh a minute leadership

[mowgus]

Never heard the term "slope" used to describe someone of Asian descent so they're stupid to make a big deal out of it...but I guess now I'm educated to the alternate meaning and can start using it for anyone using the term "farang".

Thailand has to be the most racist country I've been in. Hell, they still determine Thai social standing on the colour of your skin, let alone race or country of origin.

[PepperMe]

Being an Asian American I can tell you that the term "slope" is extremely derogatory. It is the equivalent of "slant" and refers to the supposed angle of an Asian person's eyes. "Chink" and "Chinaman" are bad ones but I get more of a visceral feeling hearing this one. It is never used in a neutral manner and is always used in the negative. For those white people who have never heard this term it is because no one has ever used it with you out of a hatred for your race. I am guessing but I believe that Clarkson was not aware of how strong this racist word is. So I will forgive him for this. But it is no joke. Try it on me and I will verify that.

I doubt Clarkeson gives a whether you forgive him or not.

Get a life, who cares if you see every use of the word no matter what context as a hate slur.

You have to be pretty dumb if you can't work out context that is so obvious and in your face.

By the way..... stop referring to us as 'white people' we are Caucasian and not even white..... you offensive, racist person.

Oh the irony.

Edited March 18, 2014 by Lite Beer
Profanity removed

[Arbitrary]

Gym in my hometown.......

Thai nationals 2.500 bath a month

Foreigners 5.000 a month

Visiting Zoo or national parks

Thai national 100 bath

Foreigners 250 bath

Barber in my hometown

Window pricing

Thai Nationals 50 bath

Foreigners 80 bath

Racism is a Slippery Slope in Thailand if you ask me.

i think you missed the average income of thais vs farangs

Plenty of both earn more than me. Unless all pricing is based upon each individual's income, then there should be one price for all.

including children, students and OAPs?

But that's not what you're defending, you specifically said dual pricing was ok based on ethnicity and assumptions based on that. Throwing in children, students and OAPs to try and muddy the water is a poor effort at deflecting.

[speedtripler]

Of course Clarkson was making a joke about the person on the bridge. That's his type of humour and I don't think that people should be calling him racist. Many of these types of terms are meant in jest and not meant to be derogatory. If he wasn't making a joke he would have said "the bridge is on a slant" because "slope" is usually used when talking about the ground. This stuff is getting out of hand and the only winners would be lawyers as usual. "Top Gear" without Clarkson's style of humour wouldn't be "Top Gear".

if he said that ,the same idiots would still complain because "slant or slanty eyed" people has been in the past ,just like slopes ....you just cant win ,can you ?

if there was a blonde on the bridge and he said something to that effect ,the feminist rights brigade would probably be outraged today .........

[wilcopops]

i'm planning to drive in Burma in the is next year or so. So I watched the show to get some idea o=f what it might be like. I certainly didn't realise that the VERY FIRST UK people to be allowed to drive through Burma were going to take such a flippant attitude to the country and i wonder what damage they've done for future visitors.

I expect a lot of government officials will get to watch this show to see how their respective countries are portrayed by the BBC - this isn't going to help future visitors to the country one bit.

Edited March 18, 2014 by wilcopops

[LoongJohn]

Having lived and worked in Asia for 13 years, I now realise I have led a sheltered life.

I have never heard the "slope" expression used before and if some sensationalists hadn't written this drivel, I would still have been happily ignorant of it's meaning.

same, never heard of it and I doubt very much that Clarkson has either, I watched the show and didn't think of anything weird because the bridge they built did have a slope on it and the guy on the bridge looks like one of the crew

Maybe he should have said there is a lean on it.

You can't say that! That mocks people who are of less than medium build! What next?

[tubby johnson]

A slow news day.

Clarkson's a &lt;deleted&gt;-faced bell end.

[ginjag]

Gym in my hometown.......

Thai nationals 2.500 bath a month

Foreigners 5.000 a month

Visiting Zoo or national parks

Thai national 100 bath

Foreigners 250 bath

Barber in my hometown

Window pricing

Thai Nationals 50 bath

Foreigners 80 bath

Racism is a Slippery Slope in Thailand if you ask me.

i think you missed the average income of thais vs farangs

So -in the UK taxi fares should be cheaper for wealthy Thais. ?? And while your making these comments someone has saved up a lifetime for a one off trip here with not a pocket full of big cash to spend and he/she has to pay more than a wealthy Thai for entrance to parks etc. B/S##t

Maybe they should see the bank statement to verify your earnings.

Just to add no matter where you go all classes should pay the same. A 50,000 baht flight --one of the attractions is to get the value holiday.

Income in the country of origin is NOT the point.-----So this is on topic as the other poster said overcharging to foreigners is racism.

[empireboy]

If most Thais took offence it would mean at least two things:

1. Their sense of humour was evolving

2. One of the most racist groups I have personally experienced as a 'Falang' (Oh that's NOT a racist slurr used against me every day!? Gee, how is it when they know my name so well they still refer to me a Falang among themselves - is there a private joke I'm unaware of - doubt it!) were able to laugh at clever wit!