After reading these posts I've revised my opinion of the sacking. It's probably correct. It reflects the world we live in - there is a very nasty percentage of the population that appears to be emboldened by world events at the minute and unless a zero tolerance stance is adopted then it paves the way for insidious ogres to further infiltrate positions of influence. This applies whether Baker is racist or not. He was an idiot to do it. And a tasteless one at that.

That arsehole Clarkson poisoned the BBC well - he should have been let go long before the punching incident.

I think it was overzealous and hypocritical of the BBC especially as they’re incredibly bad at recognising how poor their coverage of fringe elements has been, actively promoting people and giving favourable sensationalist coverage to alt-right groups and mouth(arse)pieces.

The slow whataboutist slide into “but the left are equally fascist” always ignores the fact that the left aren’t literally calling for the dehumanisation of enter races and classes of people. It’s such a false dichotomy I am surprised people fall for it so frequently, but I guess the overton window really has dragged the centre into the absolute pit.

He was lovely when I sold him a snooker game in Elecronics Boutique.  Social media has ruined everyone.

I dunno man, when you’ve got a world that has huge, huge systemic issues are people who get offended at the frequent clunkers that people in positions of coddled privilege drop really going out of their way, or are they frequently on the receiving end of the shitty end of the stick and have their limits which will eventually broken? You can take any situation out of context and label the “oh well it’s just people getting offended for no reason!” easily, with zero context of the endless barrage of shit they may have dealt with for, I dunno, their entire lives? We’re living in an age where people can just openly preach eugenics and white supremacy without recourse, having a little compassion for people who eventually decide they’re sick of it seems like the absolute least we can do. The idea of striking a balance is ridiculous when the real word balance is so fucking off already. People getting a bit offended isn’t anywhere near as bad as the media frequently failing massive swathes of the population hourly.

Fucking hell Griffin was ages ago and we’ve had trump, Farage and all the other dickheads basically playing the same game.

Griffin was shit on exposure. All it did was help hone the formula for the next even cleaner shirted bastard. He was a honing which smoothed out the national front bullshite by putting a shirt on and have a hair cut.

The fact is riling up anger In the context that the world appears bigger and bigger to an individual (the and the increasing realisation that you are being fucked and theirs nothing you can do) in real time is fucking easy as piss. These pricks have got better and better and better at playing us and we perpetually let them.

We get constant coverage of extreme movements on the right that’s fawning and more concerned with the story then the facts over and over, because the press is majority white, middle class, privately educated and so can marvel at the novelty of extremist view points without ever having to concern themselves with the result. The Brexit Party rally was covered breathlessly is week or so ago, people calling what it has achieved as “remarkable” as they reported on people calling for Theresa May to be fired, or hung, or shot for “betraying” the nation.

What’s remarkable about enabling that? Check any facebook post on politics and you’ll find the same. It’s only remarkable if you’re so detached from reality that you don’t realise how frequently people vocalise abhorrent mindless shit in public.

That’s why the call for balance is ridiculous, because people report on bloodlust as if it’s as bad as a black person being offended at cultural appropriation, as if they’re in any way equatable.

Re striking a balance - it's more important than ever to do that because the world is out of kilter the minute. Swaying the other way isn't the answer as attractive as that is. (not saying that's what is being suggested btw)

What I meant was not responding to a race / sexuality offended card being played when it doesn't apply in such a way that is tantamount to bullying with a cowardly knee-jerk reaction.

Like heaven forbid you might need to be vaguely introspective and examine the power structures that are in place that allow a white bloke to not have to even think about the connotations of equating the royal baby to a monkey, when we have a growing movement of people that genuinely think of black people as racially inferior.

I need to step away from this as it literally has my blood boiling.

The thing is you can’t balance if people are playing on completely different see saws!

Farage et al’s guts based villainy plays at a part we have to perpetually work to cancel and moderate in ourselves. It’s easy to be nihilistic and violent and monstrous in any moment and tugging at those emotions feels empowering and intoxicating. Except the fallout of such things is never that important when the bad action is carried out.

On the other side you have to have people saying “woah there, stay calm for a minute, do nothing and think this through”. It’s fucking boring, patronising and hectoring (but necessary) when everyone wants to be a master of their own fortune (and thinks if they were they’d be billionaires).

It’s an unwinnable fucking game.

dynamiteReady wrote:

I actually appreciate the subtle distinction you've made. Reggie applied a specific label to a minority group. People will try to argue the toss, and say that Danny Baker did not. 

No one though, has to be a media professional to understand how the symbolic interpretation of Danny Baker's commentary, and the timing of the joke, can be seen as wildly offensive.

That alone, can be seen as gross incompetence, and the grounds for dismissal in at least any workplace I know of.

I think the difference is that I don’t see it as a subtle distinction, but a fundamental one at the centre of the debate.

I also disagree with the idea that it’s gross incompetence, worthy of dismissal.

Other than that, we’re golden.

Didn't Prince Harry dress up as a Nazi a while back.
Should have been sacked.

Well he was already out of a job coz William exists.

*reporting to Interpol*

The BBC and The Royals two great British institutions, protecting peados for over 40 years.

Andy wrote:

I actually appreciate the subtle distinction you've made. Reggie applied a specific label to a minority group. People will try to argue the toss, and say that Danny Baker did not.  No one though, has to be a media professional to understand how the symbolic interpretation of Danny Baker's commentary, and the timing of the joke, can be seen as wildly offensive. That alone, can be seen as gross incompetence, and the grounds for dismissal in at least any workplace I know of.

I think the difference is that I don’t see it as a subtle distinction, but a fundamental one at the centre of the debate. I also disagree with the idea that it’s gross incompetence, worthy of dismissal. Other than that, we’re golden.

Put it this way, if you overlook what you think Danny Baker meant/intended, and look at how the comments were received by the wider audience in both cases, then you'll find it easier to accept the comparison I'd drawn, because it's not an unreasonable one.

The second point about the penalty for incompetence, is definitely more flexible/subjective.