Top Gear

[Halo]

Huh, deSelys?  I don't see any connection with my post about a funny book by two Brits reporting their observations from a drive across the United States.  

My main point about the video is that it was a dumb stunt that eventually evoked the adverse reaction it was looking for.  

The book was not looking for a bad encounter.  It was just the usual snide superiority complex humor afterward when the protagonists were safely out of range.

Generally speaking, we Americans can take a joke about ourselves and don't go tearing everything up.  It's called freedom of speech.  But when that reckless TV stunt deliberately provoked people face to face, that's just dumb and a recipe for unhappy results.

[john9001]

the flag of SAINT george, that sounds like religion to me.

[cpxxx]

Saw the programme, thought it was very amusing.  Painting the slogans on the cars was very funny and it reminded me of a movie. Can't think of the name but in it John Candy drives into Canada in a truck with slogans like 'Canada sucks' and other insults painted all over it. He gets stopped by a Canadian cop (Dan Ackroyd) who shakes his head and says it won't do. Then goes on to tell Candy to paint the slogans in French too because those are the rules in Canada.

Incidentally I do think the 'attack' was a set up. Whether the three protagonists knew it was I don't know. I have a feeling someone went on ahead and hired a crowd. I've seen how supposedly documentary TV shows are made. 'Spontaneous' events are often rehearsed.

Bronk, a better suggestion for a way to upset Liverpudlians would be to drive through Liverpool with Liverpool FC sucks and Man UTD  are the best painted all over the car. Not that would get you stoned.

[Russian]

[Vulcan]

Originally posted by cpxxx
Incidentally I do think the 'attack' was a set up. Whether the three protagonists knew it was I don't know. I have a feeling someone went on ahead and hired a crowd. I've seen how supposedly documentary TV shows are made. 'Spontaneous' events are often rehearsed.

Don't think so... those Top Gear guys are a bit nuts. And did you see the looks they were getting while driving. Plus there was the stones at the camera crew. If it was staged they woulda left the camera crew and their rentals alone.

[moot]

The writers were probably in charge of finding the right spot for Clarkson et al. to drive their slandermobiles into, unprepared.

But when that reckless TV stunt deliberately provoked people face to face, that's just dumb and a recipe for unhappy results.

So, what about the Oclub baiting PETA boards?
You have to admit Clarkson's treatment of the car is just bad taste, right?  Worth a lawsuit maybe...

[lazs2]

I'm American.. I would have ignored em.    ball is limey and he would have ignored a pos english ford with "the queen is queer" painted on it in limeyland but... a bunch of really silly looking and dumb toothless limey guys would have made fools of themselves shaking their fists and yelling.

You will get the reaction you want from a small percentage of any populatation.

lazs

[moot]

That should read 'cow', not 'car'.