Did anyone read the Jeremy Clarkson column re crying baby on the plane???!!!

[oliveoil]

\link{http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2092-2157701_1,00.html\arse}

bit long

[emkana]

There's already a thread on this somewhere.

[beansprout]

"Eaten by a shark"? That man is a serious twunt. Can we organise ourselves and following him around with crying babies for the rest of his life?

[oliveoil]

oh is there? sorry

will look!

Have been fuming since Sunday over the last line!

Twat.

xxxxxxxxxxx

[satine]

Actually, I'm with him on this one. Hate screaming babies on planes and I won't take mine until they are old enough to be entertained with books, games etc. Ditto screechy and obtrusive children in smart restaurants after about 7.30.

[Freckle]

Tbh, at the risk of being flamed, I think I agree with him. Not the rubbish about the dad and the mum and their reasons for who was doing the childminding, but that nothing was done to reduce the level of noise. That must have been a seriously unhappy baby and I can't understand any mother just turning away and ignoring it.

I never thought I'd end up agreeing with JC (who is an *rse, I agree) on something. I think it's lack of sleep.

[Blu]

I agree with him. Chokes me to agree with JC, and I don't like his over-bumptious style, but pre-motherhood, and now when travelling without DS, I do my best to avoid famililies with small children on planes. I sympathise hugely with parents doing their best to distract, engage, sooth small children, and have helped out sometimes, but I'm afraid this couple would have made me want to slap the pair of them.

[melrose]

What you would expect from him really, although I think i would be pissed off by a screaming child who's mother ignored it, poor thing! - This from a woman who has just done Australia with a nearly 2 year old!! Have to say in the bits he was screaming (which were thankfully minimal) I did walk up and down the aisles to spread the pain for fellow passengers!

[Blu]

And to be fair, he says he didn't take his small children on planes, and I think we can safely take the shark comment as a joke....like all the threads on MN offering children on ebay etc.

[emkana]

Sorry oliveoil I meant to post a link and not to sound like I was telling you off, but the phone went.

[melissasmummy]

I started reading & thought "what a ar$e, but then having read further I have to agree with him to a certain point.

I see no reason why babies & infants of any age shouldn't be allowed to travel on any type of public transport, but the mother was irresponsible to just let him cry like that!

It's a given that she, being the main carer would be able to settle him better than the father. To not do anything to settle him is the bigger issue here, not JC - quite righly in this case - have a moan about it.

[rosebea]

TBH on too agree with his royal arseness. I wouldn't consider taking a baby on that kind of flight, unless emigrating etc.....it's totally unfair! You can't explain about ears popping and why they have to stay quiet for however many hours...It's cruel! and the mother ignoring the child just makes me so angry!
Think I got our of bed on the wrong side......sorry for the rant!

[melrose]

Sorry Rosebea but I beg to differ. I have just taken my nearly 2 year old to visit family in Australia and he spent (most!!) of the time happily playing/reading and (thankfully!) sleeping. Do not think it was a particularly cruel thing to do to him, in fact he loved the excitement of being on an "airplane".

[Blu]

Hmmmm. We only have JC's supposition that a family travelling club class MUST be doing it on a work trip, and a work trip of the man's at that. He doesn't offere any actual evidence that the woman was the main carer, or that it was a golf hol etc etc. The mother may well have been a corporate lwyer (say) going to oversee a new holiday complex contract, and taking her sahd dh along for the break, or they may both have been f/t working parents equally exhausted on thier way to first hol in years, or both immensley rich and used to an (absent) nanny taking care of the kids, or just generally unable to sort out team work and responsibility between them - and inconsidertae and selfish to boot.

I doin't think we can assume that JC took a completely non-sexist approach to his assumptions, can we??????

[LittleSarah]

Well screaming babies anywhere are a pain aren't they. I don't like all this I didn't do it so others should be as thoughtful as me sh**e, as if there should be a rule against it. Maybe people that smell shouldn't be allowed to fly either, loud women who keep laughing in a screechy manner, or elderly man on bore you death about trains... please.

I don not think the woman should have ignored her child, that is shocking but of course that is not every case is it. I took my daughter to Greece at 4 months and France at 16 months and both time she hardly made a sound...

On the train to London however, it was a different story!

[foxinsocks]

thought I'd gone mad but had actually posted on the other thread!

I thought it was funny and obviously having a go at the dad rather than the baby.

[LittleSarah]

Well screaming babies anywhere are a pain aren't they. I don't like all this I didn't do it so others should be as thoughtful as me sh**e, as if there should be a rule against it. Maybe people that smell shouldn't be allowed to fly either, loud women who keep laughing in a screechy manner, or elderly man who bore you death about trains... please.

I don not think the woman should have ignored her child, that is shocking but of course that is not every case is it. I took my daughter to Greece at 4 months and France at 16 months and both time she hardly made a sound...

On the train to London however, it was a different story!

[melissasmummy]

Took my dd, then 20 months to Oz too, she had a whale of a time on all the flights, never gave us any bother. She had her milk at take off & loved looking out of the window as we took off/landed. It was one big adventure.

An (now ex) friend told me at the time that I was irresponsible as her ears would give her hell. They didn't! In fact I suffered in the ear department more than she did!

[rosebea]

Hi Melrose, I just meant tiny babies. My two year old would love it too! I should have been specific but got a bit carried away

[LittleSarah]

Still, the point of these columns is to rant and generalise and exaggerate and he does it fairly well...

[chenin]

totally agree with everything he has said. Us mums who have had children who are now older, have every right to have a moan about other ppl's babies. We have been there and done it and know what it was like.
I like to think I would not have inflicted that noise with my kids on other people in Club Class - how bloody selfish. I would have worked my socks off trying to placate my baby so as not to disturb other passengers. Club class costs a hell of a lot and it could have been a holiday of a lifetime for some ppl.

[satine]

I bet JC would chuckle to himself if he knew that his article was causing such analysis and discussion. He writes a) because he's paid to do so and b) to wind people up!

[Bugsy2]

Good point & funny. Poor baby - what a horrible experience. Hope one of its parents was kind enough to look after it better on the way home!

[arfy]

I know JC is completely un-PC - think that's why I like him - much better than trying to suck up to people
And maybe there's a whole sexist generalisation thing going on, but frankly, I've seen him with his wife and I've got a pretty good idea who's in charge in that family. He's also openly admiring of many women for their rather 'non-feminine' achievements, e.g. Ellen McArthur (and let's not get started on here parpmeisters) and that German woman who drives round the Nurbergwhassit in Top Gear.

god I sound like a total JC apologist - I'm not, just don't actually think he's particularly sexist, just scathing of many people!

[Blu]

I don't think people travelling economy class have less right to consideration from fellow passengers, and I don't think travellling club or first class entitles you to impose some form of apartheid, either.

[Bozza]

Agree with Blu - their does seem to be that message coming across.