to not buy DH an ice cream because--Richard Hammond-- people might think he's gay

[amispartacus]

Maybe it's scripted.
Maybe not.

www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/dec/27/richard-hammond-ice-cream-gay-the-grand-tour

Surprised at Hammond. Normally it would be Clarkson. Very surprised James May is on the show. He comes across as a decent guy.

Still, I suppose it will be defended as banter.

Let him have his silly opinions, more ice cream for us.

I notice that my comment having a go at the pp who was frothing about 'lefty Guardian PC' types was deleted; there's no snowflake like a right wing snowflake.

I really don't see any problem with this. It was clearly meant as a joke. Does anyone seriously believe that Hammond thinks any man who eats ice cream must be a homosexual? It's a joke. A distasteful one maybe, but that's the thing with humour - different people find different things funny. No subject is inherently funny or unfunny.

People get offended far too easily. Who in their right mind is surprised that The Grand Tour uses borderline-offensive humour, stereotypical humour and the like? It's hardly a surprise that Clarkson, Hammond and May continue to use the same format, same sense of humour as they used on Top Gear. People can't even use the excuse that "it was just on telly WAAAAAAH" or "I paid for this with my licence fee WAAAAAAH." To watch this programme, you have to make a deliberate decision to download it. Nobody is forced to pay for Amazon Prime if they don't find it good value.

What I do find offensive is the knee-jerk, hysterical reaction, the assumption that anyone who enjoys The Grand Tour must be a neanderthal, a pathetic loser. Dismissing the viewers in this way is just as offensive as making a joke about ice cream being "gay"!

Different people find different things funny. Nobody has an entirely "right" or entirely "wrong" sense of humour. There is plenty of "comedy" on TV that I find highly offensive (Michael McIntyre or Mrs Brown's Boys for example), but I have to accept that there are people who find it entertaining.

We are not all the same, and the people who have their fingers on the trigger waiting for the next opportunity to have a pop at Clarkson, Hammond or May (probably with the next episode!) should remember that diversity means accepting other people have the right to be different to you.

I really don't see any problem with this. It was clearly meant as a joke

Would you see any problem if he had made a racist joke?

There is a whole Top Gear page regarding the controversies over the years:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Gear_controversies#Accusations_of_homophobia

Basically they insult everyone (women, Asians, the disabled, gay people....) to court publicity and then just claim it's banter. You might agree with them, of course but I personally think that if they can't make a programme which is entertaining in its own right without the insults, they should frankly retire.

Agree SnatchedPencil - it was so ludicrously stupid I don't know how it can be taken as offensive.

I think he made a bit of a tit of himself TBH - and don't think it was funny myself (I actually cringed as its awfulness) but then again he's no role model and it's just beyond daft inane chat.

it was so ludicrously stupid I don't know how it can be taken as offensive

Any thoughts on 'normalising' though?

I think he made a bit of a tit of himself TBH

That's it. I can't understand why he would want to be the fall guy in the script.

As I said earlier, how about if RH had said he doesn't eat bananas because people might think he was mixed race?

He is such a weasel

It's pathetic sounds like a line from The Inbetweeners that would have been funny the point being they were stupid teenagers

It's got him enough attention for now he will soon have his head stuck up Clarksons arse again until he is next allowed to make some desperately unfunny comment

It is just banter though, only an idiot would think Hammond actually believes that.

Hmm. The 'it was just banter/a joke' defence is the one used by men hanging out of white vans shouting 'show us your tits'.
In my opinion this is very similar. However someone has scripted this and other people have said 'yeah, that's ok'.
While I don't think there should be censorship or banning of it as such it is the normalisation of the attitude that is damaging. What if he had said 'well eating chicken is just for bak people'?

My noughts on normalising are that this isn't in that realm. It was so OTT ridiculous that it's not in any danger of normalising anything IMO.

All it served to do was make RH look a bit stupid.

I do also agree though that this has most likely come about to drum up publicity for a flagging program on a subscription only channel.

But it does give those people who hold homophobic views the idea that it's OK. Just like after the referendum vote lots of racists thought that that it was ok to be openly racist.
No one is suddenly going to become homophobic because of one comment.

The 'it was just banter/a joke' defence is the one used by men hanging out of white vans shouting 'show us your tits'

The Donald Trump defence

This is interesting.

theconversation.com/what-psychology-says-about-how-you-should-respond-to-racist-behaviour-45599

Even without the bigotry, It wasn't a funny joke, just weird.

However, he was clearly using 'gay' in a derogatory and othering manner.

The black and white minstrels/Jim crow/'mind your language' 'entertainment' of the last centuries still causes real and measurable harm. Gay people suffer abuse and discrimination.

snatched you are both excusing Hammond and taking offence at generalisations. I don't think everyone who watches the show is a Neanderthal, but then I assume that a large proportion of viewers understand why the comment was stupid. Atleast they can feel reassured that nobody gets beaten up for thinking Richard Hammond is funny.

God, this is depressing. How much longer are we going to have to these three overgrown schoolboys come out with offensive crap in the name of 'banter'?

Frankly, I'm sick of banter. It's basically an unpleasant way that quite a lot of men try and 'police' traditional masculinity, mocking anything and anyone that steps out of its bounds. It's often used as a way of putting down and humiliating other men, whilst simultaneously trying to impress women.

I've been on the receiving end of it far too many times to dismiss it. I'd hate to think there's young men who are being brought up to find it an acceptable thing to do, and even more depressingly, young women being brought up to find it 'cheeky' and attractive.

amispartacus you have expressed surprise/disappointment with James May. But I'm not sure why?

He continued to participate in TG with Clarkson for years regardless of all the scandals regarding racism and homophobia. He supported Clarkson after he assaulted a man that May must have known well.

James May may not actually make these kind of comments himself but I think he's repeatedly shown quite clearly which side of the line he stands on.

ameliajack

I want to like James May. I like his shows that he does and the way he comes across and treats people. Clarkson doesn't surprise me with what he comes out with. Hammond I don't know much about but I do watch a lot of James May's stuff.

You're right though. James May hasn't made a stand in the past - and that relates partly to the article I linked to an everyday racism and making a stand.

I just feel 'let down' by James May.

James May is a millionaire, he has a choice whether to continue working within the "Clarkson culture" or not. That he continues to do so, even after years of distasteful and finally criminal behaviour by Clarkson reveals his true colours.

I imagine the alledged 600k per episode might salve any pricks to ones conscience, but given that he has performed side by side with this man for years I doubt he has any qualms at all.

its not called top gear for poeple still calling it that -its on a paid subcription service which prob gets about 80 percent less viewers-and theres far worse things going on the in world than some random joke

Amazon won't release the figures beyond hinting that it is very successful.

Clarkson writes the script so I would guess wrote this line. Hammond always seems to be the one that gets the offensive lines. Iirc it was him who made the "slope on the bridge" comment.

Even without the bigotry, It wasn't a funny joke, just weird

I know. It's not in the same league as say P.G. Wodehouse's line about it has never been hard to tell the difference between a Scotsman with a grievance and a ray of sunshine.