AIBU or is this white's man racism and misogyny combined in one

[Clandestino]

This interview is massively embarrassing. What a total twat.
And there's ever so slight hint of a white man underestimating the little Asian woman who somehow lost herself in the big world of the male dominated Formula One.

What about that interview is misogynistic or sexist?

That’s what he does, he wanders the grid and pitlane and asks random people why they are there, Male or female.

Personally I’d have said it’s a good thing that the CEO of one of the worlds largest microchip makers is female and is being shown walking the grid as a sponsor of the most prestigious team. Challenges lots of stereotypes.

Usernumbers1234 - I would bet anything he wouldn't ask if the person spoke English if that were a white man he was talking to.
He also wouldn't be surprised she had total access to everything there. Now that environment is closely protected. She doesn't look like an elbow decoration, she looks business, hence she's not a hostess (or whatever they call the half-naked girls boosting the testosterone in Formula One) or someone's wife.
I would just imagine that the area he was moving in is closely protected and nobody can wander in just because they want to have a look at the nice cars.
So yes, she was a little Asian woman so she got asked silly questions.

He’s in Shanghai. Less than 1% of the Chinese population speaks English. Yes the fact she’s on the f1 grid would mean she’s probably much more likely to speak English, but that’s certainly not an assumption he can make on live television.

Or is he supposed to just go up to her and speak English, despite the fact he’s in China and speaking to someone who at least looks to be Chinese? (as it happens she’s an American based Taiwanese but he’s not to know that). Then on live TV have someone just look blankly at him and shake their head?

If he’d done that the professionally offended would have jumped on him for being a little englander who assumed everyone else speaks English.

He can’t win, some people just want to be offended I guess.

And there are no hostesses or grid girls in F1

What silly questions did he ask her that he doesn’t ask white males? Other than maybe “do you speak English”

That’s exactly what he asks everyone who doesn’t have a helmet on sitting in a car - “who are you with, why are you here?”

Should he have started speaking English and then looked like an idiot when she couldn't respond.

Asking if she spoke his language is neither racism or misogyny. He'd probably be accused by idiots of some kind of -ism if he had assumed she spoke English.

DFOD

Usernumbers1234

No. Luckily, some women protested and saved them from employment.

www.businessinsider.de/f1-grid-girls-have-lost-their-jobs-but-are-fighting-back-on-twitter-2018-2?r=US&IR=T

"ridiculous that women who say they are 'fighting for women's rights' are saying what others should and shouldn't do, stopping us from doing a job we love and are proud to do."

OP here’s 20 years of similar interviews. Includes him asking footballer roberto Carlos if he speaks English and why he is on the grid.......

Yet another desperate dredging of the internet to find something, no matter now tenuous (or in this case non-existent) to allow the OP to proudly show off her virtue signalling

YABU and quite ridiculous.

He may have asked a white man if he could speak English because the man could have been French/Swedish/German. Lots of nationalities go there to see the racing so he can't assume everyone speaks his language.

Better to ask them instead of assuming.

Oh bore off OP

What a ridiculous op

Think of it the other way

It's only the same as me attending an event in China and a Chinese Interviewer asking me "Do you speak Cantonese?" Before asking me a question in that language.

Can't assume I do speak it and avoids awkwardness if I don't
.

TrudeauGirl

this is a Formula One event which is full of people from different nationalities. It's different.

this is a Formula One event which is full of people from different nationalities. It's different.

He is broadcasting for an English channel, it isn't different, you are just looking to find offence.

Well if it’s full of people from different nationalities surely asking if they speak English isn’t a stupid question?
And he didn’t know who she was so he asked why she was there.

To be fair, Brundle asks everybody stupid questions.

What I meant by that is he asks anyone who they are and why they’re there if he doesn’t know .

“This is a formula one event full of people of different nationalities”

All the more reason to ask if they speak English before you put them live on television then surely?!

This has to be the most ridiculous example of racism / sexism I’ve ever seen suggested on the whole internet, let alone mumsnet

Do you watch F1? This is common, lots of corporate people hanging around some knowledgeable and some just there for a one of experiences. I would say it is more racist to assume everyone speaks English. I would ask this to be pulled because this really is far fetched.

I would ask this to be pulled because this really is far fetched.

I think it's important that threads like this remain.

this is a Formula One event which is full of people from different nationalities. It's different

Even more reason to ask, you can't assume that in an event full of different nationalities that they will automatically speak English.