Just how stupid is Danny Baker?

I'm probably what some members of the forum would term a PC leftie liberal. But that is frankly ridiculous. She didn't mention the driver's race in the tweet, there was not even the slightest implication of racism and the company thanked her for bringing it to their attention. The only reason she has been called a racist is because the train driver was black. But criticism of a black person isn't racism - criticism of someone because they are black is. This is not racist and (as others have said) it trivialises actual racism.

I still think Danny Baker is a pillock though.
 
Ricky Otto said:
This is another example of what I’d call a reaction not matching the original action.

www.bbc.com

US author loses book deal for tweet-shaming

Natasha Tynes was accused online of racism, and a publisher called her tweet "truly horrible".
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

A woman tweets, rather pointlessly and obnoxiously I may add (even if she is correct about the rule), about a driver eating against the rules whilst driving a train.

She’s a minority writer but she is accused of racism, and a social media bandwagon / witch hunt ensues and she loses a book deal.

Let’s just take a step back there. A woman posted an opinion many would agree with. It was pretty minor on a minor platform (based on her media presence at the time) and her career is now shattered and a humongous personal piece of work that most likely a long time is discarded to the waste bin.

And she’s also a racist for life according to the residual internet imprint even though there’s no obvious sign this was anything about race.

Unfortunately this is not unusual. The internet has created a mob mentality of 1984 styled thought police. Who knew Orwell was so wrong about it being the government
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As others have said, this has absolutely nothing to do with race, gender, fat shaming or any of the other ridiculous labels being applied. It is simply about an employee doing something that customers are banned from doing, and someone calling them out on this. As the artice reports, in 2000, a child was arrested and put in a windowless jail cell for eating a chip on a train!! A company can't endorse that action and then turn a blindeye to their staff doing worse.

It is crazy that we have making this into something it isn't, and even worse that a publisher can cancel a book deal on the abck of this. We do have a problem with people being offended without justification, and often without personal involvement, and those who panic and make ridiculous decisions based on someone potentially being offended. Every year we hear stories of councils, work places etc banning the word 'Christmas' incase it offends other religions. Yet no one is ever offended!

But, I still think that this is a very different situation to one in which Danny Baker found himself. We have to remember that Danny posted a picture of a chimp to represent a mixed race child. He didn't make this comment around people who shared the same humour as he did, or to those who may have seen previous 'chimp' related comments where the context may have been seen differently. He posted this to many thousands of people and it was extremely naive at best, or frankly stupid, to think that no one would be offended by this. The BBC where then in a position where they had to support him, and be seen to condone this behaviour, or to sack him. They obviously took the second action, and I think in that regard they were right.
 
Jon Ronson has written a book on "public shaming", how one small tweet can escalate and go viral with unimagined consequences. Things like a PA tweeting to her 200 friends that she didn't want to get HIV on a trip to Africa just before she got on the plane, and then having thousands of replies and people following her flight 'live' by the time she landed.
 
MarkG said:
Jon Ronson has written a book on "public shaming", how one small tweet can escalate and go viral with unimagined consequences. Things like a PA tweeting to her 200 friends that she didn't want to get HIV on a trip to Africa just before she got on the plane, and then having thousands of replies and people following her flight 'live' by the time she landed.
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Like many of Ronson's books, it is a little lightweight in my view but succeeds in showing the consequence of putting "questionable" views into the public domain. In the case you mention, I think the individual had been publically sacked and shamed by the time she got off the plane and stated that the tweet had ruined her life. As someone outside of the public eye this is extremely dangerous and potentially puts the spotlight on people who are in no way prepared it. We have seen in the last few days about a guest on Jereny Kyle taking their own life after apparently failing a lie detector test. With other suicides from people going on reality tv, the whole media industry needs to take more responsibility.

People need to stop and think about what they post, but also others need to think about the consequences of their posts in return, and I guess that applies to posts on here as well. After all, it is only a game and as much as we all love our club, there really are far more important things for most of us to worry about!!!
 
Good post egg. Only caveat is I’d always encourage some element of ‘bad ideas’ and unpopular opinions to ensure diversity of thought, good debate, and the right tension that ferments aculture to progress new ideas

Otherwise we create the tyranny of the majority and assume that what is considered “right” at the moment always has been and always will be
 
I hesitate to do this but it's interesting to see the difference in perspective from the BBC in regards to Jo Brand's joke- not terribly funny - but nonetheless they thought appropriate to broadcast, even if it was a "joke" after recent events. I don't think Brand should be sacked or anything so extreme or silly, but does it not highlight a bit of hypocrisy from the BBC?

Baker did what he did and was exited from the organisation ASAP - even after apologising. And now they are backing Brand to the hilt. While the offences are not comparable, do Brand's comments encourage loons on the left do that thing she says is a just a joke? Is a misguided joke about the Royal Family more offensive than a joke about chucking battery acid at Nigel Farage? Is there a double standard from the BBC that their own institutional bias cannot see?

Not a terribly good week for the BBC
 
What a bloody stupid thing to say. Throwing battery acid over someone is not a joke.

If I were the BBC I'd be having a quiet word to tell her to watch what she said, and anything similar would see her 'Bakered'.
 
I'd quite like to know what Jo Brand's response would have been if (say) a male comedian had said 'Cheating wives? Divorce is too easy - chuck battery acid over them instead. Ha ha.' I think I know the answer (and she would be right) - so whatever happens in her head that makes it OK to say that kind of thing about anybody? And (if the programme was pre-recorded - I suspect it was) the BBC (who I generally have a lot of time for) are equally bloody stupid to have aired it.
 
Pete Burrett said:
'Apparently' she went on to say it would be awful if anyone actually poured acid on anyone else etc etc etc, but that part was cut by the BBC.

That seems irrelevant to me. To make the comment on air was ridiculously stupid, whether she qualified it or not. Consistency required. Either reinstate Baker or ditch Brand as well.
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what is also concerning isJo Brand has been instrumental in getting people who's opinions she disagrees with banned from appearing on Tv for years .... one of whom was Carol Thatcher ( whos views I disagree with- but she is entiledto hold her views and voice them) , following an off air comment after , I think, an edition of The Wright Stuff* ( now Jeremy Vine show) on Channel 5 few years ago? .... jo Brand certainly has influential friends at BBC , and in other TV broadcasting companies in the UK too

Edit -* it mayve been an off air comment on BBc's Have I Got News For You?
 
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Pete Burrett said:
'Apparently' she went on to say it would be awful if anyone actually poured acid on anyone else etc etc etc, but that part was cut by the BBC.

That seems irrelevant to me. To make the comment on air was ridiculously stupid, whether she qualified it or not. Consistency required. Either reinstate Baker or ditch Brand as well.
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Yes, well. Good post Pete. But racism and incitement to violence (which is what we're talking about in the respective cases) should both be sackable offences for people who are (ahem) respected by the creature in the street*.

Interesting how adulation can turn a person's head, or were they both always smug, opinionated aresholes? The latter, I suspect. Good riddance, bring back Jeremy Kyle, at least you knew where you stood with him.
 
As an aside, Farage is demonstrating his typical hypocrisy over this with his comments about the Police getting involved:

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC defends Jo Brand over 'battery acid' joke

Nigel Farage said the comic's remarks on BBC Radio 4 comedy show, Heresy, were an "incitement to violence".
www.bbc.co.uk

I assume he expects the Police to take action over this:

www.independent.co.uk

Nigel Farage would 'pick up a rifle' if Brexit is not delivered

It is not the first time the former Ukip leader has threatened civil disobedience over Brexit
www.independent.co.uk www.independent.co.uk


As for Jo Brand, based on what has happened to Danny Baker, she is quite lucky action hasn't been taken but if anybody acted on her words they are absolute morons and would have in all likelihood done it anyway.
 
Pete Burrett said:
I suspect that too. I used to enjoy listening to Baker on R5Live on a Saturday morning, at least for the first ten uninterrupted 'listen to me, aren't I hilarious' minutes. After that it got a bit tedious. And as for Brand, what is and isn't funny is a personal thing, but her skits seem to focus mainly on how s**t men are and how fat yet proud she is.
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... and cake, lots of cake
 
I see the BBC have reluctantly made a pithy comment and edited the joke out of catch up services. Feels like they are doing it out of duress to take control of the Omnishambles, not out of genuine understanding about why the sort of joke right is inappropriate. Even the host doesn't get it.
 
Inappropriate, yes. Something the target of the ‘joke’ knows all about.

1599
 
Yes but everybody knows what the Target is like - Brand probably thinks she was funny inciting a serious criminal offence which is far from amusing
 
The problem today is that if the target of the joke/words isn`t offended, then sure as hell somebody else will be offended on their behalf.

We now have a ban on "gender stereo typing adverts"..........I mean come on don`t these things just die out naturally?

Look back at adverts from the 1960s/70`s..... things change naturally, they don`t need bans!
 
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