I heard that, problem is he gets what he says taken out of context so often it's hard to know what to believe......

No, he isn't. You can watch the clip on this Daily Mail link.

He purposefully mumbles the word, he doesn't say it or use it in a racist way.

Now I've read the story and they are basing it on eny meany miny mo but the rest was in audiable. I used to use that at primary school but it was always catch a baby by the toe, never realised it involved the use of that word.
Sounds like an assumption based on 'might' 'maybe' 'possibly' - the mirror hates Clarkson and all he stands for.

Clarksons version was the one I remember from school.
Never even knew what it meant either.

Racism,sexual abuse or theft is always a good way of getting rid of a celebrity.

As for racism its everywhere in moderation,its just a way of the world as is prejudice against women,overweight,ugly etc etc.
Its not something that will ever change.
yet the media is very quick to pretend the world is a wonderful place where these instances don't happen worldwide daily where celebs are concerned.

The news is something I've never watched,or even read a newspaper.
All the bickering,ruining peoples lives and shit stirring bloody grates me.

Clarkson is extremely educated despite his appearance and he knows just where the line is and has been doing it for years without ever crossing it.
He doesn't take the media seriously so plays with them whilst fully aware of the axe above his head if the wrong button is pressed.

is he FK ... he is like my dad ... with old sayings ..... and thats all it is a saying ..... with nothing harmful by the words spoken ..... only narrow minded PC noobs come up with this shite ..... if its ok for one person to say it due to there colour then its ok for everybody to say it ...... annoyed with this PC shite

Well the eeny meeny miny mo I was brought up with was

Eeny meeny miny mo
Put the baby on the po
When it's done
Wipe its bum
Eeny meeny miny mo

Must admit,the version I grew up with involved catching someone "by his toe" but I never recall a racist intention.

Clarkson represents the average middle aged Joe in this country and it isn't deliberately racist.

We need to recognise true racism from old outmoded sayings.


Ps, when I was growing up I used to spend summers on the farm in Shropshire. My gran had a "PO" under the bed for us to use at night.

Exactly.

From one who used to buy Cherry Blossom nigger brown shoe polish until well into his twenties.

Where you in the Black & white Minstrels

Clarkson always courts controversy but I couldn't hear a thing from that vid?!

Ps I should have added "white heterosexual middle class average joe"

Not sure if petep was in the B&W minstrels or not (and BTW shouldn't it now be "coloured" and white minstrels?) but I wonder if he used to collect "gollies" from his marmalade labels and send off for the badges like I used to?

I thought "coloured" is not PC. Black is the preferred reference...

Found out the other day that saying 'nitty gritty' has supposedly racist origins (depending where you read)

No, never a fan of the Black and White minstrels DaveG and never collected gollywogs either.

Interestingly there is a gift shop in Aldershot which does sell them. The owner told my wife that most of her customers for them are black, but its the whites who complain most.

I was trying to describe a work colleague he other day who is....????? And therein lies the problem. I could not decide on what was the correct descriptive word so steered clear of skin tone. They never had a clue who I meant... and still don't although they worked with them for years

Just all bloody confusing. I blame the Dambusters.

Just black is fine. It has become a word of empowerment.

FWIW I don't think Clarkson is a racist. The fact that he's apologised so profusely AT&T the mere suggestion it may cause offence shows that (a true racist would stand by his comment).

Like some others on here I had no idea the original version of that rhyme contained that word. Clearly he did though.

I do think he's a bit naive for not realising that someone would complain about it though. Especially in this day and age when any kind of racism is (quite rightly) abhorred by almost everyone. And certainly someone with as many enemies as him.

I think Mr Clarkson will be aware also of the saying That any publicity is good publicity.

I don't think he's at all naïve and that's the whole problem with him for me - he's like a naughty teenager and the act is wearing thin after about 30 years of it.

My son was told off by his teacher for saying "the blackboard"!!!!!!!

He was told "it's called a chalk board"

So we can't even say the name of colour now, feel sorry for anyone who owns an Inky or maybe a Broomie.

I only watch the occasional episode now, so was not aware of most of these controversial incidents; so made me

Top Gear

When it gets to the stage where we are not even allowed to use the offensive word when discussing whether it is offensive - that is absurd. The 'n-word'! The word 'nigger' was used in the past when racism was accepted. Why is it unacceptable to say that?

Incidentally, many black people regard that word as just a derivative of 'negro', which means black, and is perfectly acceptable to them. Black people still use it.

Influenced by a load of aussie mates, I frequently call a sandwich a sambo. I had no idea that was a racist term. I'm not racist and had my fair share of racist slurs against me as a south korean lad growing up in Wolverhampton in the 80's.

James May's tweet was pretty spot on.

My mother's partner (an intelligent man in his 60s) will describe a person of African decent as 'a negro man' for that very reason. For him it's a differentiation between someone who is African and some who is Caribbean (or a decendant thereof).

Personally, I wouldn't say negro but that's more because I think there's a good chance it could offend than because I think the term *is* derogatory.

As a person of a certain age I seem to becoming very tired of all this PC crap. We now can't seem to say what we think or say boo to a goose without fear of being "corrected" or made to feel we are no longer relevant to current society.
I recall a TV comedy show which aired in the seventies that faced racism head on and made it funny and the show was littered with nig nog, honky an other terms but not in a manner that caused serious offence in my view. Maybe I am in the minority?

Nope. As someone who read The Little Black Sambo books at school forgive me if I'm not shocked at someone not actually using the Nigger word.

I recall a Senator (?) in the states a few years ago who was forced to resign his post for using the totally unconnected word 'niggardly' - unfortunately the self-appointed 'we get offended on your behalf' crowd didn't know - or didn't want to know - that.

Has this forum suddenly gone back to the 70s? Is it Open Day for casual and not-so casual racism. An opportunity for expressing what you've been seething to say for years.

Jeremy Clarkson is a racist, the words he said were clearly audible and the comment he made in another episode (Bridge over the River Kwai) confirms it.

JBT, never reading a newspaper is not a trophy statement, and the rest of you - take a long look at yourselves.