[News] POLL TIME - Danny Baker’s tweet

[Tooting Gull]

I'm glad he has put that fuller statement up today. It sounds very personal and genuine, and not crafted by some crisis management PR person as many of these things are. And certainly tallies with my take that it was an anti-royal satire that went horribly wrong.

One of the things I would say is that who is better placed to judge 'intent' here - people who have listened to him being himself on the radio for 25 years (ie very far from racist), or people who don't know who he is judging him off that one unthinking tweet (immediately apologised for and removed)?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I'm glad he has put that fuller statement up today. It sounds very personal and genuine, and not crafted by some crisis management PR person as many of these things are. And certainly tallies with my take that it was an anti-royal satire that went horribly wrong.

One of the things I would say is that who is better placed to judge 'intent' here - people who have listened to him being himself on the radio for 25 years (ie very far from racist), or people who don't know who he is judging him off that one unthinking tweet (immediately apologised for and removed)?

The former, very obviously.

But the latter are valid too, as Danny himself makes very clear, in his excellent letter of contrition.

 

[portlock seagull]

I like Danny Baker, he's one of the good guys. He has a bit of an arrogant streak to him though and sometimes seems unable to see how others might not think he is brilliantly amusing.

I don't think for a second he posted it as a racist gag but I'm amazed he didn't think putting up a picture of a ****ing monkey as the child of a woman of mixed race might be taken the wrong way.

I may have missed a sincere apology? All I saw was him on twitter digging in and saying people who couldn't see his point of view had diseased minds?

Anyone else who follow him remember when he made a joke about Glen Hoddle's commentary being boring and used that horrific picture of an American couple overdosed in the front seat of their car with the child in the back? The child had been cropped out but pretty ****ing tasteless.

It’s not ‘amazing’ if he didn’t know it was Megan’s baby. Or that’s she’s mixed race (forgive me, I’m genuinely not sure if that’s still allowed and apologise if so). I never knew she was mixed race either until the press wet itself over in the run up to the wedding. I just looked upon her as a nice young woman in love. If anything, I thought she was white. My bad.

But DB’s situation is a bit like having a light hearted phone conversation with someone you’ve never met and called them a cheeky monkey. Next day you receive a call from your HR informing you someone overheard you say this and knowing that persons grandmother was of mixed race, they were offended on behalf-of; this despite you not knowing what that person looked like, having never met, let alone their ancestors. Regardless, you are immediately sacked for being racist....

...That was 24 months ago now because you’ve been unable to find work because of! Once labelled, that’s it, no one cares about your protests, apology etc. You have been labelled a racist so you must be. And in a tragic footnote, your marriage succumbs to the stress of your predicament and you become embittered, a victim of the ‘loony left’, and increasingly find solidarity with far right organisations when once you’d never have given such muppets a moments thought.

Ok, it’s perhaps a bit far fetched scenario but it’s not inconceivable in today’s paranoid and continually outraged society. I’d advise anyone not to use any references to apes of any kind. Got that best selling book by Dr Steve Peters? I now call it ‘The Something Paradox’ and let people discover it from there because it could be misconceived if I recommended, as I’ve done on several occasions.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Only if you’re looking for it and have been brainwashed by 50 years of the hysterical liberal racists that have forced a multi cultural agenda upon us meaning that today, even when fictional characters that are mixed race are killed off there’s a faux outrage backlash that it’s racist. Good grief. Even baa baa black sheep’s been banned. What about when there’s heavy rain expected? What colour do we describe night as? And can someone please send me the memo because I’d hate to upset someone unintentionally. Of course if I did it MUST BE intentional, as DB is finding out...

What a ****ed up society we have.

if you're not left wing you're classed as a racist by them
regards
DR

 

[Marxo]

I don't think that Danny Baker is a racist but he is an idiot sometimes. As for the picture it reminds me of the cartoon of a few years ago of Mario Balotelli pictured as King Kong on the Eiffel Tower, as I don't immediately think of black people when I see a picture of an ape or a monkey the 'wrongness' of it only occurs to me when it's pointed out.

 

[Klaas]

It’s not ‘amazing’ if he didn’t know it was Megan’s baby.

You lost me at your amazing opening salvo.

Anyway, the best response to most of the crap you wrote came from Danny Baker himself.

 

[portlock seagull]

if you're not left wing you're classed as a racist by them
regards
DR

Have to say, I read telegraph and guardian generally. Since Brexit, the Guardian has become worryingly extreme, practically propaganda. Maybe they feel it’s necessary as counter balance, but if you’re middle aged, white, straight, male and English, it feels like your under constant attack as the devils spawn through no fault of your own. Satan himself if you’re middle class too! I shall probably give all news media a break once the football season finishes inc NSC. It does bring you down or raise your blood pressure fo sure!

 

[portlock seagull]

You lost me at your amazing opening salvo.

Anyway, the best response to most of the crap you wrote came from Danny Baker himself.

Doesn’t surprise me given everything’s ‘amazing’ in your world. Find a new adjective and that doesn’t include ‘amazballs’. Try not to use ‘awesome’ either. Unless of course you’re still in puberty.

 

[Klaas]

Doesn’t surprise me given everything’s ‘amazing’ in your world. Find a new adjective and that doesn’t include ‘amazballs’. Try not to use ‘awesome’ either. Unless of course you’re still in puberty.

You should get out more.

 

[portlock seagull]

I believe every word of that. It makes complete sense and, as he said "The picture in context as presented was obviously shamefully racist. It was never intended so - seriously who on earth would 'go there'?

A silly mistake, but not one of a racist. Move on.

Easy to say if you’re white. There are fellow non white broadcasters who are utterly convinced he meant it and they will surely not let this lie despite yesterday’s and today’s apologies and explanation. The age of forgive and forget died with my grandparents generation. Apology not accepted. And how dare you even expect it to be. Now, who’s today’s target please?

 

[portlock seagull]

You should get out more.

It says, without irony. Anyway, let’s be candid, why are you being such a w@nker?

 

[symyjym]

Well, it clearly has in the minds of some.

But actually it equates the birth of a royal baby and the media circus ( clue ), with the showing off of circus animals.

Never mind, lets hang Danny Baker from the highest yardarm.

Still doesn't work because we also caged Africans for public display in our Great Exhibition and treated them like circus animals, even filing their teeth down into points to make them animal like. The media that DB is part of is a circus so it's a bit ironic that he should use that image to make his point.

Was his joke about class or the media circus as I am confused to which excuse he is using?

 

[Easy 10]

Yep, as suspected, he simply didn’t realise or clock that the baby was of mixed race. Storm in a teacup really, he certainly didn’t need to lose his job over it, but that’s just the day and age we live in now I suppose. There used to be a saying that “todays news is tomorrows fish & chip paper” – not any more unfortunately, when every Herbert can weigh in with their two-penneth worth of ‘shock and outrage’, publish it online for the world (and potentially DB himself directly) to see, and perpetuate the faux-scandal until someone's head is on a spike.

Depressing.

 

[Klaas]

It says, without irony. Anyway, let’s be candid, why are you being such a w@nker?

Just have a proper read of what Danny Baker wrote will you. And then shut up.

 

[The Clamp]

There are some really viscious, nasty posters on here at the moment.

 

[Easy 10]

It’s quite incredible the sheer volume of people who decide to get publically offended on someone else’s behalf. “Look how virtuous and right-on I am, I’m so DISGUSTED with that racist tweet I simply have to scweem my revulsion until someone is sacked for it. Whats that, an apology ? Oh he’s just LYING, the lying RACIST”.

 

[portlock seagull]

Just have a proper read of what Danny Baker wrote will you. And then shut up.

And on that brilliant piece of reasoning, we must draw this argument to an end ladies and gentlemen. Thank you to all the guests but especially you, the viewers, at home. Join us again next week when the more permanent ‘Class’ (no relation) will be here to discuss what makes a truly great 582nd message board post. Until then, it’s goodbye from me. And goodbye from him. Goodbye.

 

[Klaas]

And on that brilliant piece of reasoning, we must draw this argument to an end ladies and gentlemen. Thank you to all the guests but especially you, the viewers, at home. Join us again next week when the more permanent ‘Class’ (no relation) will be here to discuss what makes a truly great 582nd message board post. Until then, it’s goodbye from me. And goodbye from him. Goodbye.

You know when I said you should get out more...

 

[Ernest]

So where are all these other tweets of a similar ilk he made ? Then saying he didn't know the most famous about to be born baby in the world wasn't mixed race is absolute shite, no wonder people don't believe him and his 3rd or is it 4th now apology and reasoning behind it.

 

[The Clamp]

Some bloody odd ones too.