The Art Of Whinging

Jeremy Clarkson has become the latest target for the PC brigade. His comments on Sunday’s Top Gear have caused 500 complaints, in which he says “This is a hard job and I’m not just saying that to win favour with lorry drivers, it’s a hard job. Change gear, change gear, change gear, check mirror, murder a prostitute, change gear, change gear, murder. That’s a lot of effort in a day.”

 This isn’t the first time though. Clarkson is notorious for his often boorish and borderline comments. He’s been hit with an egg, brandished as a buffoon (perhaps rightly so) and is the devil incarnate for most eco warriors .  However, this recent issue has got absolutely nothing to do with what Clarkson has said really. Following on from the calamity that is Manuel-gate, this was bound to happen. When watching Top Gear, I even remember thinking to myself (whilst laughing) that perhaps the comment would not be appreciated. But at the end of the day, the only real action that can be taken if you are offended by such quotes is to pick up your remote and switch over. Like Tim said last week, are we supposed to feel offended on behalf of Andrew Sachs? And I’ll go as far as to say in this case I do not think the complaints are from truckers. I would genuinely like to know who these complainers are and if they’ve even seen the above footage. 

I’d also like to know what the complainers expect to receive as a result of their whining. An apology isn’t good enough anymore; it will always be deemed as insincere or forced. Do the outraged viewers really want to see another sacking or resignation maybe. I think not, but I still can’t work out what anyone hopes to achieve by complaining about something as trivial as a throw away comment from a man whose career has been made a success because of his opinions. 

Sure, it is our undeniable right to be able to complain about something which is personally offensive, after all, that’s part of the reason we pay the licence fee. Or is it? The simple truth is that paying the licence fee does not make you a shareholder, and if the people who complain have a better idea of how one of the most popular tv show slots can be filled, then I’m all ears. It’s funny that they never do though. 

 In fact, the whole ethos of a complaint in the television industry has been turned upside down. Okay, Brand resigned from his Radio 2 job but is now almost definitely going to prosper as a result and the satanic sluts have had their 5 minutes of fame. So, Jeremy, keep making more ‘offensive comments’, your bank balance can only increase if the complaints keep coming in thick and fast.