Jeremy Clarkson, British motoring journalist, middle-aged jeans-wearer, and self-confessed 'petrolhead,' has got himself into trouble with broadcast comments that public sector strikers should be taken outside and shot - in front of their families. Funny? Not very - but, of course, he has a Christmas book to sell.
But the predictable outrage from the left-leaning, selectively puritanical, commentariate (it must have been rather like this under the Commonwealth in the 1650s - the irreligious left being the new sanctimonious Roundheads) conveniently overlooks that worse things than this are said over the airwaves about Christians - of all traditions - almost on a daily basis under the guise of 'comedy.' Let's at least be consistent, or better still, just grow up.
They also overlook the context, which was (in response to a question about what he thought about the teachers' strike): "It's great, the roads are clear, there are no traffic jams. It's all wonderful. But this is the BBC, so in the interests of balance I think the strikers should be shot in front of their own children."(or words very similar to that effect)
ReplyDeleteOf course, when you put the quote in to context, it's obvious that it is a joke that is intended to be funny through its absurdity (it's absurd to think that the best thing about the strikes is the lack of traffic; equally absurd is the notion that strikers should be shot).
Still, we shouldn't let context get in the way of a lynching, should we?