# Is Jeremy Clarkson fired now? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 15, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127 "2014-07-15T01:45:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/21 "2014-07-15T14:32:30Z")
Grew up in Ireland, the offensive variant was still in use in the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/22 "2014-07-15T14:39:02Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > I guess my question is… is the word itself less offensive or does the UK in general just have a higher tolerance for naughty words but the n-word is still at the tippy top of offensive words? Makes me wonder if tiger, was verboten due to PETA. Declan ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/23 "2014-07-15T15:28:55Z")
Earlier thread, just for info: > **[Enie, Minie, Miney, Meaux](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=722390)** > > How is this (non)rhyme racist? Sorry, I utterly failed to grasp the MSN report concerning Jeremy Clarkson’s mild brush with the racist paint brush. Copy-pasted here: "Jeremy Clarkson, presenter of BBC motoring programme Top Gear, “begged... All you people who have never heard anything other than “tiger” in the rhyme, I envy you. Maybe the world is getting better all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/24 "2014-07-15T15:38:26Z")
I was slightly weirded on scanning a torrent site to see ‘_Movies — Agatha Christie - Dix petits nègres_’, but then they’re French. ( 1976, starring Charles Aznavour, Maria Rohm, Stéphane Audran; all of whom probably mean something to Frenchmen of a certain age. ) Still. if one looked for that as a 2nd-hand book in British bookshops, that was the title back then in the '20s or '30s or whenever. I doubt if Mrs Christie was particularly racist for that time and place. Nor Mr. Clarkson now. I wouldn’t stop watching Mr. Clarkson for that reason, whatever my revulsion; but then again I never started watching Mr. Clarkson. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/25 "2014-07-15T15:46:25Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Earlier thread, just for info: > [Enie, Minie, Miney, Meaux - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=722390) > > All you people who have never heard anything other than “tiger” in the rhyme, I envy you. Maybe the world is getting better all the time. It’s not purely a function of never hearing it. You could hear “nigger” used in any manner of speech. That’s different than using it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/26 "2014-07-15T15:48:04Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Maybe it’s a UK thing. I was in San Diego when I was a child. We had another thread about this somewhere. (ETA: I see it’s been linked to in the post above.) I was born in '75 and learned the “nigger” version in Chicago. But that’s Chicago. I mean, we learned the “tiger” version, too, but the “nigger” version was well-known, too. I’m honestly not sure which one I learned first. ---
**Author:** ![HyacinthBucket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hyacinthbucket/32/3063_2.png) [@HyacinthBucket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HyacinthBucket)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/27 "2014-07-15T16:42:49Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > It’s “Lesmo”, actually, but as **Barking** said, you kinda hear what you expect to. > > Check the track map [here](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autodromo_Nazionale_Monza). The two Lesmo corners are 4 and 5. I watched it last night and definitely heard “Lesmos”. But I’ve watched quite a lot of F1 and that’s what I expected to hear. While Clarkson has always struck me as an arrogant arse and seems to think that insulting various professions, lifestyles and even entire nations is the height of wit, the PTB can’t pin this one on him. But give him time, he’ll backslide soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/28 "2014-07-15T16:52:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > We had another thread about this somewhere. (ETA: I see it’s been linked to in the post above.) I was born in '75 and learned the “nigger” version in Chicago. But that’s Chicago. I mean, we learned the “tiger” version, too, but the “nigger” version was well-known, too. I’m honestly not sure which one I learned first. In suburban Texas, non-tiger was probably the norm until '78 or so. Even though my grandmother never pronounced it properly, she never used another descriptor. In regard to the OP: Clarkson is a fool who’s paid to play a fool. In this case he was an idiotic fool. Since he didn’t say it _at_ anyone, I’d be inclined to let him keep his job. Two Lesbos at Monza? That’s pretty much what he gets paid for. I’d prefer something closer to the straight (I don’t even know if that pun was intended) car show that it was 10-15 years ago. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to sell like fools trashing cars will sell. So it goes. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/29 "2014-07-15T17:05:19Z")
> [@HyacinthBucket](#): > > While Clarkson has always struck me as an arrogant arse and seems to think that insulting various professions, lifestyles and even entire nations is the height of wit, the PTB can’t pin this one on him. But give him time, he’ll backslide soon enough. I doubt that he thinks it’s the height of wit. But he’s probably pretty certain that for all the general public rants and raves about it, they’ll tune in the next night to be scandalized anew. I mean, if you don’t want to hear scandalous things, don’t turn on Howard Stern, Jeremy Clarkson, Jonathan Ross, etc. But if you do, then you might as well accept that secretly, you’re enjoying it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/30 "2014-07-15T17:44:06Z")
When I was a kid I only knew the ‘tiger’ version. Then I learned of the ‘original’ word - from a Monty Python book! So…Brits! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/31 "2014-07-15T18:41:31Z")
> [@HyacinthBucket](#): > > While Clarkson has always struck me as an arrogant arse and seems to think that insulting various professions, lifestyles and even entire nations is the height of wit, the PTB can’t pin this one on him. But give him time, he’ll backslide soon enough. I know that he’s an ass but honestly the show would not be as entertaining if he were not. Plus I believe he has part-ownership of the programme, so I don’t know if it would survive his ouster. ---
**Author:** ![HyacinthBucket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hyacinthbucket/32/3063_2.png) [@HyacinthBucket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HyacinthBucket)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/32 "2014-07-15T19:12:34Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I doubt that he thinks it’s the height of wit. But he’s probably pretty certain that for all the general public rants and raves about it, they’ll tune in the next night to be scandalized anew. > > I mean, if you don’t want to hear scandalous things, don’t turn on Howard Stern, Jeremy Clarkson, Jonathan Ross, etc. But if you do, then you might as well accept that secretly, you’re enjoying it. Never wasted a minute of my time on Stern and have no idea who Jonathan Ross is - life’s too short to spend it listening to morons. I watch TG for Captain Slow and The Hamster. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/33 "2014-07-15T19:50:00Z")
> [@HyacinthBucket](#): > > I watch TG for Captain Slow and The Hamster. 😃 Personally, I’ve found that any time there’s just two of the three, that segment/episode is a lot more lackluster. Their individual reviews are fine, but twosomes don’t seem to work. I think the two segments that only had Hammond and May are the Rocket Robin and a bit about a lighter-than-air camper van. Despite having great subjects, both pieces were sort of “blah” because they didn’t have Jeremy around to be an annoyance. But similarly, the Winter Olympic Special with just Hammond and Clarkson was sort of “blah”, because they didn’t have May around to be frustrated by their shared idiocy. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/34 "2014-07-15T20:19:52Z")
The way I learned about the “nigger” version was from some [proto-Cracked.com](http://proto-Cracked.com) website that featured children’s rhymes you didn’t know were originally racist. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/35 "2014-07-15T20:27:13Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Personally, I’ve found that any time there’s just two of the three, that segment/episode is a lot more lackluster. Their individual reviews are fine, but twosomes don’t seem to work. > > I think the two segments that only had Hammond and May are the Rocket Robin and a bit about a lighter-than-air camper van. Despite having great subjects, both pieces were sort of “blah” because they didn’t have Jeremy around to be an annoyance. But similarly, the Winter Olympic Special with just Hammond and Clarkson was sort of “blah”, because they didn’t have May around to be frustrated by their shared idiocy. The one where they made a Space Shuttle out of a Reliant Robin? That fucking rocked! Damn, I wish it had worked. The caravan/dirigible one I didn’t care for; it was either a massive lie or beyond their usual level of stupid into outright dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Cashless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Johnny\_Cashless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Cashless)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/36 "2014-07-15T20:42:54Z")
I wish, preferably out of a cannon. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/37 "2014-07-16T04:24:09Z")
I hope they sack him. Not because of what he said, but because _ **I want his fucking job!** _ ---
**Author:** ![Bozuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/edb3f5/32.png) [@Bozuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bozuit)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127/38 "2014-07-16T16:05:48Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > I never heard the “tiger” version until I moved to the United States in the 1990s. When I was a kid in Britain, it was always “n\*\*\*\*r” (there were not any black people around to be offended). Clarkson may well never have heard it another way. “Tiger” is clearly an early bit of political correctness, introduced in America (although, no doubt, the whole rhyme is originally American: “holler’s” was never part of British vernacular.) I don’t think the versions I heard at school had the word “holler”. Certainly not “holler’s”. We had English lessons at school, too. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-jeremy-clarkson-fired-now/693127.md?page=1)