# Re: Gordon Brown's "Bigot" Comment: News Media, Do Your Job!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 29, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781 "2010-04-29T19:46:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/1 "2010-04-29T19:46:11Z")
I have heard report after report about Gordon Brown’s comment that a woman was “bigoted” in an open-mike moment, a gaffe that supposedly might cost him his job. You know what I have not heard? Even once? Some kind of reportage on what the woman may have said or done that made Brown think she is bigoted! Not ONCE!!! MSNBC, CNN: do your fucking JOBS why doncha? I might entirely agree with Brown! Or I might want him thrown out! As things stand now, I have NO IDEA what to think! ---
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/2 "2010-04-29T19:59:13Z")
Here’s a link to the story with a transcript. I don’t get it. Maybe you have to be British to understand. [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/28/gillian-duffy-woman-calle\_n\_555807.html](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/28/gillian-duffy-woman-calle_n_555807.html) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/3 "2010-04-29T20:10:04Z")
She said something about Eastern European immigrants. I heard it on the news last night, but I was watching Canadian news, not the crap you guys try to pass off as news. ---
**Author:** ![enigmatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@enigmatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enigmatic)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/4 "2010-04-29T20:11:14Z")
bottom line, whilst it was possible or even probable from the context that what the woman in question was saying reflected a bigoted viewpoint, what she actually _said_ was not particularly objectionable or even out of line with his own parties immigration policies. I know a lot of people are saying that this is a storm in a tea cup and it won’t effect the outcome. I disagree, I think the Labour parties chance of winning a clear majority just sunk. A pretty large proportion of the Labour base holds dear a vaguely defined and ill informed suspicion that immigration is behind all of their woes. Lots more believe slightly more reasonably that whilst immigration is generally a good thing, there are a lot of problems with the way that it has been administered in the UK. Many of these people are currently agonising over the choice between Labour and Lib Dems and Gordon has just called them all bigoted by proxy a week before the election. I can sympathise with the pressure that the guy was under, and I can sympathise with the fact that hearing the same narrow minded comments about immigration all day, every day on the campaign trail can get you down, it was a very human outburst (it was even a somewhat forgiveable mic mistake, after all he was driving away from the scene in his car at the time), but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s an absolute disaster for his campaign at this point. Labour likely will still form part of a coalition government, but I don’t think Brown will be our Prime minister after the dust has settled. I also think that the apology was very badly judged and executed, but I think the guy was doomed regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/5 "2010-04-29T20:25:46Z")
\ \ \ \ \ \ UK, Can we trade you bigots? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/6 "2010-04-29T20:52:09Z")
We’ve got plenty of our own, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/7 "2010-04-29T21:04:31Z")
> [@Sinaptics](#): > > Here’s a link to the story with a transcript. I don’t get it. Maybe you have to be British to understand. Nah, people who complain that –1) the gummint doesn’t do enough for them, and –2) the gummint taxes and spends too much are pretty much the same all over. ---
**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/8 "2010-04-29T22:00:29Z")
Regarding the specific objection in the OP, I saw this on MSNBC this morning and they did show the clip of the woman saying what she said to Brown, a couple times within the span of about half an hour. They even subtitled it. So, I guess you had bad luck and kept seeing just the Brown rant part. I don’t know about CNN. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/9 "2010-04-29T22:02:35Z")
Woman: You can’t say anything about the immigrants because you’re saying that you’re… all these Eastern Europeans what are coming in, where are they flocking from? Gordon Brown: A million people come from Europe but a million people, British people, have gone into Europe. You do know that there’s a lot of British people staying in Europe as well? That was the part of the conversation his comment was pertaining to. While it wasn’t overt or anything, my grandmother looks like a sweet old lady but shes also a bigot. [from here](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/election_2010/8649448.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Cort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/77aa72/32.png) [@Cort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cort)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/10 "2010-04-29T22:30:19Z")
She doesn’t come across as bigoted. Gordon Brown, on the other hand, comes across as a duplicitous prick pretty much all the time. In lieu of further evidence, I’m going to assume that Brown was just being an arsehole. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/11 "2010-04-29T23:28:00Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > You know what I have not heard? Even once? Some kind of reportage on what the woman may have said or done that made Brown think she is bigoted! Not ONCE!!! MSNBC, CNN: do your fucking JOBS why doncha? I might entirely agree with Brown! Or I might want him thrown out! As things stand now, I have NO IDEA what to think! You were listening to the wrong MSNBC shows then; I saw it there last night. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/12 "2010-04-30T05:16:48Z")
ISTM that the televised news media _IS_ doing its job (earning money for shareholders by selling advertising time). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/13 "2010-04-30T05:50:36Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > Woman: You can’t say anything about the immigrants because you’re saying that you’re… all these Eastern Europeans what are coming in, where are they flocking from? > > Gordon Brown: A million people come from Europe but a million people, British people, have gone into Europe. You do know that there’s a lot of British people staying in Europe as well? > That was the part of the conversation his comment was pertaining to. While it wasn’t overt or anything, my grandmother looks like a sweet old lady but shes also a bigot. I’m usually one of the first people to see racism in stuff, but I’m just not seeing it there. I suppose “flocking” is a bit insulting. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/14 "2010-04-30T06:09:43Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > You were listening to the wrong MSNBC shows then; I saw it there last night. Possibly. I watcjhed a lot of MSNBC and some CNN, never saw any accounts of what the woman said, and I was curious to know, I would have noticed. Information on what the woman said was NOTABLY absent on all the reports I watched, it was enough to annoy me. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Poster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Happy\_Poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Poster)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2010, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/15 "2010-04-30T07:39:27Z")
> [@enigmatic](#): > > I think the Labour parties chance of winning a clear majority just sunk. From, what, 3% to 2%? (Those are the odds the betting markets had btw) ---
**Author:** ![Laudenum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Laudenum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laudenum)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/16 "2010-05-01T17:17:21Z")
Disgracefully short-sighted comment from Gordon Brown. /runs. ---
**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:** [May 2, 2010, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/17 "2010-05-02T01:27:38Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m usually one of the first people to see racism in stuff, but I’m just not seeing it there. I suppose “flocking” is a bit insulting. My take was simply the fact that she started to say something bigoted, but then stopped herself. Also, it’s not like “Them niggers are stealing our jobs” is really any less bigoted than “Those African Americans are stealing our jobs.” Just because you’ve trained yourself not to say a certain word doesn’t mean you aren’t just as bigoted. As for the lady in question: I haven’t the foggiest. But I do find it comforting that calling someone bigoted is a such a big offense over there. Over here, it seems that calling someone racist gets you lots of news coverage, and thus helps you keep your job. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/18 "2010-05-02T01:47:54Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m usually one of the first people to see racism in stuff, but I’m just not seeing it there. I suppose “flocking” is a bit insulting. The bigotry Brown was talking about was her criticizing Eastern European immigrants. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/19 "2010-05-02T19:30:23Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I’m usually one of the first people to see racism in stuff, but I’m just not seeing it there. I suppose “flocking” is a bit insulting. THe following remarks are not to be employed on the SDMB - 'Flocking", “flock you”, “get flocked”, “flock off and die”, and variants. Thank you in advance. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781/20 "2010-05-02T19:42:28Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > THe following remarks are not to be employed on the SDMB - 'Flocking", “flock you”, “get flocked”, “flock off and die”, and variants. > > Thank you in advance. > > Regards, > Shodan Well flock. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-gordon-browns-bigot-comment-news-media-do-your-job/537781.md?page=2)