Reply With QuoteI think we mainly agree, I think he’s been punished for what was an innocent attack.
I just don’t think it’s right to say someone has to have a warped mind to interpret something as racist even if it wasn’t necessarily intended to be.
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No, I don't. But you are missing the point entirely. You and I abhor racism and if anyone is guilty of it then they should face the consequences. My point is entirely about someone being declared guilty of a hate crime where they may be totally innocent. If a racist intent is suspected then people should be judged rationally and fairly and the individual should be interviewed by their employer if there is doubt.Originally Posted by Croesy Blue
If a person is dismissed as a result of an innocent act with no intent whatsoever then that merely compounds injustice and doesn't remedy it.
I think we mainly agree, I think he’s been punished for what was an innocent attack.
I just don’t think it’s right to say someone has to have a warped mind to interpret something as racist even if it wasn’t necessarily intended to be.
See my comment above:
"The warped minds I referred to are the racists who seemed to have successfully forged the association in the first place."
Try reading my link to the NY Times. The idea that white “racists” forged the link between black Africans and simians is laughable.
Stupid but that's it.
He was highlighting the circus that it is.
Someone will get an OBE out of it.
That was exactly Danny bakers reaction when criticism started piling in. And I don't think it helped him.
I think you do have to consider intent, and I genuinely don't think there was any on DBs part, it would be very out of character to suddenly do something so crudely racist, but I do think that in a public role you probably should know that calling a mixed race baby a monkey is not ok.
If when it was pointed out to him, DB had been mortified and profusely apologised then it might have ended differently.
I can understand why the BBC had to sack him. They probably understood his humour and know he isn't racist, but the BBC in both an extension of UK soft power and a source of income are very much a worldwide organisation, and they have many enemies elsewhere in the media (daily mail, Murdoch etc) so they would have no control over how this story would be reported worldwide.
If the story became BBC refuse to sack racist host, and be implication BBC = racist then it could be extremely damaging in areas that are both diplomatically important and extremely lucrative.
Danny Bakers has paid the price for his own naivety rather than actual racist opinions.
Why does it matter who came up with it?
And just because he Chinese are using it now doesn’t mean it hasn’t been used before. It was used as a racist insult in colonial Africa and by slave owners in America.
As an aside, my mother died a few months ago, and amongst the stuff cleared from her house were some old records.
Among them were some kids' stories on multi-coloured vinyl on the "Happy Time" label, dated circa 1960.
With titles such as
Little Red Riding Hood
The Gingerbread Man
Pinocchio
The Brave Little Sambo
The people who look at that and immediately perceive it as racist are the real racists.This is the offending picture he tweeted.
What are non-racists meant to perceive immediately when looking at the picture?
Don't know. I can't answer for others and I can't answer for myself as I saw the photo after the outrage, so the racist message was already implanted.
I'm not a Baker fan and never listen to his shows, however, he has given his explanation on what he meant and a few people have said that he uses the chimps in suits phrase regularly about the rich and privileged.
I've taken him at his word and believe this was not racist.
I also believe that it wasn't meant in a racist way, but he also had to go as otherwise it would have been too damaging to the BBC
Not sure if it was meant in a racist way or not, but did he post the same/similar photos for the other royal babies born in the last few years? Would help his argument if he had.
That's the problem.
It only takes one to perceive it to be racist, and then tell the world that its racist, for everyone else's first impression to be that the posters intentions were racially motivated.
I, also, don't think it was meant in a racist way, but unfortunately the damage has been done.
I'm so confused as to how someone who's fairly active and in tune with social media would make such a ridiculous tweet. No chance he's racist, just tone deaf.
Personally I think anyone that doesn’t understand the background to DB and know his personality/jokes would instantly look at that as something about race.
That’s what’s happened here. It does look racist, but it isn’t.
His apology today was actually decent, if he’d done that first I think he wouldn’t have lost his job.
His problem is he was completely pissed when he did it.
Institutional racism.
I cannot accept that anyone can say he was naive. He has been in broadcasting for donkeys years (no insult meant to donkeys) and if he were naive he'd have gone long ago.
He may be a lot of things, drunk? racist? stupid? careless? convinced he was bomb-proof? - - lots of things. But no one who has been in his industry that long can ever make a defence of being naive!!!!!
Other races are racist. Cool.
great thread.
He was pissed allegedly. Croesy Blue said so. Super Intendent of the CCMB Morality Police.
He posts himself drinking on twitter. What’s your problem?
Does that mean that in every photograph of every person drinking they were pissed when it was taken or when they did what ever it was that is being discussed about them?
Useful piece of information. I'll make a note for future reference.
I said maybe he was drunk and he’s said himself he was a bit pissed. I don’t really see why it matters anyway.
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