[News] POLL TIME - Danny Baker’s tweet

[symyjym]

Danny Baker is definitely not a racist but he is a cheeky monkey.

He should have realised the pc brigade would take offence. Personally I don't see the issue. Anyone who associates monkeys with black people is a racist in my eyes. I certainly wouldn't have looked at that picture and seen it from that angle and I am pretty sure he didn't either.

That said, I also don't think he was too bothered about being fired from the BBC.

My question would still be why post a gag that only racists would find funny? Because they would have done. The pc brigade taking offence isn't really the problem.

 

[s5.bha]

Danny Baker sacked from the bbc for a tweet......
Who wants a bet he turns up on Talksport sometime soon !

Ya gotta get out of them contracts somehow !!!


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[Dirk Lehmann's Python]

I see myself as a bright enough bloke most of the time and despite seeing photos of the baby this week i can't even considered what colour it was...can't imagine I'm the only one.

Feel for Baker here. Suspend him and investigate yes, but to sack him straight away the following day with no appeal process...well, seems harsh to me.

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[Keith the Kipper]

I think he was rightly mocking a society that would give so much news time to a privalidged couple having a baby.

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[Barham's tash]

I think he was rightly mocking a society that would give so much news time to a privalidged couple having a baby.

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This for me is the rub.

Frankly the amount of coverage Auntie gives to the royals should be investigated.

 

[Mellotron]

Simple yes or no, was the tweet KNOWINGLY racist? The only question here is intent, not the perception from others.

 

[scooter1]

No.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

I don’t get it. As in what’s the joke? I’d be surprised if Danny Baker means anything racist by it, but what is the joke?

It's a Bakerism. Have you ever listened to his radio show?

He finds things like old time pictures of animals dressed up as humans funny.
He's joking predominantly at the preposterousness of the concept of the original photo, whilst having a gentle jibe at the royal couple.

Those people who like his style ( I am one) get it and understand it.
It isn't particularly funny. Just a bit of whimsy.

On the other hand he is also an aged working class, white man from Bermondsey, so must be racist.
BURN HIM!

 

[Commander]

Of course it wasn’t. As if he would do something like that, knowing full well the consequences.

The racists are the people who saw it and automatically thought “Hang on the child has a black grandma he must be saying it’s a monkey!”.

If you aren’t inherently racist, why on earth would that thought pop into your head?

 

[Tooting Gull]

Very sad about this story. Having listened to Danny Baker for many years, do I think he is a racist? Absolutely not. The question of intent is key to this, and even though only one person really knows what he was thinking, you can build up a pretty good idea about someone over 20-25 years of being themselves on the radio.

I think he unthinkingly posted the stupid picture lampooning the absurd fuss over a royal baby, and then had a horrific moment of realisation (or was told very quickly) what significance would be attached to the tweet after all the vile stuff written about Meghan Markle's mixed race heritage. It's too late by then, the stupid moment has done the damage. All you could or would do is apologise, say how appalled you are by the interpretation that will understandably be put on your own action, remove it immediately etc. I believe this is what he did.

If the context you give to this is just that one tweet, Danny Baker looks a racist. If you take a broader view, he isn't but it was a very foolish act - and I think a lesson and reminder for everyone about the perils of social media, especially as a celebrity. In my opinion there have been tweets from other more famous people - certainly Lord Sugar - that have been intentionally racist and little was said. This hypocrisy, along with that of the Daily Mail who have been responsible for most the anti-Meghan crap, is also hard to swallow.

It is yet another example of how ill at ease we are in this country with the issue of racism currently. We would rather gorge ourselves on some sort of witch-hunt show trial than actually deal with real racism, real prejudice, real lives and real experiences on the ground. The anti-semitism debate currently is if anything worse, you are apparently a racist/anti-semite if you happen to question any of the actions of the state of Israel and the IDF towards the Palestinians. Insane.

 

[Mellotron]

If this thread can be SUBSUMED into the main thread that would be great.

 

[Nottseagull]

Typical NSC waste of time.

That's a bit rich, Juan! https://www.northstandchat.com/show...es-on-a-single-thread!-So-who-is-it&p=2911212

 

[Questions]

This is a lot of old noncesense isn’t it ? DB is no racist and has put a joke up about the royal family and friends having to train another chimp up. I think it’s quite funny.

On an aside my Jack Russell has just started growling at Jeremy Corbyn on the TV. Are the two connected....?

No not at all.

 

[Commander]

I can’t actually believe there are people out there thick enough to think that he would deliberately post a picture of a mixed race baby, racially mocking it as a chimpanzee, in today’s world with his job.

Some people have voted yes. It just absolutely beggars belief. Welcome to Britain 2019.

 

[The Clamp]

It would be good if the BBC at least made an announcement saying he isn’t a racist but this kind of gaff causes too much offence to too many people and that is why he has been sacked.

 

[lawros left foot]

How about a ‘ Don’t know ‘ option?

I like DB, I’ve seen both his tour shows, and read all his books, I would like to say there’s no chance he’s a closet racist, but, if it was someone I dislike, Piers Morgan, for instance, I would be happy to see him sacked for the same ‘offence’.

It makes me a hypocrite, but, I really can’t decide if he knew, and is racist, or if he didn’t, and has been harshly treated.

 

[Blues Rock DJ]

I voted yes. The man is a prat and counts Chris Evans as a mate......................say no more !
Having said that, he's only tweeted what a lot of us were thinking ?

 

[Trevor]

Better than even chance it was innocent I think. There was a minor skirmish at work when I described Martin Keown as a monkey. People didn't know who he was and thought I may have been racist. I did make mental note at that point to avoid that term in future as I could just as easily have picked on someone who wasn't white - even though racism was not intended.

Baker should have been reprimanded as it was an error or judgment but not sacked because - as I say, I'm prepared to believe there was no intent

 

[lawros left foot]

Very sad about this story. Having listened to Danny Baker for many years, do I think he is a racist? Absolutely not. The question of intent is key to this, and even though only one person really knows what he was thinking, you can build up a pretty good idea about someone over 20-25 years of being themselves on the radio.

I think he unthinkingly posted the stupid picture lampooning the absurd fuss over a royal baby, and then had a horrific moment of realisation (or was told very quickly) what significance would be attached to the tweet after all the vile stuff written about Meghan Markle's mixed race heritage. It's too late by then, the stupid moment has done the damage. All you could or would do is apologise, say how appalled you are by the interpretation that will understandably be put on your own action, remove it immediately etc. I believe this is what he did.

If the context you give to this is just that one tweet, Danny Baker looks a racist. If you take a broader view, he isn't but it was a very foolish act - and I think a lesson and reminder for everyone about the perils of social media, especially as a celebrity. In my opinion there have been tweets from other more famous people - certainly Lord Sugar - that have been intentionally racist and little was said. This hypocrisy, along with that of the Daily Mail who have been responsible for most the anti-Meghan crap, is also hard to swallow.

It is yet another example of how ill at ease we are in this country with the issue of racism currently. We would rather gorge ourselves on some sort of witch-hunt show trial than actually deal with real racism, real prejudice, real lives and real experiences on the ground. The anti-semitism debate currently is if anything worse, you are apparently a racist/anti-semite if you happen to question any of the actions of the state of Israel and the IDF towards the Palestinians. Insane.

Good post.

 

[Icy Gull]

Of course it wasn’t. As if he would do something like that, knowing full well the consequences.

The racists are the people who saw it and automatically thought “Hang on the child has a black grandma he must be saying it’s a monkey!”.

If you aren’t inherently racist, why on earth would that thought pop into your head?

Thought he was being clever? The man is a pisstaker with an extremely high opinion of himself. I expect he knew exactly what the reaction would be whilst relying on the gullible to believe his explanation, making it even funnier for him and his mates