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Jeremy Clarkson attacks democracy

124

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,353 ✭✭✭joseywhales


    Does a desire for a "strong man" type leader not in fact highlight a weakness of character rather than a strength? Like you need some kind of psychological crutch to feel secure in a world you can't make sense of.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭thefallingman


    dude you argue with everyone it's not just me, honestly it's not healthy.



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 41,717 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    I would argue that what's unhealthy is the hostility triggered by questioning your mantras.

    Let's leave it there, shall we.

    The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

    Leviticus 19:34



  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,320 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    He's a best selling author, his re-vamp of Top Gear along with the other two guys turned it from a minor show on BBC2 to the biggest TV show on the planet, sold all over the world, a huge money spinner for the BBC. So much of a draw that after he was sacked for being a gobshíte Amazon fired millions at him and his co hosts to continue on, while the replacements on Top Gear trundle along much reduced and local, a shadow of the former ratings. Even on twitter he's got the guts of eight million followers. That's pretty up there in the hugely popular stakes.

    Many worry about Artificial Intelligence. I worry far more about Organic Idiocy.



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 41,717 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    You are correct in that once he left Top Gear the first time, it floundered. Once he returned it soared. Ditto for his show on Amazon. This equates to Clarkson being a sought-after presenter rather than an influencer though. Most people who like him know why and the same for those who don't.

    What he peddles is the standard stuff you'd expect from a white, upper class Englishman with conservative views on most things. None of it's new. The Europhilia thing is utterly baffling. In terms of influence, I'd say that the likes of Jordan Peterson have him thoroughly trounced.

    The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

    Leviticus 19:34



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  • Posts: 2,077 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Plenty of evidence. If you only watch RTE / CNN with carefully curated clips of Biden then they don't show it, but there is abundant evidence like the speech below and of him looking lost many times, walking off and shaking hands with thin air. I'm no Trump lover but you have to face reality sometimes.

    One of my best friends is a geriatric nurse - he sees it. It's plain to see.

    And here he just walks off, to the shock of his wife and the teacher: https://youtu.be/sO8gOC1cihk



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,482 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    As a close personal friend and neighbour to many Tories, including Cameron and writer colleague to many right-wing scribes in right-wing publications, Jeremy Clarkson of all people has no credible objectivity to opine on such matters.

    Duterte and Bolsonaro don't belong in the same paragraph as Macron (a centrist in a left wing Country) and Biden (a centre right-ist in a right wing Country).

    On the very week that the greatest act of nepotism remaining in the Western World occurs in his home Country, it is fair to say that he is talking much bollox, as usual.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,353 ✭✭✭joseywhales


    You know people aren't perfect, they get tired , confused, some had speech issues etc, nobody really is perfect but a neurologist will be able to tell you via scientific tests if you have dementia.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭thefallingman


    ah he's not right Josey it's pretty obvious, you hardly ever see him front and centre. He was a patsy to get rid of Trump.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 42,493 ✭✭✭✭Boggles


    Ah, He is certainly hugely popular.

    His farm thing was the highest rated show ever on Amazon AFAIK. Same with the Grand Tour specials.

    He also has the Who Wants to be a Millionaire gig and is very popular on that.

    Now he is certainly a bit of a díck, but he is also extremely popular.



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  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 41,717 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    Sure, he's hugely popular but is he really influential when it comes to politics? I feel like that niche has been well and truly filled by men for the social media generation. Clarkson's Farm and The Grand Tour may well be popular but most of his work is outdated. I don't know how many of the same people are still following him into his new Amazon projects.

    The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

    Leviticus 19:34



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭thefallingman


    so you have been proved wrong here in multiple posts and yet you still argue your case, where did influential suddenly come into the argument. The man is popular. You seem to dislike white men.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,444 ✭✭✭✭Sardonicat


    Hand picked clips prove nothing. He takes his time to make his points, that's all. Not indicative of dementia. I've had more bumbling University lecturers than that, 25 years his junior and by no means suffering from dementia.

    I find the OTT acting of the presenter to be of more concern.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,331 ✭✭✭thefallingman


    so here you say he's not popular or hugely popular this does not make him, but yet a few posts later, you've changed your tune. Nice tactic, when proved wrong just change side. Nice.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 42,493 ✭✭✭✭Boggles


    The Grand Tour Specials and the Farm were absolutely brilliant, not dated at all, but he isn't the only character in them. What made the farm were actually the peripheral characters and their utter bemusement at Clarkson.

    No one is listening to him though. He was against Brexit and hated both Trump and Bojo.

    Those coffin-dodging idiots who voted for Brexit have just screwed it all up.

    He shouts out nonsense, which is at times funny, but TBF he takes shots at all sides.



  • Posts: 2,077 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    Most of his stuff is just to get a laugh. He's not some serious "social commentator" like many others out there.



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 41,717 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    I wouldn't say this makes him politically influential though. Clarkson rose up before 9/11 gifted the world the 24-hour news cycle and an endless stream of commentators to push agendas.

    I think people are watching Clarkson to be entertained, not for political edification. I haven't seen his shows but I'll take your word for it.

    The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

    Leviticus 19:34



  • Posts: 2,077 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    These were two examples, the second one where he randomly walks off you didn't even refer to. There are hundreds of them. Here's another .... he looks genuinely confused and upset here

    The Democrats had many more suitable candidates, even Bernie Sanders, with his advanced age, is fully compos mentis.



  • Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 41,717 CMod ✭✭✭✭ancapailldorcha


    This is just a video dump. Feel free to link to a formal diagnosis.

    The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

    Leviticus 19:34



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,224 ✭✭✭✭jmayo


    He does have a point, but as usual it is rather typical Tory Brit to leave out his own country's contributions to the woes of political leadership over the last few years.

    First you had his personal buddy rich boy Cameron who cowtowed to the right wingers in his own party and then ran a half assed campaign which resulted in Bexit.

    Now I can understand full well why people have issues with EU, but they had no alternative, well apart from a return to some mythical Britannia ruled the world time in history.

    Then that was followed by the useless May, to be outdone in the blundering ranks by Johnson and now we have "Thatcher lite" Truss.

    And yes I know technically one could argue they were only elected by their own party and bar johnson never got a mandate from the people.

    And funny how he seems to find Biden terrifying, but doesn't seem to mention one Mr D Trump, the greatest joke of a leader ever.


    But saying all that two of the countries that grew to be two of the most successful in the latter half of the 20th century, from starting points of poverty and chaos had in effect benign dictatorships for decades.

    And it can totally be argued that if they did have our version of Westernised democracy they would have collapsed in internal infighting or still be in poverty.

    Say hello to South Korea and Singapore as being prime examples where one party rule can have major benefits.

    I am not allowed discuss …



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  • Posts: 2,077 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    🙄 You really think the Americans are going to remove him unless absolutely forced to? Despite the fact he handed Afghanistan to the Taliban, betrayed the Afghans who worked with the Americans and gave Putin the green light to invade Ukraine? https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/did-biden-give-putin-%E2%80%98green-light%E2%80%99-invade-ukraine-199781

    Internationally, the Biden presidency has been objectively worse than Trump. In fact his foreign policy is the worst since possibly Nixon. Domestically he's been average.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,224 ✭✭✭✭jmayo


    Clarkson didn't go to Eaton.

    Look over there it's a royalist 😜

    I am not allowed discuss …



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,444 ✭✭✭✭Sardonicat


    At what point of him signing the document is he confused? I don't see it at all. He signed the document and handed the pen to someone. What's confused about that? He's an older man, who may move and speak more slowly than someone his junior. So will you if you get up there in years. That does not mean he has dementia. I won't comment on him walking off because I haven't seen it but maybe he just got taken short? Do you think he should announce that publicly or just go and deal with the situation?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,224 ✭✭✭✭jmayo


    Why oh why do you have to bring in the usual shyte about him being a middle aged white man???

    Oh and he has done more to show the difficulty of farmers than 30 odd years of Countryfile.

    And he loves European products.

    Ahh FFS Jordan Peterson is an academic, he has a dgree in Political Science and a PHD in clinical psychology, has taught in such places as Harvard.

    Clarkson is a hack, who became a TV personality.

    He was not even a great motoring journalist.

    I am not allowed discuss …



  • Posts: 2,077 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    My mother is 86. She doesn't act like this. At all. My dad did when diagnosed with vascular dementia. I see all the signs here. The "lost" look in particular. And walking away without acknowledging the crowd or anything? Come on man as Biden would say. Jill Biden saves him many times too. It's very sad that they are forcing him through this.

    Here's the one where he walks away, with some stupid animation. Just look at the principal's reaction. Anyway this is completely off topic.

    https://youtu.be/sO8gOC1cihk



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,353 ✭✭✭joseywhales


    I like to leave diagnosis to doctors myself



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,353 ✭✭✭joseywhales


    Its mad how two people can look at the same thing and have exact opposite views.

    I actually think it's one of the greatest administrations ever. They got out of Afghanistan. They overcame COVID after a disastrous start, they got a couple of their bills through both houses(often just a stalemate). Now they are weakening their enemy Russia without risking a single us soldier. I'd call it a slam dunk honestly.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,381 ✭✭✭Yurt2


    It's very odd to see Irish people take up the partisan Trumpite banner and repeat the fluff word for word.

    Sleepy Joe may be a senile old codger, and his cabinet stuffed with DC swamp creatures, but it is as you suggest its leagues better than what came before.

    For one thing, the US is at least semi-back as a credible player on the world stage. When the US projects its power appropriately, it's a good thing for the world, and a warning shot for autocrats.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,911 ✭✭✭Feisar


    He's not attacking democracy, just having leaders elected directly by the people rather than like ourselves or the UK where a government is elected and the leader of the biggest party gets the main job.

    First they came for the socialists...



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,224 ✭✭✭✭jmayo



    Ahh FFS you rank Biden below the clown who effectively took the side of the biggest competitor to American foreign power for most of the last half century rather than his own intelligence services?

    The clown that dragged the US out of more Global organisations and initiatives?

    The clown that did a deal with his buddy Erdogan and sold down the river the Kurds that were the ones that really halted ISIS?

    Oh and Trump had effectively signed off the Afghanistan withdrawal.

    Ehh what light did Trump give Putin when he bent over backwards for him, when he halted aid to Ukraine to try socre personal political points, when he tried to scupper NATO.

    You may complain about others, but FFS take off the MAGA hat.

    You are doing everything bar shouting that slogan around here.

    Biden may well indeed be suffering from dementia, but Trump doesn't have enough fooking brain cells to start with for anyone to notice if he gets dementia.

    It might actually improve his cognitive abilities.

    I am not allowed discuss …



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