Jeremy Clarkson insults Americans in wake of Katrina

[FoMoCo Fan]

Yeah, that's right, Top Gear's Jeremy Clarkson can be added to the list of European "journalists" who have nothing better to do than incite anti-American hatred. Here's a link to a JPEG of his recent column in the Sun - http://www2.nationalreview.com/images/paperforgreg.jpg

but here's some of the good parts-

“America may have given the world the space shuttle and, er, condensed milk, but behind the veneer of civilization most Americans barely have the brains to walk on their back legs.”

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"I’m not talking about the armed gangs now. I’m talking about the authorities who, rather than try to feed the poor and needy, summoned the Marines and started acting like they were in a Hollywood film.

“They’ve got M16s which are locked and loaded,” said one official. And I bet she hadn’t the first idea what “locked and loaded” meant. She’d just heard Bruce Willis say it at some point and figured it sounded good.

Hollywood has taught America that the military can solve anything. It’s full of chisel-jawed heroes who never leave a man on the field and never fail to get the job done. So they’d have New Orleans sorted out in a jiffy.

Unfortunately, on the street you’ve got some poor, starving souls helping themselves to a packet of food from a ruined, deserted supermarket. And as a result, finding themselves being blown to pieces by a helicopter gunship. With the none-too-bright soldiers urged on by their illiterate political masters, the poor and needy never stood a chance. It’s easier and much more fun to shoot someone than make them a cup of tea. Especially if they’re black."

[kool_zx3]

I discussed that on other boards already, he has a point in some aspects. America facked up big time with the relief effort. He was right about the whole america is tought everything can only be handled with a man with a m16 in his hands.

[FoMoCo Fan]

Oh no doubt that the response failed on all levels. But he's so out of touch with his knee-jerk anti-Americanism, he's making stuff up - where were troops firing on people getting water? Clarkson would have had no police on the streets and no guns and we could have all had tea and crumpets while the city burned? I didn't see Clarkson writing about the "veneer" of civilization peeled away in Europe when over 10,000 people died in France alone in a heat wave, simply because people couldn't be bothered to leave their 2 week vacation to go home and help out the elderly.

[gmsickofan]

This goes far to explain his views on American cars, too.

[johnd89]

he talks crap like any journalist.
maybe the attitude is wrong, but he does have some good points, unfortunately...

[Tiger]

Didn't he just buy a Ford GT and then whine about it until they repurchased it?

Oh yeah, he's doing all HE CAN for society in general! Pinhead.

[BrickTamland]

Clarkson has a point in his article. But he does tend to whine about things too much. On Top Gear, 2/3 of the time, he points out cars' flaws, sensationalizes them, and then relates them with some sort of comparison or simile.

[Bhodie]

.....it's just Jeremy Clarkson.......don't take it to heart.

He says Australia has only given the world the rotary washing line (he's not far wrong) but that doesn't stop him from loving the HSV Monaro, as much for the American engine as anything else.

Unfair as it is, his views on some facets of America are what is generally portrayed or continuously pointed out to the rest of us in the western world.

[dav305z]

He's right, if only American officials had shown the clear-headedness that British police did this summer after their catastrophie, when they shot a Brazilian man eight times at point blank range basically because had dark, middle eastern-looking skin. Now there's a demonstration of both calm under pressure and of racial sensitivity.

All Britain bashing aside, what makes his article wholely inappropriate is not the content, but the fact that he, a British auto writer, has no business seizing on a disaster to make fun of America.

[Swahili]

I never liked Jeremy Clarkson from the first time I watched him on Top Gear, I liked him even less after they tested the Corvette, and I like him even less now. dav305z is absolutely right, this guy should keep to just talking about cars. I don't care who is involved, what country it happens in, even the 'most prepared' emergency personnel wouldn't necessarily have handled Katrina any better/different. Sure some mistakes were made but these are one off occurences.

[paul8488]

Can't stand him when he talks about cars... can't imagine paying him attention on any other subject. You can have your Jeremy Clarkson... I'll take Kelly!

[WannabeRich]

He was right about the whole america is tought everything can only be handled with a man with a m16 in his hands.

I would like to know what your friggin grade was in English class???

[BBDOS CV8]

Australia has led the world in many things:

Developed 'title' to land enabling ownership and transfer now commonly used within legal jurisdictions

Only country to have attended every olympics in modern era

Paper machine gun belt - dramatically reduced gun jamming while firing.

The boomerang. Ancient weapon of the Aboriginies. Other cultures have throwing sticks but none came back to the thrower if it missed the target.

Two stroke lawn mower

The rotary hoist washing line

Lithium as a treatment for manic depression.

Postage stamps. The world's first pre paid postage system was introduced at Sydney in 1838.

First secret ballots - 1856

The world's first refrigeration plant was an Australian invention of 1858.

The underwater torpedo steered by wires controlling two different propellers via separate motors, Louis Brennan 1874

First country with voting rights for women - 1894

1894 First powered flight - Perhaps inspired by the boomerang, Lawrence Hargrave discovered that curved surfaces lift more than flat ones. He subsequently built the world's first box-kite, hitched four together, added an engine and flew five metres.

Hargrave corresponded freely with other aviation pioneers, including the Wright Brothers. But unlike the Americans who monopolised their ideas, Hargrave never patented his. Because it promised public access, Hargrave left all his research to the Munich Museum.

Had Hargrave gained local support to further develop his ideas and not been so generous in sharing his ideas with other aviation pioneers, he probably would have been the first person in the world to achieve sustained and controlled powered flight.

1897 Differential gears - David Shearer of South Australia built a steam car with a differential inside left rear wheel hub.

The Electric Drill was the invention of Arthur James Arnot, who patented it in 1889.

1902 Notepad -For 500 years, paper had been supplied in loose sheets. J A Birchall decided that it would be a good idea to cut the sheets into half, back them with cardboard and glue them together at the top.

1903 Froth flotation process- The process of separating minerals from rock by flotation was developed by Charles Potter and Guillaume Delprat of New South Wales.

1906 Feature film - The world's first feature length film, The Story of the Kelly Gang, was a little over an hour long.

1906 Surf life-saving reel - The first surf life-saving reel in the world was demonstrated at Bondi Beach on 23 December 1906 by its designer Lester Ormsby.

1910 Humespun process -The Humespun process was developed by Walter Hume of Humes Ltd for making concrete pipes of high strength and low permeability. The process revolutionised pipe manufacture in 1910 and has since been used around the world.

1912 The tank - A South Australian named Lance de Mole submitted a proposal, to the British War Office, for a 'chain-rail vehicle which could be easily steered and carry heavy loads over rough ground and trenches'. The British war office liked the idea but then developed the tank themselves without paying royalties.

1913 Automatic totalisator -The world's first automatic totalisator for calculating horse-racing bets was made by Sir George Julius.

1917 Aspro - A pain reliever based on aspirin was developed in Melbourne by George Nicholas. By 1940 it had become the world's most widely used headache and pain treatment.

To our collective shame, the worlds first bathing beauty contest was held in Australia in 1920.

1922 Vegemite - One of the world's richest sources of vitamin B, vegemite was invented by Dr. Cyril P. Callister. It is made by the autolysis of expired brewer's yeast: a process where the yeast's own enzymes break it down.

1924 Car radio - The first car radio was fitted to an Australian car built by Kellys Motors in New South Wales.

1927 Speedo -In 1927 Speedo launched the revolutionary 'racer-back' style, which reduced fabric drag. In 1955, Speedo introduced the use of nylon for their racing swimwear. At the 1968, 1972 and 1976 Olympics, more than 70 per cent of all swimming medals were won by competitors wearing Speedo.

1928 Flying Doctor Service - Reverend John Flynn founded the world's first Aerial Medical Service in 1928.

The Automatic letter sorting machine - 1930

1934 Ute- The utility vehicle, with a front like a car and a rear like a truck was designed by Lewis Brandt at the Ford Motor Company in Geelong, Victoria.

1940 Zinc Cream - This white sun block made from zinc oxide was developed by the Fauldings pharmaceutical company.

1942 Transverse folding stroller - Designed by Harold Cornish, the sturdy, lightweight design of his Stoway Strollers made life easier for many parents using public transport as it could be folded and placed under a tram seat.

1944 Antibiotic penicillin - Produced by Howard Florey

1945 The Hills Hoist - A rotary clothes line with a winding mechanism allowing the frame to be lowered and raised with ease. Invented by Lance Hill.

Latex gloves 1945

1952 Victor mower - by Mervyn Victor Richardson, the two-stroke petrol lawn mower with rotary blades revolutionised mowing world wide.

1950s Lagerphone- The lagerphone is a musical instrument made by nailing beer caps onto a stick. It is not known who invented it, but in the 50s it was popularised by the Heathcote Bushwackers as an alternative to the American wobbleboard.

1952 Atomic absorption spectrophotometer -Atomic absorption spectrophotometer is a complex analytical instrument incorporating micro-computer electronics and precision optics and mechanics, used in chemical analysis to determine low concentrations of metals in a wide variety of substances. It was first developed by Sir Alan Walsh of the CSIRO.

1953 Solar hot water - Developed by R N Morse at the CSIRO

1957 Flame ionisation detector -The flame ionisation detector is one of the most accurate instruments ever developed for the detection of emissions. It was invented by Ian McWilliam. The instrument, which can measure one part in 10 million, has been used in chemical analysis in the petrochemical industry, medical and biochemical research, and in the monitoring of the environment.

1957 Trousers with a permeant crease - The process for producing permanently creased fabric was invented by Dr Arthur Farnworth of the CSIRO.

1958 Black box flight recorder - The 'black box' voice and instrument data recorder was invented by Dr David Warren in Melbourne.

1958 the worlds first regular 'round the world' airline service was begun.

1960 Plastic spectacle lenses - The world's first plastic spectacle lenses, 60 per cent lighter than glass lenses, were designed by Scientific Optical Laboratories.

1961 Ultrasound - David Robinson and George Kossoff's work at the Australian Department of Health, resulted in the first commercially practical water path ultrasonic scanner in 1961.

1965 Inflatable escape slide - The inflatable aircraft escape slide which doubles as a raft was invented by Jack Grant of Qantas.

1965 Wine cask -Invented by Thomas Angrove, the wine cask is a cardboard box housing a plastic container which collapses as the wine is drawn off, thus preventing contact with air.

1970 Variable rack and pinion steering - The variable ratio rack and pinion steering in motor vehicles was invented by Australian engineer, Arthur Bishop.

1970 Staysharp knife- The self-sharpening knife was developed by Wiltshire.

1972- Instream analysis - To speed-up analysis of metals during the recovery process, which used to take up to 24 hours, Amdel Limited developed an on-the-spot analysis equipment called the In-Stream Analysis System, for the processing of copper, zinc, lead and platinum - and the washing of coal. This computerised system allowed continuous analysis of key metals and meant greater productivity for the mineral industry worldwide.

1978 Plastic injection moulding software -Engineers at Moldflow Pty Ltd revolutionised the plastic injection process with a new computer aided engineering software, that simulated the injection moulding process and offered a design strategy to evaluate, refine and optimise successive simulations. The technique has been used widely in the automotive, whitegoods, computer, packaging, communications, aeronautical and photographic industries.

1979 Race-cam - Race Cam was developed by Geoff Healey, an engineer with Australian Television Network Seven in Sydney. The tiny lightweight camera is used in sports broadcasts and provides viewers with spectacular views of events such as motor racing, which are impossible with conventional cameras

1979 Bionic ear - The cochlear implant was invented by Professor Graeme Clark of the University of Melbourne.

1982 The dual flush toilet - As dunnies have a celebrated status in Australia, it is apt that Australia has taken a central role in their evolution. In 1982, the dual flush toilet was responsible for savings in excess of 32000 litres of water per household a year. Pretty important in the world's driest inhabited continent.

1980 Wave-piercing catamarans - The high speed catamarans were developed by Phillip Hercus and Robert Clifford of Incat in Tasmania.

1983 Winged Keel - Ben Lexen designed a winged keel that helped Australia II end America's 132 ownership of the America's Cup. The keel gave the yacht better steering and manoeuvrability in heavy winds.

1984 Frozen embryo baby- The world's first frozen embryo baby was born in Melbourne on 28th March 1984

1984 Baby Safety Capsule - Babies in a car crash used to bounce around like a soccer ball. In 1984, for the first time babies had a harness for their safe transportation in cars.

1986 Gene shears - The discovery of gene shears was made by CSIRO scientists, Wayne Gerlach and Jim Haseloff.

1992 Multi-focal contact lens- The world's first multi-focal contact lens was invented by optical research scientist, Stephen Newman in Queensland.

1992 Supersonic combustion - The University of Queensland demonstrated the world's first supersonic combustion in an atmospheric flight test at Woomera on July 30, 2002. The craft reached speeds of more than Mach 8, or 8 times the speed of sound.

1993 Scramjet - The University of Queensland reported for the first time the development of a scramjet that achieved more thrust than drag.

1993 Underwater pc - The world's first underwater computer with a five-button hand-held keypad was developed by Bruce Macdonald at the Australian Institute of Marine Science.

1995 EXELGRAM - The world's most sophisticated optical anti-counterfeiting technology was developed by the CSIRO.

1995 - Jindalee Over the Horizon Radar System - The United States of America spent $11 billion developing an aeroplane that could not be detected by radar. Scientists at the CSIRO then concluded that if the plane could not be detected, perhaps the turbulance it makes passing through air could be. $1.5 million later, the Jindalee Radar system had transformed the stealth bomber into nothing more than an unusual looking aircraft.

But I don't take any offence at Clarkson - he just has a typical cynical English sense of humour. I've just come back frpm England and if you think he's hard on Aussies and Yanks you should see what he says about the English!

[Kowalski]

That's just Clarkson being himself. I wouldn't worry too much about what he says if I were you.

He insulted so many nations (He loves to insult Belgium and accordingly with him, The Dutch are the most worthless people in Europe...He also loves to bash the wankers from Greenpeace) and individuals over the years (Alistair Darling, Richard Brunnstrom).

However, if you want something to worry about - general European - In fact the whole general opinion from the rest of the world about the USA at the moment would be a good place to start. Jeremy Clarkson shouts, others whisper.

paul488, dav305z, GMC Sonoma and Swahili: Clarkson says stuff like this about British people, so I don't see the problem.

I always find it odd when Americans get offended when some who is not American says something like this, but seem to think it's OK if The Simpsons or South Park do the same. Why is that?

DAM I HATE POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS!

And On that Bombshell, It's time to finish my comment. Thanks for reading it and Good Night!

[paul8488]

paul488, dav305z, GMC Sonoma and Swahili[/B]: Clarkson says stuff like this about British people...

So let him! They're his people! I assume he knows more about how his country operates than the US. Not many are applauding the US for how they handled the crisis as a whole, but he's just babbling and picking up on very quotable and notable clips he's seen on TV.

Simpsons is a silly cartoon. Anyone taking offence to ANYTHING on a cartoon needs to turn the TV off. Sir Clarkson is a semi-respected journalist with a huge audience. He should be more accountable as to what he shoots his mouth off about. Or at least not be silly about something so serious. You won't see Simpsons making light of the Katrina disaster.