Danny Baker

Bridgehouse

Jonathangus said:

The point I'm trying to make is that we should possibly focus more on the genuine motivation behind speech or actions, and less on the (sometimes erroneous) interpretation of them.  The throwing of bananas by certain football 'fans' is clearly racially motivated, clearly disgraceful, and should be stamped out.   There's no other interpretation of that.  Where there's genuine abuse of others because they're black/asian/Polish/gay/Muslim/whatever, it's obviously unacceptable.

The question is - do we really think that the tweet was racially motivated, or just very, very stupid?  If you actually think he's just trying to cover up a deliberate racial slur by offering another interpretation, he deserves all he gets.  If on the other hand, he's just been unbelievably thoughtless, and the question of the baby's ethnicity genuinely never entered his head, should people not just accept his (eventual) apology, and move on?

We’ve covered this already. 

Whether he meant it as a racial slur is irrelevant.

- The link between his picture and racism is obvious, and anyone who doesn’t see it has lived under a rock for decades
- As a football fan and pundit he has been exposed to racism with this very comparison for decades
- He is a public figure and influencer, as well as a broadcaster on the leading news oriented radio channel - he has a duty to ensure he monitors and checks what he posts
- His initial response was unacceptable and he was clearly just trying to explain his way out of it. 

The vast majority of traffic on this subject media wide isn’t “he’s a racist - stone him” but “he’s an idiot and deserved to be sacked”

And that’s the way this thread has gone. Some suggested it was wrong for him to be sacked. If he’s a racist or not is irrelevant. What he did and more importantly how he responded to it given the context of his job made his sacking completely correct.

PhilW1

ICBM said:

Philly_Q said:

But even then he has to throw in the phrase "dog whistle" at the end of his statement.  Just shut up, Danny.

Yes, I saw that too. He still doesn't quite understand that a full, absolutely unreserved apology is what's wanted.

He’ll never properly apologise because he can’t believe he‘s ever gonna be wrong and what do the plebs who disagree with him know about anything.
 Whenever I’ve heard him on the radio the guests can’t get a word in because he always interrupts,talking over them ,because really to him ,it’s only his opinions and thoughts that count .
 He and his team have had 24hrs to give a credible explanation yet still manages to come over poorly.

darthed1981

Jonathangus said:

The point I'm trying to make is that we should possibly focus more on the genuine motivation behind speech or actions, and less on the (sometimes erroneous) interpretation of them.

Thing is Baker has worked in the media for decades, knowledge of how his actions and words are perceived are a massive part of his professional competencies.

He basically wasn't sacked for racism as much as gross incompetence in his job.

PhilW1

All this proves what a good idea”Behind closed doors” is ,,
if only he’d used that first!

maw4neu

What a wanker ! ! ! He's an embarrassing dinosaur  . . . . I fucking hate racism, I find it sickening that a "so called" educated man thinks its OK to grab a cheap laugh by cashing in on the birth of a beautiful baby boy  . . . No one laughed Danny you fucking idiot . . . ! ! !  

Bellycaster

Heartfeltdawn said:

Bellycaster said:

I am clearly a Racist according to that as I think that Black Long Distance Runners are far superior to White Long Distance Runners 

As for Danny Baker, I doubt he is a Racist, but he should have known better and thought before he acted.

That's simply a statement without stating why they are superior. 

If you say "Black long distance runners are superior because of advantageous genetics and physiology to white runners" then you have a wealth of long distance running records to support that view. Articles like this support that view. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/04/why-kenyans-make-such-great-runners-a-story-of-genes-and-cultures/256015/

So what you said isn't racist. 

I know it wasn't racist, just tongue in cheek, hence the Emoji. It's well known that Kenyan Runners are way ahead. I have no idea what other genetic advantages certain races have over another given race, there may be some, Those bloody Russians and their Chess Boards pfft!

blueskunk

Harry should send his body guards round to stomp his ugly ass and remove his fingernails.

prowla

Heartfeltdawn said:

prowla said:

In this day and age you have to be extremely careful about what you say, because there is always someone waiting to be racially offended if anything at all could possible be construed to be interpreted to be impinging upon any race, creed, colour, social grouping, or other demographic.

And back in the day you didn't have to be careful. You could say what you like, chuck bananas at black people on football pitches, make comments about poofs and women...

The years of 'Political Correctness' are nowhere near to outnumbering the years of discrimination. 

Touche, monsewer!

Actually, I do think that political correctness has lurched to the other side; clearly chucking bananas and suchlike was always the wrong side of acceptable.

siremoon

ICBM said:

crunchman said:

Apparently the police are now investigating. While the tweet was utterly stupid, it doesn't require a police investigation.

I think the law requires that a complaint of racism must be investigated - all it takes is for someone to make a formal complaint and they have no choice. They may decide to take no action, but they still have to respond.

Pity the same requirement doesn't extend to burglary.  When one of my neighbours was done they did precisely nothing except record the crime. 

I'm in no way condoning what Baker did or defending him - I think he's a pompous, arrogant, self satisfied git and got what he deserved - but many people suffer much greater material or emotional harm from illegal acts (including racism) than in this case and get little or no interest from the police.

darthed1981

To be fair the investigation could be as simple a the equivalent of ticking the box that says "twat" instead of "racist" on a form.

p90fool

siremoon said:

ICBM said:

crunchman said:

Apparently the police are now investigating. While the tweet was utterly stupid, it doesn't require a police investigation.

I think the law requires that a complaint of racism must be investigated - all it takes is for someone to make a formal complaint and they have no choice. They may decide to take no action, but they still have to respond.

Pity the same requirement doesn't extend to burglary.  When one of my neighbours was done they did precisely nothing except record the crime. 

I'm in no way condoning what Baker did or defending him - I think he's a pompous, arrogant, self satisfied git and got what he deserved - but many people suffer much greater material or emotional harm from illegal acts (including racism) than in this case and get little or no interest from the police.

Maybe they'll just give the royals a crime number so they can claim on their insurance...

Bridgehouse

p90fool said:

siremoon said:

ICBM said:

crunchman said:

Apparently the police are now investigating. While the tweet was utterly stupid, it doesn't require a police investigation.

I think the law requires that a complaint of racism must be investigated - all it takes is for someone to make a formal complaint and they have no choice. They may decide to take no action, but they still have to respond.

Pity the same requirement doesn't extend to burglary.  When one of my neighbours was done they did precisely nothing except record the crime. 

I'm in no way condoning what Baker did or defending him - I think he's a pompous, arrogant, self satisfied git and got what he deserved - but many people suffer much greater material or emotional harm from illegal acts (including racism) than in this case and get little or no interest from the police.

Maybe they'll just give the royals a crime number so they can claim on their insurance...

Nah - Phil the Greek wiped out their NCD

UnclePsychosis

Jonathangus said:

The question is - do we really think that the tweet was racially motivated, or just very, very stupid?  

---here's the thing. If you're a high profile public persona and presenter, then proving yourself to be very, very stupid is going to get you sacked. If you are a presenter and your employer doesn't trust you not to say or do something very, very stupid then its game over. 

You'll note that the BBC said they sacked him for a "serious error of judgement", not "because we think it was racially motivated". 

WiresDreamDisasters

VimFuego said:

adampeter said:

We all make mistakes

fair point, in his defense though, Harry is a weak minded simpleton.

He's a war hero. 

VimFuego

I don't know anything about his military service, however I believe him to have been a good soldier. That doesn't make him a hero per se, nor does it preclude him from being a weak minded simpleton. 

jpfamps

maw4neu said:

What a wanker ! ! ! He's an embarrassing dinosaur  . . . . I fucking hate racism, I find it sickening that a "so called" educated man thinks its OK to grab a cheap laugh by cashing in on the birth of a beautiful baby boy  . . . No one laughed Danny you fucking idiot . . . ! ! ! 

Danny Baker has persistently railed against "over-educated" types, and is always keen to promote his "university of life" working class credentials, so I don't think he would apprieciate being referred to as educated.

jpfamps

PhilW1 said:

ICBM said:

Philly_Q said:

But even then he has to throw in the phrase "dog whistle" at the end of his statement.  Just shut up, Danny.

Yes, I saw that too. He still doesn't quite understand that a full, absolutely unreserved apology is what's wanted.

He’ll never properly apologise because he can’t believe he‘s ever gonna be wrong and what do the plebs who disagree with him know about anything.
 Whenever I’ve heard him on the radio the guests can’t get a word in because he always interrupts,talking over them ,because really to him ,it’s only his opinions and thoughts that count .
 He and his team have had 24hrs to give a credible explanation yet still manages to come over poorly.

Danny Baker has always promoted his working class background, so I don't think his grievance would be with the "plebs", but with the middle class Oxbridge types etc, against whom he's also frequently railed. eg calling them "pin headed weasels".

Interestingly, the only people I know / have seen who have said that sacking Baker was wrong are all people who would identify themselves as working class (and are white), and there is whiff of the notion that Baker himself has been the victim of classism. 

prowla

Can I have another piece of chocolate cake?

Danny Baker.

Danny Baker.

ICBM

prowla said:

Can I have another piece of chocolate cake?

Danny Baker.

Danny Baker.

That kept going through my head too .

seany65

Barnezy said:

Isn’t everyone racist to an extent? We’re also all classist, ageist, sexist etc. It’s the world we’ve all been bought up in, making judgements of other people based on what we see externaly. The line in A Time to Kill sums it up perfectly "The fact is you are just like all the rest of them. When you look at me, you don't see a man, you see a black man.". 

Now I don’t think anyone can self proclaim themselves as not racist. Yes he might not be proactively racist, but he does have unconscious bias. What does exist is being conscious of your bias so you can challenge it and be aware how your words or actions might be percevied by others. If your a considerate person you will be able to manage this.

Clearly posting a picture of a monkey is offensive and everyone knows this. Baker must have decided to do this anyway, which goes to show the type of character he is. Basically an egotistical arrogant twat. 

You do know that according to Political Correctness only white people are racist?

Is it racist when black people don't just see people they see white people? 

Just because a writer puts a line in a book which panders to the anti-white "racism" (actually anti-white racial prejudice) of modern thinking by claiming racism just because a white man sees the colour of another man doesn't make it actual racism.

If posting a picture of a monkey is racist, why aren't all photographers who take pictures of monkeys called racist?