Iron meets television
Comments
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It's entertainment, pure and simple, and ceased to pretend to be otherwise a long time ago. If it doesn't entertain you, don't watch it. It's not difficult to work that one out.
All other things aside, I reluctantly tip my hat to them for having turned it into a pretty much global brand. They must rake in a fair bit of cash from it, one way or another.0 -
TailWindHome wrote:That's not trolling.
It's not that unreasonable to describe the tax in question as 'Road Tax'
Agreed....especially as the Driving Standards Agency calls it 'road tax' in the current theory test.Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.
H.G. Wells.0 -
soundninjauk wrote:notsoblue wrote:Agent57 wrote:
Indeed! Brilliant.
For the record, I really do like Top Gear. I don't own a car, and I can't stand Clarkson's opinions (for money). But the team behind the footage of cars speeding through exotic locations (and yorkshire) with brilliant music playing in the background (I think they kept Amon Tobin in clover for a number of years) are worthy of praise.
That's what I love about that show. The photography tends to be fantastic, and playing 'spot the song' is too much fun. Their opinions on anything other than what's a good car or not are pretty much worthless, and even then I wouldn't buy a car on their advice.
You seem to be suggesting that they could do away with the presenters all together.1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition0 -
TailWindHome wrote:That's not trolling.
It's not that unreasonable to describe the tax in question as 'Road Tax'
It is unreasonable to suggest that paying this tax in some way entitles you to abuse other road users or means you 'own' the roads, but it's not unreasonable to call it 'Road Tax'
ETA
It's also just as inaccurate to describe the tax as Vehicle Excise Duty and justify it by linking it to the emissions of the car and there effect on the environment.
It's got nothing to do with the environment or the maintenance of roads. It's just something that can be taxed
It's a payment for all the additional licensing requirements and admin that cars need that bikes don't - databases, etc - and has nothing to do with fixing the roads. That is paid by you, me and every other taxpayer out of general taxation.
It's just a hill. Get over it.0 -
cee wrote:TailWindHome wrote:That's not trolling.
It's not that unreasonable to describe the tax in question as 'Road Tax'
Agreed....especially as the Driving Standards Agency calls it 'road tax' in the current theory test.
The issue isn't entirely with the name. It's also with the belief some people have that the roads are funded by their tax disc, and in turn that it gives them more rights to be on the road. "Pay some road tax" or "who pays road tax" as Clarkson asked last night is intended to imply that cyclists have no right to be on the road because motorists pay for it.
My real issue isn't with the name, but with that belief. In fact, as I'm sure most people here know, roads are funded from general taxation (e.g. income tax, council tax, VAT etc.). Heck, some cars are zero-rated and no charge is levied against them. It also ignores the fact that even if vehicle tax did pay for road maintenance, being on a bicycle doesn't preclude the ride from also having a car on the driveway at home.
Etc. etc. Calling it road tax is just one aspect, but certainly not the pivotal argument as far as I'm concerned.0 -
rjsterry wrote:You seem to be suggesting that they could do away with the presenters all together.
Not necessarily, but the show certainly wouldn't suffer for cutting out entire sections of 'banter' (such as the Mexican tirade) filmed with the audience. The actual films themselves benefit from them I think. In any case, I think it's the edit, mix and grade where that show really comes into its own.FCN - 10
Cannondale Bad Boy Solo with baggies.0 -
No amount of fancy camera work could make dropping a VW Beetle out of the sky and racing it worth watching. I'm still slightly annoyed at myself for sitting through it in the vain hope that there might be some grain of something worthwhile in it. The best I could come up with was that it was interesting that although the bodywork was flattened, the suspension appeared to be intact.
TBH, I think they use for far too many clichés with their camera work.1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition0 -
Agent57 wrote:
Etc. etc. Calling it road tax is just one aspect, but certainly not the pivotal argument as far as I'm concerned.
True, lots of people pay council tax, but it doesn't give them the right to use a council van whenever they want, or sh1t in the swimming pool
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I think Top Gear has "jumped the shark" (to use a phrase that has probably jumped the shark itself). Too much of the road trips, tasks, specials etc. are the trio deliberately living up to their own stereotype. Too many obvious set-ups going for a gag, for example. Some of it's still amusing to me, but much of it isn't, and I find myself fast-forwarding through large parts of the show.0
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bails87 wrote:Agent57 wrote:
Etc. etc. Calling it road tax is just one aspect, but certainly not the pivotal argument as far as I'm concerned.
True, lots of people pay council tax, but it doesn't give them the right to use a council van whenever they want, or sh1t in the swimming pool
it doesn't? explains why that lifeguard was so angry with me then.Hat + Beard0 -
Agent57 wrote:cee wrote:TailWindHome wrote:That's not trolling.
It's not that unreasonable to describe the tax in question as 'Road Tax'
Agreed....especially as the Driving Standards Agency calls it 'road tax' in the current theory test.
I see your point now TailwindHome and we are actually in agreement on this issue. I feel really bad now for having called you a troll and hope you find it in your heart to forgive me
FTFY“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
rjsterry wrote:soundninjauk wrote:notsoblue wrote:Agent57 wrote:
Indeed! Brilliant.
For the record, I really do like Top Gear. I don't own a car, and I can't stand Clarkson's opinions (for money). But the team behind the footage of cars speeding through exotic locations (and yorkshire) with brilliant music playing in the background (I think they kept Amon Tobin in clover for a number of years) are worthy of praise.
That's what I love about that show. The photography tends to be fantastic, and playing 'spot the song' is too much fun. Their opinions on anything other than what's a good car or not are pretty much worthless, and even then I wouldn't buy a car on their advice.
You seem to be suggesting that they could do away with the presenters all together.
They could do away with much of the editorial, yeah.0 -
It's clarkson, just give it a rest, he's just as likely to go off on one about peruvians or digital cameras.
Target your anger against something useful like the EDF or people so ignorant of having a brain they need buy the Daily Mail to give them an opinion.0 -
What have you got against cheap electricity?georgee wrote:It's clarkson, just give it a rest, he's just as likely to go off on one about peruvians or digital cameras.
Target your anger against something useful like the EDF or people so ignorant of having a brain they need buy the Daily Mail to give them an opinion. 0 -
bails87 wrote:
What have you got against cheap electricity?georgee wrote:It's clarkson, just give it a rest, he's just as likely to go off on one about peruvians or digital cameras.
Target your anger against something useful like the EDF or people so ignorant of having a brain they need buy the Daily Mail to give them an opinion.
Not for long...0 -
Monkeypump wrote:bails87 wrote:
What have you got against cheap electricity?georgee wrote:It's clarkson, just give it a rest, he's just as likely to go off on one about peruvians or digital cameras.
Target your anger against something useful like the EDF or people so ignorant of having a brain they need buy the Daily Mail to give them an opinion.
Not for long...
Well maybe not, but are EDF any worse than Npower? 0 -
TailWindHome wrote:FTFY
Keep fishing, sunshine.0 -
Agent57 wrote:TailWindHome wrote:FTFY
Keep fishing, sunshine.
No fishing here.
I expressed an reasonable opinion, which others seem to agree with.
You called me a troll
Man up and apologise.“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
A general rule of thumb in anti-cyclist remarks in the media is replace the word "cyclist" with a minority, so Clarkson's remarks become:
"If I see a Jewish person, I will run them down and crush them beneath my wheels".
Acceptable?0 -
mybreakfastconsisted wrote:A general rule of thumb in anti-cyclist remarks in the media is replace the word "cyclist" with a minority, so Clarkson's remarks become:
"If I see a Jewish person, I will run them down and crush them beneath my wheels".
Acceptable?
or replace the word cyclist with 'Morris Minor'
"If I see a Morris Minor, I will run them down and crush them beneath my wheels
Acceptable?“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
TailWindHome wrote:Man up and apologise.
OK, I'm sorry. But I disagree with you.0 -
TailWindHome wrote:mybreakfastconsisted wrote:A general rule of thumb in anti-cyclist remarks in the media is replace the word "cyclist" with a minority, so Clarkson's remarks become:
"If I see a Jewish person, I will run them down and crush them beneath my wheels".
Acceptable?
or replace the word cyclist with 'Morris Minor'
"If I see a Morris Minor, I will run them down and crush them beneath my wheels
Acceptable?
Yep, because threatening to damage a car is not the same as threatening to hurt a person.
Now, I can't prove that anyone took Clarkson seriously and used their vehicle as a weapon against a vulnerable road user, but given that there have been cases of people using the vehicle as a weapon, is it not at the very least irresponsible to condone such behaviour?
Road rage driver gets life for murdering cyclist who clipped his wing mirror
http://road.cc/node/17331
I've often thought that if a cyclist is bumped by Clarkson it would be interesting to use as a defence the fact that Clarkson has repeatedly stated that he will kill cyclists "for fun" if the cyclist defend himself by ramming a screwdriver through Clarkson's eye and into his brain.0 -
TailWindHome wrote:mybreakfastconsisted wrote:A general rule of thumb in anti-cyclist remarks in the media is replace the word "cyclist" with a minority, so Clarkson's remarks become:
"If I see a Jewish person, I will run them down and crush them beneath my wheels".
Acceptable?
or replace the word cyclist with 'Morris Minor'
"If I see a Morris Minor, I will run them down and crush them beneath my wheels
Acceptable?
No, that neither; both equally moronic as the original quote.1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
Pinnacle Monzonite
Part of the anti-growth coalition0 -
More than 1 million people are killed every year by motorists across the world.
That's 2740 per day. 114 every hour.
In the time it took me to compose this post, 4 more people are now dead due to a motorist.
So motorists can drivel on all they like about road tax, RLJers, pavement pedallers and so on. But really, when they're responsible for ending lives on a daily basis (plus shattering the lives of the families and friends of those they've just killed), they don't have a leg to stand on...0 -
mybreakfastconsisted wrote:ramming a screwdriver through Clarkson's eye and into his brain.
You were going well but went a bit mad at the end there.
Also the eye might not be the most direct route to the Clarkson brain.mybreakfastconsisted wrote:because threatening to damage a car is not the same as threatening to hurt a person.“New York has the haircuts, London has the trousers, but Belfast has the reason!0 -
shm_uk wrote:More than 1 million people are killed every year by motorists across the world.
That's 2740 per day. 114 every hour.
In the time it took me to compose this post, 4 more people are now dead due to a motorist.
So motorists can drivel on all they like about road tax, RLJers, pavement pedallers and so on. But really, when they're responsible for ending lives on a daily basis (plus shattering the lives of the families and friends of those they've just killed), they don't have a leg to stand on...
THEM THEM THEM
US US US
Spot any generalisations here???0 -
Monkeypump
good point. On the whole I'm an MTBer, I get stick (jokingly from some, more serious "bikes don't belong on the road" stuff from others) in the crudcatcher. I also drive much more than I cycle.
So I'm hated by roadies for being a driver, hated by drivers and pedestrians for being a cyclist and hated by MTBers for being a roadie
Add that to the fact that I'm a mixed-race single-mother gypsy muslim gay asylum seeker and there's not a lot of love for me
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don't forget to add 'from the west mids' too:Pbails87 wrote:Monkeypump
good point. On the whole I'm an MTBer, I get stick (jokingly from some, more serious "bikes don't belong on the road" stuff from others) in the crudcatcher. I also drive much more than I cycle.
So I'm hated by roadies for being a driver, hated by drivers and pedestrians for being a cyclist and hated by MTBers for being a roadie
Add that to the fact that I'm a mixed-race single-mother gypsy muslim gay asylum seeker and there's not a lot of love for me
haha Hat + Beard0 -
hatbeard wrote:
don't forget to add 'from the west mids' too:Pbails87 wrote:Monkeypump
good point. On the whole I'm an MTBer, I get stick (jokingly from some, more serious "bikes don't belong on the road" stuff from others) in the crudcatcher. I also drive much more than I cycle.
So I'm hated by roadies for being a driver, hated by drivers and pedestrians for being a cyclist and hated by MTBers for being a roadie
Add that to the fact that I'm a mixed-race single-mother gypsy muslim gay asylum seeker and there's not a lot of love for me
haha
It's bostin' 0
