Danny Baker sacked

imposter2.0

DeVlaeminck wrote:

If you call 25 years ago relatively recent.

Hence the use of the word 'relatively'....

Baker's career bio is a matter of public record. Look it up.

DeVlaeminck

Imposter wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Have you attended a football match and seen a banana thrown onto a pitch?

Are you being serious? No, I've not been to a game for years. But I have seen multiple reports on national news, including actual bananas being thrown onto actual pitches, in front of actual black footballers, including some very recent within the last few weeks. Are you saying you are not aware of these incidents? And you say that I'm deluded...

So you don't go to games but you choose to comment from a position of ignorance. Yes you are deluded - there is no explosion of racism in football and if you went to games every weekend for a season you'd be unlikely to witness any racism.

DeVlaeminck

Imposter wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

If you call 25 years ago relatively recent.

Hence the use of the word 'relatively'....

Baker's career bio is a matter of public record. Look it up.

Relative to what the existence of human civilization? Just admit you had no idea 25 - years is not relatively recently.

You contradicted yourself admitting he may not have been knowingly commenting on race yet still said it couldn't be an innocent mistake - it's one or the other. Which do you believe is more likely?

imposter2.0

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Imposter wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Have you attended a football match and seen a banana thrown onto a pitch?

Are you being serious? No, I've not been to a game for years. But I have seen multiple reports on national news, including actual bananas being thrown onto actual pitches, in front of actual black footballers, including some very recent within the last few weeks. Are you saying you are not aware of these incidents? And you say that I'm deluded...

So you don't go to games but you choose to comment from a position of ignorance. Yes you are deluded - there is no explosion of racism in football and if you went to games every weekend for a season you'd be unlikely to witness any racism.

It's not necessary to go to games in order to form an understanding of events which are being regularly played out on national TV news. Did you not see the link I posted to Danny Rose's comments a week or two ago. That article also catalogues the most recent racist incidents and their increasing frequency. Slowmart also posted the latest stats from 'kickitout' a couple of posts up the thread.

If you're correct, then Danny Rose, Kickitout and lots of others are making this stuff up. Which is it?

imposter2.0

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Relative to what the existence of human civilization? Just admit you had no idea 25 - years is not relatively recently.

Not sure you've grasped what 'relatively' actually means. Baker's last job (the one he's just been fired from) was with Radio 2 and 5Live, beginning in 2008. Either way, it is relatively recently in comparison to 1977, which is when he started work as a journalist. If you want carry on splitting hairs though, I'm here for you..

DeVlaeminck wrote:

You contradicted yourself admitting he may not have been knowingly commenting on race yet still said it couldn't be an innocent mistake - it's one or the other. Which do you believe is more likely?

I haven't committed to either outcome, thereby avoiding contradicting myself. Any other tangents you want to go off on, let me know..

First.Aspect

Imposter wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

Relative to what the existence of human civilization? Just admit you had no idea 25 - years is not relatively recently.

Not sure you've grasped what 'relatively' actually means. Baker's last job (the one he's just been fired from) was with Radio 2 and 5Live, beginning in 2008. Either way, it is relatively recently in comparison to 1977, which is when he started work as a journalist. If you want carry on splitting hairs though, I'm here for you..

DeVlaeminck wrote:

You contradicted yourself admitting he may not have been knowingly commenting on race yet still said it couldn't be an innocent mistake - it's one or the other. Which do you believe is more likely?

I haven't committed to either outcome, thereby avoiding contradicting myself. Any other tangents you want to go off on, let me know..

Are you guys arguing about anything other than the degree to which you are willing to speculate?

He wouldn't be the first older person to have been caught out by using terminology or imagery that aren't any longer funny, because to some groups of society they were never funny. But I think it is very possible to be a bit snowflake about this sort of thing. It was a tweet that clearly shows his time has passed. Pity him because he is obsolete, but there are better things to focus your outrage on.

Imposter is right - this tweet made the front pages around the "inexplicably obsessed with the Royal Family" world. He's been sacked because he has embarrassed his employer. If they hadn't sacked him, the headlines would have turned to "BBC backs racist broadcaster" blah.

robert88

He was grossly incompetent, he's been found out and sacked.

Actions have consequences.

rick_chasey

I’ll ask again did he make the same joke for the other royal babies?

imposter2.0

Rick Chasey wrote:

I’ll ask again did he make the same joke for the other royal babies?

Nobody I’m aware of has gone back over his old tweets to find out, but the balance of probability seems to suggest not.

ugo.santalucia

To be honest, not being an avid celebrity magaziner reader, it never occurred to me that Megan Markle is half black... I wouldn't say by looking at her... she looks fairly white to me.
Therefore, I initially didn't even get what the fuss was all about... that said, I don't work in the media... if I did, I would probably know and would keep making safer jokes about BoJo looking like an urangutan

robert88

ugo.santalucia wrote:

To be honest, not being an avid celebrity magaziner reader, it never occurred to me that Megan Markle is half black... I wouldn't say by looking at her... she looks fairly white to me.
Therefore, I initially didn't even get what the fuss was all about... that said, I don't work in the media... if I did, I would probably know and would keep making safer jokes about BoJo looking like an urangutan

I'd say the Orangutan looks more trustworthy. I would rather lend my bicycle to the Orangutan.

rick_chasey

Imposter wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I’ll ask again did he make the same joke for the other royal babies?

Nobody I’m aware of has gone back over his old tweets to find out, but the balance of probability seems to suggest not.

Well quite.

Seems fairly improbable it was coincidence he made the joke for the first time when the royal baby is not wholly Caucasian (like it should f*cking matter anyway, ffs).

chris_bass

To say you aren't aware of monkey chants and bananas being thrown at footballers is basically absurd, i'm 35 and so my viewing of football began in the 90s, but i know of the problems that black players endures during the 70s and 80s. Bananas being thrown at John Barnes is so well known that anyone with any knowledge of football, let alone someone who has worked in the sports media, would have heard of it.

Danny Baker supports milwall, even this year the club had to shut an entire section of one of their stands following racist chanting and abuse.

I do not think he meant it in a racist way but really can't use ignorance of the issue as a defence in this case.

a bit like Wayne Hennessey claiming he didn't no what a nazi salute was - although he did get away with that excuse!

imposter2.0

Rick Chasey wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

I’ll ask again did he make the same joke for the other royal babies?

Nobody I’m aware of has gone back over his old tweets to find out, but the balance of probability seems to suggest not.

Well quite.

Seems fairly improbable it was coincidence he made the joke for the first time when the royal baby is not wholly Caucasian (like it should f*cking matter anyway, ffs).

Baker’s defence seems to be that he was completely unaware of the royals involved, although funnily enough he still had enough awareness to tweet about the ‘royal baby’ in the first place...

surrey_commuter

I think if you listen to Danny Baker and “get” his sense of humour then you know what it meant.

Saying that he should have known the reaction from the professionally outraged and has paid the price.

imposter2.0

Surrey Commuter wrote:

I think if you listen to Danny Baker and “get” his sense of humour then you know what it meant.

Saying that he should have known the reaction from the professionally outraged and has paid the price.

Presumably by ‘professionally outraged’ you mean people who don’t like the idea of mixed race children being equated with monkeys..?

Pross

Baker's Saturday morning show on 5 Live wasn't a football show. It covered all sorts of subjects and he showed he had a fairly decent general knowledge. To argue he didn't know who Markel is seems ludicrous given the amount of coverage she has received since first getting into a relationship with Harry.

Maybe he should have said he wasn't live at the birth and therefore couldn't know the baby was mixed race as he had only unverified newspaper and TV reports to go by in the same way those are apparently misleading people about racism in football.

Personally I never understood the fuss being made about the relationship. Lots of high profile white men have married women from other ethnic groups over the last 40-50 years so the suggestion that it is some sign of modernisation is a stretch. I suppose at least it stopped people focussing on yet another royal marrying a 'commoner'.

orraloon

Which one of Harry and Meghan is the commoner? Given the parentage...?

Pross

orraloon wrote:

Which one of Harry and Meghan is the commoner? Given the parentage...?

Good point, neither Diana or Hewitt were of royal blood so we are still waiting on the first mixed race royal wedding / birth.

rick_chasey

Surrey Commuter wrote:

Saying that he should have known the reaction from the professionally outraged and has paid the price.

I think that's a bit much; I don't think the monkey/black comparison really has place anywhere anymore, joke or not, wouldn't you say?

rjsterry

Pross wrote:

orraloon wrote:

Which one of Harry and Meghan is the commoner? Given the parentage...?

Good point, neither Diana or Hewitt were of royal blood so we are still waiting on the first mixed race royal wedding / birth.

Can't believe that story is still doing the rounds when Harry so obviously looks like a Windsor.

Matthewfalle

Tangled Metal wrote:

He claimed that he didn't know one of the parents was mixed race, indeed that it read Ms Markle. He thought it was another royal couple. I guess that's why he didn't realise it could be seen as racist. I guess a monkey child image if the child and parents are white has a different connotation. He said he knew a lot about football but nothing about royals, not his area of expertise.

Believable or not?

If you don't follow royals could you still not know Markle was mixed race and it was her baby that was born? I must admit it was only a little while before their marriage that I found out she was the daughter of a black woman and white father. I hadn't really seen any photos, perhaps one or two and just thought she could be of a Hispanic ethnicity.

so....

he's trying to say that although he is 25 years + working in the industry and living in britain he doesn't know markel's racial background?

idiot of trumpian proportions.

Matthewfalle

Imposter wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

I think if you listen to Danny Baker and “get” his sense of humour then you know what it meant.

Saying that he should have known the reaction from the professionally outraged and has paid the price.

Presumably by ‘professionally outraged’ you mean people who don’t like the idea of mixed race children being equated with monkeys..?

SC seems to have a history of racially & socially charged posting so this sort of hits form really.

surrey_commuter

Imposter wrote:

DeVlaeminck wrote:

If you call 25 years ago relatively recent.

Hence the use of the word 'relatively'....

Baker's career bio is a matter of public record. Look it up.

Your interpretation of his bio is very generous. He was a print journalist on NME, his current affairs work was at the Esther Rantzen end of the market.

The spurs fan threw a banana skin which to me he threw what he had to hand rather than a premeditated act.

surrey_commuter

Matthewfalle wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

I think if you listen to Danny Baker and “get” his sense of humour then you know what it meant.

Saying that he should have known the reaction from the professionally outraged and has paid the price.

Presumably by ‘professionally outraged’ you mean people who don’t like the idea of mixed race children being equated with monkeys..?

SC seems to have a history of racially & socially charged posting so this sort of hits form really.

Go on then fvckwit drag up a racially charged posting

orraloon

Hey hey, popcorn time. Go on you 2, brighten up a foggy Friday morning...

surrey_commuter

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

Saying that he should have known the reaction from the professionally outraged and has paid the price.

I think that's a bit much; I don't think the monkey/black comparison really has place anywhere anymore, joke or not, wouldn't you say?

My point is that he was not making that comparison. He was an idiot for presenting others with the opportunity to make it for him.

ugo.santalucia

Robert88 wrote:

I'd say the Orangutan looks more trustworthy. I would rather lend my bicycle to the Orangutan.

But that is true for any animal Vs politician contest...

Pross

rjsterry wrote:

Pross wrote:

orraloon wrote:

Which one of Harry and Meghan is the commoner? Given the parentage...?

Good point, neither Diana or Hewitt were of royal blood so we are still waiting on the first mixed race royal wedding / birth.

Can't believe that story is still doing the rounds when Harry so obviously looks like a Windsor.

Of course but sometimes it's hard to resist. He also looks like Mark Renshaw and Ed Sheeran so maybe Charles was a busy boy.

The main point I was making though is that the sign of a modernised royal family would be if there was no comment made on who they choose as their partners. Although that is possibly unfair as it seems to be the media who make all the noise about it.

rick_chasey

Surrey Commuter wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Surrey Commuter wrote:

Saying that he should have known the reaction from the professionally outraged and has paid the price.

I think that's a bit much; I don't think the monkey/black comparison really has place anywhere anymore, joke or not, wouldn't you say?

My point is that he was not making that comparison. He was an idiot for presenting others with the opportunity to make it for him.

If the joke isn't a racist joke, then what is the joke?

As per above, that he's only made the joke now and not for any of the other royal babies suggests that an unfortunate coincidence is really pretty unlikely.