Danny Baker sacked

[malumbu]

Silly boy but was it a sacking offence? Nothing explicitly racist in the picture but something not wise to do. I don't believe in 'politically correctness gone mad' because we never need to return to dark time of homophobia, racism etc (dangers in the swing to populist leaders). I've posted on racism in football, and met a black manager who was once feted by fans wearing afro wigs and some even blacked up. He didn't take offence but 17 years later we'd all shudder. And talking of offensive Harry in the SS uniform?

[alice]

Yes it is.

[DuncanW]

I like Danny Baker, he's very good at his job.

But no-one is going to stay working at the Beeb after posting that, and rightly so.

I recognise he almost certainly didn't mean it that way, but he should have known better.

[diable rouge]

DuncanW Wrote:

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> But no-one is going to stay working at the Beeb

> after posting that, and rightly so.

I wouldn't have a problem with that if the Beeb didn't give a platform for known racist organisations like Generation Identity, yet they do...

[diable rouge]

DB has made many references of chimps dressed up with respect to mocking 'posh people'. The difference this time being it could be alluded as having racial overtones because of the royal baby's mixed raced heritage. It's unfortunate that we've allowed what a small minority use as a racist term to hijack how we communicate in general, in that referencing a monkey/chimp etc with respect to a black/mixed race person is now unequivocally deemed as being racist.

I once bought some white friends a 'Cheeky Monkey' t-shirt for their new born. If I do the same for some black friends would that be seen as racist?

Should school trips to the zoo avoid looking at the monkey enclosure for fear of being called racist towards black/mixed race children?

Context and intent is everything, and in DB's case IMO he wasn't being racist and therefore shouldn't have been sacked for that reason, and I'm sure that not foreseeing the inferred racial overtones is a sacking offence either...

[DulwichFox]

Never found the likes of Danny Baker and the other ignoramus Russell Brand funny.

Baker should know better but knows he would normally get away with it.

Went too far for the BBC this time.

[Angelina]

He should have known better.

[JohnL]

Standard says 'Baker allegedly was ?given a lecture which I terminated after about 30 seconds with a couple of words that I?ll leave you to fill in.?'

That's almost resignation - if your boss gives you a lecture you listen politely (or at least pretend to)

[seenbeen]

It wasn't even properly funny

[DuncanW]

I have never heard of Generation Identity

I consume a fair amount of BBC News Media

[holloway]

Danny baker is a big football fan and would be acutely aware of the recent monkey chant abuse received by black football players. He must surely have known what the response to his tweet would have been. I find it genuinely shocking

[diable rouge]

DuncanW Wrote:

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> I have never heard of Generation Identity

>

> I consume a fair amount of BBC News Media

They were given a platform to speak on Newsnight after the Christchurch massacre. Since I replied to your last comment I noticed the Beeb has an article about them on their main news feed page. It's not highlighted now but still appears in the most watched list...https://www.bbc.co.uk/news

[JohnL]

diable rouge Wrote:

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> DuncanW Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

>

> > But no-one is going to stay working at the Beeb

> > after posting that, and rightly so.

>

> I wouldn't have a problem with that if the Beeb

> didn't give a platform for known racist

> organisations like Generation Identity, yet they

> do...

A BBC reporter tried to suck up to a Dutchman in a Generation Identity TShirt and the Dutchman jumped away in horror "BBC F*** Off"

Maybe they'll learn.

[malumbu]

Happy Birthday to You, you belong down the zoo, you look like a monkey and smell like one too. (what we sang in the playground)

Cheeky monkey (friendly catch phrase probably from the 50s)

I want to speak to the organ minder not the monkey (classic insult about someone's intelligence, not PC but not racist)

Monkey bike/bars/shoes/nuts - various items I've had in the past

I'm an ape man, Stop that Gibbon, novelty pop songs from the 70s. Arctic Monkeys - band that were briefly good. Blow Monkeys - pretentious band from the 80s. The Gorillas. Pretentious band from the 00s and 10s. Steve Gibbons - pub rocker from the 70s onward.

Go Ape - theme park.

PG Tips chimps, Johnny whathisface monkey, the monkey in that Channel 5 programme with Suggs

None of it is racist. DB isn't racist. He was foolish and perhaps reflective of how celebs and others want to share instantaneously with the masses and risk massive faux pas.

Comment on my racism in football thread, which similarly suggests we are over-reacting - whilst not dismissing genuine issues in society.

I might also call it crazy, or mad, without meaning to offend those with mental health issues.

As a secular republican I am quite happy to mock, whilst not hating. Here's an amusing sketch, originally posted by someone else on this site.

(disclaimer, sorry for the use of the p..f word)

[TheCat]

diable rouge Wrote:

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> DB has made many references of chimps dressed up

> with respect to mocking 'posh people'. The

> difference this time being it could be alluded as

> having racial overtones because of the royal

> baby's mixed raced heritage. It's unfortunate that

> we've allowed what a small minority use as a

> racist term to hijack how we communicate in

> general, in that referencing a monkey/chimp etc

> with respect to a black/mixed race person is now

> unequivocally deemed as being racist.

> I once bought some white friends a 'Cheeky Monkey'

> t-shirt for their new born. If I do the same for

> some black friends would that be seen as racist?

> Should school trips to the zoo avoid looking at

> the monkey enclosure for fear of being called

> racist towards black/mixed race children?

> Context and intent is everything, and in DB's case

> IMO he wasn't being racist and therefore shouldn't

> have been sacked for that reason, and I'm sure

> that not foreseeing the inferred racial overtones

> is a sacking offence either...

This. Totally agreed. The irony is that it is often those who claim offense who are the ones to have 'recognised' the racial undertones, where the original poster was oblivious.

Not always...but we've lost an ability to rationally judge within a context...nowaydays, we just react first....

[Sue]

holloway Wrote:

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> Danny baker is a big football fan and would be

> acutely aware of the recent monkey chant abuse

> received by black football players. He must surely

> have known what the response to his tweet would

> have been. I find it genuinely shocking

I find it shocking too.

He absolutely deserved to be sacked.

[malumbu]

Can we have some proper informed comment not knee jerk Guardian reader nonsense please. Some of what I am reading is so pompous. Football fans are more and more like the residents of East Dulwich rather than old school thugs. Irrespective of this football as has society is totally changed to the days that I, and Danny B, would have been familiar with in the 70s. Monkey Chants are from a tiny minority of morons, whether truly racist or doing it for impact/effect - and the media fans these flames. I still eat bananas after seeing 100s of them thrown on the pitch during the late 70s. The irony is that KM has little African Caribbean physical attributes, and offspring even less, making it difficult for even the most ardent racist to use slurs. The colour of her/his skin is neither here nor there, and I expect that they have far more important things to care about. Is East Dulwich really that po-faced?

Oh how shocking.

[Lynne]

Mocking a new born baby is funny?

[TheCat]

Lynne Wrote:

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> Mocking a new born baby is funny?

Yes...its the baby that's being mocked. Not the institution in which it was born into at all, just the baby.....who doesn't love mocking an innocent newborn....

Good grief. Talk about working hard to find the offence......

[Lynne]

Don't have to work hard not to want your child mocked. Wouldn't care for it myself

[diable rouge]

Whooosh!...

[malumbu]

I also found these dreadful pictures of people celebrating the royal birth. Obviously good friends of DB. Apols if I got my royal princesses mixed up.

[This is actually a separate point as the guys are dressed up in honour of one of the players, who took no offence]

[malumbu]

I understand that DB was not available for Question Time tonight so they had to get Nige in to deputise for him, being a more moderate alternative.

I've undercovered more racist slurs - which look very much condoned by that hard line fascist paper the Indie www.independent.co.uk/voices/meghan-markle-prince-harry-engaged-royal-wedding-monarch-queen-elizabeth-taxpayers-expenses-civil-a8077721.html

The Big Ears Marries Noddy headline frightens me as being anti German and Greek (Charles' lineage) and worse still the headline Parasite Marries Scrounger referring to the wedding of Andy and Fergie - the latter being 10% eskimo.

Hopefully all involved will end up in the Tower, eventually with their heads on poles.

Oh I do miss the time when we could be more open in taking the mick out of the Royals.

[eskimo was just to get you frothing further at the mouth, I meant Inuit, innit.]

[KidKruger]

Baker wasn't being racist. That would be professional suicide and if he wanted to leave the BBC / threaten his broadcasting career he could do so without having to cause a stir and potentially offending people.

He was being consistent with his previous mocking of privilege / using monkeys as caricatures.

But the BBC (massively pro-royal) will not be seen to allow commentary which could be (construed as) disrespectful of the royals and they have made this clear to all by sacking Baker.

Looking for offence is an industry these days and this one was easy pickings for those seeking to find it.

Personally, I think its a bit OTT to sack him, but it's their organisation and they've done what they see fit.

[civilservant]

your contributions to the forum are (usually) thoughtful and considered, so coming out in support of DB, malumbu? really?

he could have thought a bit harder before he pressed Enter, don't you think?

this wasn't about poking fun at sitting ducks like Beatrice or Eugenie - not so long ago, this new kid would have been tucked away somewhere as a dark family secret (i use the word deliberately!) and if DB couldn't see that there was cause to celebrate this particular birth - well, what can i say?

anyway, people who trouser taxpayers' money must accept the risks that come with that, even if they've been a professional jackass all their lives (and given that the BBC broadcasts The Windsors, its bar isn't really as high as all that)

and of course, organisations are always on the lookout for legit ways to clear out expensive deadwood, so maybe DB just walked into it...