Comments on: Morning Cup of Links: Digits of Death

By: Jordan

Jordan — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:34:41 +0000

Hyacinth, Top Gear isn’t a “reality show”. It’s a car show hosted by three British men who like to make people laugh. I know nothing about cars and absolutely hate nearly all reality shows (with the exception of Project Runway) and love Top Gear.

On another note, that guy isn’t great at everything, mostly just at jumping. He probably isn’t to hot when it comes to quantum physics. Of course, neither am I, and in my dreams I rarely do particle physics but regularly run around jumping off of things. Usually only when chased, though. And I usually get caught.

By: BDWG

BDWG — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:18:46 +0000

that armonica is ri-donk-ulous.

reCaptcha=special deftness

I thought it was fitting.

By: n2y2

n2y2 — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:37:28 +0000

So many of you need to:

1) Become more familiar with Top Gear’s MO, and

2) Actually watch the episode that is being discussed.

It was definitely NOT a group of wayward teenagers that is attacking them. It was a bunch of full fledged adults who quizzically had nothing to do mid-day on in the middle of the week. They arrived in a moment’s notice when the middle-aged woman spoken about said that she was going to call the “Boys”. They showed up armed and obviously meant harm.

Those rocks that were being thrown were not pebbles; they were golf and baseball sized. The fear of hosts and crew was not faked – they ran for their lives.

Upon watching, I thought that there would be some arrests made. The perps faces are plainly visible, but apparently there was no legal action taken. Not only that, the State Department suspended Top Gear’s filming permit in the US. They mention it on a later show filmed on the West coast. (Although the official reason given had to do with roadkill – you have to watch to understand)

Also, this was only a small part of that one hour show. The article mentions nothing of how genuinely touched they are when they arrive in post-Katrina New Orleans or the fact that they did what they could to help a local charity.

By: crocostimpy

crocostimpy — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:35:09 +0000

Zach, if you haven’t seen the episode perhaps you should seek it out on the internet somewhere and watch it before you comment about what you think happened or didn’t happen. I’ve seen the episode several times, and while I find it very funny (from an entertainment point of view), I would also say that they got what they deserved, considering what they set out to do.

By: Zach

Zach — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:37:03 +0000

I have no illusions about the south. What I cannot believe is that some random town in Alabama was able to organize a systematic genocide of an English camera crew off the fly. The way the article made it sound, I half expected jiggling white orbs to bounce across a field to capture them. What I can believe is that a few drunk teenagers started throwing rocks at them and waving hunting rifles around to scare them.

By: Mama9cats

Mama9cats — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:39:23 +0000

I remember watching the ‘Beast with Five Fingers’ movie when I was little-bitty, home alone late in the evening before my mom got home from work. I was so scared! I pulled my feet up on the sofa, lest that creepy hand come crawling out from under the furniture – and from that point on, for a very long time, I was checking under the furniture and in the closets before locking myself in if I was home alone! To this day, if there is a scary movie on tv, I cannot keep my feet on the floor.

By: LO

LO — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:09:58 +0000

I love Top Gear, it’s one of my favorite shows, but even I have to admit that was a stupid idea. When you understand the humor of the county and culture you grew up in it’s easier to get away with things like that. But going into unfamiliar territory and “hoping” people would find it funny is asking for trouble.

By: Jo

Jo — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:28:32 +0000

Top Gear has, by now, come back to the us for another road trip, this one one from San Francisco to Utah. In that one, the US comes across far better. In the deep south episode, I find it plausible both that locals reacted in that way and that Brits simply wouldn’t realize how inflammatory they were being in the local vernacular. They were trying to be “offensive,” yes, but only mildly so, ala their “NASCAR sucks” paint job. As much as the BBC plans, sometimes things don’t work quite as they expect they will.

By: Hyacinth

Hyacinth — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:22:37 +0000

@Tracie and others, I agree. Also, they wouldn’t want us going to Cornwall and creating hate and discontent. Of course, they are getting what they want… media play.

By: Hyacinth

Hyacinth — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:20:34 +0000

Never heard of Top Gear. Sounds like yet another ridiculous premise for a “reality” show. And while you’re out there being REAL, be sure to create and incite as much drama, hate, and discontent as possible. Reality ain’t real. Not in TV-land anyway.