Good afternoon!
Homework this week involves you reading the following article:
www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/2011/feb/05/top-gear-offensive-steve-coogan
'Top Gear' is a popular UK show about cars and motoring (you can undoubtedly find clips aplenty on YouTube if you're curious). Its three presenters are popular and well known for their irreverent/offensive sense of humour.
Recently they caused a stir by coming out with some statements which were interpreted as racist.
Steve Coogan (the guy who wrote the article linked to above) is a popular comic actor in the UK; he's been in a few Hollywood movies too, but he's best known for his ability to create and perform very distinctive comic characters such as Alan Partridge and Paul Calf. He also does stand up comedy. He's also a fan of 'Top Gear', and he's been on the show several times.
Please read the article, and think about it. (You may need to look up the meaning of some of the words.) There are links provided in the article to other sites (such as the BBC's apology).
Now answer the following questions USING FULL SENTENCES THAT MAKE SENSE EVEN IF THE READER DOESN'T HAVE THIS LIST OF QUESTIONS TO REFER BACK TO:
1) What did Jeremy Clarkson and his co-presenters say that offended people?
2) Why does Steve Coogan think Clarkson and his friends would be much less likely to mock Kosher food or Islamic fundamentalists?
3) Why does Steve Coogan feel that the BBC's response, which refers to long-standing British attitudes towards the French and Germans, was dishonest and missed the point?
4) Explain the meanings of the following words and phrases:
- flatulent
- feckless
- half-wit
- bestows
- eclectic
- maverick
- overzealous
- mealy-mouthed
- prosperous
5) In your opinion, were the remarks made by Jeremy Clarkson and his friends racist or not? Please explain why you think this, and substantiate your opinion. (Think about the kind of persuasive language that we have been using in Debate Club).
Oh! Incidentally, I forgot to mention this morning, but our Debate Club Topic for next week is to discuss the pros and cons of young people using Facebook.
