I keep hearing how tolerant europe is, yet back in the 80s, when I was still chasing championship points on my BMX bikes, I was invited to a championship race known as the "Worlds", it traveled around the globe each year, and would take the top 10 in each class. I went to England, and one day a few of us were riding our bikes, not being rowdy, loud or rude, we were wearing our Team USA shirts. Most people were very nice, and I had a great time, but there were a few old people who went out of their way to tell us they didn't likes Yanks there and we weren't wanted, it didn't sit very well when we told them we were invited.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1171337289.jpg

Just as a thought...is it possible that the gas station incident was staged?
TG is a TV show. Incidents like the gas station confrontation provide compelling entertainment.
I have a friend in England who has sent to me every TG episode of the last 3+ years. After watching these types of challenges in previous shows, to me they appear to be scripted. If nothing had happened in Alabama, what would Clarkson, May and Hammond had to talk about. The over the top reaction at the gas station plays directly into Clarkson’s American stereotypes. Stereotypes that he routinely uses on the program to describe how fat, burger-eating Americans are ignorant and uncultured.
Jim S.

Yes you are right, the south is a land of splendid hospitality, and I have experienced it and enjoyed it in all its rich diversity.

That said, one has to draw a line - at least conceptually - between the genteel south and the cracker south.

And I'd like to take that bet if I could!

Take an extreme case: Would you rather see your gay rastafarian son (or your teenage daughter for that matter) hitchhiking through rural Alabama or through rural Provence?

I just saw the show and thought it was hilarious! I love that show....

David

You're your usual warm and fuzzy self tonight I see.

I worked though Happy Hour;) tonight.

Maybe just a wee bit:rolleyes:

This place is so freaking funny sometimes, a simple little bit of humor and WW3 breaks out!

The whole show is on YouTube. Quite amusing...

Too bad they missed this part of rural Alabama;

http://barbermuseum.org/slide/index.htm

That is an extreme- in Alabama anyway. But not a fair comparison me thinks. I don't know rural Provence enough to know what offends there. Besides, you didn't have to go that far. You could have just said a black man. Prejudice, while not as bad as it was, is still very much alive in parts of the south. But that's another topic entirely. I was talking about your average, white tourist.

I guess that's why George W is so intent on starting WWIII, Cos you were late for the last two.

MB manufactures their SUVs in Fenton, just south of Birmingham. I would think their tolerance for Germans is currently pretty high.

BTW, I didn't observe as much outrage over the perception of the south when the movie "Dukes of Hazzard" came out. From the trailers, the movie seemed like it was full of stereotypes.

If TG scripted the whole episode, shame on them. No. Shame on every one involved.

Sherwood

The whole show...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=LJwX0MfFIE4

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VsEk6eZMPMI

http://youtube.com/watch?v=N7O3TM8nq0c

http://youtube.com/watch?v=pAHrTmzS9ec

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0fZo9tlG8AY

http://youtube.com/watch?v=QxjFUJJIM_U

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kegne4kqWiU

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ncPaJVneFW4

Sorry I didn't post this earlier...

Cheers,

Paul.

just read teh whole Dutch van Ghogh en mosque stuff

now , that's true, there is "intolerance" here too, never said there wasn't
but we're talking 2 different things

1 very vocal controversial directors and politicians beeng hassled by extremist muslim terorists

2 immigrants beeing hassled by rightwing neonazi fecktards,


both are a small minority ( the ones doing the hassling)

this thread however is about Alabama and how it's apparantly dangerous to drive around with slogans about general things on yer car..because of rednecks calling "the boys" and takign care of bidness
and how that is apparantly something that ticks off the rural general population ( i say general , because they are apparantly not enough of a minority to not find em on your tail real fast) and don't go saying that this is a not general trend, because afterall, several Americans from Those parts have indicated, they wouldn't have the balls to do it , simply because it IS to dangerous...

Robert Pelton's book, The World's Most Dangerous Places, is an interesting read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World's_Most_Dangerous_Places

In an earlier edition (not sure now), one of the top danger places is.... the U.S.

FWIW,
Sherwood

Hahaha Clarkson would p!ss himself laughing at this thread! He's no stranger to the controversial and him and the production team are well aware of the international (read American) consumption of TG.

When this stuff was on TG I was thinking about the reaction on PPOT already ;)

I agree the gas station setup was almost certainly staged, but was very funny.

Make no mistake, I have no issue with Clarkeson or the show. I thought it wasn't one of his finest moments, and a bit childish, but somewhat amusing none the less. The "American/Euro car comparison" (while equally slanted) was much funnier.

My issue is when people jump on the "America the Stupid" bandwagon because of such shows and speak with authority of what they do not know. Not singleing Dottore out, but the analogy fits-hitchhiking through the deep south in the 70s hardly qualifies as the typical American experience.

As far as staged, I may be naive, but I have no reason to believe it was staged. It is exactly the response I would expect. Not everyone can just shrug off an insult when it's rubbed in their face. I think the woman was more appalled at how stupid someone could be to drive into a small southern town and insult the locals. She probably figured they were there to start trouble. I guess she was right.

Little late foor the punchline eh?

Unlike you, I won't cheapen your countries contribution to WW2. Yes, you entered the war before we did, with 16 tanks, 4 anti aircraft guns, and 5000 soldiers. You lost a lot of good men fighting for a common cause. All I can say about us and then, we didn't start the fight, but we finished it. Next time you want to insult the U.S. (as so many Canadians delight in doing) consider where Canada would be without the United States along most of it's southern border.

It's funny reading this thread as I live this stuff every day. I've lived in Alabama for 20 years this month (and lived in Tennessee for 10 years prior to that). I fully believe that what happened to Clarkson and crew wasn't staged as that is pretty much what I would have expected. I could have thought of worse things to write on the cars than they did, though, if you want to rile people up. :>) I mean "Hillary for President"? Big deal. The "man love" thing was funny, though.

Having said that, there is intolerance to people that are different everywhere. I've been in parts of cities like Cleveland, OH and Newark, NJ where I felt less than comfortable being a guy from the south.

Watch it the dagriff or we'll come up to your neighborhood and....and............LITTER!











For those who haven't seen it i think Canadian Bacon should be required viewing material before posting on this thread. Great stuff!