Danny Baker

Honestly, social media is the cancer of modern society. Twitter especially. Ruins careers in an instant. It should come with a health warning. Don't people think?

 

You are aware that Danny Baker routinely uses "monkey" photos (as well as Dustin Hoffman photos) on social media, right?

 

Me too. Would never have thought for a second it was racist.

 

Sad but inevitable in the circumstances. I had just discovered his Saturday morning programme on R5 Live on my drive up to Barnsley. Back to my I-pod.

 

Agreed. I couldn't give a flying f**k about anyone's "story" on instagram, it usually involves what lessons they had and what was in their lunch. Nor what folk are saying on twatter.
That said I am posting this on an internet forum but sod the irony in that

 

I don't think he meant it in the way a lot of people think (he apparently had a running joke about chimps dressing up as humans - no me neither) but it was undoubtedly a moronic thing to do in this day and age.

 

Must be on my own I find him entertains always have done his tv shows about music of the past are good as well.

 

Not funny but as far as I can see just a (bad) attempt at humour. Wouldn't have even entered my head about it being racist until I saw some of the comments on here. Honestly think some folks these days just look for a chance to be ‘offended’.
I’ve listened to his Saturday show quite a few times and he’s often banging on about monkeys dressed up, seems ridiculous to me that bit but....
Certainly wouldn't think it was a sacking offence anywhere but the BBC who take PC to ridiculous lengths, in for a bollocking maybe but thats all

 

Surely he knew it would be racially offensive before he sent it out.

 

Would you assume calling someone a cheeky monkey was racially offensive.

I wouldn't

I remember someone complaining about a referee calling a black player a cheeky monkey.

It was hair trigger professionally offended stupidity.

So is this nonsense with Baker.

 

Completely diffrent.
I'm all for a laugh and a joke I know what's funny and what isn't. Me and my mates take the piss out of each other regualy.. Imagine having a what's app group with your mates and there's people of diffrent ethnicity on the group black, white, Asian say. I wouldn't put a picture of a baby chimpanzee holding hands with adults and imply it was the royal baby. Maybe it's my sense of humour or maybe I wouldn't want to come across as a racist either.

 

Millwall behaving like Millwall. He had to go but it's double standards by the BBC after letting Alan Sugar get away with a racist tweet not that long ago.

 

He says he wasn't aware and after listening to him and reading a bit about his twitter history I believe him. There is literally no history or hint of racism in anything he has done and this tweet fits with the humour profile of previous tweets. I would say the tweet was stupid, misguided, naïve and in 2019 it is seen as racist but I believe him that he did not intend it to be racist.

 

Just heard Danny Baker being interviewed on the BBC's 5 o'clock news bulletin. He says in his view, the BBC have " thrown him under the bus" for a tweet that was meant to be humorous, but when it dawned on him that it wouldn't probably have been seen that way , he immediately took it down. Surely he must realise, that in today's "world ", to avoid being seen as to be insulting or hurtful to " anybody", you have to be extremely careful what you say or do.? We know he's used similar images as the one used in the Royal baby tweet before, but the Beeb obviously didn't see what he posted to be remotely "funny". I was once in a meeting, when the presenter raised a certain topic and divided us into groups and asked us to brainstorm and then record our collective thoughts on a flip chart he had given us. A lady at the front got up looking close to tears, left the room and didnt come back until the afternoon session. Over lunch, we were told that she had complained to the organisers about the use of the word " brainstorm", because as an epileptic , it caused her " distress". She suggested that the alternative word that should have been used was " wordstorm."

 

Nope it's exactly the same.

He was saying the royal babies being trussed up in it's Monkey Suit for the cameras. LIke the organ grinder and his dancing monkey.

Nowt to do with race - it's the proffesionally offended that have made the inference not Baker.

 

This day and age being the operative phrase. Back in the 50s, maybe even the 70s and 80s, black people were routinely called monkeys. They're not anymore, certainly not in the UK. My brain has absolutely no association between black people and monkeys. I didn't see anything racist about the Tweet at all. It simply didn't register that race had anything to do with it because there is no connection between a monkey and a black person in my mind.

I'm prepared to wager the same is true for Danny Baker. And it's not naivety, it's just that black people and monkeys have no connection at all. It's not a term of abuse, it just doesn't exist in the way I and many others think.

The fact that he's been sacked for this makes me think the racism lies with those who did the sacking. They clearly think that a monkey is a derogatory term for a black person. It isn't, a white person could just as easily be described as such in my view.

This is all so wrong.

 

Don’t be totally stupid. I have listened to Danny Baker virtually every Saturday and although I’d bet that he isn’t racist in any way, he is a prat at times. It’s not difficult to see how is tweet is offensive as he himself has now admitted. The BBC had no choice but fire him and I think he is probably not unhappy about it. He has become very jaded and repetitious in recent months and can exit in a way that fits well with his view of himself. It’s also not the first time he has been fired.
The most outrageous bit of the whole thing is that he has also tweeted that it has to be red sauce every time. Typical southerner.

 

Lots of monkey chants aimed at white footballers. I cant believe anyone with a supposed brain thinks that.

 

You think I'm stupid because I don't associate black people with monkeys?

I haven't heard a monkey chant at a football game for over 20 years. Black people being monkeys isn't part of my consciousness. I'm sorry it's part of yours.