Mexican Embassy Urges Top Gear Presenters to Apologize for Insults.
When it comes to polemic declarations made on TV, one can't help but let most of them go; after all it is television. In a medium as diverse as television, in which every possible declaration can be made by people from all the different strata of society, comments are hardly dangerous. However, when these comments come from TV pundits who have a vast amount of viewers from all around the world, and who are – to some extent – considered apt and quick with their thoughts, the comments become tasteless and utterly hurtful.
Top Gear, arguably the most popular car TV show, known for its humorous style and unconventional experiments, was the target of complaints from Mexico's ambassador in London, Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza, after the show presenters referred to Mexicans as lazy, feckless, flatulent and overweight, among other things. Ambassador Medina urged Hammond, the show presenters and the BBC, to apologize for what he says are “offensive”, “xenophobic” and “humiliating” remarks.
The name-calling began when the presenters were about to discuss a Mexican sports car, the Mastretta MXT. Richard Hammond began by saying: "Why would you want a Mexican car? Because cars reflect national characteristics, don't they? Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat." The other presenters went on by calling Mexican food "re-fried sick“, and even the embassy was insulted when they said the ambassador wouldn't even find out about the invective because he would be sleeping.
After this, the Mexican ambassador wrote to the BBC: "The presenters of the program resorted to outrageous, vulgar and inexcusable insults to stir bigoted feelings against the Mexican people, their culture as well as their official representative in the United Kingdom."
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