Video: Jeremy Clarkson hates the G-WIZ electric car

[Peakster]

A rather unflattering review of the G-Wiz electric car available in Europe:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quHzOK9chx8&NR=1

Man, that thing goes that slow from a stop? Somehow I think it's exaggerated.

"If you want to get to work quickly, get a table."

"Environmentally friendly acid there."

[Gone4]

That was pretty funny. I wasn't expecting the table to win the crash test so well!

[MetroMPG]

Clarkson is a riot. If it's not loud enough to scare children and small animals, or if it can't peel his face off from the g forces in a corner, he doesn't like it.

FYI, here's an actual speed test of a G-Wiz/Reva electric:

[YOUTUBE]http://youtube.com/v/sTLg_tDGzeo[/YOUTUBE]

0-31 mph in 21 seconds. "NOT BAD!" the owner shouts. That's debatable. But it beats the pants off the ForkenSwift (36 seconds).

And it's pretty dubious to extrapolate that into a 0-62 mph time.

[Peakster]

The ForkenSwift can only do 0-50km/h in 36 seconds?? Why? It doesn't seem that slow in your videos.

[MetroMPG]

Short answer: the controller. It's limited to a max of 225A, which at 48 volts is about 12 hp (with other losses factored in). And it only peaks around 200A for a second or two each time you upshift, so it's not delivering peak power continuously.

I actually have a video of my 7 year old nephew literally outrunning (on foot) the ForkenSwift in a flat out drag race. Takes me about 50 feet to overtake him.

[Peakster]

Originally Posted by MetroMPG

I actually have a video of my 7 year old nephew literally outrunning (on foot) the ForkenSwift in a flat out drag race.

And WHY haven't I seen this on you ForkenSwift channel on YouTube yet?! It sounds priceless.

[MetroMPG]

Oh, it'll be up there eventually. Too many irons in too many fires is all.

[Clark]

Do you think Michael Richards (of Seinfeld-fame) is generally a funny comedian? Focusing on a particular standup comedy routine, do you think he was funny when he directed racial epithets at a specific class of people? Whether you answer "yes" or "no" to those questions, Richards has the free speech rights to say whatever he wants, even if it offends a class of people.

But in reaction to Richards' "statements", people that were offended by what Richards said exercised their right to disassociate themselves from his offensive speech. By doing so, they exercised something mightier than censorship, they exercised their right to spend their money elsewhere. At this very moment Richards can still say whatever offensive utterance he wants, and he can do it with full protection of the First Amendment, but most people will respond with "not on my dime." Since he can't get a gig, Richards no longer has any opportunity to offend the very audience paying his wages.

We Americans are currently embroiled in a similar situation with Jeremy Clarkson. If you believe he's funny, and aren't offended that he hates you because you're an American, then watch his television show. You may delude yourself in whatever fantasy convincing yourself he doesn't really hate you ("it's tongue-in-cheek", "he's really just jealous", "it's British humor", etc.), but know this fact: he hates Americans, and this means you.

If you think he's offensive, and it's obvious I do, then you need to do something that will allow him to continue exercising his right to spew his hatred of everything/everyone American, while also showing your strength as a consumer. Boycott his television show and tell every station that runs his show that you're doing so. Boycott the sponsors of his television shows, and tell them that you're doing so. Get others of a like mind to do the same thing (that's why I'm doing this). If enough people will "do something", he'll get the point soon enough and he'll either apologize, or he'll go on spewing his hate...but not on my dime.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"I hate the Americans." - "Don't Stop Me Now", written by Jeremy Clarkson

"If you're thinking of coming to America, this is what it's like: You've got your Comfort Inn, you've got your Best Western, and you've got your Red Lobster where you eat. Everybody's very fat, everybody's very stupid, and everybody is very rude. It's not the holiday program, it's the truth."- Jeremy Clarkson

"If this were America, it would be full of people doing... whatever it is they do. Incest, mostly, I think." - Jeremy Clarkson while comparing a rural British village with a rural American village

"...I mean, the Americans are good for a lot of things, incest mostly..." - Jeremy Clarkson

"America: 250 million wankers living in a country with no word for wanker" - Jeremy Clarkson

"Most Americans barely have the brains to walk on their back legs." - Jeremy Clarkson

"In some parts of America they've actually started mating with vegetables." - Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear's Big American Road Trip

"They're made in America, of course, so that fat Yanks can go to the fridge without expending any energy." - Jeremy Clarkson while driving a Segway

"You see, the thing about putting a nice big engine like this on is for one big reason: weight, alot of weight. this big thing weighs nearly 600 pounds, which is the same as putting a whole american on the back" - Jeremy Clarkson

But mostly, I suspect the people who move from Britain to the States do so because they are interested in guns and murdering. - Jeremy Clarkson

"So why, you may be wondering, do I own a Ford GT? That's simple. The body is British, the gearbox is British, the steering rack is from an Aston, the chassis was set up by a couple of guys from Lotus, the wheels are German and the brakes are Italian. The power is American, yes, but it's tamed and sophisticated by Europeans. It's a metaphor, in other words, for the perfect world." - Jeremy Clarkson

[Katana]

I find some people offensive, but i just choose to ignore them, or make fun of them in turn. Boycotting is the example you make, which is a good one as it hits people where it hurts, in the bank balance. Although "Boycott the sponsors of his television shows" won't work as Top Gear doesn't have any, no BBC television program does, the BBC is funded by the Television Licence, which is basically a tax for anyone who owns a TV and is enforced by Licensing Agency with large fines and prison time for not paying.

In case you didn't know Top Gear is completely scripted, all of it, including the bits that appear to be improvised.

As for Clarkson he just puts attitudes in public a lot of British people have about Americans (although slightly exaggerated for comic effect), that you are all lazy, fat, gun toting, religious nut cases who'd shoot you or sue you for offending them in any way. I don't really hold those views myself, i talk to fair amount of Americans on forums and chat rooms and find them to be mostly pleasant and like most people you meet in the world.

British comedians consider Americans and American culture fair game to be ridiculed for comedy quite a lot. I was watching one comedy panel show yesterday where the question was "What is the correct term for a person from America?" Obese, Burger eating invasion monkeys, was the answer given by one to thunderous laughter.
I'm sure Americans have jokes and stereotypes about Britain and it's people as well. The only one i know of is the one about British people all having bad teeth, which i still don't get. I don't have a right not to be offended by anyone, free speech guarantees that. I guess some people don't have a thick skin when it comes to insults and arguments.

As for the G-Wiz as well, it's an ugly, unsafe piece of crap as evidenced by it's run in with the table in that clip. I kind of admire someone for trying to be the first with a production electric "car" available on a cynical market. It's not a car in British motor vehicle law, it's classed as a quadricycle, in the same category as dune buggies and quad bikes, that way it doesn't have to meet basic passenger safety standards as a car would have to.

[Clark]

Dear Katana,

Thanks for the reply. I am directing my thoughts at Americans that watch BBC America and other American broadcast stations where advertising saturates every program. While I understand boycotting would have no effect there in Britain, it would/will have an effect on advertisement driven (no pun intended) programs here.

I agree with your summation on humor and thick skin, but there is no humor intended by Clarkson. His statements are based on hatred; he gleefully said so himself. More importantly, he is not a comedian, he's a journalist. He is not performing a comedy routine or telling jokes. He is stating his opinions (not as a joke), and those opinions happen to be very funny to many British (which is fine with me).

Even if Clarkson were making jokes (and not merely expressing opinions), those jokes would be based on his avowed hatred of Americans, and the same offensiveness would hold true.

If making people laugh was a valid reason for expressing an avowed hate (whether expressed as an opinion or as a joke), African Americans would have no reason to complain about jokes directed at them, Mexican Americans would have no reason to complain about jokes directed at them, Chinese Americans would have no reason to complain about jokes directed at them, Japanese Americans would have no reason to complain about jokes directed at them, and so on. Is the skin of blacks (et al.) too thin - after all, it's just a joke? No, the hatred that gives rise to statements, let alone jokes, against others is intolerable.

If Clarkson were making pointed jokes that were tongue-in-cheek, with an edge of truth, I would not be doing this. If Clarkson said he didn't hate American/Americans, I would not be doing this. But don't be fooled: he's not "taking the mickey" in good fun or reading scripts prepared by others. He states the same hatred whether it's on Top Gear, in his book, or in his newspaper articles.

His opinions, erroneously taken as jokes and barbs, are intended as INSULTS. Your point is well taken: "...he just puts attitudes in public a lot of British people have about Americans...." Granting to you that's true, then those that find his statements funny are those who know their attitudes of contempt shouldn't expressed in public.

Are you wondering why I'm doing this? Here's a bit of background: I've been married to a beautiful British woman for 21 years (and her teeth are adorable). While I know it's politically incorrect in Britain to have such pride, our children (17, 15 and 12) take great pride in their British roots, just as they are equally proud of their American roots. As part of exposing them to their British roots, we thought our kids would enjoy watching some British programs. At first, my wife and I quizzically looked at each other when we heard Clarkson's statements. When it became even obvious to the kids, we knew we had to stop watching. It would have stopped there, but many of my son's friends also knew of BBC America's Top Gear and they focused their feelings of insult on him.

I'm not telling Clarkson to stop, he's entitled to express himself. I'm just asking others to stop enabling him.