[islero]

Steeroid, not to continue the argument or something ( actually I am), but his ( and Topgear's and the rest of british automobile journalists') battering of American cars is a little justified by the fact that most american cars of the 70's and 80's, and at least up to the mid nineties I think, really were not very good, excepting a few.
Brits generally dont take well to any car outside Europe, except the recent japan-car boom, and this guy is just a extreme example of that.
I agree, he does totally blabber at times, but he's just a good entertainer in the guise of a journalist. And a really, really, lucky guy.

[ported_head]

No, Russia's youngest millionaire, Nikolay Smolenski.

You can read more here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3932531.stm

[Aditya]

Every person on this planet has his share of lovers and haters. Jeremy Clarkson is no exception. If chaps like Schumi and Senna are not spared, JC kya hai?
I happen to be a big fan of Jeremy because I love his humour and "have a go at anyone" style. Personally, I don't think he is biased. IMO, he says lots of things just to make the programme more interesting.

[Deeps]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

If flamboyance and the ability to be in the news for the wrong reasons is the sole criteria for greatness, Juan Pablo Montoya is the greatest F1 driver of all time.

Utter BS!

I dont understand why people make such a big fuss about JC. As adya said, its his show and his audience. He says exactly the things that the Brits want to hear. If you want technical, unbiased views on cars then simply wqatch something else. And if people get offended by his comments then its their problem not JC's.

And abt the asian car issue, i remember watching that particular episode. If you look at the cars from a european perspective then yes they are cheap rubbish. But from an Indian perspective the same cars could be brilliant. And can any of you contest his statement that the cars that were tested had shoddy build quality and high depreciation?

[jkdas]

emm, and so called brit cars haev a high resale value?

and that means optra has a very bad resale value there too with teh new badging?

mate its just that he said what he brits wanna hear, alright. but soem of us felt bad tahts all. we are against him coz we all wanna hear so (like brits like what he says)

a similar thing happened about bikers and ...tehr http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takea...ltl=1131998232

Note from the Admin : Please post in full and proper english. I suggest reading the board rules before proceeding any further

[ananthkamath]

Guys everyone just chill. JC should be considered as nothing more than a stand-up comedian albeit one whose subjects are automobile-specific. Thats why his views (sic) seem obnoxious most of the time. He's a clown-in-mufti, thats it.

[sajo]

Originally Posted by jkdas

and that means optra has a very bad resale value there too with teh new badging?

In the Indian context, yes, they do have good resale value. But in Europe, where the choices are far more (and better) than the ones we have here, its a different story. Asian cars (non Japanese) there serve one purpose only, and that is being cheap and affordable. These Korean and Malaysian hatches (and sedans) may be good here, but compared to Europe's finest (Golf, Euro Focus), they are a bit ho hum.
And coming back to JC, its his opiniated and brash style that has made me such a big fan of his.

[adya33]

Originally Posted by jkdas

emm, and so called brit cars haev(EDIT: have) a high resale value?

and that means optra has a very bad resale value there too with teh(EDIT: the) new badging?

mate its just that he said what he brits wanna hear, alright. but soem(EDIT: some) of us felt bad tahts(EDIT:thats) all. we are against him coz we all wanna hear so (like brits like what he says)

a similar thing happened about bikers and ...tehr(EDIT: there) http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takea...ltl=1131998232

How many time should it be reminded that its JC's show, if it offends you that much don't watch it no one is forcing you
but asking JC (or anyone as a matter of fact) to say what you want to hear is utter rubbish
what happened to freedom of speech?

[Technocrat]

Hmm I personally like his style of Automobile journalism; He makes it more exciting with all his expressions & witty comments especially for the not so technical people like me

At the end you can either hate him or like him but it seems you can’t ignore him

@adya33: Dang man I did a spell check before posting

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Technocrat

@adya33: Dang man I did a spell check before posting

and ended up exceeding the smiley limit! hehe... jus kidding.

Anyways, good that this thread got opened. There wasnt much action happening anywhere else.

As for JC and his views, its pure entertainment for us. If brits take him seriously, thats no skin off our backs! If Blair could take Bush seriously then you should not really expect much from them.

Cheers
Amitoj

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by amitoj

If Blair could take Bush seriously then you should not really expect much from them.

Blair takes Bush seriously so that he can get a comfy retirement job at the Carlyle Corporation Linky ...you really should give Brits more credit than the likes of JC. He's American in behaviour, even if his language is British.

[Boom Shiva]

I think the guy is fun to watch. I always liked Brit humour.

In a way, he also puts things into perspective. Out here all we get to see is substandard cars, until we end up believing that crap is good. That's why you get people praising Indigo and Accent Crdi and all kinds of cars that you wouldn't even spit on if you were abroad (sorry to the owners, but it's true, at least for me). I mean, face it, out here people aspire to own a Skoda RS, like it's a poor man's Ferrari or something. Placed in a global context, the RS is more like the poor man's taxi.

I know that being in India, we're bound by our economy and are forced to live with what's handed out to us. But it's nice to get a perspective from someone who has experienced the best cars the world has to offer. Otherwise we'll happily put up with crap forever.

...also, he's damn funny.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

you really should give Brits more credit than the likes of JC. He's American in behaviour, even if his language is British.

Sorry no credit. Apna policy "Aaj Nakad Kal Udhaar".

Anyways, what JC is doin is also to get a nice comfy retirement. And if its his anti-asian stand that ticks u off, there aint much u can do about that. But, and let me quote Nietzsche here:
"He who fights monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster."

Cheers
Amitoj

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by amitoj

But, and let me quote Nietzsche here:
"He who fights monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster."

Well spake, O Zarathustra!

But will you then let monsters roam about freely? Philosophy is fine, but one has to draw a line somewhere.

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

But will you then let monsters roam about freely? Philosophy is fine, but one has to draw a line somewhere.

Well, you are free to come up with a fatwa-esque bounty for his head! I think thats still legal in some parts of the world.

But "frankly my dear, i dont give a damn!" I just cant get bothered about each n every person who is not able to give due respect to something that i value.

As for philosophy, I read somewhere that ordinary people talk about other people, smart people talk about events and intellectuals talk about ideas. Now aint that somethin to think about!

Cheers
Amitoj