twain":39sfweer said:
thing is, a lot of Top Gear haters these days, were Top Gear lovers.....
think that speaks a lot about how the show's 'evolved'.....or how we've gotten old....(albeit - along with the presenters)
I think you've called it dead bang, there - well summed up.
Personally, I don't hate that it's not like the truly original series, with beardy bloke and nerdism - although in fairness, I could watch that too. I quite liked the reboot. What has become hateful, to me, is that in order to extend their metaphor, and continually up the ante in order to appeal to their demographs of "apes" they feel they have to contnually try and be funny with supposed edgy or controversial humour and antagonistic comments.
It's that fakery - like I've always said, entertainment rarely works, for adults, when you can see the wires - it's that aspect that has turned me away from it. Not the irreverence, smoking tyres, wierd competitions, and wanton destruction of caravans. The fun and the enthusiasm are the things I actually like - and indeed, some of them still produce some fine TV programmes in their own right. But the being a shock-jock for pay, especially when you get the feeling they don't actually have any true belief in what they're saying, they're doing it purely because it's in the script, and that gets them ratings - that's just pushed it a step too far for me.
It's all just "Remaining men together" - to make a very obscure reference to Fight Club.
I don't hate Clarkson - I don't even dislike him being a baffoon for pay - same with The Hamster - I just can't stand the way their faked, cynical, hyperbole is lapped up, really - and by that I mean the scripted, ever-so-controversial socio-politico comments - with just enough tang to be controversial, but nothing more than that which would make them potentially have to dole up some mumbling, insincere, just-as-fake, apology.
But here's the real kicker - who are these utter mugs that buy it all - that make out that Clarkson and The Help are just keeping it real, saying what everybody is thinking yet are too politically correct to actually say outloud? These people are the true casualties - they're the demographs that Clarkson cynically despises and labels as "apes". I'm sure he has some appreciation, though, despite the thinly veiled contempt - after all, surely he must recognise it puts semi-fine wines on his table, and funds the types of cars that really somebody 20 or 30 years younger than him should drive, to say nothing of somebody perhaps 2 or 3 stones lighter, and the more natural demographic for them would perhaps have considerably more style with their clothing and attire.
I've said it before, and likely will again, Top Gear is England's equivalent of WWE wrasslin'. And the socio-political, controversial guff they spout is the equivalent of kayfabe. And those utter mugs that buy it are really no different than their WWE counterparts who believe that the scripted storylines in WWE wrestling are actually real - all the while, being in complete denial or ignorance, that Clarkson, et al, probably believe precious little of the vitriol they spout, it's all just for effect and unthinking acceptance by their audience - and if they're very lucky, a few more column inches.
I think if I have any true dislike, it's based on the squandering of something I used to more fully enjoy, all based on the ever spiralling cold-war of keeping their audience still lapping it up.