What NOT to Paint on Your Car When Traveling in the Deep South
The International Emmy Award-winning BBC TV series, Top Gear, is a program about cars. Though motor vehicles are not normally a topic of concern for me personally, I could not help but sit with my mouth wide open while watching this clip from a 2008 episode filmed in Alabama.
The hosts are presented with the task of sabotaging one another's cars to see just how much "attention" they can amass. What ensues next is much more than they planned for. As the host says before the project begins, there are three religions in this territory:
- George Bush
- God
- Country & Western
Please note that I in no way, mean to insult Alabamians. I know that stereotyping any one group is dangerous and imprudent; and that of course, few citizens in the state would respond in this manner. However, the handful that they do encounter are rather astounding.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009 at 10:45AM
Reader Comments (120)
here is a link to the entire episode
http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=1304162912186494266&ei=E6LkSaQ7g5v4BpKenIwJ&q=top+gear+american+road+trip&hl=en&client=firefox-a
NOW THAT LOOKS LIKE THE UK BOYS RUNING AGAIN WILL THAY NEVER GET IT STAY OUT WERE YOU DONT BELONG
When you look for trouble, you will find it! The odd part is people who are surprised at this.
I believe this was proven to be a hoax.
Jeremy's comment at the end makes me laugh so much.
While being from America, i am not the least bit upset or disgraced by this. In fact, I love it. That's first class entertainment right there!
What town is that? I believe a few thousand pounds of gasoline and a lighter would set those hicks straight
You know... I would love to be able to say this is all BS... but, unfortunately, I spent the early years of my life in a town here in California called Taft. It is a little bit of the south, transplanted into the west.
When I was a kid in the early 70s, there was one KKK parade that I can remember and at one point they rounded up all the blacks and bussed them out of town... until the Taft College football team started to lose all it's games, then they were allowed back.
It is a much different community now... you see little or none of the racism of the 70s or 60s, but there is still a decent sized "Good ol' Boy" network there.
What do you expect? They know the guys are there just to start trouble, wouldnt you be mad if someone came to your home and tried to do whatever they could to just offend everyone? I'm not saying racism is right, but I live around country people, and I think alot of the anger is from just them trying to start trouble.
I guess I could go to england, write "I hate the queen" then get arrested and put up in jail for a couple weeks by big brother
I'll stick with the US
Props to the TV guys, they got the drama on film just like they wanted.
I'm from AL, am a redneck and LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!!!! hahahahahah
myspace.com/turnitupdaddy
Yet more proof that despite the history books, the North LOST the Civil War
omg , that was awesome , lol.
thank you stumble, suddenly South Africa dont look as bad anymore lol
I published your news in twiter
Did you notice that nobody got hurt?
I like that when some people came to the town intent on offending everyone, the community banded together to let them know that their behavior was unacceptable. Instead of just rolling their eyes and ignoring it, they engaged them in an equal level of dialogue.
It's a funny clip, but it's funny because we know something that the townies don't -- that the TG team was presenting themselves dishonestly. Sincerity and people who care about their community will overcome the attacks of irony, sarcasm, and alienation. Even if you disagree with the rednecks' view, you have to salute them for engaging the Top Gear team honestly, instead of assuming they were lying. One of the US's greatest traits is open dialogue -- but intentionally sabotaging the trust necessary for a real, useful dialogue can condition people to stop speaking openly and honestly. Then, what good is freedom of speech?
I go to school in the south, but I'm from the north and unfortunately this does not surprise me AT ALL. Even worse than that, these people actually have the right to vote and that is why we had people like Bush for 8 years in office.
For those that said top gear were just asking for trouble like going to a uk football game and wearing a rival jersey. That wont get you into any trouble at in fact the top gear crew did that in another episode walked onto the pitch in a rival football teams jersey and al they got were boos. They werent intentionally trying to antagonise anyone and its not a documentary either. This show is made for entertainment purposes and is loosely based on cars. and thats exactly what the lads provided!!!
The station they stopped at was the Pride station in Seminole, Alabama. It's just across the Florida border and on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Of course, it's in the middle of nowhere. I happen to live just about 30 minutes away in Mobile, one of the most prominent cities in the South, and can personally vouch that they set out to find the most desolate gas station in the middle of redneck country for this shot. Clearly this Top Gear just wanted to "prove" how much better their country and the island apes that inhabit it are than America and for anybody that fell for their masquerade, you deserved to.
I hate how people get the picture of the whole south being like that. When i mean whole south I mean like Texas, Alabama, Arkansas... in that general area. I know some people that honestly think since i live in Texas I ride a horse. This is not a true statement... I live in a regular two story house on about half an acre like most of the people in the world... There is only a few that actually own ranches.
The south- making America look bad... since slavery.
This is why I live in LA 0_0
LOL freakin inbred hillbilly trash. gettin all butthurt about something written on the side of a car... not all southerners are like this, true, but the ones that are still fighting the civil war down there need to be exterminated like the vermin that they are
I would have written Analbama Homos on one side and Jesus loves the Cock on the other side of the car.
The same as writing, "screw the queen!"
I think they should paint their cars with "Hip Hop is rubbish" and "Palin for President" and "Gay Love is wrong - OK?" and ride through west Baltimore or Queens to see if they fare any better.