"Refried Mexican Sportcar"

Top Gear UK Demonstrate Negative Assumptions About Mexico/Mexicans


It's interesting to note that they compare Italian and German nationalities to what they joke are the characteristics of Mexicans. They avoid insulting Italians and Germans, instead focusing their British "wit" on constructing a negative representation of Mexicans and Mexico with their discourse.



Read more here: http://www.theguardian.com/media/2011/feb/01/top-gear-mexican-ambassador

From the Guardian article:

"Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza has demanded an apology after Richard Hammond jokingly described Mexicans as "lazy, feckless, flatulent [and] overweight" during an episode of the BBC2 show screened on Sunday.
His co-presenters Jeremy Clarkson and James May went on to describe Mexican food as "refried sick".
Clarkson, who has repeatedly been criticised for making offensive comments on the programme, said on Sunday's show there would be no complaints this time because the Mexican ambassador would: "be sitting there with a remote control like this,". The presenter pretended to slump in a chair, snoring.
The Mexican ambassador has written to the BBC, however, demanding that it order the presenters to make a public apology.
"The presenters of the programme 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," he wrote.
"These offensive, xenophobic and humiliating remarks serve only to reinforce negative stereotypes and perpetuate prejudice against Mexico and its people."
The Top Gear hosts made the comments when they discussed a Mexican sports car, the Mastretta. Hammond said: "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.""