Dara Ó Briain said he was ‘amazed’ Danny Baker got fired over his royal baby chimp tweet and it prompted quite the debate
Dara Ó Briain prompted quite the debate today when he tweeted to say he was ‘amazed’ that Danny Baker had been fired by the BBC over his royal baby chimp tweet.
What? Danny Baker got fired? But he immediately apologised and deleted the tweet! I mean, literally, in the event of mistakenly causing offence, what else can you do? Genuinely amazed by that.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
And here’s just a flavour of the debate that followed, with people from all sides weighing in, and Ó Briain, one of the BBC’s most familiar and high profile faces, taking the time to respond in turn.
Oh, shut up. Just because it doesn’t offend you doesn’t make it ok. He apologised, but why did he do it in the first place? What he posted was despicable and careless, and quite frankly, unforgivable.
— Jessica Noah Morgan (@jnoahmorgan) May 9, 2019
I didn’t say it wasn’t offensive. I totally accept it was. However, so did he. And he immediately removed it and apologised. You can differ on whether you think this is forgivable, of course, but I just think anybody can make a mistake and should be able to apologise.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
As a broadcaster and someone with a huge platform, there is simply no excuse for it. Yes, he’s apologised, but he has shown his true colours. I’m tired of people making excuses for him by saying it was a mistake – it wasn’t. He knew what he was posting.
— Jessica Noah Morgan (@jnoahmorgan) May 9, 2019
Wow, really? You’re really that sure that after a 40/50 year career, suddenly this is the moment the mask slips? And you’re that sure you can read the mind of a complete stranger so well? In an era of unapologetic racism, We can surely differentiate for someone who apologises?
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
It’s not about reading minds, Dara. We are living in 2019 – you are trying to tell me that he didn’t know that an image of an ape would cause offence? Would you like me to list all the public figures who have “accidentally” used a racist term or posted one? I have time…
— Jessica Noah Morgan (@jnoahmorgan) May 9, 2019
Yep, maybe he didn’t see that. And maybe, when somebody pointed it out, he went “Oh Fuck!”, apologised and deleted it. I think that is exactly how we should respond to that kind of mistake. Because any of us could do it. It’s the fuckers who don’t apologise and delete…
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
You say that but I’ve never been in that situation – in fact, it doesn’t even cross my mind to make such a joke. And I LOVE jokes. If we keep brushing this stuff under the rug then it will continue. This country is already divided as it is – we don’t need to add to it!
— Jessica Noah Morgan (@jnoahmorgan) May 9, 2019
Here are some of the other exchanges it prompted.
What more? Exercise some judgement in the first place?
— Barry Norton (@BarryNorton) May 9, 2019
How’s that Time Machine coming along? Powered by the Smug Hindsight Engine?
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
Seriously? You'd need a time machine not to have done this? You'd have searched out that picture, attached it to a tweet, paused for a second by the post button and gone ahead?
— Barry Norton (@BarryNorton) May 9, 2019
He made a mistake, admitted it, apologised and deleted. Your solution requires him to go back in time and realise the mistake in advance. As I said, good luck building that time machine.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
Is it a mistake you could see yourself making?
— Barry Norton (@BarryNorton) May 9, 2019
Who knows what mistakes we could all make? Good to know an apology means nothing any more though.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
I can think of a million things you or I could do and be out of a job by the end of the day. An apology would not be a 'get out of jail free' card for very many of them.
— Barry Norton (@BarryNorton) May 9, 2019
Why don’t we try sacking the people who post racist things and DON’T apologise. That seems a better test for racism.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
Let me understand your logic. Person does something racist. He apologises for doing something racist and you think that’s the end of the story. No recriminations? Are you feeling ok?
— Killian (@KillianConnolly) May 9, 2019
Person accidentally tweets something that echoes racist imagery. It’s pointed out; they immediately apologise and delete the tweet. Yeah, that seems like like the end of the story, given the total absence of any other racism on their long career, yes.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
It’s a picture of a chimp dressed up as a human and he’s referencing a newly born black child. I’m not saying that he is prejudiced against black people but i can’t argue the tweet isn’t racist. It is. He’s rightly been fired by a big L liberal employer.
— Killian (@KillianConnolly) May 9, 2019
And I think you should be allowed to apologise for a genuine mistake. Be careful building this world where no-one can ever fuck-up.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
Ah, Dara
Disappointed here
His excuse "It was a posh chimp, and the poshness was the joke" was pretty fecking thin— Ronan (@ronanmcmanus) May 9, 2019
I don’t thin to was a cover for “excellent, a racist joke! tee tee he!” though. I think he knows he fucked up. The point is in the absence of psychic powers, what happens next? and I think there are plenty of unapologetic racists around.
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
He later had this to say.
Also amazed by how many thought that by posting this, I was excusing the original tweet. Of course I wasn’t. The Irish had a century of that monkey shit too, y’know (cf Punch magazine). Ultimately, though, I’d like that to hope if/when I fuck up, you might accept an apology…
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 9, 2019
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The internet reacts to Danny Baker’s sacking over his royal baby chimp tweet
