Clare Balding

Overheard from outside a clinic cubicle whilst waiting for the consultant to come out after attending a lady of 20 stone+ :

"Well, Madam, I'm afraid that if you want me to operate on your knee, you must co-operate with your dietitian because, to be safe under a general anaesthetic, you absolutely must lose at least two stones in weight."

"Are you telling me that I am fat, Mr ....?"

"I am telling you that you are dangerously overweight and that I will not operate on you whilst you are."

"You're saying I'm fat and that you will not operate on me because I'm fat!"

"No Madam. I am trying to tell you that your current weight would make it dangerous for you to undergo a general anaesthetic and major surgery."

"Well you yourself could be said to have a weight problem."

(Acerbically) "Yes Madam, I do - but I also have two knees that work."

One secretary and two registrars in fits of giggles outside cubicle, all red in the face from trying not to be heard.

Sensitivity about certain aspects of ourselves can make one miss the point of a whole conversation.

Whilst gay men are now openly referring to themselves as "poofs", I can well understand why gay women would object to being described as "dykes" - it's a horrible word!
 
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Clare Balding's remarks about Liam Treadwell, made in the heat of the moment, were a misjudged attempt at being light-hearted and chummy, which in no way attempted to stigmatise a section of society and for which she soon apologised.

A A Gill's sneering remarks were made after consideration and have not, to the best of my knowledge, been retracted. The two are not comparable.

Still, I don't think anyone should be too harsh on A A Gill, as he has the considerable misfortune of having been born as A A Gill, something he could do nothing about either.
 
I didn't know Ms Balding did Adolf Hitler impressions?
I didn't realise that baboons were inedible either.
 
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not all gay people make a meal out of being gay - I personally think that sexuality is an individuals own business..unless they openly trade off it..like Elton John for instance

under the circumstances i don't see why CB should accept anyone commenting on her sexuality as she doesn't harp on about it like some celebrities seem to do

to be honest..i think people like Elton John do more harm than good by constantly going on about it..ffs say Elton & co..you are gay..so fooking what?

sexuality should be a personal thing..unfortunately in this day and age its like some badge to be shoved in people's faces.

I personally don't want to know what a celebs sexuality is mesen
 
J Alfred Prufrock said:
Clare Balding's remarks about Liam Treadwell, made in the heat of the moment, were a misjudged attempt at being light-hearted and chummy, which in no way attempted to stigmatise a section of society and for which she soon apologised.

A A Gill's sneering remarks were made after consideration and have not, to the best of my knowledge, been retracted. The two are not comparable.
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Well put. I totally agree.
 
Good point, EC1.

Maybe CB saw it as detracting from her value as a person and her obvious talents as a presenter?

For myself I don't care who is what: coloured, gay, religion etc, just so long as they are pleasant people to be around.
 
I admit to having disliked Ms Balding long before she 'came out'. I can't quite wear that she publicly humiliated Liam Treadwell 'in the heat of the moment'; I think she is quite a nasty, overbearing person, often rude and patronising to Willie Carson and co-presenters, who is not prepared to tolerate any criticism of herself.
 
All else aside, I find it astonishing that the editor of a respected Sunday paper is comparing Balding being the butt of jokes for her sexuality to Jeremy Clarkson being the butt of jokes for his fashion sense or hair style. Hard to believe really.
 
I'm with Tracks on this - God knows pretty much everyone in the public eye is fair game for the cheap shots, satire, lampoonery and sometimes spitting bile that gets aimed at them regularly. Ann Widecombe's teeth and professional virginity, Denis Healey's eyebrows, John Prescott's weight, and so on. But 'dyke' isn't a fun term, especially coming from someone presumably straight - it's one of ridicule, along with muff muncher, and those for non-straight males are easily as pejorative and worse, reflecting mostly straight men's concerns about 'the third sex'. Making fun of someone's teeth or hair isn't in the same league as belittling a genetic make-up they can't help. Sniggering about someone's sexuality is as irrational as sniggering about someone being black-skinned or albino.

As for gays portraying themselves as victims, perhaps AA Gill needs to get out a bit more - there are still regular gay bashings and murders by straights in the UK and in over 70 countries in this, the 21st century, it is an offence to not be heterosexual, while in five you can be put to death for practising homosexuality - it's a capital 'offence'. And let's not forget Herr Hitler's charm offensive towards them, the mentally frail, the Romanies, and the Jews. Yes, they are still victims of a world which very much fails to 'embrace diversity' - thus eminent gays do feel it necessary to keep showing the world they won't hide their 'condition' - although many religious groups would rather they were lynched for their deviancies, and condemn them to Hell anyway. That's where the world stands on being different.
 
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