Poor old Jeremy Clarkson, writes Ben Rooney. His honorary degree whipped up a storm of protest and spawned an online petition aimed at stopping it. "He doesn't deserve any kind of award apart from World's Most Obnoxious Git,' writes Richard, complainant number 3012. Not an award he is likely to win. A Channel 4 poll rated him only the 66th most disliked Briton, one rank higher than Jeremy Spake. Not that Clarkson will be too upset. While 3028 people were moved to oppose his degree, the plight of the Porcupine Caribou herd of Canada proved of greater concern to 4072 signatories.
Much is pinned on Jeremy. Not only is he blamed for almost single-handedly destroying the environment and causing the collapse of Rover, but now this: "Think about Jeremy Clarkson singing along to Baba O'Riley in his Aston Martin, whilst driving home to his mock-Tudor residence through the Buckinghamshire countryside. Really quite depressing isn't it? That's exactly the kind of image that made Kurt Cobain give up on rock and roll music and turn to suicide." Harsh.
But he is not without fans. Search hard enough and you will find adulation in unlikely places. Like Samizdat ("A blog for people with a critically rational individualist perspective"). An entry headed "Jeremy Clarkson: Surely God in disguise" goes: "Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear program is, without any shadow of a doubt, the finest piece of current broadcasting on British television ... We are simply unworthy." But even here his fashion style can't escape criticism. "I love Clarkson, and my admiration increases as others' disdain grows ... Not keen on the jeans, though."
Jeremy does appear to be an international figure of hatred, who has raised ire as far away as, literally, the other side of the world, although seemingly only among the well-defined demographic of French-speaking New Zealanders. On Blog notes de JX, "Mark" asks: "Clarckson [sic] serait donc un abruti ou un mauvais comique?" The obvious answer being: can't he be both a bad comic and a moron at the same time?
