Opinion: The “Clarkson Effect” – A Myth and Misunderstanding of Farming
As someone who is involved in farming, co-owns a pub, and writes the occasional media column, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable joke was made: “Are you copying Jeremy Clarkson?”
The moment finally came at a New Year’s Eve party a few days ago. Instead of laughing it off, as one would expect, I found myself irritated and defensively explaining that I bought my farm 30 years before Clarkson bought his, acquired my pub a decade earlier, and have been a journalist for at least as long. So, no, I wasn’t copying Clarkson.
Perhaps realizing I’d responded a little more harshly than intended, the acquaintance followed up with, “Well, what do you think about his farming program?”
Now, I could have simply brushed it off with a compliment about Clarkson being funny, a brilliant communicator, and doing more for farming’s image than the National Farmers Union or other farming organizations. But truthfully, I don’t agree with the hype, and after a couple of mulled wines, I felt no urge to hold back.
Instead, I took a deep breath and posed a question: “What do you do for a living?”
When he replied, “I’m a dentist,” I saw my opportunity.
I went on to ask him how he would feel about Clarkson making a TV series about buying a dentist’s surgery for the purposes of an inheritance tax dodge, only to then set himself up as a dentist with no qualifications or experience in oral medicine.
Would he find it funny if Clarkson bought a dental chair too big for the surgery, just like the tractor he bought for his farm that was too wide to get through the gates?
And would he laugh if Clarkson’s patients ran away because he didn’t know the difference between molars and incisors, just like the sheep he bought for his farm kept escaping due to his poorly maintained drystone walls?
Would he think it was hilarious if Clarkson then blamed his failure to make money on “the world” or government policies, instead of acknowledging his lack of expertise?
By now, my new acquaintance was looking a little concerned, but I couldn’t help myself.
With my voice rising, I asked, “Wouldn’t you, as a trained professional, feel insulted seeing dentistry represented as something anyone can simply walk into and expect to succeed at, despite having no knowledge of it?”
As the clock ticked down to midnight, he saw I had touched a raw nerve, and wisely decided it was time for a drink.
As he clapped me on the back, he said, “Come, let me get you a drink to ring in the new year. And by the way, I noticed our host is serving Clarkson’s beer.”
We both chuckled. At least, in that moment, I was able to see the humor in it.
