"Straight" is an offensive word?

Jeremy Clarkson has once again become embroiled in controversy after appearing to poke fun at the 'slope' racism row on the Top Gear Christmas special.

The 54-year-old appeared to mock the decision by Ofcom earlier this year which ruled he had been 'deliberately offensive' after using the word 'slope' on an episode of the BBC show.

In Saturday's Christmas special, Clarkson told co-presenter Richard Hammond: 'That is a proud moment, Hammond, but... is it straight?' as they admired their makeshift bridge in Argentina.

Many took it to as a reference to his comments in a March episode of the show in which he said: 'That is a proud moment, but there's a slope on it', as a man walked towards them on their makeshift bridge over the River Kwai in Thailand.

At the time, viewers complained about the use of the word 'slope', which is considered a derogatory term for people of Asian descent.

Ofcom launched an investigation into the Burma TV special and ruled in July that the presenter had 'deliberately employed the offensive word to refer to the Asian person'.

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Clarkson was of course cautiously mocking the pomposity of "slope" being declared a racial slur.  Australia has a large East Asian minority so I have certainly heard it at times but all the reports about Clarkson's use of the term had to explain that it was derogatory.  Clearly very few Brits had heard the term.  It was not therefore derogatory in Britain.  I believe the term originated among the troops in Vietnam.  Britain did not take part in the Vietnam war.