#and q? he doesn't seem very keen on doing his job

[pharawee]

"I want that guy, Air, to disappear from this world!"

—7 DAYS BEFORE VALENTINE · Episode 1

[formulatrash]

Sorry to be the person that adds a bigthibg on a post but I've been thinking about this for like 15 minutes and it really bothers me that they asked him this, especially on a live where he can't reject the question.

People get huffy on here or twitter for objectifying the drivers but like, at the end of the day none of them are bothered about people thinking they're hot. What is invasive and weird is going beyond like "wow, George is so pretty" to this kind of thing, played for laughs in the media, where - like George says - what's he supposed to say? He's obviously media trained to within an inch of his life but it's still uncomfortable and it really bothers me that old-school media like Sky so often pushes, especially the younger ones, like this.

Part of it's like oh are you a red blooded James Hunt man, are you raring to be neck deep in clunge? Which is, y'know, they can conduct whatever sex they have or don't have in private and tell people if they want but George has never seemed like he's particularly keen to shout a playboy status from the rooftops. If I was being interviewed and got questions like that I'd be like hmm err that's unnerving.

Like if you want to ask them boyband questions about what their dream girl/boy/nbfriend would be then just commit to that, Sky - say a lot of their fans want to know. Would you ever take a date to the Amber Lounge? What's it like being your girlfriend over a race weekend? Do you ever even get a chance to see each other during the season? Is it tricky to date someone when you're on a strict diet and have to be in bed at 10:30pm after getting a massage off your trainer? I don't know.

But it feels uncool to put George's discomfort onto a fan question. Like oh, these crazy girls - but Sky also know asking this sort of thing gets them clout both via people tutting at it and the tiny frisson of Tumblrish excitement that he's single.

Idk, it bothers me a lot that like; newish motorsport media gets shit for saying Charles is hot or whatever (he is) when there's nothing wrong with that whereas this is like, forcing George into a difficult position where he's either got to be weyyyyy laydeez yeah I am a top shagger I'll date you all or like, sweat uncomfortably through demurring it.

Objectification (and like, I would know about this - I might be old now but I used to be hot) can be so passive and gentle, compared to invasive, directed subjectification like this. It's like twitter replies - an indirected "(you) is stunning" = aw, you're at worst going to be like 'damn I wish the person saying this was not a right wing columnist (YMMV) whereas like someone @ ing you in reply to anything with "will you date me" is like ok pal does this look like Tinder, does this look like a space where I've consented to this being up for discussion.

I'm maybe being too sensitive - I also thought the recent McLaren/milk segment was incredibly uncomfortable, from the queerbait questions to the milky crotch cam which like christ you wouldn't do it to Jamie Chadwick would you, I hope? I just feel like Sky play with and on a fandom that understands how to be respectful in approaching fancying the drivers much better than they do and that they're teasing everyone, the guys included, in that.

Idk. Idk. I just think you gotta treat them more respectfully/humanly.

Edit: I actually don't think there's really an issue with a fan submitting the question, incidentally - I don't think it's like, the height of brilliance but the power dynamics between fan submitting to media and media asking driver are very different. When I've done fan Q&As, I've always edited the questions to be the more interesting/respectful ones - like I always lob out anything about Pascal Wehrlein's hair cus I know he doesn't like talking about it and it always has a weirdly racialised vibe, to me - as the media, your job is to use that editorial sense. I'm not necessarily blaming Rachel Brookes (who I like and is very underrated as an interviewer) here, she's a presenter on the Live and will probably have been given a list of things to ask but some producer is making the choice. Just because you ask for fan questions doesn't mean you have to ask the rude or weird ones, it's not like they would've put like "how many times will you get lapped at the first race" probably. (even then I can think of contexts that'd be OK)

Georgia asks “Are you single? And do you fancy a date?”