Saturday, October 23

Gareth Cliff's response to the PETA Demo

While the response from the public and media was mostly positive, the response from Gareth Cliff (5FM Radio) was not. I received some rather frantic messages from activists who were very upset by what he had to say. I assume they wanted me to get angry and phone into his show. I did neither.

If I have the right to put activists in cages on the side of the road, members of the media have the right to say what they like about it. I know that by holding demonstrations we attract both praise and criticism. I am grateful for both.

Considering the amount of work we put into the demo, I would be far more concerned if Gareth Cliff didn’t think it was worth mentioning. 

10 comments:

  1. All I want is for someone to tell me what he said.

    ReplyDelete
  2. He made fun of the protest and said he couldn't care how they lived and how they were treated as long as they taste good.

    It's not that I wanted you to get angry Sarah. This was a perfect opportunity to open dialogue on national radio about the plight of battery chickens, and a perfect opportunity to educate.

    As a lawyer you could have taken this opportunity to change Gareth's mind with a strong argument. I must admit I am a little disappointed that you thought it wasn't necessary.

    Nikki

    ReplyDelete
  3. i agree wholeheartedly with Nikki, passing an opportunity to reach thousands of listeners by engaging with him is an opportunity completey wasted. Huge pity.

    ReplyDelete
  4. OF COURSE GARETH CLIFF MAKES A LIVING OUT OF BEING A DEVIL'S ADVOCATE ! ACTUALLY SARAH CREATED THE OPPORTUNITY FOR DIALOGUE, WHERE WERE Y'ALL ? ? ?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sarah's response was as it should have been Why get into a sparring ring with some 'chop'(sorry) that just wants to be heard. His comments have already created the desired stir and every household has witnessed him making a fool of himself. Pity that he needs to be such a 'chop' (sorry) to attempt to keep his listener-ship numbers rather than have the media elegance and stand against senseless cruelty. Why should Sarah make herself any less or the incredible cause she stands for. Derek Harrison.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think Sarah is perfectly justified in her response. There's a saying that goes something along the lines of "Don't argue with idiots. They'll drag you down to their level and beat you..."

    Gareth has a way of pushing people's buttons, and to start an argument with him on air would just feed the negative stereotype of animal rights extremists.

    There's no such thing as bad publicity. While he might have said he doesn't care how they are treated, people who were listening may well have started thinking about it and realise that they disagree with him.

    Well done on a great protest, and for handling everything with such grace :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thank you so much for all your comments!

    What I love is that Gareth Cliff only said that he doesn't care that chickens suffer. He didn't say that he doesn't think they suffer, or that he thinks we're making up lies about KFC.

    He essentially agreed that they suffer, which I think is a win. He actually took the least controversial stance he could take.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anon - the opportunity wasn't mine, or ours, to take.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Gareth Cliff only cares about himself so I wouldn't bother giving him the time of day, he's only looking for a reaction to boost his ego! Well done Sarah & great blog! Ingrid

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks Ingrid!
    Anon - I don't understand what point you're trying to make?

    ReplyDelete