Gareth Cliff on #BLM 'cancel culture': They will take away everything

11 June 2020 - 14:00 By Kyle Zeeman
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Gareth Cliff weighed in on the 'cancel culture' around the Black Lives Matter movement.
Gareth Cliff weighed in on the 'cancel culture' around the Black Lives Matter movement.
Image: Supplied

Radio personality Gareth Cliff has again sparked fierce debate on the social media streets after suggesting that boycotts around the Black Lives Matter movement may be going too far.

After the death of US citizen George Floyd due to police brutality last week, people across the globe have mobilised behind the #BlackLivesMatter movement to show solidarity against racism.

There's also been widespread calls for the boycott of 1939 film, Gone with the Wind. 

12 Years a Slave filmmaker John Ridley called on US streaming service HBO Max to pull the film from its library. The service did so, claiming it was “a product of its time” and depicted “ethnic and racial prejudices” that “were wrong then and are wrong today”.

It said the film would return to the platform with a “discussion of its historical context”.

The film is the top-grossing film of all time and earned 10 Oscars, including best picture, best actress, best director and best supporting actress for Hattie McDaniel.

Gareth weighed in on the matter and called the cancel culture “problematic”.

“Eventually they will take away everything,” he added.

One follower responded to Gareth's post, saying that the film, and others like it, bring emotional trauma.

“The problem is the pain us black people feel when we watch such movies. I myself don't watch such movies because of the emotional trauma it causes. The same way most people don't want to watch stuff with sexual violence content is the same way black people don't want to watch racist sh*t!”

Gareth agreed with the comment but said it should not be the reason the film is banned.

“Agreed, but your feelings can’t be the reason the rest of us can’t see or hear things.”


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