Gareth Cliff in trouble for sexist comment

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Published on Tuesday, 27 September 2011 07:46

Written by Danielle Barnes

5FM DJ Gareth Cliff is notorious for his controversial on-air comments and always makes for interesting conversations and debates, but Cliff’s latest comment, that “22-year-old girls do nothing but lie on their backs with their legs open,” is pushing the boundaries of freedom of speech a little too far. 

This comment was made in an interview on his show with AIDS activist Angela Larkan. Cliff says that the comment was not meant to be offensive and in turn is insulted that he was termed as sexist.

But how far is too far? When are we supposed to say no to outlandish comments made by people who have some sort of power over the general public, and so feel that they can say anything and not be held accountable? How could a comment like the most recent one that Cliff made be acceptable in modern times and how can people just shrug it off and not see the seriousness of such insulting generalisations?

Although the focus of the interview was supposed to be on Angela Larkan and her cause, Gareth Cliff shifted the focus onto him when he opened his big mouth and lost the effect that the interview was supposed to have. Whether he really meant the comment about 22-year old girls or not, any person who thought about the situation would see that such a comment would bring about huge controversy and would be best left unsaid. 

People in the public light, like Gareth Cliff, have a duty to their fans to bring attention to important topics and to say thought-provoking things in order to get people more aware of situations around them. However, the power that these public figures have can sometimes be abused. 

A tiny comment can be made into a huge scandal if the public feels strongly enough about it. Public figures should pay attention to both the negative and the positive feedback they get.

Something like the situation with Gareth Cliff should not be ignored, not least by Cliff, and it should not be seen as something insignificant. Instead, it should serve as a reminder that Cliff is not as invincible as he thinks he is. What may be considered “cool” today may be on its way out tomorrow, and then it may be too late to get back those people who have been alienated. Then all the fame and fortune can be gone in an instant and people will only remember that DJ from a while ago with the colossal ego and insensitive comments. 

Nevertheless, Gareth Cliff is still one of the most influential DJ’s in South Africa and maybe it is true that all press is good press. How many more people will now listen to Gareth Cliff on 5FM just because they heard about this sexist scandal? Even so, comments like the “22-year old girls” one should be kept to a minimum.