Summary: <p>A slightly surreal episode, not the first, won’t be the last, as co-hosts Stuart and William tackle today's listener question, which is from George, in Upton, Oxfordshire, England.</p> <p>“Actress Kate Winslet has stated she feels the government should tighten up the online bill in the UK, to protect vulnerable users. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver ran a campaign to improve school dinners. Then there was the Blackpool Football Club player who came out and announced he was gay last year. Should those with influence use their voice to raise issues, or stay quiet? Those that dislike them, rarely seem to listen to anything they say anyway. Maybe even turning away from issues because of who has raised them?!”</p> <p>William raises, right off the bat, how he and Stuart know someone who detests Jamie Oliver. Stuart tells the story that the person referred to was quite happy to accept bad school dinners for his kids, just so he didn’t have to say that Jamie Oliver was right about the appalling state of them.</p> <p>William points out that you often see a person’s true motivation by presenting them with silence, as they are often expecting a reaction to what they’re saying if its slightly controversial.</p> <p>Stuart discusses that if you are going to use your voice to influence others, you need to choose your battles wisely. It also needs to be at the right time. Those that dislike certain celebrities rarely listen to what they have got to say, which needs to be dismissed, you just need the critical mass to absorb the message. It’s not about speaking up, it’s not about staying quiet, it’s about speaking up and staying quiet at the right time. Sometimes silence says more than speaking.</p> <p>Stuart further raises that different audiences need different role models, different messages, different language, different vocabulary, different approaches. There isn’t anybody who shouldn’t speak up.</p> <p>What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to <a href="mailto:thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com">thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com</a></p> <p>We like to give you an ad free experience, so be assured, that will never happen. We also like our audience to be relatively small and engaged, we’re not after numbers.</p> <p>This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. <br>Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends<a href="https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view"> https://podfollow.com/the-peoples-countryside-environmental-debate-podcast/view</a> , support our work through Patreon<a href="https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside"> https://www.patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside</a> or just 'follow' to avoid missing any public posts. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link:<a href="https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside"> https://linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside</a></p> --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thepeoplescountryside/message
