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Chapter 92: A Complete Victory
🕑 Added 2024-10-21 20:29:56 +0000 UTCSure enough, Gilbert immediately made a bold statement: "When you say you care for animals, are you saying that just because animals can move and make sounds? Have you ever considered the feelings of plants? They are rooted in the ground for their entire lives, unable to move or see other scenery. The diligent and earnest plants nourish Mother Earth, yet they cannot move, cannot cry out in pain.
But in the end, you unfeelingly shove them into your mouths to eat. Have you ever thought about how plants feel about that?"
The seven experts opposite him were stunned by Gilbert's outrageous claims; they had never considered this perspective before. At that moment, no matter how they responded, they would be in the wrong.
If they said eating plants was innocent, then eating animals was also innocent. They couldn't argue that a plant's life was less valuable than an animal's, especially since biology has long proven that both plants and animals are living beings. Could anyone really say that plants are less noble than animals? If so, then the slogan they touted—that all living beings are equal—would be meaningless.
From the moment one said that plants are inferior to animals, they subconsciously divided all life into hierarchies. This severely undermined the foundations of the animal protection organization's slogan.
Seeing the expert team speechless, Gilbert went on to cite several examples: "I have some research data here that shows the extinction of plants far exceeds that of animals each year. Yet you show no concern for the plants you consume while fixating on others eating meat."
Jack Wells retorted, "We only eat economic crops; they are all non-extinct agricultural products. We aren't harming endangered plants at all."
Gilbert knew that the expert team was beginning to panic, their words showing cracks. "Well, we haven't eaten endangered animals either; all the meat we consume comes from farm-raised pigs and cows. According to your logic that eating agricultural products doesn't count as harm, then are we harming animals?"
That's right—are we harming animals? The number of people who are strictly vegetarian is definitely a minority; most people eat both meat and vegetables, and Americans' per capita meat consumption has long been among the highest in the world.
If the majority of Americans eat meat, does that mean they are harming animals? But if, according to the animal protection experts, eating agricultural products is acceptable, then eating meat should also be acceptable.
From this moment on, Gilbert stood united with most meat-eating North Americans.
Seizing the moment while the expert team was still in shock, Gilbert pressed on: "Furthermore, according to our research, not all of you are vegetarians, are you?"
"What do you mean?" Jack Wells frowned.
"What do I mean?" Gilbert clapped his hands, signaling everyone to look at the big screen.
On the big screen, there was a photo of two people dining in a restaurant; the other person didn't matter, but one of them was using a fork to lift a piece of steak toward his mouth.
Though the photo wasn't very clear, it was evident that the person eating the steak was one of the experts: Garth Howard.
Upon seeing the photo, Garth Howard's face turned pale; he stammered for half a day and couldn't utter a single word.
At this point, Gilbert had already claimed victory in the televised debate. No matter how you looked at it, the animal protection organization could no longer attack him because they themselves were not innocent.
They shouted about protecting animals while indulging in the flesh of those very animals. They claimed all living beings were equal but ignored the plight of plants.
Jack Wells tried to regain the upper hand: "Director Gilbert, you did not submit this photo in advance; this is an invasion of privacy."
Gilbert shrugged it off: "This was just a snapshot taken by a passerby, and this isn't a court; I'm not required to disclose everything to you. If you're unhappy, you can sue me, but that has nothing to do with today's debate."
Indeed, even if they sued, Gilbert was the winner of the debate. Resorting to petty actions would only make them appear unable to accept defeat.
Jack Wells had a feeling that the animal protection organization's days in Hollywood were numbered, and he might soon be out of a job.
As Gilbert watched Jack Wells's dejected figure disappear, a small body suddenly jumped into his arms; it was Naomi Watts. At that moment, Naomi was in tears; she didn't even know why. Seeing Gilbert so charismatic made her inexplicably want to cry.
"Why are you crying? I won, didn't I?" Gilbert pulled out a tissue and wiped Naomi's tears.
Sofia Coppola, standing nearby, remarked, "You, my friend, never play by the rules. I suspect various organizations will think twice before trying to mess with your film crew from now on."
"That's hard to say," Gilbert shook his head. "As long as there are interests at stake, there will always be those who take risks."
Even without the animal protection organization, there would be environmental groups, and Black Lives Matter; who knows what minority groups might emerge in the future.
Sofia Coppola looked at Gilbert with complete confidence: "I believe in you, Gilbert. Whatever situation arises, you'll handle it with ease."
"Let's hope I can live up to your expectations!" Gilbert sighed.
This time he stepped in personally, not only because he was confident he could handle it, but also to promote the movie.
If there were any trending searches right now, Real Steel would definitely be in the top three.
The live program had ended, but its impact had not faded. Soon, outside the Warner Brothers studio, protesters from the animal protection organization were met with a crowd of counter-protesters. The signs they held up echoed Gilbert's words.
"Please don't harm our best friends: plants…"
"Defend the freedom to eat meat; eating meat is innocent…"
"I protest your protest; a group of hypocrites…"
In the wake of losing the televised debate, the animal protection organization's counter-protesters did not last long and soon dispersed.
In Hollywood, the animal protection organization had become a target of public disdain. Previously, major film crews had been passive under the pressure from animal rights groups, but now they retaliated.
The animal protection organization had long been extorting Hollywood film crews; after Gilbert exposed their hypocrisy, the reputational damage they suffered was significant.
However, just damaging their reputation wasn't enough; there was also the economic loss to consider.
