Like everyone else I’m watching the Phil Robertson / Duck Dynasty dust up. Unlike Paula Deen, who was shouted into obscurity, I do not think the Robertson clan will go gentle into that good night, nor should they. In fact, some of the loudest noise being made betrays a cultural hatred of the South and Southerners in my opinion. Unfortunately it is against that backdrop that pandering politicians inevitably enter the fray insuring any sort of meaningful dialogue will never result. That said there are a couple of pieces of punditry on this I thought were provocative and excellent:
A&E Cannot Bear Very Much Reality ~ Andrew Sullivan
The Duck Dynasty Fiasco Says More About Our Bigotry Than Phil’s ~ Brandon Ambrosino
Ambrosino, a professional dancer from Baltimore, comes the closest to the reality here:
I’m undecided on whether or not I think Phil actually is homophobic, although I certainly think his statement was offensive, and not only to the LGBT community. But I also think that if I were to spend a day calling ducks with Phil, I’d probably end up liking him — even in spite of his position on gay men. It’s quite possible to throw one’s political support behind traditional, heterosexual marriage, and yet not be bigoted.
My own two cents is Phil is what he is. In the rural deep South, life is still about God and family. Most of those folks try to live their lives by the Good Book and if the Book tells them certain things such as homosexuality are wrong you’re not gonna convince Phil otherwise. It is a discussion I’ve had many times with people just like Phil in fact.
Not surprisingly, folks like Phil view their way of life as being under attack by secular forces they can’t control. Celebrities like Matt Stone and Trey Parker over at South Park, whose body of work includes the Most Offensive Song Ever, are generally celebrated by the media while Fundamentalist Christians like Phil are simultaneously pummeled for their beliefs. I can see their point even as I disagree with mixing their religious doctrine with the functions of the Government.
In my 25 or so years traveling all over rural Mississippi, never once has my opinion that every citizen of this country deserves the full slate of civil rights guaranteed under our constitution been held against me by folks like Phil. The South is a complicated place or as Richard Ford once observed that Mississippi “has so many writers, because it has so much to explain.” There is a difference between choosing to lead a simple life and being a simpleton. Phil’s loudest critics would be wise to understand the difference.
Phil, like so many celebrities before him. ie Tom Cruise, Anita Bryant, Mel Gibson, etc., etc. ad nauseum feel that people will follow their personal views because they like them as a singer, actor/actress, comedian, whatever. Entertainers, should entertain us. Take their money to the bank. Read their bibles, and keep their political, personal ideals under wraps. Did Phil think that just because 12 million people watch his show that those 12 million people also agree with his personal thoughts on how to interpret the bible! Don’t forget, 280 million people don’t watch his show. Phil is a victim of his own hubris. Memo to Phil: “Get over yourself.”
I always viewed Willie through that lens but your point is well taken. Regardless it give them something in common with Jane Fonda.
Jane Fonda spoke out against an unjust war which took thousands of lives, wounded hundreds of thousands more and took an undetermined amount of lives through drug abuse, mental anguish and orphaned children. Because of her courage to speak out, along with hundred of thousands of young and old, the unjust war finally ended in 1975. How many lives has Phil’s comments saved?
You assume Fonda had anything to do with ending the war thus saving lives in the process. I’m not convinced her speaking out did anything except polarize people let alone save any lives.
I never cared what Fonda thought any more than I care about what Dennis Rodman or Phil Robertson thinks as all are flip sides of the same celebrity coin.
I have not given this a great deal of thought. However, what strikes me is the way that the liberal-leaning media has pounced on this guy and misconstrued his comments. If you read the article, you will see that he is simply espousing his own belief. How can we ever squelch someone for expressing what they believe in, even as some people (certain judges have opined that of you Mr. H) find what they say as offensive.
Also, I do not see this as a “First Amendment” issue as the pandering pols have stated. A & E had the right to tell DD what to do. And, DD has the right to tell A & E to stick it and take their show someplace else, which I hope they do. I cannot watch this show, but this whole dust up goes to show the continuing slow creep of PC.
As far as the regular folks i monitor on social media hardly any of them cared about this duck deal pro or con. However, every single elected or wannabe elected official was up on a soapbox within hours of the quotes breaking. Roberts, Jindal, Vitter, Scalise, Landry, Roberts etc… The pandering is nauseating. If anything comes out of this hopefully it should be that “reality tv” is a joke. Cheap, over edited pablum to keep idiots docile. The core audience for shows like DD are the people who elect losers like David Duke and John Alario to office.
It’s like tuning into an expose on fabricated reality on the Truman Show.
Every Christmas the liberal press, atheists and other social deviants choose an issue/s to berate Christians and/or the Bible while the Muslims and other religions never get hammered by the liberal press during their religious holidays. Just make a mental note of these attacks as it’s a regular setup conflict every Christmas celebration!
And though a lot of Christians claim to be Christians they only believe and follow certain moral guidelines in the Bible that don’t interfere with their own personal will and desired lifestyles. That’s called the “wide road” lifestyle to Hell and not the intended “narrow road” to heaven . So good luck to all those on the “wide road” to Hell cause there will be human traffic jams and accidents rushing toward that destination, not unlike the Katrina evacuation. And if you don’t like to Praise and sing hymns to your Creator, heaven’s” narrow road” is not for you anyway.
War on Christmas continues: http://progressivepopulist.org/2013/12/22/surprise-alabama-town-accidentally-invites-black-drag-queens-perform-christmas-parade-video/
That’s an own goal there, the only possible excuse is that they don’t know what google is.
And poof it was gone.
The whole website is down.
Possibly overwhelmed with traffic LOL? Jr’s link now works.
Jr: I taught I done seen tat “prancing elite” dude in tat video- yo know da’ one tat got “hung up” rear endin’ tat sports tar drivin’ lawyer in L, A.? I did, I did ! !
What done happened to tat fine, prancin’ elite dude ?
Anybody?
“political correctness” is not freedom of speech. The acquiesence if not support for the philosophical “bullying” of Phil Robertson is atrocious and reprehensible; and the actual clamor is simply ignrant and indicative of deep insecurity. The politically correct are trying to bully their own demons out of Phil Robertson. Phil is the far lesser of these two evils IMHO.