Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Whether or not you're a fan of the A&E's reality show Duck Dynasty, it can't be denied that the show's become a pop culture phenomenon. That's especially true over the course of the past year or so. The 4th season premiere episode drew 11.8 million viewers, making it the biggest non-sports nonfiction telecast in the history of cable television. Throughout the 4th season, new episodes of the show regularly drew well over 8 million viewers. As one might expect with such success, a menagerie of Duck Dynasty merchandise is on the market. Everything from t-shirts, posters, bumper stickers, bobble heads, cookbooks, bed sheets, towels and just about anything else are flying off the shelves. Robertson family patriarch, Phil, and his brother, fan favorite Uncle Si, have both put out best selling books about their early lives. Within the past 5 or 6 weeks, a novelty Christmas album called Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas has been one of the best selling albums out there. It's already sold nearly 600,000 copies without the benefit of any singles released to radio. With the way the music industry is set up now, having an entire album reach sales of 500,000 or more is a huge indicator of popularity.
However, Phil Robertson very recently gave an interview to GQ and some of his comments have caused quit a stir. Robertson is outspoken about her Christian beliefs and, as expected, the topic turned to his feelings on certain controversial subjects such as homosexuality. Some of Robertson's comments were:
"It seems like, to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a man's anus. That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I'm saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical."
Robertson would incite further controversy with by not just going off about homosexuality, but also about other people in general:
"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."
Because of these comments, A&E has suspended Phil from the show indefinitely. He'll be taped just like every other member of the family & cast, but footage containing him will be edited out.
To further stir things up, Robertson also made comments regarding race while growing up in Louisiana:
"I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field. ... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people' -- not a word! Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."
As one would imagine, this has stirred up even more heat on Robertson because some have construed this as being racist. A joint letter was written by the NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign, and it was sent to the President of A&E expressing "outrage and deep concern about the recent racist, homophobic, and ill-informed remarks made by Phil Robertson." One statement in the letter was printed at CNN.com saying:
"Mr. Robertson claims that, from what he saw, African Americans were happier under Jim Crow. What he didn't see were lynching and beatings of black men and women for attempting to vote or simply walking down the street. And his offensive claims about gay people fly in the face of science. In fact, it's important to note that every single leading medical organization in the country has said that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being LGBT -- it's not a choice, and to suggest otherwise is dangerous."
However, as of very early this morning, the article at CNN.com states that there's a petition to bring Robertson back has already been signed by 19,000people. A Facebook page has also been created that already has 35,000 likes. The organizer of the petition wrote a statement:
"Homosexuals have their convictions and Christians respect them. There is a difference between respecting someone rights to exercise free will and imposing on others what we believe. Phil has done nothing more than state what he believes in. Just because homosexuals do not agree, does not mean Mr. Robertson needs to be suspended."
Sometime late last night, Robertson responded to the whole thing with another statement:
"I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity."
As I was reading over the various quotes by Robertson contained in the article, I didn't exactly see anything particularly malicious. I think some of his comments were extremely naïve, maybe even downright foolish, but not intentionally malicious. His comments about comparing homosexuality to beastiality as abhorrent behavior and going off on adulterers & idolaters, etc. certainly sound like statements you'd hear from older Christians.
At the same time, however, Robertson was commenting on his religious beliefs. According to the Bible, or really any sort of holy book from any major religion, aspects such as homosexuality, adultery, idolatry, greed, etc. are all classified as sins. Some Christians believe that the Bible, word for word, was inspired directly from God. It's not something that he made up out of his own head, but rather it's something that's taught in his faith. Now that doesn't mean that Robertson looks down on gays or people who're promiscuous or whatever. It doesn't mean that he treats them with disdain or disrespect, only they're aspects of life that he doesn't personally like. Everyone is like that when you get right down to it. There are some aspects of life that you're not going to particularly like or agree with, such as the KKK spouting hate speech or convicted serial killers like Richard Ramirez being allowed to legally marry, but that's part of living in a free society. You can disagree with certain lifestyles and beliefs while still respecting the choices of those who do agree.
As for his comments about growing up around African Americans back in the day, it does come off as naïve. At the same time, it sounds like Robertson is only speaking of his own experiences growing up. They say that the only real way to judge something is based on your own experiences with it. Robertson grew up dirt poor in very rural Louisiana during the Great Depression. For quite a long while, like a great deal of southern states, Louisiana wasn't exactly prosperous economically when the Depression ended. The black people that he associated with were people like him: just dirt poor people trying to get by in life the best way they knew how. The naivety comes from the fact that he obviously missed a MASSIVE part of the story because the violations of basic human rights to African Americans, especially in the south during this time period, can't be denied. It had nothing to with people being less godly than in the past, it had to do with the fact that a race of people were subjugated as property based on their skin color. Hell, people would use religion to justify that belief.
As I said, I don't think that Robertson was trying to be malicious or even controversial. He was merely stating his own beliefs and views as he knew them based on his own experiences with them. I wish I could say that this was all something new but, sadly, it isn't. Using homosexuality and equal rights as examples, you were in the minority if you supported those beliefs 50 years ago. Even if you did so in peaceful means with only good intentions, you were still villainized by conservatives. Here we are now in the closing days of 2013 when liberal views on some social issues such as equality for everyone are very much in control, but someone who expresses a different opinion through peaceful, eloquent means is crucified by liberals. If Robertson had come out and said something like, and I'm just using this as an example so no offense is intended, "Kill all those ******s and put the darkies back out in the fields where they belong", then I could understand accusations of bigotry and racism, but that's not the sense I get from Robertson based on his comments.
However, Phil Robertson very recently gave an interview to GQ and some of his comments have caused quit a stir. Robertson is outspoken about her Christian beliefs and, as expected, the topic turned to his feelings on certain controversial subjects such as homosexuality. Some of Robertson's comments were:
"It seems like, to me, a vagina -- as a man -- would be more desirable than a man's anus. That's just me. I'm just thinking: There's more there! She's got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I'm saying? But hey, sin: It's not logical, my man. It's just not logical."
Robertson would incite further controversy with by not just going off about homosexuality, but also about other people in general:
"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers -- they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."
Because of these comments, A&E has suspended Phil from the show indefinitely. He'll be taped just like every other member of the family & cast, but footage containing him will be edited out.
To further stir things up, Robertson also made comments regarding race while growing up in Louisiana:
"I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once. Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field. ... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people' -- not a word! Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues."
As one would imagine, this has stirred up even more heat on Robertson because some have construed this as being racist. A joint letter was written by the NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign, and it was sent to the President of A&E expressing "outrage and deep concern about the recent racist, homophobic, and ill-informed remarks made by Phil Robertson." One statement in the letter was printed at CNN.com saying:
"Mr. Robertson claims that, from what he saw, African Americans were happier under Jim Crow. What he didn't see were lynching and beatings of black men and women for attempting to vote or simply walking down the street. And his offensive claims about gay people fly in the face of science. In fact, it's important to note that every single leading medical organization in the country has said that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being LGBT -- it's not a choice, and to suggest otherwise is dangerous."
However, as of very early this morning, the article at CNN.com states that there's a petition to bring Robertson back has already been signed by 19,000people. A Facebook page has also been created that already has 35,000 likes. The organizer of the petition wrote a statement:
"Homosexuals have their convictions and Christians respect them. There is a difference between respecting someone rights to exercise free will and imposing on others what we believe. Phil has done nothing more than state what he believes in. Just because homosexuals do not agree, does not mean Mr. Robertson needs to be suspended."
Sometime late last night, Robertson responded to the whole thing with another statement:
"I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity."
As I was reading over the various quotes by Robertson contained in the article, I didn't exactly see anything particularly malicious. I think some of his comments were extremely naïve, maybe even downright foolish, but not intentionally malicious. His comments about comparing homosexuality to beastiality as abhorrent behavior and going off on adulterers & idolaters, etc. certainly sound like statements you'd hear from older Christians.
At the same time, however, Robertson was commenting on his religious beliefs. According to the Bible, or really any sort of holy book from any major religion, aspects such as homosexuality, adultery, idolatry, greed, etc. are all classified as sins. Some Christians believe that the Bible, word for word, was inspired directly from God. It's not something that he made up out of his own head, but rather it's something that's taught in his faith. Now that doesn't mean that Robertson looks down on gays or people who're promiscuous or whatever. It doesn't mean that he treats them with disdain or disrespect, only they're aspects of life that he doesn't personally like. Everyone is like that when you get right down to it. There are some aspects of life that you're not going to particularly like or agree with, such as the KKK spouting hate speech or convicted serial killers like Richard Ramirez being allowed to legally marry, but that's part of living in a free society. You can disagree with certain lifestyles and beliefs while still respecting the choices of those who do agree.
As for his comments about growing up around African Americans back in the day, it does come off as naïve. At the same time, it sounds like Robertson is only speaking of his own experiences growing up. They say that the only real way to judge something is based on your own experiences with it. Robertson grew up dirt poor in very rural Louisiana during the Great Depression. For quite a long while, like a great deal of southern states, Louisiana wasn't exactly prosperous economically when the Depression ended. The black people that he associated with were people like him: just dirt poor people trying to get by in life the best way they knew how. The naivety comes from the fact that he obviously missed a MASSIVE part of the story because the violations of basic human rights to African Americans, especially in the south during this time period, can't be denied. It had nothing to with people being less godly than in the past, it had to do with the fact that a race of people were subjugated as property based on their skin color. Hell, people would use religion to justify that belief.
As I said, I don't think that Robertson was trying to be malicious or even controversial. He was merely stating his own beliefs and views as he knew them based on his own experiences with them. I wish I could say that this was all something new but, sadly, it isn't. Using homosexuality and equal rights as examples, you were in the minority if you supported those beliefs 50 years ago. Even if you did so in peaceful means with only good intentions, you were still villainized by conservatives. Here we are now in the closing days of 2013 when liberal views on some social issues such as equality for everyone are very much in control, but someone who expresses a different opinion through peaceful, eloquent means is crucified by liberals. If Robertson had come out and said something like, and I'm just using this as an example so no offense is intended, "Kill all those ******s and put the darkies back out in the fields where they belong", then I could understand accusations of bigotry and racism, but that's not the sense I get from Robertson based on his comments.
