Duck Dynasty brouhaha

[Max]

NBA, that's nicely said!

By the way, I just want to state that I don't support A&E standing by Robertson indefinitely. However, I do think that there should be a period of several months where A&E keeps the show (with Phil Robertson) on the air as it suffers the financial consequences of boycotts. After that, when network ratings and profits have fallen, Duck Dynasty should then be cancelled. (Again, I am just irked that A&E is essentially suffering no consequences from this incident after making Phil Robertson so famous.)

[Nate4]

Exactly.

[ReddFoxx]

People not on television have been fired for what they've posted on social media. Conduct is part of what employers look at and if you demonstrate poor public character, that's a good reason for termination. In the case of a reality show star giving an interview, it's the same logic.

[quartermainefan]

This is no different than when that hick chef was revealed to have had black waiters dress like they were from 1850 or whatever it was she did and the food network let her go. MSNBC let Martin Bashir go and Alec Baldwin, and nowhere were the people from FOX news lamenting the death of free speech. It is sad that to the Palin contingent the only thing that matters is if liberals are perceived to be against someone, they therefore are for them.

I was listening to Morning Joe the other day and Joe Scarborough was putting out this false argument that liberals try to shut down everyone that does not agree or approve of homosexuality. That is not the true point if anyone would dare say it to him: There is nothing to approve or agree with, it is like saying "I don't agree with air" or "I don't agree with the number four". It is just something that is, and these conservatives got it into their heads that people give credence to what they think on these topics. Their approval is irrelevant since disapproving doesn't change anything. I don't approve of beards. Does that mean I should be deluded enough to think those people with beards should care or even be concerned with my opinion of them? Who am I to even think people are waiting around wondering whether I approve of this? To say you disapprove of homosexuality is akin to saying you disapprove of blonde people or people with five fingers on each hand. There were homosexuals thousands of years ago, there will be homosexuals thousands of years from now, and it just is something that is, no approval or agreement required.

[ChitHappens]

Why else would they ban him? If they banned Phil because of his believes, that is wrong, but wanting to avoid financial losses is plenty of reason to get that mofo off of their network [they might even feel the same as Phil, but money supersedes all]. Phil can believe what he wants, but these are the kinds of things you either keep to yourself or share with your buddies. Funny he didn't share these thoughts before? Arrogance is the fastest way to destroy something. Once Phil became successful at whatever show this is, he felt comfortable to express his true feelings. Out of all of the friends and family he could share this kind of trash with, he felt the world was the best platform, especially as we approach 2014?

[Eric83]

I find it laughable how some are making this a free speech issue. Has the government gotten involved? Did his ass get arrested?

F him! Im not one that thinks he should lose his job but if he does oh well. The stuff he said about gay people is his opinion but to say "why would someone choose a man's anus over a vagina" has nothing to do with the bible. The stuff he said about blacks during the Jim Crow era was so vile and ignorant. I see the conservative commentators are ignoring that so he can be a damn martyr. The whole situation is laughable to me. I didn't watch that sh-t before and won't watch it after. I unfriendly about 7 people on Facebook who were ranting about this to save myself from arguing with their asses.

[ChitHappens]

Eric,

No one cares about what he says about black people. The outrage is because he made heinous remarks about homosexuals.

[marceline]

That's the part I find most pathetic about this. The people getting angry about this have absolutely no concept of free speech. The apparently think freedom of speech means the rest of us aren't allowed to respond. There's also the epic irony of having people who think corporations are people who have rights and union bash every chance they get becoming angry when a business chooses to terminate an employee for cause. Food Network did it with Paula Deen and they whined. A&E did it here and they whine. Methodist Church defrocks a minister for officiating at his son's wedding to a man five years ago and they cheer. It's hypocrisy wrapped in stupidity stuffed inside petulance. It's an idiot turducken.

[Eric83]

Had he only made remarks against the African American community trust and believe this would have never become a national spotlight but I'll keep my thoughts on that to myself.

[Eric83]

Agreed. I turned into Faux News because I knew they would be having a field day with this. Whining about how liberals, gays, and Obama want to strip people of their free speech and make America a totalitarian state with "thought police". My eyes rolled to the back of my head seeing Sarah Palin's smug ass on there with her camouflage on like she is fighting the great fight

[DRW50]

I think that homophobic comments get more media focus because it's safer for them to talk about. It becomes about "war on religion." I think that GLAAD releasing the first statement (HRC/NAACP released one later) also drove coverage.

There's a lot of breathless hype from brain dead smirkfests like EW about how this is the "culture war" reborn. They were practically giddy. You can't go on about "culture war" as easily when someone is blathering about how black people were happy picking cotton.

[DRW50]

I was amused that several Fox News names, like O'Reilly and Steve Doocy, were pointedly not calling this a violation of free speech - O'Reilly said his comments were offensive and A&E had a right to do what they wanted, and Doocy said this isn't about free speech.

I have a feeling Papa Rupert got in their ear, or someone high up did, because if this turns into a network being forced to keep a controversial employee because of "free speech," that would have very bad consequences for Fox News down the line.

[Max]

I am really sorry if I came across as insensitive. (That certainly was not my intention.) I totally understand why people would want bigots banned ASAP, so they no longer have a platform to discuss their hatred. There's just a part of me that thinks it is very wrong for a corporation to bail on an extremist at the first sign of trouble in order to save its ass. Thus, I feel it would be "sweet justice" for a corporation to continue to air such a controversial show for a few more months and take a financial hit before canceling the show altogether. (But, as I mentioned earlier, such an option shows insensitivity because those most hurt by the bigoted comments deserve to have the extremist gone immediately. Unfortunately, no option seems to exist that both robs the bigot of his platform and harms the network financially.)

This logic makes complete sense, Redd. My problem was that in the case of A&E, they knew that Robertson was an extremist, hired him anyway, made tons of money off of him, and then became too cowardly to suffer as a result of the network's association with him. I don't think a company is being cowardly when it fires John Q. Public for saying offensive things on social media, because that company had no prior idea regarding that individual's beliefs. However, I think things should change when the company knows full well it hired an extremist.

Qfan, you are totally right about the horrendous "free speech" hypocrisy on the right when it comes to people like Bashir and Baldwin. I personally think that MSNBC should have kept their shows on for several more months and suffered the financial consequences from doing so (before canceling them), just as I feel that A&E should keep Duck Dynasty on the air for a few more months (in order to suffer) before canceling it.

[ChitHappens]

Max, that would make sense if they hired Phil because of his beliefs. They hired him to make money for them, and at any given time, if that is jeopardized, you cut ties.

Dick Dynasty is not a platform for redneck beliefs, am I mistaken?

[Max]

Chit, I totally get your point. They obviously did not hire him because of his beliefs, but I am pretty sure they knew what his beliefs were. (If A&E honestly did not know about his extremism at the time of hire, then I don't think they are being cowards.) A&E obviously hired him so they could make money, and now they are cutting ties so they won't lose money. (Sorry if I am coming across as totally naive on this matter, since I fully know that corporations act in their best interests. I just abhor A&E's public insincerity as they say with a straight face that they are severing ties with Robertson solely because they find his comments offensive.)

I am honestly not sure what Duck Dynasty is a platform for, as I never watched the show. I am assuming that the show permits the Robertsons to show others their lifestyle. Since the camera is rolling on these reality shows, the Robertsons probably get a chance to express political opinions to the audience (although maybe A&E chooses to air little, if any, political opinions that the Robertsons hold).