Posted on 12/22/2013 8:00:05 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
All week long the news media, social media, and ideological attention seekers talked, discussed, lambasted, denigrated, supported, backed, or touted Phil Robertson, the patriarch of Duck Commander and Duck Dynasty.
All this blathering was the result of an article in GQ written by Drew Magary. In the article, Robertson expounded on his personal views of homosexuality and gays.
The backlash was shock and awe. A&E, which produces Duck Dynasty, suspended Mr. Robertson indefinitely over his comments.
Then, there was shock and awe backlash against the backlash.
Lost in all this kerfuffle was the article itself. It appears very few, if any commentators, detractors, critics, supporters, social media lynch mobs, and shrieking shrills read the whole article. The only things most people read were cherry picked quotes.
The article is a clever, snarky, bigoted, profanity laced hit job on Robertson, his family, lifestyle, and the lifestyle of people who live in the country or woods.
It is bigoted puerile satire. Judging from the popularity of this writing style, bigoted puerile satire is a new standard in media.
Drew Magary is known for his abundant use of profanity and snark in his writing. This is unfortunate because he is such a good writer.
Why should intelligent people take Magary seriously? He expresses his intolerance, bigotry, and elitist contempt for people like Robertson and their lifestyle. GQ promotes bigotry against a whole culture by publishing this article. There is no hue and cry over Magary's and GQ's bigotry. No one is calling for Magary to be fired or GQ's advertisers to boycott the magazine.
In the new America there is a double standard when it comes to bigotry.
This lifestyle bigotry is made worse because Duck Commander and its ancillary, Buck Commander, is a forty million dollar a year business. Evidently, people who look, dress, act, and live like Paul Robertson are not entitled to wealth, especially if they created it the old fashioned American way, through simple good ideas and hard work.
The over educated elitists hate "white trash" backwoods millionaires. This is the same bigotry practiced by American blue blood elitists during the early 20th century against immigrants and Jews who created wealth from scratch.
(VIDEO-AT-LINK)
"Intelligent American" is an oxymoron. This is due to the toxic bubbling cauldrons of ideological witch's brew across the political spectrum. Conservatives, liberals, progressives, and what-not demand full faith and adherence to their gospels of idiotology. There is no room for individual critical intelligent thinking and open debate. You will be a true believer.
You will be a bigot. You will use bigotry to fight bigotry, alleged or real. There is a word for this, hypocrisy.
A&E' could justify their response. Duck Dynasty is a brand, their brand. Like any good company, they must protect their brand at all costs. A&E's response was not an assault on free speech, expression, or belief. They will profit or lose from the decision. That is their right.
Duck Commander is a brand, the Robertson family brand. It will not suffer. When it comes to products, devoted outdoor sportsmen, especially hunters and anglers, care about one thing and one thing only, does the product work. They will also buy the promotional items too.
Will the products assure them a boat load of fish, a pile of feathered creatures, that big four legged trophy beast, or tasty furry little creatures for fricassee or the stew pot? Duck Commando will not lose many sales over this incident. From all indications, this month's sales may break records. Controversy sells.
America was supposed to be a place where people could express their beliefs without fear of retribution. Freedom of expression, speech, and belief were the bedrock of our nation. America was supposed to be a heady simmering stew of ideas, debate, criticism, and commentary. Americans could agree to disagree without being disagreeable. This was the whole idea behind the First Amendment and the Free Speech Movement of the 1960s.
Many who demanded free speech during the 1960s and their latter adherents now claim free speech is what they say it is.
Speech is no longer free. It is policed and controlled to fit the narrow narratives of small minded people, from the far left to the far right.
Some militants are demanding legislation making some forms of speech and expression to be a crime punishable by prison, similar to laws in some European countries.
The second component of free speech and expression is the right to criticize. People have every right to criticize and openly disagree with Phil Robertson, his beliefs, and expressions of them. What they do not have a right to do is demand he apologize, keep his thoughts to himself, sit down with the offended group, or attempt to ban him in anyway. This holds true for all of us. Anything else is un-American.
Polarization, strict adherence to ideology, and the resulting hatred they breed, are destroying the free flow of ideas, thoughts, information, and expression.
America is fast becoming a place where people better toe the line, keep their thoughts to themselves, and only speak or express what is "acceptable". When someone crosses the acceptability line, the masses are automatically forced to care, choose sides, respond, condemn or support.
Critical thinking or intelligent choice are not necessary. The ovine flocks go to war on demand.
There are streets named after these so-called Americans, One Way and Dead End.
Pity, this used to be a great nation.
Any magazine that publishes work by Magary will never again be in my home... Ever.
I was about to post the same. I can’t name one person on the “far right” who wants to pass “legislation making some forms of speech and expression to be a crime punishable by prison, similar to laws in some European countries.”
The author probably believes fascists on the far right and communists are on the far left. Fascists, however, were socialists. They were statists.
Communists, fascists, and socialists (all big government statists of varying degrees) are on the political left and anarchists, libertarians, and conservatives (in that order) are on the far right. The Republican Party is center left in my opinion, because they substantially expanded government when they were in power during the Bush administration. Someone on the political right would generally try to cut and/or limit federal power, not expand it.
And a whole lot more than that in record sales and concert sales.
By whom?
The author makes a number of good points.
>> Speech is no longer free. It is policed and controlled to fit the narrow narratives of small minded people, from the far left to the far right.
As far as I’m concerned, the arguments against the above are foolishly anchored inapplicably to the 1st Amendment.
The Dixie Chicks were targets of well-organized boycotts, as punishment for speaking their minds. It wasn't folks from the Democratic Underground who organized those boycotts.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not judging the correctness of any one boycott. I suppose some are truly deserved. What I am saying is that the left has no monopoly on the process.
That’s not suppressing free speech. The government had nothing to do with it. Country music fans in general tend to be conservative, and were upset at what they said.
I certainly agree with you there. When the left calls for a boycott, they also call for laws to punish the target of the boycott.
And the left ALWAYS vilifies the target of the boycott. The target cannot just be wrong. The target is also a racist, and stupid, and a monster.
When the right boycotts, they just boycott.
According to the left, opposing the showing of pornography or profanity to kindergartners is “censorship” and “anti-free speech”.
That’s basically what God says in Romans 1 ...
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.
THAT would certainly be “dynamite” to LGBT-types ... :-) ...
I’m sure they are “foaming at the mouth” at this part ...
For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness ...
BTTT
I have three engineering degrees, make a six figure a year living. Yet I prefer to wear faded jeans, t shirts, unbuttoned flannel shirts that are not tucked in. I’m far more at home in my hiking boots than anything else. Would rather have a mainstream beer from a can or a whiskey on the rocks than any fancy drink... And yes, I have been snubbed by people who think they are somehow better than me. I stand with Phil. He’s the kind of guy my Dad would have called “good people.” I’d hang with Phil any time, any where rather than some self riotous gaystapo fool.
I just read the GQ article. It didn't come across that way at all: profanity laced, yes, but not the rest of that stuff.
Re that Magary is a good writer. Hitler had a lot of good writers working for him too.
Same hate, new swastika. Substitute the word “Christians” for “Jews” and it read the same after all these years.
To #25> All the major protests over Iraq were led by the communists of the Workers World Party (WWP), Stalinists, and their fronts of IAC - International Action Center created with the help of former Attorney General Ramsey Clark and ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism).
Oh the Black Bloc anarchists got in a few licks, but they represented the new convergence of anarchists and marxists, the Black-Red Bloc.
You’d be surprised at who actually supported the WWP/IAC/ASNWER protests, spoke at them, endorsed them, etc.
Go to www.keywiki.org and look up “Workers World Party”, etc.
You’ll find lists of congressmen and women, writers, entertainers, professors, etc. supporting the WWP and its fronts.
You just can’t fix stupid!
Who is Paul Robertson and what is Duck Commando?
;p
Hardly any columnists have effective editors anymore. The editors that are left are too busy dabbling into politics and writing their own columns it seems.
“Duck Dynasty saga exposes bigotry and hypocrisy”
Nothing else matters.
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