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.
Ha! You beat me to it. I’m glad I looked at the replies before posting.
The homos have come out all right! They have come out and shown their true colors as hateful bigots who will bully those who do not agree with them. This is a small vocal minority with big bucks to blow on expensive lawyers. It is how these shameful bullies of the Left are pushing their agenda on the majority through the courts.
How much anyone want to bet the media will drop the DD/Phil Robertson issue like a scalled duck? They brought all this attention to the issue and now are reaping the backlash.
Can’t have that now can we? Let’s stop writing anymore about Phil Robertson’s comments. Perhaps a few fuzzy feeling stories about the pbumbo’s on their holiday vacation or how great Mandella was, etc. (sarc)
bmp
The two sentences are mutually contradictory. The author of this article is not a very good judge of writing skill.
The Dixie Chicks acted as they spoke for all of Texas when they made their comments overseas.
It's starting to look a lot like fascism...
Sounds like a tv preacher...
He is Jim Thompson's identical twin brother by another mother...
Actually it was more about speaking their minds on foreign soil yet they had never said such here at home at any of their concerts until after they got caught...
I think the term is "hypocrisy"...
I should have known! That Jim Thompson has something to do with everything.
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