Regarding the Duck Dynasty controversy.
First, I have never seen the show. Not even a few minutes of a show.
Second, A&E is a private network. They can fire whom it pleases them to fire. If Fox can let go people who are not blond enough, then A&E can pay the people whom they wish. Do I like what A&E did? Nope, but I am a free-market kind of guy. Anyway, I don’t watch anything on A&E. Market forces should take care of this problem. The rest of this “Duck” family could vote with their feet, people could stop watching the show, and then let A&E decide which side they want to be on.
Third, the guy … “Phil”? – from what I hear – made some comments about black people being better off under Jim Crow Laws. [UPDATE: Apparently, he didn’t mention Jim Crow Laws. The media inserted that for him. He was talking about a situation many years ago, but the Jim Crow reference was interpolated ] That has to figure into this furor somehow. Again, I haven’t seen the interview or the show, but I know that the “gay” thing is being made into the “civil rights” issue of our day. It is as if there were a moral equivalence between forcing black people to drink from separate water fountains and, on the other hand, a baker declining to make a homosexual wedding cake.
Fourth, it getting harder to express Judeo-Christian morals than it was, say, 5 years ago. This will only get worse and, eventually, violent.
Fifth…. reality shows…. really?
The moderation queue is switched on.
UPDATE:
Lest we forget HERE:
“The Duck Dynasty family seems like a pretty fun bunch, so I can see how that would be pretty fun.” – PRES. OBAMA
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It seems to me that A&E has overplayed its hand in suspending the old man from the show. I think that the other family members have said they will not appear on the show without him.
Also the commentary about black people in the era of segregation sounded like actual bad things to say and yet next to his admittedly crass expression of belief regarding the behavior of homosexuals (which is consistent with Christian morality), it didn’t even move the needle.
Phil never said black people were better off under Jim Crow laws… here is his quote: [Finally!]
“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.”
Phil Robertson was not a Christian at this time in his life.. he was saying they were Godly people who were happy because they were Godly.
I have also never seen a black person mistreated.. ever.. i guess that makes me a bigot.
A&E can do whatever they want.. yes. But this is more than that.. this is a witch hunt. I have seen the show and these people are outspoken Christians and their fame has to enrage the godless. .. we cant have the most popular thing on tv being a bunch of Christians.
Speaking of Camille Paglia, of whom you recently posted, she kinda let her side have itwith both barrels on this, calling this PC Thought Police stuff “Fascist and Stalinist.”
“To express yourself in a magazine in an interview — this is the level of punitive PC, utterly fascist, utterly Stalinist, OK, that my liberal colleagues in the Democratic Party and on college campuses have supported and promoted over the last several decades,” Paglia said. “This is the whole legacy of free speech 1960’s that have been lost by my own party.”
Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/19/paglia-duck-dynasty-uproar-utterly-fascist-utterly-stalinist/#ixzz2o20qCFkC
And the homosexualist movement has added a new weapon to their arsenal: “We’re the real Christians, you homophobes aren’t. We’ll tell you what Christianity really says.”
“These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own.” – G.K. Chesterton, 8-11-1928
One does wonder, if a baker has to do business with people doing things he doesn’t approve of, can a TV channel be forced to do business with a person doing things they don’t approve of?
I’d disagree with both notions, but here we are.
Not a viewer, either, so, my opinion is just one of a bystander…but, I find it interesting that even the most vocal proponents of intelligent discourse who are also SSA such as Ms Pagilla are horrified (she likened it to ‘stalinist’) at the spasmodic reaction of A&E. If she’s intelligent to see where this can lead (suppression of speech that is ‘uncomfortable’ at the time it’s expressed), then one would assume that many more could make that connection and see the same applied to them when/if the social norms move in other directions.
That, plus they took one statement out of context without the qualifier that Robinson made. Was he the most elegant in speaking? No. Neither am I most times. But I find it interesting that, when reading the whole thing as a single comment on a personal belief, it was not comdemnatory. That’s just me. We are, after all, moving towards persecution not for what we do, but for what we believe anyway.
Father, I too have stayed out of commenting on this controversy. I think you articulated it very well in the points you made. I too am unhappy that a person can be canned because of words that they say, but I also agree that a&e has a right to hire and fire who they please. To think any other way would be hypocritical.
Third, the guy … “Phil”? – from what I hear – made some comments about black people being better off under Jim Crow Laws.
He did no such thing. In a block quote (with no context or even the original question), he said that he never personally witnessed black people unhappy with their situation when he was younger. That’s it. It may have been a weird thing to say or talk about, but he never supported Jim Crow laws or denied the existence of racism, personal or institutional.
Apparently A&E suspended the guy not because he said homosexuality is a sin, but because he equated homosexuality with beastiality. However, one should note that the quote itself was given because the man was asked BY THE INTERVIEWER what was sinfull in his own mind.
To top it all off, this interview was given in a outside magazine, and had nothing to do with the A&E network. The man was asked for his opinion on something, and he gave it. I’d say that was a reasonable use of his right to freedom of speech. And now he gets suspended for it?
I myself have not watched the show, but have heard of its huge popularity. Do I believe the quote could have been phrased in a better manner? Possibly, but this is a off the cuff quote, so anything could happen. Needess to say, I personally believe that this mans right to free speech has been violated. The fans will vote with their feet; I guaruntee it.
Hello Father:
Or, as Uncle Si might put it: Hey Father:
I would suggest checking out an episode or two, just to find out what all the hubbub is about.
They make duck calls (occasionally), they have bayou-centric hijinks (involving water and alligators), they shoot ducks and squirrels, they impart bayou-centric words of wisdom (mostly from Phil and Uncle Si), and they can be very very funny.
At the end of most episodes, Phil leads the entire large family in Grace Before Meals — which doesn’t usually happen at the end of other A&E programming like Dog the Bounty Hunter or Storage Wars. For a lot of people, Grace Before Meals is a foreign concept. Some of them might, just might, be prepared to try it simply because they saw it on Duck Dynasty. Stranger things have happened.
[I don’t watch reality TV. I barely watch any TV, and my time isn’t going to go to that.]
‘Third, the guy … “Phil”? – from what I hear – made some comments about black people being better off under Jim Crow Laws.’
This is patently false; he didn’t even come close to saying black people were better off under Jim Crow Laws. Father, you should correct this, even if you haven’t seen the show or the interview in question. It’s just not true.
[No, I’m not going to give this a lot of energy during these busy days. If someone here wants to post what he actually said, fine.]
Well, he was rude and crude in the article, and his Jim C. statement dumb, but he has struck a cord with millions of people who are pro-life and anti-lgtb agendas. I do not watch tv, so I only know what I read online.
This letter from his family is helpful.
http://duckcommander.com/news/robertson-family-offical-statement
I’ve also never watched the show and found the explosion of Duck Dynasty paraphernalia in every store somewhat annoying. However, the treatment of Phil by TV elitists far surpasses all things annoying. The few in hollywood have exploited their position, like a liberal university prof., to propagandize a candid audience disguising what homosexuality really is. They are broadcasting their propaganda on this subject into our living rooms without even asking once about OUR sensitivities to this issue. This is why I got rid of the tele in 1997 and never turned back.
Hollywood has relentlessly supported the gay lobby. In fact, the very day after Obama’s pronouncement of his “evolution” on gay marriage he immediately flew to hollywood to cash in from his marveled and twinkling eyed willing donors there. While they can aggravate us with their relentless barrage of homosexual propaganda, expecting us to be tolerant of their aggrandizement of sodomy, one, just one opposing tiny voice in opposition gets met with the liberal sledgehammer of intolerance.
They have held the preaching pulpit for decades preaching “tolerance” yet their stalinist treatment of Phil only displays their true colors and underlying hypocrisy. What is upsetting about this, is not WHAT they’ve done, but HOW and WHY they’ve done it – while in the same breath ignoring their viewers who don’t care to see homosexual propaganda any longer.
I have not watched the program–no TV reception in my house. I did not read the article. But I did find the quote about black people.
“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.”
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/12/18/duck_dynasty_s_phil_robertson_gets_suspended_for_anti_gay_tirade.html
Or
http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/19/showbiz/duck-dynasty-suspension/
There’s a lot that can be spun from this. On the one hand, some might say he was equating black people with while trash. Although my take on that is that he was saying that his family was considered to be at the bottom of the white heap, thus white trash.
He mentioned that the black people he worked beside were “godly”.
Is this a slur? Perhaps nowadays, maybe.
Here’s a link to the full GQ interview. Fair warning though, the interviewer swears throughout the interview and some of the pop-up ads show scantily clad women at times, but if you want the full quotes in their original context, here ya go:
http://www.gq.com/entertainment/television/201401/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson
As for my unsolicited 2 cents, I’m on Phil’s side. Sure, he could’ve taken care to choose his words a little more carefully, but that’s not who he seems to be. He comes across on the show as a very frank person who can be a bit gruff and brisk sometimes. That’s just his way. One of his teenage grandsons is very quiet and doesn’t make much conversation. On one episode, Phil told this grandson to go down to Walmart and buy himself a personality. The thing is, with both Phil and Jase, you have to watch for a crack in their facial expression to know whether they’re serious, kidding, or some combination of both when they make a statement. They both tend to say everything with a straight face, at least on camera.
They’re a close-knit family of Christian rednecks who are finding fame and popularity with an audience of millions. They are unapologetic about who they are and Whom they follow. It was only a matter of time before they were made to be controversial.
I had a grad school professor who also said that black were better off “many years ago”. But he was referring to slavery. And his punishment was a Nobel prize in economics (Robert Fogel, author of Without Consent or Contract.) Like they say in New York: Go Figure.
I have never seen the show as I never watch television. The first I knew of the show was during a party for catechists who teach religion to kids in our parish who attend public schools. Several of the catechists praised the show for its humor and Christian outlook.
I had the same experience as the the actor. In the 40s and 50s of my youth, never once did I see or hear anyone mistreat a black person physically or denigrate them verbally. When the media wants to stir up race hatred they bring out the same dozen or so old photos in their archives hoping to make people believe that race bigotry was the rule rather than the exception.
Just FYI, A&E is partially owned by Disney/ABC. I do believe that Disney/ABC has a 50% interest. Anyway, I find it ironic that they who helped give the world Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus, fear that their image would be tainted by Phil Robertson.
“If Fox can let go people who are not blond enough…”
That one made me fall out of my chair!
Interesting! I’ve watched a little of the show and for the most part it’s funny and silly and charming, more along the line of I Love Lucy as opposed to As the World Turns. I wonder why A&E chose this family for a reality TV show? Perhaps it was to show how backwards people are who cling to their guns and their Bibles. I’ll be honest, I don’t think reality TV is a good thing but I think the response to the show is the attractiveness of a close family. I think Joe in Canada hit the nail on the head, the “gay” agenda is to silence the “old” Christian proclamation that homosexual activity is sinful and that the “new” Christianity is to defend it as “love”. http://www.eonline.com/news/491973/glaad-responds-to-phil-robertson-s-gq-comments-regarding-homosexuality
Speaking as a redneck who is happy to see something that actually protrays rednecks in something other than a cartoon depiction written by someone who has never been south of Washington DC or east of Burbank, I am extremely unhappy with A&E. This is the only show that my family watches together, and it’s like a light in our lives. Maybe if you watched it, you’d understand. (Although you might have to be a redneck to fully appreciate it.)
All I know is that a mini duck call necklace makes a great stocking stuffer for any man in your life. You never know when your going to need to call some ducks.
The strongest message to take out of this is that a major television corporation has labeled the standard Christian view of sexual morality as unacceptable for public discourse.
Here are Phil’s comments about sexuality:
Phil: “Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong,” he says. “Sin becomes fine.”
GQ:What, in your mind, is sinful?
Phil:“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,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. 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.”
Three paragraphs later, Phil says:
“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”
So, Phil says that he believes that some things, including homosexual activity and promiscuity, are sinful and uses the Bible to support this view. Note that he specifically says homosexual behavior, not homosexuality. He also says that he doesn’t judge anyone, but leaves that to God. While certainly expressed in a more crude manner, it seems to me that this is exactly the same view of human sexuality held by Pope Francis, who was just named “man of the year” by both Time magazine and the gay publication The Advocate.
An interesting paradox
I had never seen the show. I was always baffled when I saw references to it. (We have an antenna and rarely watch t.v. We are quite backwards.) However, I bought the first three seasons on Amazon (I very well might have used this site to get to Amazon so you may have made money off of the Robertsons!) Anyway, yesterday I dug out the dvd’s and I’m hooked. I love these crazy people. I’m glad to have something the big kids can watch that is wholesome with all of the other rot out there. God bless the Robertsons.
The long and the short of it is this guy rocks the devil’s boat. He has spoken out against abortion, sex before marriage, prays before meals, and now speaks of grave sin quoting scripture . He’s got the culture rats scurrying. He’s the best thing that’s happened since the Obamacare rollout fiasco. In my opinion, God’s way of showing his presence no matter how much the culture tells Him to get lost.
‘And the homosexualist movement has added a new weapon to their arsenal: “We’re the real Christians, you homophobes aren’t. We’ll tell you what Christianity really says.” ‘
@Joe in Canada
Indeed, and they are finding the new toy quite useful to silence the opposition. This is why it is crucial that we have folks like yourself Father. It is very heartening to see public and outspoken defense of Christian Orthodoxy.
I don’t watch reality shows either but I am a fan of THIS reality show. Duck Dynasty evolved from an earlier show called Duck Commander that seemed to be more of documentary series about a very interesting family than a reality series. I think Duck Commander was so popular that it was resurrected as Duck Dynasty. Even Duck Dynasty should probably be thought of as a lightly narrated family drama/comedy made to look like a reality show than an actual reality show. The show is clearly scripted with perhaps some ad – libbing by the show’s stars. But it is the family itself that is truly interesting.
So who are the Robertsons? The Robertson clan is headed up by Phil, the man who is in all the trouble. Phil in his early days was a hard living intemperate man who somehow ended up married to Miss Kay a devout Christian woman. Eventually Phil decided he had had enough of all this Bible garbage and left Miss Kay. It didn’t take him long to realize that was one of the biggest mistakes he ever made in life and that he needed to reconsider his relationship with Miss Kay and with God. He became Christian. All of the Robertsons are devout Bible believing Christians. Some have been to seminary and almost all, including the wormen, have participated in or led ministries of one form or another in their church. Among the Duck Dynasty is a Duck Dynasty devotional that contains scripture passages and brief commentaries from many of the Duck Dynasty clan. Although the exegesis is perhaps more home spun than many Catholics are used to, and it definitely has that “bible believin'” quality you would expect from people of this Christian persuasion, it’s pretty solid stuff.
The television program depicts the life of the Robertson clan and while the shows are clearly scripted, the subject matter seems to a mixture of real life happenings and fiction. The family is a close family. They do engage in numerous squabbles and fights but these are the kind of squabbles and fights that happen in healthy, close families comprised of distinct personalities who are plain spoken. These are not the kind of squabbles that happen in dysfunctional families. The members of this clan truly love one another and there is not a hint of malice in the bunch.
This is a family that exudes charity, not in a sappy sentimental way but in a way that involves real commitment. Their charity is not reserved for themselves. In addition to a generous use of their procreative faculties (There are many Robertson children and grand children), members of this family have adopted other children as well. Some of these adoptions are interracial making it difficult to sustain a charge of racial bigotry against them. They have also over the years provided shelter and assistance to war veterans helping these vets to get back on their feet and recover from any trauma they have experienced. Uncle Si himself is a Viet Nam Vet.
What I have written above is about the real family. Some of it makes its way into the television show. Some of it doesn’t.
The Robertsons are a family much to be admired, honored and respected. There is worse you could watch on TV than Duck Dynasty.
“Among the Duck Dynasty is a Duck Dynasty devotional that contains scripture passages and brief commentaries from many of the Duck Dynasty clan.”
I meant to say “Among the Duck Dynasty merchandise is a Duck Dynasty devotional that contains scripture passages and brief commentaries from many of the Duck Dynasty clan.
“To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.”
? Voltaire
I admire Mr. Roberston and his family for what they are doing. They are taking a stand for their faith and not compromising. They are also willing to lose all the material gains that came from the show. God Bless them. Hope we would all be willing to call sin what it is and be willing to pay the price for it.
Nice, I agree with almost all of that post.
I figure it’s a part of cultural literacy to at least know what the Duck Dynasty phenomenon is. It is an amazingly popular show.
I’ve never watched it and have no interest in watching it.
I probably see sexual orientation and racial issues being more on a par with regard to civil rights, however I would certainly agree that there are some important distinctions.
The degree to which people seem to be willing to accept sexual orientation as a civil rights issue seems to track with the degree to which they understand sexual orientation as an accident of birth versus being a matter of free choice.
By “accident of birth” I’m referring not only to possible genetic predispositions (which don’t seem to have been proven to date) but also hormonal and other issues during gestation.
At any rate I was happy to see a lot of agreement between our take on DD.
Obama praised them?
They must be liberals.
/sarc
The Robinson’s family business was doing quite well long before the A&E show ever started.
Thankfully their livelihood does not depend on Hollywood and A&E.
If you are tempted to think they are uneducated you would be mistaken.
So many say that it is almost the only show they can sit and watch with the whole family. The show seems to be a breath of fresh air to many viewers with children.
Your post covered it quite well rtjl.
Joe in Canada says:
And the homosexualist movement has added a new weapon to their arsenal: “We’re the real Christians, you homophobes aren’t. We’ll tell you what Christianity really says.”
According to Liberalism the message of Christ is the Antinomianism that Fr Z has mentioned more than once (i.e., that the New Law dispenses from the moral obligations of the Old Law). Many liberals then take the next step and eliminate the New Law, leaving little else than a residue of liberal tolerance.
http://houston.cbslocal.com/2013/12/19/hundreds-of-thousands-support-boycotting-ae-following-duck-dynasty-stars-suspension/
Perhaps people have reached the tipping point.
Phil Robertson’s conversion story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjqccYmx13w
His son and grandson also tell their conversion story… Phil is first.. about 6 minutes. .. worth every minute.
with regards to Bob Newhart’s caving in and reneging on an appearance with Legatus, the homosexualists had this to say: “I am hoping that I am right, and Mr. Newhart doesn’t want to go down that path,” he added. “He can still express his Catholic faith in a way more consistent with the rest of American Catholics, by loving and supporting his LGBT friends and family.” I suspect they’re getting talking points for ecclesial fifth columnists.
While I cannot agree with the craziness of the response to his comments, is Phil Robertson really the apologist we want for Christian morality on sexuality? What a pity that we do not have more articulate messengers speaking up. I cannot think that the inelegant phrasing of his comments did more than reassure the already convinced.
The man was asked his opinion, he gave it, and that’s it. Anyone who reads his words, crude though they might be, can see he had no evil intent. The Robertson family are genuinely decent, God-fearing people, something sorely lacking in today’s media, and to suspend him (he was not “fired” but put on indefinite hiatus) for simply giving his opinion to appease less than 1% of the population speaks more of A&E than it does of the Robertsons.
I stand with Phil and his family and will not be watching any further episodes until Phil is reinstated AND apologized to.
I cannot think that the inelegant phrasing of his comments did more than reassure the already convinced.
You mean he should have given the usual Catholic homiletic verbiage in which the hearer doesn’t know which way is up by the end of it? Nay, clarity =/= inelegant.
I’ve read the article and the exact quotes from Phil.
My opinion is that his problem was using exact biological words to describe the sex act of homosexuals. If one reads about the history of the gay movement, they attempted to hide exactly what this act was. They pushed “love” and try to distance themselves from the sex act they perform. They knew that they couldn’t “sell” homosexuality with sodomy in the forefront.
I don’t find the description crude. It’s fact. What goes where using biological terms. In fact, when I found my own children falling into the “love is love” propaganda, used almost the exact phrases he did. My teens eyes were opened. I felt it was my job to give them the truth that the lobby hides.
“What a pity that we do not have more articulate messengers speaking up.”
Perhaps Phil has cleared the way for them to be heard now. Perhaps people will raise their heads from constantly gazing at their mobile devices long enough to listen.
Judges imposing ssm — Christians having their business destroyed because of what their religious beliefs are –the ACA mandate etc has created a lot of simmering outrage and this situation has created a focal point for it. One more thing to be taken away because of “political correctness”-when the usual Hollywood “PC” shows pushing particular views are unwatchable. People between the two coasts are hungry for family friendly shows again. These comments were not even said on the actual show.
I thought that we are taught to love the sinner but hate the sin. That is what he seemed to be saying-although certainly in a different way.
@frroberts, with respect:
I would have preferred a more eloquent spokesman as well, one that speaks is better than an eloquent one who remains silent. At least Phil won’t be called to answer why he remained silent on Judgment Day.
Since I live in the same city as the Duck Dynasty guys (West Monroe, La.) I finally broke down and started watching the show. It is actually pretty good, especially because of Uncle Si. Off camera they are very vocal about their faith, especially Phil, who is an elder as a local church (I believe they are Church of Christ, Protestant). I suppose it was only a matter of time this happened given how vocal Phil is about the faith and how opposed to Christianity the secular world is these days. I don’t agree with some of their Theological views as a Catholic but I sure do appreciate their zeal to preach what they understand to be the Gospel and their love for Christ.
The reason why the LGBT community is so up at arms is not because his views or the Bible quote. It is because he described the homosexual act. They try real hard to keep the public focused on the love and relationship aspect of the homosexual lifestyle. They do not want people to think about what us actually happening during the sexual encounters. When ever you start discussing the subject with an average person. They will say it is ok because they love each other but when you bring up what they actually do, the person gets uncomfortable and usually doesn’t want to talk about it anymore. It is when we bring up the sinful act is when people realize that it is wrong what they do. If you look at the churches stance on homosexuals we love the person we love everything about them but we disagree and acknowledge that the actions of homosexuality are wrong and are sinful.
SKAY,
“People between the two coasts are hungry for family friendly shows again.”
Some people living on the two coasts are hungry for family friendly shows again too; and family friendly culture as well. Our voices are drowned out as much as those of people living between coasts. I can see this eventually bringing us to a new realm of segregation. This time, it will not be based on race, but on creed: Judeo-Christians vs. secular-humanists. At some point, Christians will figure out that some states will emerge with laws that are Christian friendly and family friendly. As long as there are jobs there, Christians will vote with their feet and move to those states. Likewise, Christians will need to develop alternative media and advertising that does not contradict their values. The world needs a “Faithbook” rather than Facebook and a GodTube rather than a YouTube. And now with emerging technology such as Roku, it is possible for Christians to launch their own t.v. channels on a venue like Roku for a fraction of the cost of traditional cable and satellite channels. We just need a few enterprising Christians who have the tech know-how and the ability to raise the funds needed to launch such endeavors. Once such entities come into being, Christians will support them just as they support Duck Dynasty.
One area where I wish EWTN could do more is in the area of original programming that has entertainment value. I love when they show movies on Saturday night, and I like shows like Fr. Leo’s (can’t spell his last name) cooking show, but there’s only so many lectures and roundtables a person can stand to watch on any given day. Even watching the re-runs of Bishop Sheen’s program reminds us that faith can be interesting and entertaining without compromising the Truth. Somehow, we’ve lost that. We need to get it back.
I’m waiting for a good reality series about life in a religious order or life as a seminarian. Or how about life as a college student at a school like Wyoming Catholic college, where guns are welcome, but cell phones are not? Take a cue from Duck Dynasty and follow some really colorful people around with a camera to show that faith IS fun and interesting, not dour and dowdy. That’s what people like about Duck Dynasty. Week in and week out, it shows a Christian family willing to poke fun at themselves and have a good time, all the while living out the wholesome values that they embrace.
Surely we have some Catholic rednecks out there somewhere in this great land. Maybe they even prefer the latin mass!!!!
Frroberts… I dont know about that… cant think of too many men in a 3 piece suit who would get 14 million people a week to watch them.
God can use anyone… even a man with a beard a mile long. Its not an hour long of preaching.. its little pearls of wisdom weaved throughout the show.. then they pray at the end.
“Reality shows, really?”
I learned a lot by watching the Duggars, things I needed to see in action to see tone and mannerism and intensity.
It is obvious that reality shows are going to be around for a bit longer and they are just a medium for communication, there is nothing that forces it to be terrible. An quote from an A&E executive was that they believed for the last 10 years that reality shows had to be the worst to be popular, but the Duck guys proved it to them differently. It seems like a good way of sneaking in good to the general population, but in fact I still think the general population prefers less trash than tv offers, and it is the executives who insist on depravity.
There are episodes where Phil accompanies his grandson on a date, telling the viewers that more people need to take this role in guiding and preserving their grandchildren (that is not how he words it).
For those of you upset at A & E and other liberal TV stations and want to avoid them in order to send a message, I believe this is an article worth reading. Boycotts won’t work, so if you want to really do something to stand up for your beliefs, then you need to cut cable off completely, otherwise these stations are still getting your money regardless of whether you watch them or not.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2013/12/19/Bundled-cable-racket-why-duck-dynasty-boycott-is-pretty-futile
Basically cable bundles are basically like a welfare state for cable channels. And there is of course always the last desperate measure that if millions of people do cut themselves off from cable TV, that like the UK, the government will tax you to keep the propaganda channels alive. Nonetheless, fight it. And this is all a really good reason why you should also fight for freedom of the internet and tell the government and corporations to keep their hands off of it. Don’t fall for the claptrap of ‘piracy’ concerns, there’s far more to it than you can imagine.
I have read that reality show like “Here’s Honey Boo” and “Jersey Shore” are intended to be interesting because liberals like to sit around and mock other people, and there’s alot to mock on most reality shows. It didn’t quite work out that way in the Duck Dynasty program because instead of mocking them the family ended up being interesting people to millions by way of their obvious Christian faith. To their absolute credit they refused to minimize it even when pressed by A&E, who in April 2013 told Phil Robertson he “cannot (or should not) mention Jesus anymore” on the show. Of course Phil Robertson apparently ignored that restriction. This man is a bit of a cultural hero now because he did refuse to hide or minimize his faith in Jesus Christ or the Gospels. That is going to get you noticed in some bad ways but also admired. A&E did not plan on this being an ironic kind of “hit” for them. They have profited nicely. The Robertson’s were already successful due to the excellent duck calls they make and their savvy business acumen (so much for the fun ‘redneck’ label) and they don’t need A&E at all. They are millionaires now anyway, and clearly Phil Robertson is more interested in sharing the gospel than even, I daresay, building up his empire any more than it is, and it’s considerable. The family is for real and people see it and find it appealing. God, guns, and family. That seems to be the Robertsons. Of course the liberal left would hate it and GQ would bait for the obvious topic.
Touching on the racial element. Now that we know Phil Robertson did NOT say anything that included racially insensitive comments it also must be said that to outsiders of the American south, it is very hard to peg what real race relations are. Misunderstandings abound. There is an intermingling and close cultural experience that southern blacks and whites share that cannot be easily fathomed by those outside that particular culture. Phil Robertson no doubt had grown up with and around black Americans and they included family, friends, and neighbors. They share the southern American experience and any comment he makes on that topic has to be understood in that cultural context. It is evil that someone would try to pin something negative on him to discredit him at this time, but we live in an evil world. Watch that even though the truth has come out that he did not make those statements they will live on and on…I believe that is called calumny? I may be wrong on the term.
UPDATE: Phil Robertson has just announced he is NOT backing down from what he said. This is awesome!! Finally, someone sticks to their religious convictions, and does not let the secular/liberal media bully them into an apology. I too have never watched the show, but I admire someone who sticks to what they believe, and doesn’t care what the rest of the world thinks.
“Surely we have some Catholic rednecks out there somewhere in this great land. Maybe they even prefer the latin mass!!!!”
Texas ma’am, Texas.