What's your take on the Duck Dynasty controversy?

[Aleister Granger]

This unequivocally proves to me that the right however hated they may be, are particularly powerful in American social order. I'm one for free speech... but when your idea of free speech is hate speech, a line has to be drawn.

What's more disgusting is how this is making right wingers feel that they can start spouting their delusional garbage in public. I've never seen a whole group of people so delusional as the American right and I think they're going to turn Mr. Robertson into some sort of ""working class"" icon of theirs.

[Sinister Intents]

This unequivocally proves to me that the right however hated they may be, are particularly powerful in American social order. I'm one for free speech... but when your idea of free speech is hate speech, a line has to be drawn.

What's more disgusting is how this is making right wingers feel that they can start spouting their delusional garbage in public. I've never seen a whole group of people so delusional as the American right and I think they're going to turn Mr. Robertson into some sort of ""working class"" icon of theirs.

Indeed the American right is very delusional, I find the whole situation annoying as hell, so I've mostly ignored it, but everyone seems to be talking about it.

[Aleister Granger]

I've tried to ignore it. And, funny as hell, every time I do get engrossed by it all I see are articles detailing the negativity towards Mr. Robertson, or discussing the Right's reaction. I'm starting to think either the right thinks they're larger than they really are, or there really is a liberal bias in media, and I'm leaning towards the former. Altogether though, I think that this is important to the struggles of leftists, but it's really nothing we haven't heard before.
"God says homosexuals are evil people, and their existence will (someday, any day now) lead to people fucking their pets and some wild animals (soon, give it time, it will happen this millennium, I swear) and then trees, and the floor (there's no doubt it will happen, the Bible says so, it just needs a few more years or decades and then we'll be proven right)"
"N- I mean, black people were perfectly content under Jim Crow. I saw all dem n-, er, black people smiling and they were all happy. It's just a liberal ruse that they were miserable."

That's basically what he's saying. I won't be surprised if he comes out next and says that he thinks Obama's the reincarnation of Joseph Stalin. The delusional right will eat it up and add it to their repertoire of psychotic, debased beliefs.
No offense to comrades suffering from psychosis.

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

One thing you need to know about the Robertsons:

They're a bunch of phonies.

Seriously, just look up some pictures of the Robertson clan before they got the tv show. They were all clean-shaven, short haired, wearing three piece suits and polo shirts while playing Golf in exclusive clubs.

The whole country boy routine was completely invented by A & E in order to cultivate an image of the Robertsons as a group of hicks who were only slightly more civilized than Honey Boo Boo's famlily, and somehow are so hillbilly that they can barely comprehend how an elevator works.

It's all complete bullshit. The Robertsons are bourgeois to the core, and are FAR more intelligent than they pretend to be.

[Aleister Granger]

One thing you need to know about the Robertsons:

They're a bunch of phonies.

Seriously, just look up some pictures of the Robertson clan before they got the tv show. They were all clean-shaven, short haired, wearing three piece suits and polo shirts while playing Golf in exclusive clubs.

The whole country boy routine was completely invented by A & E in order to cultivate an image of the Robertsons as a group of hicks who were only slightly more civilized than Honey Boo Boo's famlily, and somehow are so hillbilly that they can barely comprehend how an elevator works.

It's all complete bullshit. The Robertsons are bourgeois to the core, and are FAR more intelligent than they pretend to be.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Sinister Intents]

One thing you need to know about the Robertsons:

They're a bunch of phonies.

Seriously, just look up some pictures of the Robertson clan before they got the tv show. They were all clean-shaven, short haired, wearing three piece suits and polo shirts while playing Golf in exclusive clubs.

The whole country boy routine was completely invented by A & E in order to cultivate an image of the Robertsons as a group of hicks who were only slightly more civilized than Honey Boo Boo's famlily, and somehow are so hillbilly that they can barely comprehend how an elevator works.

It's all complete bullshit. The Robertsons are bourgeois to the core, and are FAR more intelligent than they pretend to be.

I hate marketing with a fucking passion, I have never seen this show, but I assumed as much. All of what is on television seems complete bullshit. Fuck bourgeois media.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

While Phil Robertson's homophobia is deplorable and he should be taken for task for it, I strongly suspect the whole "controversy" , like that around Miley Cyrus "twerking" has been staged to boost ratings. Few people actually watch these shows. Both Duck Dynasty and the Video music Awards have a viewership of around 10 million (out of a country of 320 million).

Liberal blogs and magazines-Salon, the New Yorker. etc have spilled an enormous amount of ink denouncing Robertson and the hypocrasy of the right while of course not mentioning the wedding party in Yemen Obama murdered, the ongoing NSA spying of literally the entire human race, for political and financial gain.

Liberals can feel good about themselves while conservatives can enjoy their siege mentality over how their values and freedom are under attack by liberal elites.It is like the "debate" over whether Santa Claus or Jesus (both mythological characters) are "white". Easier to play the culture wars than engage in class struggle politics while the ruling class is going for the jugular.

The correct response for leftists..ignore media manufactured controversies entirely.

[Sabot Cat]

I hate marketing with a fucking passion, I have never seen this show, but I assumed as much. All of what is on television seems complete bullshit. Fuck bourgeois media.

I think this video helps delineate the relevant points in this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW343K1-upo

[JudasMaiden]

I think the Duck Dynasty fiasco is a distraction from the actual problems the world is facing, especially how the mainstream media is focusing on that crap and not on the actual problems.
I personally think Homophobia is wrong as a straight person, but this shouldn't be a fucking major issue.

[Sinister Intents]

I think this video helps delineate the relevant points in this topic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW343K1-upo

Indeed it does, thanks :) I will never, ever watch this show.

[Brotto Rühle]

A way for homophobes to hide behind "free speech". I've raved about it on facebook, and nobody cares that you can get fired from walmart for talking about unionizing...only if you get suspended from a TV show fro being a bigot.

[Prometeo liberado]

Why should anyone be surprised? If this wasn't, at least tacitly, given consent then A&E's behavior thus far certainly sure as hell has. But so what? This is business in a capitalist world and today as always entertainment is propaganda. Give to Caeser what is Caeser's. The old beard can spout whatever dribble he wants and we as a class should take it as an affirmation that "they", contrary to what the network would have us think, are not of us or like us in any way, shape or form. I won't bother drawing lines on free speech. The lines I look to be drawn are those of class and its war that, everyday that we fail to wage, sprouts up new and ever more vile propaganda..errr, entertainment.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

Disney, which owns 50% of A&E, is notoriously image conscious. I don't think this was manufactured for ratings. What is manufactured is how the Right is using this as "proof" that liberals, African-Americans, and LGBT people are "oppressing" them.

[Aleister Granger]

While Phil Robertson's homophobia is deplorable and he should be taken for task for it, I strongly suspect the whole "controversy" , like that around Miley Cyrus "twerking" has been staged to boost ratings. Few people actually watch these shows. Both Duck Dynasty and the Video music Awards have a viewership of around 10 million (out of a country of 320 million).

Liberal blogs and magazines-Salon, the New Yorker. etc have spilled an enormous amount of ink denouncing Robertson and the hypocrasy of the right while of course not mentioning the wedding party in Yemen Obama murdered, the ongoing NSA spying of literally the entire human race, for political and financial gain.

Liberals can feel good about themselves while conservatives can enjoy their siege mentality over how their values and freedom are under attack by liberal elites.It is like the "debate" over whether Santa Claus or Jesus (both mythological characters) are "white". Easier to play the culture wars than engage in class struggle politics while the ruling class is going for the jugular.

The correct response for leftists..ignore media manufactured controversies entirely.

My response is that Miley Cyrus's audience of tweens and sexheads is one thing. It was a nuisance for the Right.

Phil Robertson has gotten the American right riled up. This may have been a fabricated controversy, but the American right is so ready for a fight that they've made it something more.
https://www.facebook.com/Philrobertsonsupport
And the best leftist response is "Ignore them?"

What the fuck happened! Don't get me wrong, as eye opening as nearly 2 million followers seems (with tens of thousands following the individual pages themselves) it's still microscopic in the grand scheme of America's populace... but 2 million angry reactionaries is more than enough to start convincing the rest. We've seen that before with a fraction of that. If the left doesn't get its shit together and stop trying to ignore things even that are manufactured and start unifying, then all I have to say is that the US is about to become one waste of a hellhole.
Like I said, I like free speech, but actual asshattery such as this? I don't want to look back at this as the point when the Right pulled itself up and dominated again. Especially not with technology pushing forward so quickly.

[RedWaves]

My take on it is that it's blown out of proportion and is not even really a "controversy"

What he said about Gays wasn't even the most offensive. He also said black people were better off before Civil Rights. Where is Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton screaming about this one? I found that to be more offensive than what he said about Gays, but then again that's the American mindset where they ignore that discrimination and focus solely on one. I don't know how old this guy is but he clearly is old enough to remember before civil rights era.


On the other hand, why isn't anyone bashing A&E for this? They put them on the show to begin with. They didn't have a problem with the guy until he said something they didn't like. As usual, no one wants to blame the big employer that has made ass loads of money exploiting rednecks from this dumb reality show.


I'm not siding with the guy, and I certainly am not defending him, but I think A&E was responsible in their own regard for putting this on their show to begin with and it all goes back to the dumb reality shows to begin with. Americans love this dumb shit weather it be army wives or mafia wives or whatever, and all these redneck reality shows. A&E should be held responsible for this one way or another.


Is anyone even really surprised he said this? The show is all about a rich redneck family from the south so really are you truly surprised that they may think this way? How how no one wants to talk about how A&E put this on their network to begin with? Same thing with the Amish exploitation show on TLC that turned out to be fake, people got mad at the actors who are acting (after all, all reality shows are staged one way or another) but they didn't want to hold the network responsible. Same goes for every network that is busted with one of these fake ass shows.


This is not a controversy at all. Watch, he'll come back on the show. The ratings will go through the roof, even more people will watch it, A&E will win (again) and make even more shit tons of money selling this bullshit.


and that's all I have to say. What he said was dumb, what they are making a big deal about isn't even the most offensive thing, and most of all no one wants to hold A&E responsible, so you get what you get. You can say whatever you want when you are on these shows and make shit tons of money until you offend them.