Are you upset about Phil's (Duck Dynasty) anti-homosexual comments?

No, I’m not upset, the people on Duck Dynasty don’t interest me in the slightest.

He also went off on blacks and people on welfare too. So lets not just make this about gays.

Another redneck speaks what he feels.

Why is this news? Why does anyone care?

There are clearly a few things he doesn’t like.
Nobody says you have to like or approve of everything or anything for that matter.
Too bad he got fired for saying it..

The bottom line is a man should be able to say whatever he wants but he must also realize that what he says may have consequences. Even Fluther has certain rules that limits what a member can say.

Amazing.. Free speech is alive and kicking in America. He said stupid shit and and A&E was free to fire his ass.

As I understand the issue – and since I’m not a DD fan or viewer I have very little firsthand knowledge of this – the network that airs the show, Art & Entertainment (A&E) has been wanting the DD characters to avoid mention of Christianity, God and the Bible on the show for fear of alienating some viewers. However, fring someone from a job in the USA for expressing religious views will get an employer sued, and probably successfully. So, since A&E couldn’t take direct action for the viewpoints the characters were expressing on the basis of their “protected class” while saying those things, they took a sneaky, underhanded way to have some reporter ask about the topic of homosexuality instead. When Phil responded on the record with what he believed – honestly and without malice, from what I understand – the network was able to take action to remove him for violating some kind of “hate speech” clause in his contract with the network.

“Speaking negatively about homosexuality”, even in an opinion and even when the comments aren’t directed at a particular person or event, may not be “protected” as free speech, since it can be more or less classified as the network chosen to, and made grounds for termination of the contract.

Phil may be a bigot or he may not be. I have no opinion on that. But it does seem to me that even bigots have a right to express their thoughts, even if we don’t agree with them. Else what good is free speech?

What the fuck is a Duck Dynasty??

@janbb – it’s not all its quacked up to be. Lousy show.

Idiots making duck whistles and doing redneck shit like blowing up a RV. It is like the Orange county chopper show with more woman belong in the kitchen.

I haven’t actually heard what he said. What did he say?

They put stupid shows on TV and then act all high and mighty when the people on them act stupidly.

http://www.metafilter.com/134912/His-personal-views-in-no-way-reflect-those-of-AandE-Networks

@johnpowell I skimmed the article that @KNOWITALL linked, and basically got that he was an ignorant, bigoted ass. But even if he had not said these things out loud to the interviewer, could A&E not have predicted statements exactly like this after sitting down with the guy before contracts were signed? He’s true to his type; why is anyone surprised?

Nobody is surprised. It is just that they edit his shit-mouth out.

@CWOTUS Likewise I have little “firsthand” knowledge of this person. I’ve never watched the show (for that matter I’ve not had cable television in nearly a decade). But I looked this incident up (since it’s all over my Facebook page), and his comments may have been honest but they were most certainly not without malice.

Never heard of the, ahem…show, but they remind me of the redneck hunters on Bruno.
Hilarious the way Sacha Baron Cohen ripped the piss out of the homophobic arsewipes without them ever realising, only because they’re thick as shit though.

For the record… My moms boyfriend loves the show. I have watched about 6 episodes. It is totally obvios that they are racist and homophobic pieces of shit.

@CWOTUS “But it does seem to me that even bigots have a right to express their thoughts, even if we don’t agree with them. Else what good is free speech?”

Well, as I understand it, A&E is not stopping him from expressing himself, they are just suspending him from their TV show, per the rules he agreed to when he signed the contract. Can he not still say what he wants in this life? Removing him from a reality TV show is not the same as impinging on his right to free speech. I mean, I don’t get to appear on TV, either. Neither do you. It’s not a right. But we both have free speech.

@janbb Phil created a unique duck call and turned it over to his son who has a degree in Marketing, Willie. They have since created a ‘dynasty’ including tshirts, videos, duck calls, and other hunting related products that are sold online and at stores like Bass Pro Shops.

Seriously…. Free speech is that the government doesn’t toss you in jail. That is it. It doesn’t cover you getting punished for being a dick.

@johnpowell Exactly.

People watch a show made for rednecks, about rednecks and then are surprised when one of the rednecks says something you would expect a redneck to say? Why?

No, I am not surprised, just disappointed.

First thought that crossed my mind when I saw that pic of them in the link was that New Kids on the Block have let themselves go a bit.

@rojo All rednecks are not like that, just so you know. I even know how to read and speak a few other languages, wear dresses and heels, and don’t drive a truck. :)

Phil was my favorite character because of his dry wit, and a lot of people feel the same as he does, even those not ‘rednecks’, so it’s a little more of a problem in American society and politics than most people think.

I’m disappointed in him because he represents a ‘Godly’ family most of all, and I think ‘loving thy neighbor as thyself’ completely contradicts the message that is being broadcast by the media (as you can see when you read his entire GQ statement.)

@KNOWITALL No, I know. I was just generalizing when perhaps I shouldn’t have. I too enjoyed him the times I saw the show, maybe that is what an editor/producer is for. I was disappointed in him however.

@KNOWITALL You may not be a redneck if…

Seriously, I wouldn’t classify all Southerners as rednecks. I’ve even known the occasional <gasp!> liberal Southerner. It’s in how one behaves, not one’s geography.

As to the “godliness” comment, as you know, I agree with him that the bible abhors homosexuality, so I happen to agree that his is a godly point of view. This is one of the main reasons that I reject the Christian god. I have no problem with this being publicity for Christianity. That is right on the money as far as I’m concerned.

I am a flaming gay man. I add that information for any new jellies who might join in the conversation.

I skimmed a small portion of the article linked in the OP. I am aware of what he said from other news sources outlining the gist of his comments. They disgust me.

I was born and raised in the South, and I grew up with people very similar to the man in question. They are stupid and often proud of their ignorance. They are bigoted against many groups and are often proud of that, too.

I grew up attending church three times each week, and I heard with my ears that because I was gay I was subhuman, there was no redemption for me, and I would burn for eternity in literal fires of hell. I heard the same from mainstream media and from too many sources to name. I was acculturated to believe that my very being was a blight on humanity and that I was better off dead.

I was physically, emotionally, and mentally bullied and harassed as a child and youth for my sexuality by individuals and by larger groups.

These types of people are malicious in their words and deeds. They are evil.

I have spent my entire life in some type of fear and in therapy for my entire adult life trying to undo the egregious harm caused me.

Hate speech such as Phil uttered kills.

It kills.

Young people hear this shit and take it to heart and kill themselves.

I have attempted suicide, and I have lived with suicidal thoughts most of my conscious life. All of it can be traced to the gay-bashing I was subjected to as a child and youth and young adult.

Never again!

I will not be idle when anyone in the LGBT community is maimed in word or deed.

I am glad this Phil person was fired. I am glad that the network took a stand against bigotry and hate. I am grateful our society is evolving and recognizing hate for the evil that it is.

hugs

@hawaii_jake Hear hear. Just to clarify, I appeal to you to read the entire GQ article where he specifically says that he leaves it to God to be the judge.

@glacial Although I respect your right to your opinion, I don’t think homosexuality is a choice, and I believe we all are created in God’s perfect image. Personally, I’d also rather represent the loving God (the Father) and embrace Jesus teachings of love, so as to embrace the LGBT community rather than drive them away or make them feel unwelcome or that they have to change who and what they are in order to be ‘acceptable’. Remember this “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” And honey, we are all sinners, right?

In my area, there are a ton of people who feel this way and although it’s hard to hear repeatedly, I think it takes all the rest of us, to make sure the message of love and acceptance is heard. Peace.

@KNOWITALL I understand why you would “rather represent” god as someone who behaves as you want him to. However, based on his book, I have to conclude that that’s not who he is. The bible’s references to homosexuality make it pretty clear what the rules are and they lead directly to the disgust shown by this Phil guy. And to heart-wrenching stories like @Hawaii_Jake.‘s That is not okay with me.

Again, I understand completely why people would want to deny it exists, or deny it matters, in order to make Christianity okay for them.

And no, I don’t agree that we’re all sinners. At all.

@Hawaii_Jake Thank you for sharing. I am so sorry.

@KNOWITALL He does say that. But he obviously doesn’t believe it if he chalks up the evils of society to homosexuality. I say the basis of evil and the downfall of our society are due to dishonesty and judgement of others. Therefore, even though I can find humor and honesty in Phil, I also find his arrogance in judgement to be evil.

@glacial Yes, I guess we all interpret it differently or there would only be on religion right? I’m not a homosexual but I have many friends that are and I love and respect them as children of God, and I do think they are worthy of love and happiness.

Romans 3:23 ESV For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

Romans 3:23–26 ESV For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

I am not upset in the least. It’s not the first time I’ve encountered homophobia and bigotry, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I’ve never seen the show, so if they all disappear along with the one who’s been placed on hiatus (translation: they’re trying to figure out a way to save his sorry ass because it’s apparently a huge commercial success) I wouldn’t miss a thing.

We’ll always have Sarah Palins and Duck Dynasty assholes spewing hate and bigotry, and hiding behind religion as a shield to protect them. I’m glad they come out in the open with it, so the rest of us can renounce their ignorance, and boycott their products – if we ever used them in the first place.

Hey! @glacial Put down that rock right this instant!

@KNOWITALL I think what it comes down to is that words can hurt and do extreme damage. @Hawaii_Jake feels that he has gone through great peril in the past from the mistreatment of others. This should not be ignored. Surely your Jesus can not be happy with those who have made his early life so problematic.

The Old Testament is a book of history if we still followed it slavery would still be rampant and we would be slaughtering animals for sacrifice.

Phil Robertson has boasted that his past was full of Sex, Drugs and Rock N’ Roll before he was saved.

Just because he now chooses to walk like a duck, talk like a duck and quack like a duck doesn’t mean he is an authority on Christ’s teachings.

My take on The NEW TESTAMENT is that it is a book about loving your neighbor as yourself and in order to do this we have to accept that they may be different than us.

He broke his employer’s rules, and he got fired. We’ll all forget about it by Monday.

No shocker there. I have no interest in that joke of a show or the rednecks that star in it. I honestly don’t get the obsession. And it’s no surprise that some country bumpkin thinks gay sex is gross. So?

“It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”

Nothing about those people is logical. It’s embarrassing that these are the people representing the south.

It doesn’t piss me off any more or less than any other blatantly homophobic comment. People are idiots. Hm, well it seems a vagina is more inviting than an anus – yes, because you’re a straight guy. What a moron. And I don’t care where he came from or what environment he grew up in. It doesn’t excuse his ignorance. He’s an adult and, just like the rest of us, he has a mind of his own.

I just don’t get why people think it’s okay to make blanket comments about a group of people based on their sex lives. In what universe does a stranger’s sexual activity have a damn thing to do with anyone but them and and the people they have sex with?

Oh my, rednecks with backwards opinions. Who knew?

To all who say they are not surprised and brush this off, I say hate must be battled at every instance. It must be brought into the light and shown far and wide so that all may know it for the evil it is.

Never again!

IMO, “redneck” can be considered just as offensive and bigoted as some of the comments made by duck guy.

Just sayin…

Dream scenario…aliens finally make contact with Earth, as expected, they arrive with hostile intent.
They swarm over redneck country & have all the homophobic bastards line up for immediate anal probing.
The global TV audience piss themselves laughing at the ironic spectacle.

@Hawaii_Jake
I agree. But does that mean everybody, including a few on the thread, or only the people you don’t like?

@GoldieAV16 Agreed, but you have to admit that some of the ‘redneck’ traditions and/or bahavior make us look bad. Have you ever watched Honey Boo Boo? That’s why generalizing does a disservice to everyone though I guess.

@josie I assume you are commenting on my second post on this thread and not the first one.

I wrote in response to everyone on this thread who wished to brush Phil’s words off as less than the hate they are. Brushing them off, saying one is not surprised, and implying that those who are genuinely hurt by hate speech are over-reacting demeans those of us who are the targets of this ass’s hate spewed for all to read.

@Hawaii_Jake May I suggest with all love and respect that you cannot allow haters to make you hate.

There are now petitions at the White House and on fb from people who feel the same, which is very sad. I posted the other day about Australia revoking the SSM act as well, so just realize this is a global issue, it’s not just redneck Americans that need convincing. :)

They don’t need the money the show brings in. I am surprised the rest of them didn’t walk off.

@KNOWITALL I will speak out against hate and bigotry at every instance.

Never again!

If I let every ignorant comment get to me, I’d go nuts.

@livelaughlove21 “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Dr. Martin Luther King

@Hawaii_Jake “Stupid people don’t matter.” @livelaughlove21

@livelaughlove21 & @hawaii_jake

May I posit that our priority, in order to help each other, is that we change the minds of people who think like that? And if you want to try, I know a couple on fluther that you could start with, reach out to, discover the basis for the fallicy and try to correct it through information and your own human experience.

Like racists and slavery, learning about the mistreatment in horrid detail can often change a heart and mind.

Phil has a right to say whatever he wants but i think that A&E did the right thing by kicking him off of the show.Phil also says that the Nazi’s and the Islamist’s didn’t have Jesus.. i happen to know for a fact that Catholic priests and Protestant rectors blessed Nazi flags. .Jesus is acknowledged and recognised as a holy man in the Koran and he is mentioned in the book more often than Muhammed ..maybe Phil should just stick to selling Duck calls and stop shoving his backwoods brand of religion down peoples throats.

@KNOWITALL Sorry, I’m not much of an optimist. Some people just won’t change. I’d rather put my time and effort toward focusing on what positive things I can do, like showing everyone acceptance and love and making sure they know there are decent people out there. I refuse to waste my time trying to “convert” assholes.

@livelaughlove21 I hear you, I just feel that we should be the change we want to see.

Fluther and some of you people have changed the way I think a little bit, so I have to believe that communication is what will help the world be better for future generations. I see people like Phil every day and live amongst them, argue with them, and consider it a challenge..lol

Look at the source! Are people really that shocked that a redneck duck hunter said something offensive? He’s a religious man and many Christians feel the same way about homosexuality. As narrow minded as it is, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Just because much of the world has become more open to the idea of homosexuality doesn’t mean everyone is going to be hopping on the “gays are great” bandwagon. There will always be some ignorant person making uneducated remarks. Who cares. There are much bigger problems in this world. Letting some guy from Duck Dynasty ruin your day…not worth it.

I heard about this before I went to work this morning. What an ignorant piece of shit. What is wrong with people. I understand the whole “freedom of speech” thing, but really, some people need to STFU.

I’ve gotten an attitude with more than on customer at work because of their ignorance. I work with a kid named Steven, who is gay, sweetest kid, absolutely love him. If I could punch every person who says to me “that gay kid, I don’t know his name”, there would be a lot of broken noses walking out of my store.

Why should I let what a television celebrity says upset me? That’s silly.

No. He’s entitled to his opinion. And people don’t HAVE to like or be forced to like gays or their lifestyles. To each his or her own. Kudos to the guy for sounding off!

@kritiper

To each his or her own.

I’d say that ought to just about sum it up.

But that’s an axiom that does not get a lot of play on Fluther.

I’m seeing a lot of “Support Phil” posts on Facebook. Puh…

Hawaiijakes experience and others like him are why this stuff really matters. The bigger picture etc.

In my opinion, people need to be reprimanded for displaying hate and ignorance, regardless of delivery. Some innocent folk guy doesn’t make it less hateful.

Phil has a Santorum complex. He really, really wanted to talk about sex, and homosexuality didn’t excite him enough. He had to talk about bestiality and remind us how unpleasant the hole poop comes out of is. Basically, Phil was sublimating his arousal at the thought of homosexuality into what he felt was a more socially acceptable way to think.

But, no, I’m not upset and I think, whether firing him was good for A&E’s bottom line, it’s a disservice to the public in that it just polarizes everyone and gives RWAs one more thing to be angry and humiliated about. There are much more conciliatory ways to handle comments like that.

Why should I care what anyone else thinks, especially this old hillbilly?

No, I’m not upset. Free speech is free speech, until you’re discriminating. Then you’re just being an asshole. You can be an asshole anywhere, but if you’re being an asshole in my living room, then I will kick you out of my house. Which is what A&E did.

Also, this wanker being on tv is not protected under the first ammendment, so can we get over this whole free speech thing?

What will Walmart do with all of their Duck Dynasty merchandise? First Paula Deen, now this.~

(I had a brain fart and couldn’t remember Paula’s name. Google butter y’all if this ever happens to you. You’ll find what you are looking for.)

Everyone has an opinion, he just happens to be on TV. I don’t care.

If I remember correctly, something similar happened to another A&E reality guy, Dog the Bounty Hunter. He was taped by his son, using the “n” word, in reference to the son dating a black woman.

@jca I never heard about that one. Apparently it wasn’t enough to fire him. I brought up Dog last night when someone said Phil got fired for mentioning the bible/God, not for the gay comments. On Dog the Bounty Hunter, they pray together aloud before they go out to apprehend each offender, and they’re still on TV. What a dumb comment…

ETA: I just looked it up. It was in 2007 and the show was suspended for a time. Funny, I don’t remember any stink about it. I’d imagine Phil will share Dog’s fate – he’ll be back.

So I talked to a few of my Christian friends last night and also prayed for clarity.

My friends seem to think the bible is black and white about homosexuality being a sin.

My argument is that it is not a choice for many, because they’ve told me it’s not, and also kids (teens-adults) have committed suicide because of their identifying as such and losing family members, feeling subhuman, etc…

For me, this is a really confusing and heartwrenching issue. Whether it’s a sin or not, whether God created homosexuals in His image, we are all worthy of love, respect and happiness. Please PM me if anyone wants to discuss further and thank you for your thoughts.

Funny how the Bible is “black and white” about homosexuality, but when it comes to the slavery, genocide and other not so nice things in the Bible well “that was for a different time and place and doesn’t apply today”.

@Darth_Algar Amen!

@Darth_Algar I completely agree. The older I get and the more time I spend on fluther, the more questions I have.

@livelaughlove21 You wrote, “Stupid people don’t matter.”

Bullshit.

What Phil Robertson said matters. He uttered hate speech.

Hate speech kills.

It fucking kills.

I know gay men who are dead because of hate speech. How much simpler do I have to say it? They are dead. Dead!

Never again!

Many people in this thread are saying it’s not important enough to worry about.

Bullshit.

It is important.

LGBT people die because of this kind of hate. We fucking die.

@Blackberry Thank you for pointing out that this is important and that hate and ignorance need to be reprimanded.

@Hawaii_Jake: I bet he had a turgid penis while uttering it too.

@Hawaii_Jake No one is going to die because this hillbilly thinks gay sex is gross. Much more influential people have said much worse things, and will continue to do so.

Yeah yeah, never again, we get it. I’m 100% for gay rights, I show my support for them and, yeah, ignorant hateful comments bother me, but in the grand scheme of things, a Bible thumper saying that he believes homosexuality is a sin really doesn’t hold much threat. They have the right to their stupid opinion just like we have the right to think the opinion is stupid. Not every single negative comment constitutes as hate speech.

All I’m saying is pick your battles. Treating every little comment like a hate crime isn’t helping anyone. You’ll never make everyone happy. But, by all means, feel free to go ahead and try.

“First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—
and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

― Martin Niemöller

@livelaughlove21 Yeah yeah, never again, we get it. I’m 100% for gay rights and, yeah, ignorant hateful comments bother me…
Sounds like you are trivializing @Hawaii_Jake‘s feelings.

@chyna No, I’m simply saying I heard him the first few times.

And he heard you.

@chyna…okaaay. I’m sure he did. I wasn’t repeating a catch phrase though. No need to dissect everything I said. There was no intention to trivialize his feelings. Move on.

@livelaughlove21 You move on.

Good grief!

@livelaughlove21 ”...the first few times”?

How many dead LGBT people are too many?

I hear you loud and clear. LGBT folk need to shut the fuck up, forget about hate speech, and move on. Yes, I hear you.

I hear your dispassion and those of other people on this thread, and it sickens me.

If anyone allows hate speech to go unpunished, they are not 100% for gay rights.

I will not stand idly by while I am defamed. That cretin uttered hate against me. He spewed his hate against my friends. He vomited his bile about dead people I loved.

@livelaughlove21 “A Bible thumper saying that he believes homosexuality is a sin really doesn’t hold much threat.”

Bullshit.

I attempted suicide four times because Bible thumpers told me I was a worthless sack of shit just for breathing.

How many suicide attempts are too many? How many successful suicides are too many?

@Hawaii_Jake Now I’m a homophobe? Ridiculous. I’ve never encountered this much fanaticism in any gay person I’ve ever known. That’s how you lose support, not gain it. How do you expect anyone to accept you if you don’t accept anyone that doesn’t think all people that don’t approve of homosexuality are murderers? What do you suggest we do to this guy? Burn him at the stake?

I’m done here.

@livelaughlove21 Cry over the coffin of a friend who was beaten to death with baseball bats and then tell me you know how I feel.

I don’t know, I kind of agree with @livelaughlove21 on this one and I am 100% gay and liberal. And I know she’s not a homophobe.

I agree with @livelaughlove21 also. If I let every negative, ignorant, mean remark get underneath my skin, I would be a very depressed individual. I was bullied for years of my childhood and it hurt, but never did I feel the need to kill myself over it. And eventually I learned that sometimes people are just assholes and that I could either let myself be a victim or stop feeling sorry for myself and just rise above it. If this guy’s beliefs bother someone that much, don’t read about him, don’t watch his show. Simple. He’s not going to gay people’s homes, knocking on their door, and shoving his beliefs down their throat. He’s not threatening or physically harming gays. He was asked a question and he answered it honestly. No matter how wrong we think his opinions are, we can’t force him to change his mind.

Whether you agree with him or not – and I don’t – the man has a right to speak his mind even if his thoughts aren’t in keeping with those of many people. It’s guaranteed by the First Amendment and is called “freedom of speech.” However, as a public figure, you would think he’d have sense enough to keep his damn mouth shut or temper his comments somewhat since those comments have cost him some of his fans and possibly his “job” as a reality TV “star.” He was asked a question. He give an honest response. That’s his right. Now, isn’t it time to move on to more important things?

You have a right to free speech but you also have a responsibility to self-regulate yourself.