Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson: The Latest Victim of the PC Police

I'm not understanding why so many are bringing 'Free Speech' into this discussion. It's not like he's being charged with a crime. He is being released from A&E, which they have every right to do, just like Phil Robertson had every right to say how he felt on the subject at hand. When you are under a contract with a company (in most all cases) you have to watch the things you say... If I worked for company XYZ and they are in the media spotlight daily and I go on some rant that the Sandy Hook was a hoax, I would have to deal with the repercussions of that. Some on here are stating that we live in a too PC world today, I feel that it may be something closer to the opposite where we live in a too insensitive world.

Anyways, A&E has every right to do this. They have a brand to maintain and if they feel this guy doesn't fit their company brand then it would make sense to let him go. They should probably be more careful with who they put on their network moving forward, because this should have been no surprise to them that a redneck from the south has strong view points towards the gay community. I'm sure there are many many more like him down there that feel the same way, but hey, that's the reality and this is reality TV. A&E should have done their due-diligence better, so they are at fault too.

reply to post by FlyersFan


I agree they should all resign from the TV show, force A&E to cancel it, and lose even more than advertisers that were pulling out because of boycotts. I want it to be a lose/lose situation when peoples freedom of speech are taken away, it will make people think twice the next time about a more appropriate reaction when trying to be so politically correct.

This makes me laugh because these guys were already kind of thought of as classic American backwards hillbilly types, so what changed with his statement about homosexuals, to me nothing, they are acting out to classic form which is laughable anyway. Let them be. They aren't taken seriously by the majority anyways.

I hate to tell the Anti-HomoNazi's but Phil NEVER made a anti-gay statement. That is the lie perpetrated by GLADD and A&E.

I hope they back out of A&E and move on to greener pastures.

As for you who see anti-gay in everything, "Sit on it".

Whats the point in doing an interview if you can't be yourself and give YOUR opinion??

Whats the point in continuing to act like this is still the United States of America??

It ain't!

Sad FVCKING DAYS AHEAD!!

jhn7537
Anyways, A&E has every right to do this.

and those under SHARIA law "have the right" to honor kill.

Doesn't mean I have to agree with it

reply to post by jhn7537


In Pre-colonial and colonial America if you made a statement or opinion about the rich or powerful of the day. You would be hauled off, tortured, hung, placed in stocks or beheaded.

So when the American Revolution came about they decided to list out the rights that every man was given by their creator, One of them being freedom of speech.

If you make a comment or opinion and a small select group like GLADD don't like it they haul you off to the media court, torture your soul with lies and deceitful confabulations of words and behead your source of income, then hang you up for a shame party.

So you see it is a freedom of speech issue. the Bill of rights is not just set up to protect you from the govt but from those who think they have more rights than you like GLADD.

reply to post by burdman30ott6

Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson: The Latest Victim of the PC Police

Never watched the show. Not once, ever... but I know the branding. It is in every store around you, from sporting goods to clothing to department stores like Wally. Everywhere.

Out of nowhere, this story popped and can't really help but follow it because it was coming from all directions; in my email boxes, on the news websites I visit, even on the local newscast I watch in the evening to catch up on community events.

From here, the only thing that really stands out is that A&E could have handled the whole affair with a lot more calm and common sense decorum, rather their spontaneous combustion. But, no matter. It's a done deal now. The show is gone; poof, vamooshed, the end.

As for the future? It (the show) may be reformatted with other central characters but, it will likely fail almost immediately. The current family won't show up on the web or another channel because they are likely locked into contract with the same A&E network and they won't want their golden goose egg to glitter anywhere else.

So, this is where it ends... sharing the same grave with that old concept of free, protected speech.

One early lesson in life I got was that I didn't have to agree with what anyone else said, but I should always be willing to fight to the death for their right to say it.
Oh, and yes, I've mention this many times before here at ATS but in all the years I have come here, I can't think of any other single contemporary event that was so in need of it being said.

Have a nice day, all.

Fylgje
What's very telling is that gays, city people, whoever--can say some of the nastiest things about southerners, or hillbillies, and not one word is said about it. Now that the tables have turned, we see how it works. Our country has went to # and is lead by the morally bankrupt.

And that's the truth.

If he had said something disparaging about Christians, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

LDragonFire

WeAreAWAKE

scolai
reply to post by WeAreAWAKE

 

Oh no ... the christians are being persecuted! Whatever will we do? I mean christians are constantly being killed, beaten, bullied for their beliefs to the point of suicide, and denied rights to equality because of their beliefs, right?

No. That's not the christians. Who was that?

Excuse me...have you ever looked overseas??? And yes, Christians are persecuted in this country all the time. In fact, this thread is exactly about that. You want free speech...you lose your job. How would you like expressing a view and being fired?

You want to have the right to bash others and if you don't get it your somehow persecuted?

"They are insolent, arrogant, god haters, they are heartless, faithless, they are senseless, ruthless"

edit on 20-12-2013 by LDragonFire because: (no reason given)

Bottom line is, A&E signed them, KNOWING the Robertsons beliefs! So, this falls right on A&E's head

ChesterJohn
reply to post by jhn7537

 

In Pre-colonial and colonial America if you made a statement or opinion about the rich or powerful of the day. You would be hauled off, tortured, hung, placed in stocks or beheaded.

So when the American Revolution came about they decided to list out the rights that every man was given by their creator, One of them being freedom of speech.

If you make a comment or opinion and a small select group like GLADD don't like it they haul you off to the media court, torture your soul with lies and deceitful confabulations of words and behead your source of income, then hang you up for a shame party.

So you see it is a freedom of speech issue. the Bill of rights is not just set up to protect you from the govt but from those who think they have more rights than you like GLADD.

He is being judged in media court because he's in the media.. I doubt his soul is being tortured by this, and it seems he could give two-sh*ts about this show going on... Behead source of income? I'm sure this wasn't his only source of income and he will be able to get income else where, it's not like he's not allowed to work. And being hung from the shame party was his own doing by speaking on a subject that is still very sensitive today, especially with so many "gays" fighting tooth and nail for rights...

Many on here are bringing up Phil Robertson's rights... Well, couldn't the same be said about the gay population in this country and how were still behind with the times when it comes to equal rights... I don't see too many up in arms over that. Just my two cents...

I also feel Freedom of Speech is a very black and white topic, meaning, if you have no problem with what Phil Robertson is saying, which I don't neither, I just understand better than others why A&E pulled the plug, then you need to be okay with Westboro Baptist Church (Going to an extreme)... If it's protected in one case, it needs to be protected in all cases...

FlyersFan
Duck Dynasty Family Will Most Likely ALL Walk Away
I don't think they give a rats backend about fame or money.
So A&E trying to dictate what they say and do won't work.
They'll walk away and not care ....
And A&E will have lost big $$$ ...

I was really expecting this and would have been surprised to see it come out any other way. So, I was nearly stunned yesterday while reading the various stories about A&E apparently assuming everyone would carry on without him, to the point of one speculating on how he'd be minimized in current episodes done but not aired yet.

It never seemed to occur to them that in a *REAL* family, it's all for one and one for all in a way that doesn't change for dollars and air time.

Networks absolutely cannot grasp what a sense of values or principle means and it shows in many different ways, IMO.

I will give the family props for standing behind one another. I'm sure if this was the Kardashian family and they wanted to kick one of the members off the show the rest would all say "See ya!!!".......

jhn7537

ChesterJohn
reply to post by jhn7537

 

In Pre-colonial and colonial America if you made a statement or opinion about the rich or powerful of the day. You would be hauled off, tortured, hung, placed in stocks or beheaded.

So when the American Revolution came about they decided to list out the rights that every man was given by their creator, One of them being freedom of speech.

If you make a comment or opinion and a small select group like GLADD don't like it they haul you off to the media court, torture your soul with lies and deceitful confabulations of words and behead your source of income, then hang you up for a shame party.

So you see it is a freedom of speech issue. the Bill of rights is not just set up to protect you from the govt but from those who think they have more rights than you like GLADD.

He is being judged in media court because he's in the media.. I doubt his soul is being tortured by this, and it seems he could give two-sh*ts about this show going on... Behead source of income? I'm sure this wasn't his only source of income and he will be able to get income else where, it's not like he's not allowed to work. And being hung from the shame party was his own doing by speaking on a subject that is still very sensitive today, especially with so many "gays" fighting tooth and nail for rights...

Many on here are bringing up Phil Robertson's rights... Well, couldn't the same be said about the gay population in this country and how were still behind with the times when it comes to equal rights... I don't see too many up in arms over that. Just my two cents...

edit on 20-12-2013 by jhn7537 because: (no reason given)

The point is whether he, me or you we have a right to freedom of speech and no one including GLADD, LGBT or ACLU or any of the alphabet groups have the right to curb our freedom.

No, gays have been allowed to practice their choice since the 60's. They just wanted to make it equal to heterosexual couples. Common law allowed for most of it but the govt didn't recognize common law status for same sex partners. Now they do and have since the 1990's.

I don't care for homosexual practices my self, having experimented with it in the 70's and 80's. It is more natural for a man and woman seeing the reason is for procreation of our species.

Now we could go off on DESIRE, LUST and the deceitfulness of the heart of a person but that is another thread.

This is pathetic. No way this thread should be getting this much attention. There are so many more important things happening and this appears to be the most popular thread right now.

So what, A&E can do what they want, that guy can says what he wants. If A&E drops the show or they quit, I'm sure CMT or another like minded network will pick them up.

jrod
This is pathetic. No way this thread should be getting this much attention. There are so many more important things happening and this appears to be the most popular thread right now.

So what, A&E can do what they want, that guy can says what he wants. If A&E drops the show or they quit, I'm sure CMT or another like minded network will pick them up.

Then you better get on with those more important things and stop wasting your time here.

The Blaze offered to pick them up

Let's be very clear about this: The man is NOT "a victim of the PC Police." He is a "victim" of opening his mouth and saying something which clearly had the ability to negatively affect a business relationship between he and A&E which is based upon a public desire to watch this man live his life and the money advertisers will pay to sell their products during a television show documenting said life. It's a free Country and he can think and feel however he wants. NO ONE is stopping him from doing so or abridging his right to have an opinion or to state that opinion. So too is A&E free to protect their revenue stream from the consequences of him stating said opinion(s). It goes like this: A&E approaches this crew at DD and says "Hey! We think people would love to watch you guys do whatever it is you guys do. We'd like to film you doing what you do and put it on TV. We'll pay you if you'll let us do it." They say "Yeehaw! Sounds great!" and take the money. The show goes on. People watch. As the show continues, a certain amount of "controversial" material is allowed to go on air. Because controversy generally equals publicity, which generally equals ratings, which always equals higher ad revenue. A&E, not being Unicef, loves this. But then the "controversial" items crosses a certain line, endangering the stream of revenue by creating a negative perception of either the product or of A&E for being tied to a negative statement or opinion. A&E, the people PAYING the DD crew to be on TV at all and hence their employers, steps in and says "Guys, we can't have this. What you are doing negatively affects our brand and our revenue stream." And so they take action to ensure that the sponsors do not walk away and take their money with them. If the DD guys do not like it, they can do what their employer tells them, ignore their employer and get fired, or try to break their contract and go on about their lives. Because it's a free Country. This is not about PC. It is about a business relationship relying upon favorable public perception of the product and the purveyor. It's about a guy not understanding where his bread is buttered. No one is telling the DD crew they can't think and feel however they want. But their employer does not have to allow their employee to endanger their revenue stream. When you take someone's money to be on TV, they are your employer and they have the right to get rid of you if you do something they feel is contrary to their best interests. No conspiracy here, just good business practice.

Aisling
But it's okay for Ellen to sit on national television and make remarks about straight people, flirt on purpose with straight people to garner a reaction from them and their audience, to air filthy jokes and videos which are offensive. I guess it depends on what network you contract with and what they will tolerate. You see, I change the channel if I don't like what's on. I don't raise a fuss and tell the network that Ellen offends me, so fire her. (personally, i think her show should be on late at night due to the sexual content)

Same goes for Phil. If you don't like him, change the channel, but no, let's just fire him. He should not have a show, because he doesn't like gay people.

The fact that one talentless hack is exploiting her homosexuality to attract attention and make tons of money doesn't mean that someone with an anti-gay diatribe should be able to spout their nonsense without fear of consequences or criticism.

Ellen Degeneres is an idiot. This duck guy is an idiot too. This thread is discussing the implications of Phil Robertson being burned by A&E over anti-gay rhetoric, Ellen is irrelevant.

For what it's worth, I don't think that Robertson should have been fired. But I do understand why A&E did it (he's a big liability at this point) and I'm calling out everyone saying that there's some anti-free speech conspiracy at work here. There isn't.

To put this in the proper perspective,if we were in the 1950's and the man had said something *in support of* gay people, he would have been yanked just as quickly. It's all about contemporary mores and folkways and how they affect a company's bottom line.

bbracken677


Reminds one of the fall of Rome and what preceded that fall. Seems that we are following in the steps of many civilizations of the past.

This is all by design to get full control. Push an agenda the majority don't like and eventually you will get the backlash. It has happened in all civilizations as the powerful controllers look to consolidate their power. This is why I said in an earlier post that when the tables turn again and the real majority have had enough there will be a true backlash just as there was in the French revolution. It's meant to get ugly, very ugly, and the end result will be a new world, but it won't be the one the progressives are dreaming of, no they will be the first to go. Study Bezmenov, he said what was going to happen and it is happening right in front of our eyes.