Duck Dynasty Star Booted

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by TGBTG

This

Well... that makes two of us... lol....

[TGBTG]

Originally Posted by KeptByTheWord

Well... that makes two of us... lol....

Haha..sister. Ofcourse, they knew their opinions on the issue. In fact, I would go as far as to say the GQ person who interviewed Phil already knew his stance on the issue. They just wanted to stir the pot...lol

...and perhaps set a trap to get them booted off people's television screens.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by TGBTG

Haha..sister. Ofcourse, they knew their opinions on the issue. In fact, I would go as far as to say the GQ person who interviewed Phil already knew his stance on the issue. They just wanted to stir the pot...lol

...and perhaps set a trap to get them booted off people's television screens.

Yup...

[ILG]

Phil Robertson won't be bought, plain and simple. Firing a guy for having an opinion is what is wrong with this country whether a person believes in gay rights or not. I thought these people were supposed to be about tolerating others' opinions?? Apparently not, when it crosses their agenda. I mean, it's not like the guy demanded they air his words on the show or he was going to quit! I think this will finally give rednecks a voice where theirs is being drowned out.

[KeptByTheWord]

In fact, I've been (sadly) waiting for this to happen ... the people behind the scenes just aren't going to stand for a Christian family like this to attain the kind of status they have, without some kind of attack planned to take them down.

[ILG]

I hope A&E gets a ton of backlash, the Robertson's stick together, and for once, the media doesn't win.

[KeptByTheWord]

Originally Posted by ILG

I hope A&E gets a ton of backlash, the Robertson's stick together, and for once, the media doesn't win.

[n david]

I was discussing with my wife whether or not this was a ploy to boost ratings which backfired on A&E.

The show is going to begin its 5th season next month. Filming is already complete, so Phil won't lose much, if any, time on the show. The GQ magazine article is the January edition. Most shows begin to lose interest in the 4th or 5th year, especially reality shows. A&E was aware of the GQ interview and had to approve it, since it was about the show.

In order to keep the high ratings, A&E may have decided to stir the pot before the 5th season premieres. By setting up an interview with Phil and GQ, they knew something would be asked regarding Phil's views, and they likely knew the answer would be "controversial."

A&E thought they would have a win/win situation, where they could stand up for GLAAD and at the same time generate interest in what would happen in the new season starting in a month.

Except A&E wasn't prepared for the backlash. They probably thought people would agree with their decision. They read the polls and thought that they were true -- that a majority of Americans were accepting of LGBTs.

What happens now doesn't matter. I believe A&E was ready to drop the show after this season. End on a high note. They just wanted to boost ratings for this season, and that's exactly what will happen.

[ILG]

Originally Posted by n david

I was discussing with my wife whether or not this was a ploy to boost ratings which backfired on A&E.

The show is going to begin its 5th season next month. Filming is already complete, so Phil won't lose much, if any, time on the show. The GQ magazine article is the January edition. Most shows begin to lose interest in the 4th or 5th year, especially reality shows. A&E was aware of the GQ interview and had to approve it, since it was about the show.

In order to keep the high ratings, A&E may have decided to stir the pot before the 5th season premieres. By setting up an interview with Phil and GQ, they knew something would be asked regarding Phil's views, and they likely knew the answer would be "controversial."

A&E thought they would have a win/win situation, where they could stand up for GLAAD and at the same time generate interest in what would happen in the new season starting in a month.

Except A&E wasn't prepared for the backlash. They probably thought people would agree with their decision. They read the polls and thought that they were true -- that a majority of Americans were accepting of LGBTs.

What happens now doesn't matter. I believe A&E was ready to drop the show after this season. End on a high note. They just wanted to boost ratings for this season, and that's exactly what will happen.

Could be.

[SiblingRevelry]

You know, it's interesting how everyone latched on to the homosexuality, but nobody has said a word, a PEEP about something else Phil Robertson mentioned in the same interview. And that would be his casual approval of Jim Crow-era racism.

And I quote:

“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.gq.com/blogs/the-feed/2013/12/the-gospel-according-to-phil.html#ixzz2o2FDWWhl

At best, that statement is ignorant and tone-deaf. At *best.* It ignores the reality of black life pre-Jim Crow--of course no African-American was going to cross a white person, do you know what would happen? I have to wonder if people would be nearly as up in arms about this casual racism as they are about the anti-gay remarks. (Personally, I expected the latter and am dismayed by the former.) And, seriously, where does Phil Robertson think the Blues came from, anyway?

And, as far as I'm concerned, it's an employer-employee issue governed by a contract none of us happen to be privy to (although I have been told the contract likely had a non-disparagement clause where Robertson was required to not do things that might bring the "Duck Dynasty" brand into disrepute). I CAN tell you what would happen at MY job if I were to say the same things Phil Robertson did. I would be in for so much HR counseling it would be coming out of my ears--if I wasn't canned immediately because I live in an at-will employment state.

Finally, it's been stated already but I'm going to say it again: this is not a free speech or First Amendment issue. The First Amendment only applies to government, not to business or private life. Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal may have been or currently are governors, but they don't understand this fundamental Constitutional jurisprudence that the First Amendment doesn't apply to business. A&E can do what it wants...what can happen afterwards is people can boycott their show and their advertisers, but this is not, I repeat, NOT a government action.