Let me go on record first by saying that I've never watched Duck Dynasty. The reality series is one of A & E's biggest hits currently, and yet network suits are threatening to trample the golden goose.
I'm sure you have heard by now that "Duck Commander" Phil Robertson, patriarch of the clan that makes up the cast of Duck Dynasty, was suspended by the network for anti-gay remarks made in an interview with GQ. Consider that the show--and the Robertson family---are based in Louisiana, so the viewpoint really isn't a surprise. We're talking deep, deep South here, people. Cajun country, where until Duck Dynasty came along, the state's best known domestic exports were Popeye's Chicken & Britney Spears, and one wonders what the Robertsons think of Britney, given her less-than-angelic behavior in recent years.
The New York Daily News, in today's edition, uncovered a 3 year old still of a video of Robertson speaking at a Pennsylvania church, where he also railed against the gay community. Look, I get where he's coming from. In the deep South, they take their religious views very, very, very seriously. It's all black & white, no middle ground. From Anita Bryant in the 70's through today, the biggest outrage against the gay community has come from the South.
Robertson has fallen into the same trap that others before him have. An innocent interview in a national magazine to promote his show touches off a firestorm because of a remark or statement in opposition to specific viewpoints embraced by society in general and overplayed by tabloid media. With one of the most famous beards this side of ZZ Top, Robertson should've realized how his views would be micro-analyzed by media types fishing for a salacious, scandalous story to sell papers. He ain't the second coming of Jed Clampett, mind, but apparently, he didn't pass Media Scrutiny 101, either.
Robertson ain't alone in getting a Dunce Cap, though. As speculation continues on the future of Duck Dynasty, which begins a new cycle of episodes next month----we think----the suits at A & E are getting Dunce Caps as well, for even considering cutting off the golden goose for a simple error in judgment. After all, we've all been taught that two wrongs don't make a right. Instead, two wrongs make a bad situation even worse. Being that the show is about a family of duck callers, one wonders how it landed on A & E in the first place. Even if Disney-owned ESPN was interested, they wouldn't take it now in the wake of this imbroglio. The Sportsman Channel, which is a premium service in my area, would be a more appropriate place. Maybe even RFD-TV, if not CMT (a step-sister to music-phobic Empty-V, Empty-V2, VH-None, et al), would give it a sniff. And, while we're at it, let's toss a few to the tabloid jabronies for bashing Robertson and trampling on his 1st Amendment rights. Serves them right.
I must declare that I've never watched an episode of Duck Dynasty although I'm aware of it and the family involved.
ReplyDeleteI must also mention A&E is dominated by political leftists who regularly kiss up to the gay lobby. That's their prerogative but they already set up a tone at that network. The reason they even put DD on the air was because they thought it was make fun of "rednecks", even if they were rich. These people see anyone who isn't in their circle as "unsophisticated" and "ignorant", regardless of intelligence, accomplishment, or wealth. To their surprise, the family is being backed up by fans and those who still believe the first amendment applies to everyone.
I don't think Phil deserves a dunce cap. A&E knew from the get go about his beliefs before DD even aired. They were hoping to get this sort of "gotcha moment" and make him (and by extension, his family) the targets of a new "homophobe campaign".
It backfired on them spectacularly!
If anything Phil is guilty of trusting GQ and doing the interview, because sandbagging like this is all too common. If A&E does decide to dump DD, there will be no problem in finding another outlet - maybe another network, maybe online. It'll be like Hollywood's jaw dropping when Mel Gibson took a risk and produced and distributed, "The Passion" on his own dime - and ran all the way to the bank! The family doesn't need A&E.
As you note, the only thing that merits giving Phil a Dunce Cap was trusting GQ. As I mentioned, he should've known that any remarks considered controversial in nature would get larger play.
ReplyDeleteToday, it's being reported that A & E regrets going ahead with scheduling marathons of DD, instead of pulling the show while in rerun cycle. That mistake is partially what earned the programming nabobs their Caps.