Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan The homophobic and racist remarks shared by a Duck Dynasty star lead to his suspension. Since Disney has an interest in A&E, it puts them in a tough spot going forward. Do they walk away from a fortune in revenues on principle and potentially allow the show (and the money) to be picked up by a rival? What sponsors will want to be affiliated with the program now? Besides Chick-fil-A I mean? Even though his homophobic remarks have garnered the most press, it was his racial view that black people were quite happy and content in the pre-civil rights era that disturbed me most. Given this guy's age, I doubt he's very open to a rational conversation about all that. Stories about the horrors of what non-whites have gone through in this country for centuries is widely available for anyone wanting to not rely merely on their own anecdotes. "Ignore" is the root word of ignorant, and he clearly has selected to be ignorant. Every so often, I do have to look at the calendar to make sure it's 2013, almost 2014, rather than 1913. Why would anyone still hold such backwards, romanticized views of the pre-civil rights era? What sponsors would be eager to support that sort of thing?
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Full disclosure: I've never watched a single minute of Duck Dynasty. I know of the show because it is fairly inescapable, much like trying to evade Kardashians. And Duck Dynasty merchandise is everywhere. I'm guessing that like all "reality" shows, it is quite heavily edited and anything particularly offensive is not included, such as discussions about what life was like in the good old pre-civil rights days.
Originally Posted By ecdc That's just it. A&E edits this show to make redneck racist nonsense sound like folksy wisdom from Simpleton Q. Bayou. So naturally the show garners fans, and when the fans get a glimpse of what this guy is actually like, they go bonkers on people who think maybe it isn't so awesome being a bigot. Sorry, Duck fans, you fell in love with a media created marketable product, not a human being. It'd be nice if everyone remembered that once in a while.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>A&E edits this show to make redneck racist nonsense sound like folksy wisdom from Simpleton Q. Bayou.<< LOL! It's also fun to watch the "personal responsibility" crowd lose their minds when someone is held personally responsible for saying something offensive and ignorant.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I'm as liberal as they come, however I kind of feel like this guy is being shafted for his conservative views by the very organization that exploited him and his family for "reality" television. No doubt the producers have long been aware of his views, but he spoke off script to the media and now an embarrassed A&E is punishing him. I've never watched an episode of the show, but from the clips I've seen it wouldn't be much of a stretch to conclude that at least a few of them might be racist homophobes. You get what you pay for.
Originally Posted By utahjosh He was crass, but having an option on what is a sin or isn't shouldn't be a fireable offence.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt ^^ Especially when you are trying to monetize on whitetrash-ness.
Originally Posted By ecdc >>but having an option on what is a sin or isn't shouldn't be a fireable offence.<< You mean like this guy? <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://gawker.com/students-shut-down-school-after-gay-vice-principal-forc-1487164031">http://gawker.com/students-shu...87164031</a>
Originally Posted By EdisYoda Josh, it depends on what contract terms he signed. There may have been some type of moral's clause in there. We don't know that one way or the other, but if there was one then A&E was within their rights to do so (right or wrong in our eyes doesn't really matter in that case)
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "You mean like this guy?" A religious organization that regards your opinions and personal lifestyle a sin and fires you for transgressions against its beliefs isn't the same as a secular corporation that exploits your opinions and personal lifestyle for profit and then tosses you under a bus when the public lashes out. I agree that the case at the link is unfair, but the situation and implications are considerably different from the Duck Dynasty/A&E uproar.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>He was crass, but having an option on what is a sin or isn't shouldn't be a fireable offence.<< He works for private enterprise. They don't want their brand associated with bigotry (and likely, neither do sponsors) so they are distancing themselves. >>No doubt the producers have long been aware of his views<< I'm sure such comments were edited out before now. But when Paula Deen's empire gets leveled for things she said years ago, I don't know how it can be business as usual for someone to be saying it in the here and now. (Other than talk radio, I mean, where this sort of racist nonsense is part of the running commentary day after day.)
Originally Posted By ecdc >>He was crass, but having an option on what is a sin or isn't shouldn't be a fireable offence.<< What if I have an opinion that interracial marriage is a sin? What if I have an opinion that Jews are sinners because they're tools of Satan? It's easy to defend someone when what they believe is still somewhat socially acceptable, but there comes a time and a line is crossed. Fortunately, society has decided that discrimination against gays isn't okay, and the day will soon come when this kind of bigotry will be seen as just as appalling as any other.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Wow, I'm just shocked that the duck guy is racist and homophobic!!! I guess I'll have to take in my Duck Dynasty door mat, dry my behind on something other than my Duck Dynasty beach towel at the beach, and stop putting Duck Dynasty labeled foods in my children's lunchbox. *eye roll* I'm sorry but even my six year old gets annoyed with seeing this guy's face on ever single product ever created by humans.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>a secular corporation that exploits your opinions and personal lifestyle for profit<< The Duck Dynasty guys are profiting from the arrangement quite nicely, I'm sure.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I challange anyone to find a product made that doesn't come in a Duck Dynasty version.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Did this guy think his comments would be embraced or was he trying to ruin his entire family's lives? I don't get it.
Originally Posted By ecdc In what is now my all-time favorite "Stupidest statement ever," comes a GOP candidate who says that the Duck Dynasty star is the Rosa Parks of our generation. Seriously, there are no words to describe how happy it makes me that someone, somewhere, thought to say this. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/20/ian-bayne-duck-dynasty_n_4480745.html">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...745.html</a>
