When I first read the rant of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson, I was offended by his crassly stated opinion on homosexuality. I felt it was judgmental and much more crudely stated than was necessary. If he’d just said that this was against his religion, I, along with many others, would have gotten the point.
But this isn’t a treatise on my personal opinions about gay people and whether they should be allowed to marry and raise families, and for goodness sake, exist without harassment. I honestly don’t care one way or another how a person lives his or her life, as long as they aren’t interfering with my freedom to live my life as I choose.
What I’m writing about is freedom of speech. Phil Robertson, whether I agree with him or not, had every right to express his opinion in whatever language he chose, however unpopular the opinion might be, without fear of repercussion.
Remember when the media was a stalwart champion of freedom of speech? Yeah, neither do I. But in theory, they should be, right?
The fact that A&E suspended him for having a different opinion than theirs is wholly unacceptable. Why is a conservative viewpoint considered to be offensive and punishable, when a liberal viewpoint is applauded? Freedom means that both opinions may be expressed, and A&E obviously does not support freedom.
The network released the following statement regarding Robertson’s comments.
“We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson’s comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday, after declining to comment earlier in the day. “His personal views in no way reflect those of A+E Networks, who have always been strong supporters and champions of the LGBT community. The network has placed Phil under hiatus from filming indefinitely.” (source)
A&E has also supplied Robertson’s response to the furor his comments caused.
“I myself am a product of the 60s; I centered my life around sex, drugs and rock and roll until I hit rock bottom and accepted Jesus as my Savior,” Mr. Robertson said in the statement. “My mission today is to go forth and tell people about why I follow Christ and also what the Bible teaches, and part of that teaching is that women and men are meant to be together. However, I would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they are different from me. We are all created by the Almighty and like Him, I love all of humanity. We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other.” (source)
So while I disagree with Robertson’s initial comments in GQ, I get to have this personal opinion and voice it however and wherever I want. I should not be subject to punishment for doing so, and neither should Phil Robertson. While my interpretation of Christianity may be different from Robertson’s, it doesn’t make it any more acceptable for someone to try and censor his opinion.
Anyone who vehemently disagrees with him also has the power to do a few things to express his or her displeasure. They can choose not to watch the show, not to purchase the products with his picture on them, and they can cry it to the rooftops the reason why. And I will celebrate their right to do that.
As well, I’ll celebrate the right for others to agree with him, to share their own religious beliefs, and to boycott A&E in outrage that the network has trampled on Robertson’s right to freedom of speech.
Conservative radio host Mark Levin said it very well:
“I got a problem with that,” Levin said. “I really do. The interview was apparently with GQ magazine and he gave his opinion about a particular sex act, a particular preference and he did it in a fairly crude way. But frankly, not in an X-rated way.”
“[T]here’s no surprise apparently that ‘Duck Dynasty’ is a program that in many respects is laced with faith, right – the Christian faith?” Levin continued. “OK, so that’s known. It’s an incredibly popular program. So why is he fired? I don’t honestly – so why was he fired? ‘I don’t know – what he said, the way he said it.”
“It’s not even something I want to spend a lot of time on other than the First Amendment concerns that I have here and they are concerns that I have,” Levin added. “Oh, I know – it’s not the government cutting him off. But I’m in the free speech business. And again other than the crude manner in which he described this particular sexual preference, and again it wasn’t X-rated. It certainly was not. I really don’t know why he was fired or suspended, but the latest report was fired other than an organized backlash and I’m sick of these organized backlashes. I’m tired of them.” (source)
I’m constantly amazed at how the liberals want everyone to be tolerant of differences but they themselves are the most intolerant people in America. Whether it is a public relations war on Christians, this strange recent offense they’ve taken with anything relating to Christmas, the wild-eyed panic they stoke about guns, or refusing to allow others the right to express a politically incorrect opinion, the left seems adamant in only allowing certain opinions and belief systems to be protected.
My dad used to say, “Everybody has the right to be wrong.” And in a free society, that is absolutely true. Politically correct or not, tolerant or bigoted, religious or secular, you should still have the right in America to hold an opinion and voice it. If we are only free to espouse popular opinions, then we aren’t free at all.
I agree with your sentiments, but to be honest, I didn’t really think the way he said it was really that bad. Perhaps just a guy’s perspective here. I am really surprised he was fired, either. What really surprised me is the backlash. It seems the silent majority is getting tired of being constantly mocked, chided, degraded, etc, but once they enter the fray, the rules change and they are shunned into silence. Perhaps this is the beginning of a not so silent majority demanding its voice be heard, like the voices of the “protected” classes.
Hi there, I just want to point out that being banned from the TV show doesn’t infringe his right to free speech. It’s the company’s perogative, as is any employer’s.
And I agree….you have the right to say what you want (“fire”in a movie theater notwithstanding) and have served in the military to support that right, among others.
Thoroughly enjoy your blog. Thanks for letting me post.
Pam
(*take this coming from a liberal*)
I don’t even think what he said was so bad, and I agree with you that he has that right to voice his opinion. It’s not like he’s been saying anything about the issue on his show, he was pointedly asked for a sensationalized piece. And even then, he says that while he believes that the bible says this is a sin, he’s not going to be the one to judge and that he wouldn’t treat a gay person any different.
Lets all reflect on his final words… “We would all be better off if we loved God and loved each other”
He can say what he wants. The ‘other’ side does all the time. Anymore, I could care less what the ‘other’ side thinks or says. I am tired of ‘Them’ telling ‘Us’ what we can and cannot say, and all the while they say anti-conservative stuff all the time.
All sorts have been around since Adam; nothing is new under the sun. As an artist and musician, and quite frankly, as a public school teacher during my tenure (science), it is/was not uncommon for me to come in contact with those who practice this type of lifestyle. Some are in your face about it, but most are just living their daily lives. Some are very nice and others definitely are not. Some are very talented in their field, and others are not as people are.
Freedom of speech cannot coexist with political correctness. And that was the plan.
I take the position, that in our society, we have lost our moral compass, and behavior and lifestyle choices matter regardless of orientation. This is not a trivial thing. Our manipulated, planned culture is on a downward spiral and it will not end well. From my perspective, God does not take these things lightly.
Although I have seen this guy’s testimony on video, I do not know what Duck Dynasty is. We got rid of the television for quite some time. We don’t miss it.
Homosexuality is wrong and shouldn’t be tolerated. But it’s the same with any other sin.
Daisy said, “…as long as they aren’t interfering with my freedom to live my life as I choose.”
That right there is why America is going down the tubes. The majority of people want what they want, and don’t want anyone interfering with them getting it. The label for that is *selfishness* and it’s what drives the homosexual agenda, the liberal agenda, the conservative agenda, the abortion industry, the military industry, the greedy capitalists, the greedy socialists, the greedy communists, etc.
Ah, but it sounds so noble to say. But it’s not. It’s no different of a sin than the homosexuality that Robertson condemned (using very appropriate language and illustrations, BTW).
So it’s not homosexuality, liberalism, conservatism, materialism, socialism, or any other -ism that’s troubling our country. It’s proud, flagrant self-interest.
Lover’s of self
Proud flagrant self-interest?
If you want to call it that, go ahead. I call it freedom, to be able to raise my children how I want with the values I choose to instill. I call it freedom to take them to the church of my choice and make that a cornerstone. I call it freedom to raise as much of our food as possible and avoid the toxins at the grocery store. I call it freedom to be able to avoid having my family injected with poison every time the government “recommends” it.
So yes, “…as long as they aren’t interfering with my freedom to live my life as I choose” I support other peoples right to choose for themselves also. You say this is selfishness?
Well, then you are just as bad as the liberals about whom many of us complain, because you want to set one agenda for everyone. We’re all free as long as we follow YOUR beliefs.
While I adamantly disagree with your theory, Backyard Farmer, I thank you for reading, and sharing your views – controversy always makes for great conversation. I wish you a Merry Christmas.
~ Daisy
I think he took your comment as meaning something different. Basically saying that you should have the freedom to live your life the way you choose regardless of the moral repercussions.
So if you support homosexual rights, and Robertson’s right to criticize them, then you must also support A&E’s right to dump Robertson if he says something that they believe reflects badly on them.
What A&E did was completely appropriate. It’s their business & their money that they’re deciding to forfeit.
What Robertson said, though phrased in a crude manner, was also appropriate.
It’s astounding that though homosexuals and unbelievers know what Christians believe, yet they always act astonished and angry when we vocalize it publicly.
Yet, the mantra that “I should have the freedom to live my life as I want to,” puts a person in a moral vacuum and forces that person to accept as normal any kind of deviant lifestyle because if you want those freedoms you will have to support them for others.
Is homosexuality normal? No – it’s abnormal, against nature, and perverse. But, if we believe that we should all have the right to live and do as we please, then we cannot judge the life choices of others because they are, after all, simply living faithfully according to the tenets which we espouse for ourselves.
Should a person have the right to work where he wants, live where he wants, eat what he wants, drink what he wants, go to church where he wants, smoke what he wants, grow what he wants? Absolutely.
Should a person have the right to kill the unborn baby in her womb? Absolutely not. There are rights and wrongs.
I don’t expect or demand that anyone else live according to my beliefs. But to say that we should all just be left alone to be able to live like we want to live is chaotic and foolish. It is so, not because it’s my opinion, but because God has revealed to us his standards for what is right and wrong. When we ignore those standards or reject them, society breaks down.
You said that your definition of sin is different from Robertson’s. I don’t know what his complete definition of sin is, but on the homosexuality issue, his definition agrees with God’s. If your definition is different from God’s, yours is wrong.
God’s definition of sin is “transgression of the law.” (that’s in the book of 1 John if you would like to see it)
That doesn’t mean the laws of a country. That means his revealed law that appears in the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, any behavior that transgresses God’s law is sin and must be repented of.
So, if we’re going to be consistent libertarians, let’s applaud Phil Robertson’s right to free speech. Then let’s applaud A&E’s right to fire him. Then let’s applaud the Robertson clan for all quitting the show. That’s exactly how all of this is supposed to work. But let’s also realize that some things are wrong and that it’s right not to tolerate them.
WELL SAID! Thank You.
Very well said. I agree completely. Thank You!
Fuckin Homo’s , may they all get AID’s .
It’s teevee…message for the masses.
TURN IT OFF.
Go get your hands dirty and grow some food.
So you have spoken, so we have done just that.
I want to get my hands dirty, but it’s so cold and the ground so hard. 🙁 Spring where are you?
They asked for the mans opinion, they got it. A&E though have shot themselves in the foot. The Robertsons have always put faith before cash and their attitude resonates with millions in the US and many more millions elsewhere. Even the shows sponsors are lining up with Phil.
Phil is like many of my fathers generation, they give their opinion and their faith in blunt no nonsense terms because they assume they are talking to adults who can deal with the fact that not everyone shares the same point of view, obviously this is not the case.
“Political Correctness” once again demonstrates IT’S supremacy over the FIRST AMENDMENT right to free speech. YOU have the right to say whatever TPTB have already endorsed. It is blatant, in your face, reverse bias and offensive STOMPING ON A CERTAIN mindsets first amendment vs. THE NEW WORLD ORDER version of “anything goes”.
Another “BILLBOARD” to what to expect in the already HERE future.
Personally, I judge no one for THEIR choices and exercising THEIR freewill. BUT, the second that tolerance allows someone else to dictate my FREE SPEECH AND OPINION…”That individual, or group” has genuinely garnered my wrath.
CLICHE OF THE DAY: Be careful what you wish for!
I thought we here in the good old USA were supposed to be afforded Freedom of Speech? The Freedom to Believe whatever you wished, as long as you abided by the
Law? The Thought Police may have finally met their match. However seems a lot of those Anti- Christian Groups are just salivating Praying (Pun intended) for Duck Dynasty to leave the air under any circumstances, well them and PITA.
Phil Robertson has a right to his opinion, all he did was quote the Bible and share his Christian faith. Yes he said it in a slightly cruder way than I would, but I agreed with everything he said and more. Homosexuality destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. GOD has judged America and we to will soon be destroyed because America has murdered 60 million babies since 1973; America has allowed same-sex marriage which is an abomination in GOD’s eyes; since obama took office virtually every TV show has added a homosexual character and many of the actors who play straight characters are in fact gay in real life. GOD has turned his back on America and will allow her destruction soon because of her sins. NO ONE HAS EVERY BEEN BORN GAY, it is a choice largely brought on by pedophile rape and abuse. Phil Robertson was right to give a clarion call to STOP IT, before it is too late for America.
I am afraid it is 60 million murders too late and 7 million American homosexuals too late.
Daisy why are you prepping? Probably because you know obama is evil and America is going down the toilet. Somewhere in the back of your mind you have figured out that you needed to be prepared which is a very good thing, but in addition what you really need is to turn to GOD and America needs is to turn back to GOD just like the founding fathers did when they defeated the British and won our freedom and our liberty.
Unfortunately I think it is too late for us, satan controls the white house, the supreme court, the senate, the EPA,the IRS, the lower courts, the NSA and virtually every other governmental agency.
Please GOD, bless America again. Thank you Phil Robertson for standing up for your faith and pointing out sin.
Nicely written and I agree with you. We have become such a pc nation to the point of worrying about the backlash should you speak at all. It’s very double standard. Example: I just got a wrong number call yesterday on my cell. I answered and this guy says “just a minute, let me get my “N” let me get my “N” for ya.” I am white and I was offended yet if I called him that or said anything about not liking it then I’m considered a racist. I could care less what color, religion, your sexual preference, or background you come from yet the person inside is what is most important. I have noticed PC and worrying about what others say all the time has made for frustration racism of others then anything.
Well said.
Lets look at this from a different perspective. What if a Christian business owner had a gay employee. Then that gay employee was at a gay pride parade scantly dressed in leather chaps and was on video saying hateful things about Christians. Would the left then think it was ok to fire that gay employee? I have seen some VERY VILE THINGS about Christians but that kind of hate speech is perfectly acceptable.
Daisy,
I do not agree with your beliefs, but I agree with your tolerance. I think you have been unfairly demonized in the comments. I won’ repeat your words because you said it well.