Duck Storm

Acceptance of gays, and gay rights, like marriage, has never been higher in America, right?

So, serious question, is the gay rights cause harmed by making a big deal over comments like this?

It always seems to induce a backlash, that wouldn't be there otherwise.

 

Wonder what Cabela's will do. Imagine that gays are a big
portion of their client base.

 

I'm not in Texas.

 

Wonder if this will hurt Uncle Si's book sales. Phil's brother's book Si-Cology
was number 1 on NYT best seller list back in fall and is now #9.

 

Yes. Just like the gleeful rejection of Rob Portman's sincere change of heart probably discouraged other pols from their own about faces.

 

Sonny explains Texas
"Of course I left out the panhandle and a lot of people do..."

 

For many on the religious right, there is a fear -- irrational as it may be -- that they're lifestyle will come under attack as/if gay rights are expanded.

Now, I don't think we should just wait for the current generation to die off before we recognize rights like gay marriage. But, when you attack traditional Christian beliefs, you do put people on the defensive.

I think for many, their opposition to gays, and gay rights, come from a place of ignorance. You would be far better off trying to engage a guy like this, than calling for a boycott, or for him to be fired.

If your goal is to change people's minds, isn't his the best way to do it?

And, let's be clear. He didn't advocate for homosexuality to be punished by law, as is the case in the Islamic tradition. I do agree that you don't want to "negotiate" with someone who is advocating for you to be jailed, or put to death.

But, if he just feels it's "icky" or goes against the teachings of the Bible, you can still probably find some measure of common ground with the guy.

 

I stand corrected.

 

Cabela's will ignore this and continue raking in cash on their merchandise.

 

If one has never seen the show, does it make a sound?!

 

I'm confident that one of those "real wives of Duck Dynasty" will take care of ol Phil's worldview for A&E.

 

I am one of the most pro gay rights/gay marriage people on this board but I have no idea why this is such a controversy.
Since when did stop accepting that people might have differing views on this topic?
Do I agree with Phil Robertson? Hell no. Do I think his view on homosexuality is outdated and idiotic? Yes.
Do I think he should have been suspended? Hell no.
A&E knows what it's getting with this family. They make no attempts to hide the fact that they are very religious people and anyone who has followed the fight for gay rights knows that, by and large, the biggest opponents of expanding gay rights and making gay marriage legal across the country are the religious.
I could have guessed Phil felt this way about gay folks and it wouldn't have surprised me one iota that this was what he would say when asked. In fact, I can just about guarantee that, apart from maybe one or two of the wives, no one on this show feels any differently.
For A&E to come out now and try to say that Phil did something wrong in expressing his opinion, which by the way I felt was a fair if misguided reason for opposing homosexuality, is bulls**t.
A&E has been profiting off of Duck Dynasty for a while now and they knew exactly what kind of people they were employing/allowing to represent their brand and what type of people were/are viewing the show.
It's disingenuous to pretend that his comments are somehow unexpected on this topic.
Further, as I said on my Facebook page last night, my issue with it is this type of reaction/backlash, in my opinion, actually hurts the gay rights movement. It's hard to support a cause who's foundation was built on the idea of "Everyone is equal, we need to have tolerance," when so many liberal an/or pro-gay organizations jump at the chance to try to silence any and everyone who doesn't share their beliefs.
You can't have it both ways. You can't say everyone should be tolerated and then not tolerate those who disagree with you.
I don't think anything Phil said was that out there. He has his beliefs, which he is entitled to, and at the end of the day, this is a reality TV star who made a fortune off of duck calls.
Is this really that important an issue to get worked up over?
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and wait for Paris Hilton to comment on human rights violations in Syria.