[Sphinx]

Discuss.

I woke up to see a plethora of support being given to the intolerant remarks being made, because it is his opinion and he has a right to espouse it.

[Yellowdog]

Man, I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking this is insane. Bigotry is alive and well amongst bible thumping rednecks.

[kinglucci]

Personally I don't care about it. I think girls who wear scrunchies will go to hell, is that going to stop them from wearing them? No. He's entitled to his opinion I'm sure I have tons of offensive things to say, and I wouldn't want people hating me for my opinion. I feel like let everyone do what they wanna do, let them say what they want to say, at the end of the day we'll be the ones standing face to face with god and god will be the one to let us know.

[TheKdd]

Originally Posted by Yellowdog

Man, I'm glad I'm not the only one thinking this is insane. Bigotry is alive and well amongst bible thumping rednecks.

Yes, shocking.

Ya know, he wants to think that crap or what not, more power to him. He wants to scream it out to the world, more power to him. However, what gets me is all the people arguing about free speech, and how wrong it was for the network to do what they did.

Ummm... you are on a reality show paid for by, and put on air by the network. The speech is not free. It's bought and paid for, and they can do as they wish with it.

Now if he wants to go off of tee vee and scream it from the mountain, then again I say, more power to him.

There is just so much outrage over trivial trash.

[TheKdd]

On top of what is getting most of the press, he also said this crap:

“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."

You mean a black dude didn't tell a white dude about those doggone white people? For real? Say it ain't so!

[Sphinx]

It's one thing to make it about free-speech, because that's about the only argument that's left against bigotry. I don't see how espousing hatred and intolerance is considered noble nor defensible. I saw someone post something that "God said it first," with Phil Robertson's photo as a meme. As I said on my Facebook, you can hide behind white privilege and God all you like: it's still a public figure espousing their opinion there's accountability there. Nobody can go around, not even me nor anyone else, espousing hate in a public forum and it's defended or hidden behind Christianity. We are not a Christian nation, nor did the founding father's ever say as such so it just blows my mind how people are sitting there and readily defending this hillbilly.

My issue is that it's not that someone is espousing their opinion, but rather espousing it and being in a position that influences others. It's a popular show, and people that sit there and hide behind Christianity as a means of defense. If religion is a means to escape culpability, then I demand that Christians that are using it practice what they preach. And I do mean all the scriptures. Those hypocrites need to back away and down.

I personally loved the "picking cotton" statement. Because that's not racist and not an allusion whatsoever.

[Shiny Beige]

I don't understand everyone's need for outrage. He does have the right to say every stupid thing he thinks. But then he gets to suffer the consequences.

He wants attention, and everyone is giving it to him. I don't even care why.
(Maybe I should watch the show before expressing an opinion; I might sound just as stupid.)

[19wingz]

I have never seen 30 seconds of Duck Dynasty. Sure, dude can say what he wants, but I agree...this outrage of A&E losing reputation as a network or "jumping ship" by suspending him is absolute shit. It's not free speech, like TK said, when you are paid by a network. Free speech protects you from the government kicking you out of the country for saying that ... it does NOT protect you from your employer to do what they need to do from a PR standpoint.

Where was the outrage when Paula Deen was "mistreated" after what she said? White privilege is so very prevalent and people are seemingly getting more and more one dimensional. Bigotry is prevalent and isn't going anywhere anytime soon, sadly.

[Sphinx]

It's just absolutely asinine. I've seen people say "Well, they get to criticize heterosexuals on national TV." What the actual fuck? You are neither a protected class last I checked, nor a minority or will you ever be. It's what less than 10% of the entire world population that identifies as gay? But it's okay, the Old Testament God says it's wrong. OTG also is a spiteful little cretin who murdered off people for shits and giggles. So if that's your God, by all means, practice what he states. I'm just over the cherry picking for the sake of promulgating views that are means to suppress a minority. It's like religion sits within an invincible barrier that nobody can touch, because it's 'personal' yet that barrier doesn't prevent it from seeping into society like toxic sludge to simply affect those lives that others don't understand. That's what it boils down to. A lack of understanding.

I'm not saying all religion is wrong, but I am saying the boundaries and spheres exist within our lives for a reason. And I am absolutely done with people sitting from the pulpit trying to circumscribe my life. Many have tried and all have failed to control me, my life, or the choices I make.

And I'm also tired of people bemoaning that we shouldn't complain over what was said. You complain over free speech, yet you believe it should include hate and intolerance for the sake of what? You have one life, and you're gonna waste it on suppressing a minority? High tides raise all boats. Instead of sniping one another down we need to be raising one another up. And freedom of speech exists only in the way that it does not encroach upon another person's rights. Almost positive that there are 'hate laws' for a reason, and that includes speech.

Sorry, I'm stepping off my soap box. That stuff just got me so agitated and riled up this morning.

[requiem]

Everyone has the right to their own opinion. Personally...I will no longer be watching Duck Dynasty or supporting it at all, but I can't expect to have my opinion if I fail to allow others to have their own. Free speech works both ways.

I think what bugs me the most is that the liberals and the conservatives are using this as a lightning pole topic. "Boycott A&E" "Free speech" "All rednecks are like that." Etc. etc. etc.

Anyway...that's my thought. Free speech indeed, but this show is no longer for me.