From time to time I have guests share their views on this blog – today I am pleased to share a guest blog by Mark Given.
I love Duck Dynasty and I’m not exactly sure of the reason why. Maybe it’s because of the open weirdness of the Robertson family. Somehow, it reminds me that every family is a bit weird in its own way. Mine is, I bet yours is too!
The only difference between the Robertson’s and your family is that A & E has paid them millions to be publicly open about their weirdness.
The Robertson’s live in the deep south. Religion is a way of life there with very strong opinions and beliefs. Is it really such a shock then that Phil Robertson finally offended a group of people with his sermon on sexuality (it could just as easily been Si)?
Was Phil ethical voicing his inner thoughts?
He has a constitutional right to speak his mind, even when someone might disagree or be shocked or feel threatened.
For me, Phil clearly crossed the line of un-ethical, at least unkind, and some would say unchristian. Sure he was. You learned from your Mama and Thumper that “if you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”.
The rub is that Phil and his family have the freedom to express whatever they choose to believe, and you and I can decide for ourselves if we want to support, affiliate or turn the channel. Our choice……….not A & E’s!
To me, it’s interesting that A & E chose the more un-ethical path? I think they have!!
Censorship is way out of bounds. When A & E can no longer sell advertising for the show, cancel it, but don’t pull the plug just because Phil drops a bomb that they should have seen coming. Really?!
It will be interesting to see where this all ends. Freedom to speak, lose your TV show, and sell more duck calls…………….or……………..a reality TV channel deciding exactly where to set boundaries of censorship and pull the plug.
For now, I’ll take my family of Agnostic, Catholic, Mormon, Baptist, and Wicken followers and try to keep our un-ethical opinions to ourselves……..unless we decide to shoot a reality show! Bet it won’t be on A & E!!
Mark Given is the author of three books on “Identifying and Achieving PRIORITIES”. He has been quoted in and appeared on TV, radio, newspaper, and magazines and travels the world helping companies, organizations, and individuals find their “WHY” to create higher levels of success and happiness. You can discover more about Mark at his website markgiven.com and sign up for his weekly message.
Other cable networks are lined up to have “Duck Dynasty”…probably going to be a bidding war. A&E knew or should have known what to expect from the”Robertson’s”
Is there a line that could be crossed? What if he said, “Hitler was right about the Jews.” I think that since he mainly went after gay people, he is defended.
I think he’s defended not because of what he said, but because of his right to express his true feelings. While I don’t agree with him, I agree with his right to express himself.