A&E Suspends Phil Robertson

[airdvr 210]

I think it's a hoot that A & E is all butthurt because he said this stuff. WTF did they think he was gonna say?

I guess this tripe is what passes for Art & Entertainment these days.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[regulator 0]

quade

***What I find extremely amusing is that this redneck has a master's degree in education and taught high school before pursuing his dream. While in college he was the star quarterback for his team with Terry Bradshaw as back up. And lastly, his personal net worth is reported as $15M.

I love that man.

Good to know how you "value" people.

Having a degree, playing football or having money doesn't make a person good.

Character is what you have when nobody is watching. It appears he forgot people could read interviews once they're published.

/sigh.

if character can be diagnosed by your comments then you have absolutely NONE. You are doing a fabulous job of illustrating how bigoted liberals really are, when it fits their political agenda.

[Andy9o8 2]

Let's call it what it is Jerry- it's a culture war- and he opened fire. And if he's a sophisticated a Ron says he is, he knew or should have known very well what he was provoking. returning fire thus becomes fair game.

[quade 4]

regulator

******What I find extremely amusing is that this redneck has a master's degree in education and taught high school before pursuing his dream. While in college he was the star quarterback for his team with Terry Bradshaw as back up. And lastly, his personal net worth is reported as $15M.

I love that man.

Good to know how you "value" people.

Having a degree, playing football or having money doesn't make a person good.

Character is what you have when nobody is watching. It appears he forgot people could read interviews once they're published.

/sigh.

if character can be diagnosed by your comments then you have absolutely NONE. You are doing a fabulous job of illustrating how bigoted liberals really are, when it fits their political agenda.

Really? Please point out my "bigoted" comments. Seriously. I'll wait.

If you can't find any, I do, however, expect an apology.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[regulator 0]

apology on the way. My remarks were aimed directly at Andy908 for this remark,

Seriously. Redneck motherfucker behaving like a redneck motherfucker. What a shocker.

my apologies.

[lawrocket 3]

Andy9o8

Let's call it what it is Jerry- it's a culture war- and he opened fire. And if he's a sophisticated a Ron says he is, he knew or should have known very well what he was provoking. returning fire thus becomes fair game.

Indeed. It's a culture war. A war between a side that doesn't call for tolerance and thus fires rounds. And the other side, which calls for openness, diversity and tolerance which demands that viewpoints remain closeted, undiverse and variance will not be tolerated.

Does diversity involve different opinions? I think so. Does tolerance involve intolerance? I don't think so. Should people be open with who they are and what they believe? Only if they fit the correct viewpoint.

Who opened the first shot? The rounds have been going back and forth for ages. I'm standing on the outside of this thing having respect for both viewpoints but looking on with disgust at the behavior of both sides.

No - I do not lump the guy in with anybody or any group other than himself. He alone speaks for himself and he speaks for nobody but himself. Want to villify him? Then do it. But lumping in everybody else?

The tactics of each side have been adopted. They are the same. Me? I never watched him, anyway. But if there are people out there with those viewpoints I sure as hell want them to speak up about them. Because that's called a goddamned dialogue and that's how problems are solved or, at least, how some kind of accord is made.

Both sides playing into the gutter. I'll admit it - I DO expect better from the educated and enlightened. I DO expect those who preached diversity and tolerance to practice what they fucking preach. But nope - they use it as a weapon to say, "tolerate me, and I shall be the only diversity out there." It's bullshit.

And it's dishonest.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[Elisha 1]

airdvr

I think it's a hoot that A & E is all butthurt because he said this stuff. WTF did they think he was gonna say?

I guess this tripe is what passes for Art & Entertainment these days.

I think what will be funnier if this ends of resulting in A&E committing ratings suicide as a network. If this is their #1 show, they might have just killed the show (and their network). We'll see...

[regulator 0]

Well they do have the first 48. I watch that show all the time.

[Boomerdog 0]

The First amendment is not applicable her since A&E is a private enterprise and not government.

For all the verbal salvos hurled by both sides, at the end of the day, it will come down to numbers and of course what the Robertsons decide to do.

Right now, A&E is getting shelled by the fans of the show. A&E needs the Robertsons more than the Robertsons need A&E.

Who blinks first? Stay tuned.

[quade 4]

Boomerdog

A&E needs the Robertsons more than the Robertsons need A&E.

That's an extraordinarily short term point of view. I can nearly guarantee in 10 years Phil Robertson will be simply a footnote in the history of media. A&E will absolutely survive him being let go. Everybody on the planet is replaceable and pretty much every one gets replaced at one point or another.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Boomerdog 0]

You might be right!

[LyraM45 0]

Quote

Indeed. It's a culture war. A war between a side that doesn't call for tolerance and thus fires rounds. And the other side, which calls for openness, diversity and tolerance which demands that viewpoints remain closeted, undiverse and variance will not be tolerated.

I might be misunderstanding this, but are you basically saying if somebody comes out and says "all back people are awful and don't deserve to vote, don't deserve to sit at the same counter, (insert whatever you want about african americans here)," and is met with backlash, that the side that is back lashing is wrong because they are back lashing against that statement? Can you never call a racist a racist, because at that point you would be considered intolerant of a racist?

Apologies for the spelling (and grammar).... I got a B.S, not a B.A. :)

[AndyBoyd 0]

This is not a direct reply to the last post. Just jumping in here.

My take on this is that the guy was suspended for making some very offensive comments about gays and blacks. He compared homosexuality to bestiality, and stated that blacks were happy in the Jim Crow/sharecropper era. Those are really nasty, offensive statements. Those statements are different from intelligently and reasonably expressing a conservative viewpoint. Conservatives arguing that this guy is being punished for simply expressing his views seem to ignore the offensive nature of his statements. I would think that even reasonable conservatives would find his comments offensive. Some posters here have stated that this guy is not just a "redneck," but is an intelligent guy. I don't know because I don't watch the show and I'm not familiar with this guy. If he is a bright guy, surely he could have avoided such patently offensive remarks and stated his position more reasonably. What I'm trying to say is that I don't think he got punished for being a conservative. He was punished for making horribly offensive remarks. Anyone who makes those types of remarks, wherever they are on the conservative-liberal spectrum, deserves what they get

[JohnnyMarko 1]

I have 0 issues with what he said...it's his right to express his opinions...the way I see it, the biggest controversy is A&E getting rid of him...

I could be wrong, but don't they syndicate Wife Swap? Home of people expressing bigoted views?

[airdvr 210]

I'm holding out for Honey Boo Boo's take on this whole thing.

Please don't dent the planet.

Destinations by Roxanne

[kelpdiver 2]

quade

***A&E needs the Robertsons more than the Robertsons need A&E.

That's an extraordinarily short term point of view. I can nearly guarantee in 10 years Phil Robertson will be simply a footnote in the history of media. A&E will absolutely survive him being let go. Everybody on the planet is replaceable and pretty much every one gets replaced at one point or another.

In 10 years, no doubt. Few cable shows have any staying power, and reality style ones are far less enduring than that.

But purely from a ratings standpoint, do they gain more than they lose here? How many viewers of this show care about statements he makes to a magazine, and how many will remember or care by next year? Unless A&E's calculus is that the show will have run its course anyway.

If I were allowed to buy only the channels I want, A&E would never have been in contention. It's part of the wasteland in the 200s on Directv.

[rickjump1 0]

airdvr

I'm holding out for Honey Boo Boo's take on this whole thing.

The way things are going for A&E, they will be lucky to get Turtle Man.

Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

[quade 4]

kelpdiver

If I were allowed to buy only the channels I want, A&E would never have been in contention. It's part of the wasteland in the 200s on Directv.

Yeah, my cable bill would be considerably lower too.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kelpdiver 2]

Iago

Imus settled his contract dispute with MSNBC for around $20 Million after they let him go.

I suspect this will cost A&E greatly.

Imus has been a star since at least the 80s...he's a few planes of existence higher than this guy will ever be. And note, they didn't drop the contract, they just suspended him. A&E is owned by Hearst and Disney, so you can believe they have legal council that has a clue.

[lawrocket 3]

LyraM45

Quote

Indeed. It's a culture war. A war between a side that doesn't call for tolerance and thus fires rounds. And the other side, which calls for openness, diversity and tolerance which demands that viewpoints remain closeted, undiverse and variance will not be tolerated.

I might be misunderstanding this, but are you basically saying if somebody comes out and says "all back people are awful and don't deserve to vote, don't deserve to sit at the same counter, (insert whatever you want about african americans here)," and is met with backlash, that the side that is back lashing is wrong because they are back lashing against that statement? Can you never call a racist a racist, because at that point you would be considered intolerant of a racist?

My points:

(1) I don't like what he said at all.
(2) Calling him a "racist" isn't as big of a deal to me as calling him a redneck being a redneck - which is a bigoted comment. Would it be appropriate to say, "those complaining are just fags being fags?" Hell no. It's the double standard I dislike.
(3) The focus is on attacking the person who said it rather than the statement.
(4) Tolerance means tolerance. For ALL points of view. Yes, you would be intolerant of a racist. I am intolerant of racists, and therefore I do not say that I am a "tolerant" person. I think people should quit calling "intolerance" "tolerance."
(5) I posed a challenge earlier for people to explain why racial pejoratives are different from racial pejoratives. DO you think it's better to call white guys rednecks than to call women bitches or black people jigaboos? I don't. But I would certainly be willing to hear why it is different. People are too busy calling names to actually answer the question.
(6) What makes you think that the dude isn't backlashing against what he perceives is going on? In which case the backlash is to the backlash. It's a chicken-or-the-egg.


Final question: are you tolerant of all viewpoints or are you intolerant of certain viewpoints? You cannot be tolerant and intolerant at the same time. My point is that "tolerance" has taken on a definition that is not neutral. "Tolerance" has become intolerance of certain viewpoints. The equal and opposite.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[lawrocket 3]

Quote

Anyone who makes those types of remarks, wherever they are on the conservative-liberal spectrum, deserves what they get

I agree. And he is facing the consequences of his actions. I think I mentioned that in my first post.

As I said, my problem is with those who counter his homophobia with patent racism - and do so from a position of moral superiority.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[davjohns 1]

lawrocket

I find it so interesting how a guy can say something about not liking homosexuals.

This is countered by calling him white trash, etc. Kind of a "how dare that redneck cracker white trash peckerwood view someone as beneath him?"

Let's all hate him because he's so intolerant. Let's despise his view of a class of people by stating how much we despise a group of people.

Homophobia and white-on-black racism is such a lower-class thing. The elite, educated and upper crust hatred is directed at poor white people, Christians and Jews.

Hate is hate. If someone can explain to the the rational difference between calling people redneck peckerwoods is functionally or even practically different from calling people jungle bunny jigaboos I'd certainly entertain a discussion as to why racial pejoratives are different from racial pejoratives.

Yup.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[davjohns 1]

Andy9o8

Let's call it what it is Jerry- it's a culture war- and he opened fire. And if he's a sophisticated a Ron says he is, he knew or should have known very well what he was provoking. returning fire thus becomes fair game.

Yes...and a resounding No.

War is a poor analogy. This man's attitudes, comments, thoughts, etc. harm himself as much (more) as anyone else. If rational people were able to just shake their heads and feel sorry for the guy for all the outstanding people he will never know, the attitude would die a natural death.

Firing back in kind...causes more division.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.

[jclalor 12]

AndyBoyd

This is not a direct reply to the last post. Just jumping in here.

My take on this is that the guy was suspended for making some very offensive comments about gays and blacks. He compared homosexuality to bestiality, and stated that blacks were happy in the Jim Crow/sharecropper era. Those are really nasty, offensive statements. Those statements are different from intelligently and reasonably expressing a conservative viewpoint. Conservatives arguing that this guy is being punished for simply expressing his views seem to ignore the offensive nature of his statements. I would think that even reasonable conservatives would find his comments offensive. Some posters here have stated that this guy is not just a "redneck," but is an intelligent guy. I don't know because I don't watch the show and I'm not familiar with this guy. If he is a bright guy, surely he could have avoided such patently offensive remarks and stated his position more reasonably. What I'm trying to say is that I don't think he got punished for being a conservative. He was punished for making horribly offensive remarks. Anyone who makes those types of remarks, wherever they are onhttp://m.nydailynews.com/1.1547508 the conservative-liberal spectrum, deserves what they get

This is exactly what's wrong with the Conservative party today, no matter how offensive and ridiculous a statement is, not one has the testicular fortitude to speak out against it. As long as the GOP is shaking in thier boots at the prospect that Limbaugh may sink thier (re)election, that party remains a bunch of pussies and sooner than later will be a political foot-note.

[jclalor 12]

I guess theirs already talk of Phil Robertson and Paula Dean getting together and doing a reality show on Blaze.