12/20/2013
From patriarch Phil to granddaughter Sadie, the Robertson Family is united.
It’s another Chick-Fil-A moment, as the historic American nation rises in defense of the “Duck Commander” of A&E’s Duck Dynasty. Whether this is beginning of the successful counter-revolution against the controlled media’s intimidation that Paul Kersey predicted after the Paula Deen debacle, or just another conservative false start, depends entirely on whether the Robertson family sticks together and if the Duck Commander holds the line.
After comments about homosexuals and blacks deemed Offensive by elite opinion makers, Robertson family patriarch Phil Robertson was suspended from the record-breaking program, leading to public outrage, a backlash against gay rights organizations, unease among a few liberals like Andrew Sullivan and Jon Stewart and even — incredibly — support from Republican politicians.
The controversy began as it so often does, when a liberal publication sent out a reporter to write the kind of the “Gorillas in the Mist” story that pathologizes anyone who doesn’t get their opinions straight from Rachel Maddow or the Huffington Post Gay Voices. Reporter Drew Magary duly elicited the now-famous quote from Phil Robertson:
“It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.”[What the Duck, GQ, January 2014]
The reaction to these light-hearted comments was instantaneous. The Main Stream Media, which has increasingly abandoned even the pretense of reporting instead of brow-beating, flew into its usual mode of caterwauling, wailing and humorless passive aggressive proclamations. The Huffington Post (headed by a woman sporting the name of her homosexual ex-husband) predictably shrieked about “shockingly vile” comments. 'Duck Dynasty' Star Phil Robertson Makes Anti-Gay Remarks, Says Being Gay Is A Sin [UPDATED] “ Piers Morgan sputtered that Phil’s comments were “repugnant” and called for “responsible” corporate donors to drop him.
And of course, the hysterics at the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation screeched at A&E, who instantly suspended Robertson because of his defiance of the “fundamental values of the company.” Apparently, sodomy is more “fundamental” to A&E than freedom of speech.
But a funny thing has happened on the way to the lynching — the Robertsons closed ranks. They issued a statement saying that they “couldn’t imagine” doing the show without Phil. More importantly, they referred to him as their “patriarch,” a term surely giving the gender studies majors scattered throughout the chattering classes fits. Though there were some hints of weakness — about how Phil “would never incite or encourage hate” etc. — the family’s only expressed “disappointment” was with A&E, for placing Phil on hiatus. The family said they were still in “negotiations” with A&E. But the clearly implied threat is that the Robertsons are willing to walk. [The Robertson Family Official Statement, Duck Commander, December 19, 2013]
Even grand-daughter Sadie Robertson, the beautiful young woman who is aspiring to a career as a model and might be expected to break given homosexual domination of the fashion racket, tweeted in support of the statement: “This is what the family has decided. We know this is all in God’s hands.”
The Robertsons are far from alone.
Senator Ted Cruz said Phil should not have lost his job, commenting:
"The reason that so many Americans love Duck Dynasty is because it represents the America usually ignored or mocked by liberal elites: a family that loves and cares for each other, believes in God, and speaks openly about their faith.”
Sarah Palin and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal have similarly defended the family. [Ted Cruz: Dismayed by A&E, by Tal Koplan, Politico, December 20, 2013]
Tens of thousands of Americans have already signed petitions saying they “stand with Phil” and will boycott A&E until the full cast is restored.
GLAAD spokesman Rich Ferraro has admitted that he’s never seen the group get so many “violently angry phone calls and social media posts.”
But, ominously, he said that this simply meant GLAAD had “more work to do.” GLAAD is reportedly researching companies using Robertson as a spokesman, proclaiming “silence implies consent” and “with such egregious anti-gay and racist comments, those companies that choose to be affiliated with this family need to speak out.” [‘Duck Dynasty’ Fallout: GLAAD Reeling From Biggest Backlash in Years, says Rep, by Jethro Nededog, The Wrap, December 19, 2013]
Similarly, undaunted by the backlash, the MSM has expanded the battlefield by drawing attention to Phil’s “racist” comments about blacks — namely, that he personally didn’t see any oppression of them in pre-Civil Rights Louisiana. Of course, not seeing racist acts is itself evidence of racism.
Needless to say, the Robertsons’ adoption of a biracial child (Will) is not evidence of tolerance, but of more racism. Jonathon Capehart of The Washington Post kvetched:
I fear for that biracial child being raised in an environment where there is no understanding of this nation’s complicated racial history and that kid’s place in it… [H]e will have a lot to learn — and so much more to unlearn.”[Duck Dynasty Dad Blind to Reality, December 19, 2013]
In Capehart’s eyes, it presumably would be better if the child was taken away so the likes of Tim Wise could lecture him on why he should hate his family.
The sad truth: Will Robertson is probably the main reason the show was allowed on the air in the first place.
The great irony: Duck Dynasty was designed to mock “rednecks” and rural culture for the likes of GQ readers and Huffington Post editors. But the Robertsons were savvy enough to be in on the joke. They have transformed a redneck minstrel show into an opportunity to champion their values of faith and family. The show’s popularity, and the backlash against GLAAD, shows that what Angelo Codevilla has called “The Ruling Class” is right to be paranoid — the blunt Biblical opinions of a self-styled backwoods hunter are now dominating the political conversation.
For immigration patriots, the implications are obvious, even though the Religious Right is far from a reliable ally. The Left understands that politics is about who not what — and allowing unapproved opinions to be aired without condemnation undermines the vast system of social, economic, and even physical intimidation that it relies upon. Conversely, America’s “white tribe” recognizes Phil as an implicit cultural symbol, just as the Left recognizes him as an explicit threat.
Ultimately, what Phil said is less important than the reaction to it. As the increasing acceptance of once-ludicrous concepts such as “white privilege,” “cisgender privilege,” “slut-shaming,” and even “thin privilege” makes clear, America is being transformed into an outright Politically Correct dictatorship of thought as banal and stupid as anything from North Korean news. Legal guarantees of freedom of speech are irrelevant in an environment where an academic paper, an interview, or even a tweet can serve as justification for a person’s entire life to be destroyed. Even the victim’s friends and family must join in the orgy of hatred and destruction to avoid sharing the same fate.
And the limits are constantly changing, in what John Derbyshire has termed “hate creep.” After all, we now live in a culture where some consider even beards to be inherently racist. [Movember declared ‘sexist, racist, transphobic’ at Canada’s sorry imitation of Harvard, By Eric Owens, Daily Caller, November 25, 2013]
The Robertson clan are Bible believers. They must now focus on Matthew 6:24:
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
The historic American nation is being offered the same choice between morality and elite-defined respectability. And, like Satan tempting Christ, the ruling system and its media mouthpiece offers the kingdoms of the Earth — if only Americans will fall down and submit.
Ultimately, the only weapon that we have is the refusal to do so.
The Robertsons will be under increasing pressure. GLAAD is already lobbying for Phil to enjoy the “opportunity” to meet with gays and learn how evil he is. All it will take is for one family member, one key sponsor to retreat, one cast member to have a moment of doubt.
However, the Robertsons’ now represent something far greater than themselves, or even than Christians as a group. They represent every American that the people who rule us thinks are “too free” and want to break.
Even if we’ve never hunted, don’t enjoy wearing camo, or don’t particularly care about homosexuality, the message is clear — we’re all Phil Robertson now.
James Kirkpatrick is a Beltway veteran and a refugee from Conservatism Inc.
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