The Sage Observer

The ‘Duck Dynasty’ Patriarch Issue

          Phil Robertson, “Patriarch” of the ‘Duck Dynasty’, has been so much in the forefront of the news these last few days that I cannot help but comment. For those who have never heard of the ‘Duck Dynasty’ (if there is anyone), this is a television series viewed on the A&E network. Mr. Robertson was recently interviewed by GQ Magazine; and, in this interview which was published in its January, 2014 edition, he made several controversial statements which created such a furor he was suspended from the show.

Asked about sin in his interview with GQ, Mr. Robertson is said to have said, “Start with homosexual behaviour and just morph out from there–bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.” Also, quoting scripture, he said, to the effect, “Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers–they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right”.

Also, “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”.

Out of these quotations of Mr. Robertson along with his suspension came charges and accusations of hate crimes, racial baiting, religious bigotry, and violations of free speech. Although it won’t get very far, I would add one other–exploitation by the media. Many events worse than this would pass by the wayside and the media wouldn’t even pick it up. They pass up reporting on many other much more important subjects every day, so why this one? Why this subject? Why do they report this over and over and over all through the day, day in and day out–every day? The answer to that is sensationalism. It creates ratings; it sells advertising; it makes money. What it does not do is responsibly serve the public, except to provide crude entertainment to some among us. It helps to feed our appetite for certain forms of gossip–socially and intellectually irresponsible, I believe.

This particular issue is so multifaceted that one cannot rationally discuss it as a whole. It only brings out the bias, prejudice, bigotry, and speculation in all of us with little, if any positive results. Mr. Robertson, according to the various articles written about him, is an intelligent, honest and forthright Christian man raised in the bayous of Louisiana, a product of his culture and upbringing who speaks his mind candidly and honestly. What we see, is what we get. As citizens of a democratic republic and, for those who profess to be Christians, we all have a stake in this. We have a dog in this fight, as they say.

The issues involved are religion, sin, government, racial hatred, homosexuality, freedom of speech, and the social responsibility of business–all major and complex issues in their own right. I would compile these into three central discussions– the social responsibility of business which I have discussed on previous occasions; government, another facet of which I will discuss below; and religion, which I will discuss in the near future.

In this nation, we are guaranteed freedom of religion and worship by our Constitution. Now, I’m not a lawyer; but that means to me the separation of church and state–government does not run the church, and the church does not run the state. When we elect our government in this nation, that government, so elected, has a legal obligation to govern and serve the interests of all the people, every last one, whoever they may be, whether they are green, purple, have pin-pointed heads, whatever; and those people have an equal right to opportunity, treatment, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and to practice any religion they may choose to follow (I must add that, in my view, this does not include religious law that supersedes the law of the land or is destructive of our democratic way of life–that is not in the deal and was never intended to be.). To purposely belabor the point, I will be more specific and say, rich, poor, smart, stupid, educated, uneducated, heterosexual, homosexual, bi-sexual, trans-sexual, male, female–have I left anything out? That’s our country; that’s how it was designed; and that’s how it is. To this end, we must “all get along”. I might, also, remind you that, for us who are Christians, we are commanded to love one another, every last one, all the above factors notwithstanding. We may not like some people, but we must love them–the Bible calls it AGAPE love, and it includes forgiveness.

One more issue in this matter is the question of freedom of speech. There is no question. We are guaranteed freedom of speech under our Constitution. Let me remind you, however, that just because the law says so doesn’t make it so. The absolute fact is we do not have freedom of speech in this country and we never have since day one. It has always been true that one must watch what he says, where he says it, and before whom. Depending on what is said and where, one might suffer ostracism, unemployment, violence, or even arrest and internment–try talking politics in a bar. I just hope I don’t end up that way. I would like to think what I have to say is honest, constructive, and a contribution to the dialogue.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net