-By Warner Todd Huston
The Robertson family of TV reality show Duck Dynasty thinks that the A&E network purposefully embarrassed them and that they were “hung out to dry” by network executives.
The family has come to believe that network execs are using the current controversy as a method to force the family to say and do what the network wants them to, a source close to the family tells the Daily Mail newspaper.
According to those close to the family, the Robertsons believe that network brass should also have squelched the interview if they had thought it was so offensive. After all, it is clear that network execs knew full well what Phil Robertson said to GQ magazine about homosexuality. And this is not to mention the fact that Phil Robertson has said similar things since A&E put them on the air.
As the Daily Mail reports it, the source said: “You have to ask yourself, why this interview happened and why it ever became public. Someone from A&E was there and was aware of the kind of answers Phil was giving.”
“But despite that, they didn’t ever try to stop it or control it. Instead, they let it hit the headlines and then released a statement condemning it.”
“IIt is our belief that they knew what was going to happen and then used the situation to exercise control over Phil.”
“It is our understanding that when the TV executives came up with the concept for the show they wanted it to be a case of people laughing at a bunch of backward rednecks.”
“But when it didn’t turn out like that and people actually started identifying with the way the family behaved and were laughing with them, not at them, they became uncomfortable. It did not sit will with the New York TV types.”
“We believe they were also uncomfortable with the family’s insistence that there would be a strong religious presence in the show. They knew Phil was the driving force behind this and we think they have used this situation to bring him in line so they could steer the show back down the path they originally intended for it.”
“But they may have underestimated how united the family are and how committed they are to their beliefs. They also didn’t realize how much support Phil would get from the public, so things have backfired on them.”
The controversy erupted after family patriarch Phil Robertson said during an interview with GQ magazine that homosexuality is a sin in God’s eyes and placed it amongst a list of other sins such as bestiality and adultery.
Immediately extremist leftists, anti-religionists, Christian haters, and others of that ilk began to misrepresent what Robertson said and called him a racist and homophobe. Such activists said that Robertson equated homosexuals with bestiality. But that isn not what he said. Merely listing things together is not “equating” them as equal in severity.
Further, Robertson was only paraphrasing the Bible, not creating some new ideology.
Regardless, the network bowed to pressure from the far left and quickly suspended Robertson for his comments.
But just as quickly, supporters came flocking to the Robertson family’s side expressing outrage that the network would dare suspend Robertson for his Christian beliefs.
So, where do you stand? Are you with Phil and the Robertson family, or do you think A&E was right to suspend him? Tell us in the comments.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer. He has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and before that he wrote articles on U.S. history for several small American magazines. His political columns are featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, BigHollywood.com, and BigJournalism.com, as well as RightWingNews.com, MrConservative.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, Wizbang.com, among many, many others. Huston has also appeared on Fox News, Fox Business Network, CNN, and many local TV shows as well as numerous talk radio shows throughout the country.
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