# A&E suspends Phil Robertson over anti-gay remarks **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 19, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747 "2013-12-19T18:37:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/41 "2013-12-19T22:42:27Z")
[Racist remarks, too.](http://tv.yahoo.com/blogs/tv-news/-duck-dynasty--star-phil-robertson-digs-his-hole-a-little-deeper-by-also-stinging-african-americans-173821415.html) ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/42 "2013-12-19T22:48:07Z")
_Duck Dynasty_ is screaming for a gay porno parody version. Just wanted to mention it, in case some entrepreneurial soul sees this. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/43 "2013-12-19T22:50:34Z")
_Fuck D’Nasty_ ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/44 "2013-12-19T22:52:11Z")
So if someone doesn’t subscribe to your own beliefs, they have no moral compass? I especially like how he says it’s for God to judge, not him, but he’s literally judging people in the same breath. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/45 "2013-12-19T22:54:34Z")
“Well, it’s for God to judge, but since God likes the same things I like and hates the same things I hate, I may as well tell you how you’re going to be judged. But it’s totally not me doing it, ok?” ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/46 "2013-12-19T23:24:40Z")
> [@](#): > > All you have to do is look at any society where there is no Jesus. I’ll give you four: Nazis, no Jesus. Look at their record. Uh, Shintos? They started this thing in Pearl Harbor. Any Jesus among them? None. Communists? None. Islamists? Zero. That’s 80 years of ideologies that have popped up where no Jesus was allowed among those four groups. Just look at the records as far as murder goes among those four groups. Crusades? Jesus. The Spanish Inquisition? Jesus. The Salem Witch Trials? Jesus. Fred Phelps? Jesus. And his homophobic banter: There’s nothing new there. I’ve heard worse on these boards. It’s interesting that not only does he equate homosexuality with attraction to an anus, but he equates heterosexuality with attraction to a vagina. Just about everyone should be offended by this. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/47 "2013-12-19T23:30:49Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Fred Phelps? Jesus. A widespread reaction, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/48 "2013-12-19T23:34:28Z")
> [@](#): > > … It seems like, to me, a vagina – as a man – would be more desirable than a man’s anus," Robertson says in the January issue of the men’s magazine. "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? … That you’re an ass-to-pussy kinda guy? :eek: CMC ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/49 "2013-12-19T23:49:41Z")
> [@Truman\_Burbank](#): > > Jindal, I read elsewhere, referenced the 1st Amendment, of course. I went back and looked, can’t find “the right to be on TV” _anywhere_. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Fame? ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/50 "2013-12-19T23:52:45Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > 😃 My thoughts exactly. > > He’s right, though, that if we look at societies with a strong Christian element (antebellum South, Mexico in the 16 century, Sudan, Europe during the Crusades), we find a model of pacifism and humane relationships among people. Or even from the Old Testament…Joshua and the ‘battle’ of Jericho? An entire city destroyed for being the wrong religion and in the wrong place. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2013, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/51 "2013-12-19T23:59:00Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > I’m waiting for him to get an invite to attend the Winter Olympics as a guest of Putin…strange bedfellows and all. “Hey, Vlad! Guess what rhymes with ‘Duck’?!” ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/52 "2013-12-20T00:03:55Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I do find the show great to watch, especially as a family. It’s nice to have a good role model family that enjoys the outdoors and hunting for my daughter to watch. It’s lead to some good conversations about gutting deer and shooting turkeys for instance. It would be a shame to lose this show just because of some comments. So, are they still a good role model family if they say these things? ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/53 "2013-12-20T00:17:04Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Fame? “I’m gonna live forever, I’m gonna learn how to fly”! ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/54 "2013-12-20T01:44:22Z")
> [@bump](#): > > He more or less paraphrased what the theology of damn near EVERY Christian denomination says. > > He didn’t advocate violence. He didn’t say anything particularly hateful- he just said that he doesn’t understand something, and that he believes it to be sinful. > > Just because you don’t like it doesn’t make it hate speech. Had he said he thought they should be stoned or burned or advocated something else, then you’d be onto something, but the guy was just stating his rather mainstream Christian opinion when it comes down to it. > > His political comments about comparative religions are off-base, but hardly that bad- again, not hateful or violent, just off-base. Agreed. A&E is either being willfully blind or is just plain full of shit if it pretends as if it is shocked, shocked I tells ya, that a backwater white born-again Christian from rural Louisiana believes that homosexuality is a sin. It might as well cancel every rural show from now on. When I heard he was suspended, I thought he used slurs or quoted Leviticus. But as you said, his comments were very mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/55 "2013-12-20T02:07:18Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > When I heard he was suspended, I thought he used slurs or quoted Leviticus. But as you said, his comments were very mainstream. Sure, they are. And rapidly that “are” is becoming “were,” in the same way that comments about preserving the purity of the white race were mainstream once. A&E didn’t have to suspend this mainstream bigot. That they did speaks well of them. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/56 "2013-12-20T02:09:51Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Agreed. A&E is either being willfully blind or is just plain full of shit if it pretends as if it is shocked, shocked I tells ya, that a backwater white born-again Christian from rural Louisiana believes that homosexuality is a sin. It might as well cancel every rural show from now on. Amazingly enough, not everyone from any given rural location is a homophobic, racist bigot. I find it amusing to hear people defend his remarks by shoving all southerners/rural folks/religious people under the bus. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/57 "2013-12-20T03:36:47Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > A&E didn’t have to suspend this mainstream bigot. That they did speaks well of them. Don’t kid yourself. This was a business decision, not a moral stand. A&E figures suspending Phil Robertson is the best response for their bottom line. And they may be wrong about that. [The rest of the cast backs Phil](http://www.wbrz.com/news/dynasty-crew-can-t-go-forward-without-phil/) and says they don’t see how the show can continue without him. They’ve got some leverage, because the show does monster ratings, and I’m sure another network would love to have them. Might give them more creative freedom, too. If the show moves, the audience will follow, A&E ratings will go down, and advertising dollars will go elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/58 "2013-12-20T04:27:07Z")
I don’t know - I mean, I haven’t seen their contracts or anything - but I would guess the Robertsons don’t own the rights to the tv show, Duck Dynasty, free and clear. I would expect that A&E, and its parent companies, Hearst & Disney-ABC, included language that gives them ownership stake in the show and possibly includes things like copyright ownership and non-competing clauses. It’s possible that the Robertsons are not legally allowed to appear on other networks at the moment, until their current contract runs out. I don’t know for sure, of course, but I would be surprised if they could just up and take the show to a different network, right away. I think it would actually be pretty complicated. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/59 "2013-12-20T04:29:20Z")
You can see who owns the show by watching it and taking notice of the copyright notice. This commonly is one of the last elements seen in the closing credits. They likely have a standard reality-TV participant contract which will forbid them for working for another network for some time after the show ends, usually 1 year. Whether this clause will be enforceable, however, is unknown. ---
**Author:** ![Dostoyevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Dostoyevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dostoyevsky)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747/60 "2013-12-20T04:42:56Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I can’t imagine being deeply hurt, upset or angry by anything said by anyone who is a star of a reality show called _Duck Dynasty_. YMMV. This is similar to how I think. Why do people care so much what reality show stars think? I disagree with Robertson’s statement, but I don’t think he’s in a position to influence most people in negative ways, because the average person isn’t so easily corruptible or impressionable that he’ll tune into A&E to set his moral compass to true north. So… yeah. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-e-suspends-phil-robertson-over-anti-gay-remarks/676747.md?page=4)