A&E Welcomes Phil Robertson Back to 'Duck Dynasty'

[Robert_Sock]

hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-e-welcomes-phil-robertson-667647

Phil Robertson, the patriarch of A&E’s Duck Dynasty clan who was suspended from his hit reality series on Dec. 18 following some incendiary comments about gay people, won’t be put on hiatus after all.

 

[Robert_Sock]

Now I can say with almost certainty that this whole thing was a publicity stunt.

 

[_Abyssinia]

The European Court of Human Rights said it ‘does not require member states’ governments to grant same-sex couples access to marriage.’ If homosexual marriage is a human right then why did the ECHR say it was a human right and that all EU members must legalise homosexual marriage? Also, it is noted in the article

The judges also said that if same-sex unions became lawful, any church that refuses to marry gay couples could be charged with discrimination.

catholicvoices.org.uk/monitor-blog/2012/03/european-court-rules-same-sex-marriage-not-human-right

If you believe that that marriage is a human right for two people of the opposite gender then do you not you extend the belief that marriage is a human right to people who want to marry multiple persons, inanimate objects, or relations? Where do you draw the line? Do you believe that Churches and other religious institutions should be excempt from having to conduct homosexual marriage ceremonies, and if you do, then how much of a human right do you really believe that homosexual marriage really is?

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Now I can say with almost certainty that this whole thing was a publicity stunt.

I still say the ducks were behind it all.

 

[_Abyssinia]

I heard, surprised, kind of.

 

[mikekle]

Now I can say with almost certainty that this whole thing was a publicity stunt.

I agree, his return would never have happened so fast if this was a real incident, and I highly doubt, if he is as devout as they say, he would even go back to A&E.

I do think this little stunt may backfire on them though.

 

[WordHeavy]

hmmm very interesting indeed

 

[DaveBj]

So I guess we can say that A&E’s self-righteous stance wasn’t what it was cwacked up to be.

running and hiding now

 

[TRH1292]

I am Happy Happy Happy to hear that.

 

[Coatimundi]

Now I can say with almost certainty that this whole thing was a publicity stunt.

I am not so sure. A&E had nothing to gain by this controversy, and the controversy hurt its image.

I am annoyed that the official retraction is less than apologetic:

*We believe it is a privilege for our brands to be invited into people’s homes, and we operate with a strong sense of integrity and deep commitment to these principles.

That is why we reacted so quickly and strongly to a recent interview with Phil Robertson. While Phil’s comments made in the interview reflect his personal views based on his own beliefs and his own personal journey, he and his family have publicly stated they regret the “coarse language” he used and the misinterpretation of his core beliefs based only on the article. He also made it clear he would "never incite or encourage hate.*

The statement doesn’t admit that A&E was in the wrong. It still tries to pin blame on Phil Robertson. A&E should have admitted that Robertson’s statements were paraphrases of St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Instead, A&E makes it sound as if Robertson was stating some unique and eccentric beliefs which are not shared by millions of Christians.

I think A&E caved to public pressure, much as Cracker Barrel did after it received a massive amount of complaints for pulling Duck Dynasty merchandise. The difference between Cracker Barrel’s response and the A&E’s response is that Cracker Barrel was gracious enough to admit to a mistake. A&E still isn’t willing to do that.

I am glad that the show will remain on the air, and that Phil Robertson will not be punished any more than he has been. But I think worse of A&E, both for their initial overreaction and for their non-apology.

 

[robwar]

I am not sure what to think but that a&e is run by empty headed liberals. Of course the family would stay behind Phil and I think they are talking to another net work and they should leave if another offer comes to move. I’ve only seen the show once and can understand the appeal. My daughter’s school had a duck dynasty day. Go figure.

 

[coachkfan1]

I agree, his return would never have happened so fast if this was a real incident, and I highly doubt, if he is as devout as they say, he would even go back to A&E.

I do think this little stunt may backfire on them though.

What makes something a “real incident”? He gave a “real” interview to a magazine, there was a “real” uproar about it, and he “really” refused to recant what he said. I have only seen the show once so I have no vested interest in it. But it seems to me that A&E “really” needed the money once the realized that there was going to be a “real” backlash.

 

[robwar]

What makes something a “real incident”? He gave a “real” interview to a magazine, there was a “real” uproar about it, and he “really” refused to recant what he said. I have only seen the show once so I have no vested interest in it. But it seems to me that A&E “really” needed the money once the realized that there was going to be a “real” backlash.

Yea and I think they “really” realized that they stuck their foot in it as well.

 

[estesbob]

The be biggest loser in all this is GLAAD.

 

[DoGodsBidding]

The be biggest loser in all this is GLAAD.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Something I haven’t heard mentioned often, but A&E may not have had a choice about lifting the suspension of Robertson, under federal law. Had they carried through with their threat, it is likely they would have been in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits firing or suspending an employee on the basis of an expression of religious belief (which this clearly was). I’m sure Robertson’s lawyers are familiar with it, and A&E’s as well.

 

[_Abyssinia]

The be biggest loser in all this is GLAAD.

I do not agree with the way that Phil Robertson worded his comments referring to Jim Crow laws and one of his statements where he did not quote the Bible was crude, but GLADD have lost credibilioty to critique Phil Robertson after they gave Dan Savafe, who has said hateful and disgusting things about a range of public figures, an award.

A few years ago, I couldn’t imagine a network disregarding GLAAD’s recommendations

ideas.time.com/2013/12/28/duck-dynasty-reversal-shows-glaad-has-an-expiration-date

 

[_Abyssinia]

The be biggest loser in all this is GLAAD.

I do not agree with the way that Phil Robertson worded his comments referring to Jim Crow laws and one of his statements where he did not quote the Bible was crude, but GLAAD have lost credibility to critique Phil Robertson after they gave Dan Savage, who has said hateful and disgusting things about a range of public figures, an award.

A few years ago, I couldn’t imagine a network disregarding GLAAD’s recommendations

/url

 

[_Abyssinia]

The be biggest loser in all this is GLAAD.

I do not agree with the way that Phil Robertson worded his comments referring to Black people under Jim Crow laws and one of his statements where he did not quote the Bible was crude, but GLAAD have lost credibility to critique Phil Robertson after they gave Dan Savage, who has said hateful and disgusting things about a range of public figures, an award.

A few years ago, I couldn’t imagine a network disregarding GLAAD’s recommendations

ideas.time.com/2013/12/28/duck-dynasty-reversal-shows-glaad-has-an-expiration-date

 

[Brendan]

I heard, surprised, kind of.

I am not surprised in the least. but I knew this is how it would end up.

I have no doubt that A&E caved to GLADD pressure. And no one can really believe that GLADD’s response was faked. But that is when the financial motive had to kick in.

The Robertsons do not need the show. They have said previously that they have considered it to be a pain in the rear, but view it as a tool of evangelization.

They could have easily walked away from it. They did not need the show financially, and probably would have liked having their privacy back.

A&E NEEDS the show. It is the only successful program they have. What else did they really have in their lineup, Rodeo Girls??

Once it became apparent that the rest of the Robertsons were not all that interested in filming w\o Phil, A&E’s choices were to give in and make up with him, or to cancel any new episodes (which would have been financial suicide).