"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."
"Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men."
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| "And that's all I've gotta say about that." |
Shortly after his remarks were released, the nation proceeded to LOSE IT. Under pressure from countless outraged Americans and GLAAD (the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), A&E decided to suspend Robertson from the show and groveled for the forgiveness of those whom his words had so deeply offended. Now...I can understand A&E's rationale for this; it is a network viewed by millions of people daily, a good number of which I'm sure are homosexual. Thus, I can see how it was in the execs' best interest to distance the network from Robertson's remarks. I understand why some are outraged that Robertson brought bestiality into the discussion; however, I DON'T understand why people are outraged that he feels so strongly about homosexuality. I've seen Duck Dynasty only a handful of times, but from the few times I've watched it, I can tell that the Robertson family are fundamental Christians ("Fundamental" meaning they believe in the "fundamental" word of the Bible -- they take the word literally, not symbolically). Of COURSE he's going to feel the way he does about homosexuality; like it or not, the Bible clearly states that it is a sin. This does not make Robertson bigoted or ignorant, just a religious man who said the wrong thing the completely wrong way at the wrong time.
In the same interview, Robertson also made some controversial remarks regarding the attitude of African-Americans in the 60s South:
"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."
As a black man, I'm sure many people would expect me to be furious at this statement, but I am not.
Though Robertson's tone in this statement did strike me as a bit patronizing, I think it all goes back to his obvious lack of diplomacy. Perhaps, in his opinion, African-Americans DID seem happier back then than they do now; I'm pretty sure we weren't killing each other as much, hooked on drugs, or contracting as many diseases so, hey. Doesn't make or break me how he feels about us one way or the other. And that's all I'm trying to get at. I don't condone homosexuality, but I have many gay friends and family members who I love and who know I will jump to their defense at the drop of a hat. I understand that there are some who don't believe in religion; I feel that they have a right as human beings to do whatever they feel is right so long as they're happy doing it and not harming anyone. If someone is gay, straight, black, white, Muslim, Christian, whatever -- they can't allow every criticism to get under their skin. This situation reminds me of both the Chick-Fil-A and Paula Deen situations from many months ago. I felt the same way about those situations as I do about this one; both Dan Cathy and Paula Deen had every right to express how they felt and we as Americans had every right to either agree or ignore them. Simple as that.
In closing, Robertson released a statement after being booted from the show that I think is well worth sharing:
Yes.
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