Two things to remember if you think this Duck Dynasty thing is about anything except bigotry

[kpete]

1. Conservatives have rallied to Phil Robertson's defense, arguing that employers should not be allowed to fire someone for making homophobic remarks.

2. Conservatives continue to oppose the passage of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act, because they believe employers should continue to be allowed to fire someone for being gay.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/11/07/1253913/-Senate-Republicans-vote-overwhelming-against-ENDA-but-that-s-not-enough-for-right-wing-freakshow

To recap: It's the gays who should be fired, not the people who make bigoted remarks about them.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/28/1265724/-Two-things-to-remember-if-you-think-this-Duck-Dynasty-thing-was-about-anything-except-bigotry

[badtoworse]

1. But you're OK firing someone for what they think?

Sounds like the thought police to me. I was never big on that.

[Aristus]

3. Phil Duckhead wasn't fired by the state or Federal government.

He was fired (and then rehired, so chillax, all you 'th'gubmint is EVIL' types...) by a private corporate entity that was worried that redneck-boy was going to cause them to lose viewers, then advertisers, and then revenue.

And in the spirit of the 'we'll make more than we'll lose' mindset that keeps McDonald's coffee scalding hot, A&E rehired the bearded bullshitter...

[badtoworse]

5. Tell us something we don't already know.

[Aristus]

6. Okay: the thought police are not employed or empowered by private corporations.

n/t.

[badtoworse]

17. They're free agents who can't deal with A&E's decision to keep Robertson despite their outrage.

I would not expect someone to be fired merely for expressing an opinion that I don't agree with.

[JaneyVee]

19. Really? I take it you never ran a company before.

[badtoworse]

21. I've had to fire 3 people in my career, but it was never about an opinion they held.

[JaneyVee]

24. Would you have kept the teacher who told his student we don't need another black

President? Or the cop who uses the N-word constantly on his Facebook posts? Or an employee that believes the president should be assassinated?

[badtoworse]

38. Great questions. Here is how I would deal with them.

The cop is the easy one; let's deal with him first - I would fire him for several reasons. LEO's are in a special class meaning they are subject to a higher standard. An LEO that uses the N-word has clearly demonstrated an inability to enforce the law in an unbiased way. On a practical level, this means I'd have to worry about innocent people being arrested simply because they are black. It also means that guilty people might escape prosecution because defense attorneys could point to his demonstrated bias as part of their defense. I'd worry about lawsuits with this guy. At the highest level, a person with such obvious prejudice does not deserve to be a police officer and could not be counted on to do the job I would expect. For that reason, he's gone.

The teacher is also subject to a higher standard, but I would need to hear the full, unedited text of his / her remarks to decide what to do. We never "needed" a black president and we don't "need" another one. We don't "need" a president of any particular ethnicity, but what we do "need" is a pesident that will lead the country honestly and effectively. If that was his point, I'm OK with it. On the other hand, if he was implying that the current or a future president is not or could not be effective simply because he's black, I'd have a big problem with that and would likely fire him.

The employee that believes the president should be assasinated is a bit more difficult. Obviously, it's unlikely that such an employee could actually act on such a belief, but if I thought he would, if he could, I would need to do something. The concern here would be antisocial behavior that might be exhibited in other ways - someone else being killed (maybe me). In any case, I'd consult with HR and legal and would watch that employee like a hawk.

In my experience, the decision to terminate someone is rarely undertaken without consulting the experts - HR and legal. In most cases, the fact that I might be offended by the employee'sopinion, would not be a consideration. There are exceptions and you pointed out at least two.

[frylock]

27. bigotry is a bit more complex than disagreeing on what ben & jerry's flavor is best

[Arkansas Granny]

9. I work for a small business. If I wanted to walk down the street

wearing a sign telling you not to do business with the company, I could do that, legally. My boss could fire me, if he wished, legally. It has nothing to do with thought police, just business and profits.

[badtoworse]

16. Absolutely correct.

The same logic applies if the boss decides it's more profitable to keep you even if you've pissed off a few customers. The thought police are the ones that can't deal with the boss ignoring their outrage.

[joeybee12]

14. I love how you throw out thought police, when ity has nothing to do with thought...

It's what was said..Jebus, have you hunkered down in front of Fox Noise for the holidays?

[badtoworse]

15. He was stating his opinion during an interview..

...and the people who found his opinion offensive were screaming for A&E to fire him. Now we see outrage from some quarters because A&E has decided to keep him on the show. That's the thought police at work and the people screaming the loudest probably never watch the show.

Whatever happened to just watching a different channel if you don't like what they broadcast?

[JaneyVee]

18. Actually, no one was screaming to have him fired. You fell for the victim card

Being played by the rightwing.

[badtoworse]

20. So what were the majority of posters here clamoring for?

How would you characterize the reaction here to A&E's decision to keep him?

[JaneyVee]

22. Where do you see a majority clamoring for his firing?

Calling a bigot a bigot isn't clamor ing for his firing.

[badtoworse]

23. If they didn't want him fired, why the negativity about A&E keeping him?

[JaneyVee]

25. It was more due to A&E's hypocrisy.

[morningfog]

26. I have no problem at all with bigots losing their jobs.

Hate should not be tolerated.

[Mariana]

30. No one is OK with that.

Firing people for what they say, publicly, is a different story. Of course, you already knew that.

[enki23]

35. It wasn't about what he thought. It was about what he publically said.

If we're to make "fucking bigots" a protected class, I think we may as well just throw in the fucking towel.

[Jamastiene]

44. It wasn't just that he thought it.

He said it. Free speech means the rest of us can say we think he is a bigot for what he said, but you already knew that, didn't you?

[badtoworse]

49. Absolutely. Free speech means exactly what you said.

[A HERETIC I AM]

2. A&E is doing nothing more than pandering to the audience of that show....

which is, quite frankly, what they have to do and what they should do.

I think I've watched a grand total of 3 minutes of "Duck Dynasty".

Why only 3 minutes?

Because I have a brain, that's why. I haven't watched that show for the same reason I don't listen to Rush Limbaugh.

[badtoworse]

4. That's 3 minutes more than I have. I just assumed it was as at the same level as Honey Boo Boo.

[A HERETIC I AM]

7. Just about right.

Of that 3 minutes, probably 90 seconds was spent looking for the next thing to turn to!

[Jamastiene]

41. At least Honey Boo Boo doesn't hate gay people.

To me, that puts her miles above that Duck Dynasty crap. And I have watched it, been forced to at a family holiday get-together. Hated it.

[badtoworse]

48. I've not read the full text of Robertson's remarks

But I haven't read anything he's said that I would characterize as hateful. The belief that the gay lifestyle is sinful does not equal hate in my opinion.

I'd be interested to know what you think he said that is hateful.

[GeorgeGist]

8. Is pandering to bigots ...

ART or ENTERTAINMENT?

[A HERETIC I AM]

10. If it pays....

then it's good business, sorry to say.

But admittedly, there hasn't been much Arts OR Entertainment on A&E for quite a while.

[Ron Green]

11. It's about Television. That's what it's about.

They want you to watch.

[TBF]

12. If we still had unions -

It would be harder to fire anyone and I think that would be better overall. To be honest I'm not losing any sleep over Duckman, but I like to point out that his supporters didn't help the Dixie Chicks years ago. In fact they pretty much killed Natalie's career - at least in this country.

[Bluenorthwest]

29. We do still have Unions, Duck Dynasty and other 'reality' shows are in part methods

to avoid employing Union members by hiriing 'non professionals' and claiming there is no script to write. Much of cable TV, including the news we all love and the one we all hate are Non Union when they could be Union, that means Big Ed as well.
The reality shows would end if they got Unionized. They exist as a Union busting and Union avoiding scheme.

[TBF]

31. Interesting analysis -

I don't watch the reality shows but it is interesting to hear your analysis that they are union busting and avoidance schema. That certainly doesn't surprise me.

[Jamastiene]

42. That is EXACTLY what reality shows are.

That is why what passes for "entertainment" and "talent" nowadays has gone downhill so badly too.

[hollysmom]

13. as bad as what he said about gays, never forget

what he said about Jim Crow and blacks = this man is an equal opportunity bigot.

[TBF]

32. I like to post this piece from the SPLC that

addressed his racism:

http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/news/duck-dynasty-star-oblivious-to-the-suffering-of-african-americans-during-pre-civil

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. 21st century America pulling rest of America out of the 19th century, kicking & screaming. nt

[napkinz]

33. "A&E learned a valuable lesson from Phil Robertson ..."

https://www.facebook.com/NoTeaParty

[napkinz]

34. message to A&E ...

[Jamastiene]

43. [phone]

[napkinz]

36. from beingliberal ...

https://www.facebook.com/beingliberal.org

[Cha]

39. Thanks for all those graphics depicting the ugliness of one Phil Robertson, napkinz..

Here's one I have on my fb page..



And, with these shitheads on Ducks' side what could possibly be wrong?

[napkinz]

46. thanks Cha

here are some others ...

[Cha]

47. A bioted racist hatin' pedophile. What comes out of

this idiot's mouth is garbage.

thank you, napkinz

[iandhr]

37. Not just bigotry.

Last edited Sun Dec 29, 2013, 02:36 AM - Edit history (1)

Racism too. He said the blacks were happy during Jim Crow.

[Cha]

40. Exacty, iandhr.. phil is an

ignorant racist bigoted asshole. A&E is welcome to him.. or not.

Good point..

snip//

"First, I want to know what network I can pitch a TV show to about my regular American black family (blended from Michigan, Chicago, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas) that will allow me to call white people “racist blue-eyed devils,” “demonic descendants of evil slave owners” and “privileged cracka muthafuckas,” to name a few. Maybe A&E will allow it on their network (Oprah is too squeamish for that sort of thing). It can’t be on an all-black network, though. It has to be seen and HEARD."

KEY..

snip//

"So here’s the strategy. Since MONEY and POWER is their driving motivation, collect twice the amount of signatures and boycott their advertisers, which hits them in their wallet (like these people insinuated they would do), and they’ll do what networks do naturally: pull the plug because it’s no longer profitable."

http://www.lonestarq.com/busters-take-gay-black-response-aes-reversal-phil-robertsons-suspension/#more-1716 .

Texas Towlie http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4243924

[1000words]

45. How many states operate under an "at-will employment" policy?